LeonC
Well-known member
- Joined
- Aug 30, 2002
- Messages
- 804
It's a 1956 National model 1299, the top dog in their "Professional" line of amps. In all my years scouring the web for Valcos, this is the only one like this I've seen. I have a friend in PA who owns one and sent me photos of his about 8 or 9 yeas ago; it's the only one I've ever seen or heard of. Neither he nor any other Valco enthusiasts I know have ever seen another. I have this model's "little brother"--the 1215 (same amp with a 15 rather than four 10s)...but none of us knew the model number of either this one or its big brother, the 1299. (I have subsequently learned the model number--nmiller posted a page from the old National Instrument catalog that featured the Professional amps, over on The Gear Page.)
I've been looking for one since my friend sent me those photos 8 or 9 years ago so when this one popped up on eBay a month ago, my eyes just about popped out. I was outbid the first time it came up (and I bid almost 3 grand)...but the high bidder disappeared. The seller put it up for auction again and I snagged it the second time.
It was in non-working condition but I was sure I'd could fix it. It was in such good looking physical shape (and had been owned by a Hawaiian-guitar player) so I suspected that what ever it was, it wouldn't be too bad. When I took receipt and got it open, I could see that almost no work had been done to it. All the original parts with the exception of a) the plug on the the AC cord, b) two-cathode bypass caps in the lower chassis (power section) and c) one cathode resistor (on one pair of power tubes). The AC plug was ancient, the hardware-store "screw-on" variety. One lead was toast. After I cleaned them both up and re-attached it, the amp came back to life! Brought it up nice and slow on the variac...but it sounded like poop though.
I tested and replaced all the electrolytic caps and the paper/wax coupling caps (those are virtually always toast in old Valcos). Tried it again...sounded stronger and livlier...but still pretty distorted / miserable.
I have thread on the Gear Page where I explain this in more detail if you're interested but I'll cut to the chase here: someone had previously repaired the 3-prong plug that takes the signal from the two sides of the phase inverter (upper chassis) to the grids of the power tubes (lower chassis). Only two of the three pins in the plug are used. When they made their repair, the used the one wrong pin---it is connectd to NOTHING in the lower chassis! So you were only getting one half of the phase inverter and one half of the power section amplifying anything, LOL. As soon as I fixed that plug, boom, the thing came back to LIFE! And it is one absolutely badass amp!!
It is a 4x10 (Rola alnico speakers) combo with two identical channels. The front end of each channel consists of a 5879 pentode followed by a 12AX7 triode gain stage and then into the phase inverter. Back end is two pairs of cathode-biased 6L6GBs (5881s) with a 5U4GB recitifier. Two matching OTs. All transformers from Magnetic Components.
I've been looking for one since my friend sent me those photos 8 or 9 years ago so when this one popped up on eBay a month ago, my eyes just about popped out. I was outbid the first time it came up (and I bid almost 3 grand)...but the high bidder disappeared. The seller put it up for auction again and I snagged it the second time.
It was in non-working condition but I was sure I'd could fix it. It was in such good looking physical shape (and had been owned by a Hawaiian-guitar player) so I suspected that what ever it was, it wouldn't be too bad. When I took receipt and got it open, I could see that almost no work had been done to it. All the original parts with the exception of a) the plug on the the AC cord, b) two-cathode bypass caps in the lower chassis (power section) and c) one cathode resistor (on one pair of power tubes). The AC plug was ancient, the hardware-store "screw-on" variety. One lead was toast. After I cleaned them both up and re-attached it, the amp came back to life! Brought it up nice and slow on the variac...but it sounded like poop though.
I tested and replaced all the electrolytic caps and the paper/wax coupling caps (those are virtually always toast in old Valcos). Tried it again...sounded stronger and livlier...but still pretty distorted / miserable.
I have thread on the Gear Page where I explain this in more detail if you're interested but I'll cut to the chase here: someone had previously repaired the 3-prong plug that takes the signal from the two sides of the phase inverter (upper chassis) to the grids of the power tubes (lower chassis). Only two of the three pins in the plug are used. When they made their repair, the used the one wrong pin---it is connectd to NOTHING in the lower chassis! So you were only getting one half of the phase inverter and one half of the power section amplifying anything, LOL. As soon as I fixed that plug, boom, the thing came back to LIFE! And it is one absolutely badass amp!!
It is a 4x10 (Rola alnico speakers) combo with two identical channels. The front end of each channel consists of a 5879 pentode followed by a 12AX7 triode gain stage and then into the phase inverter. Back end is two pairs of cathode-biased 6L6GBs (5881s) with a 5U4GB recitifier. Two matching OTs. All transformers from Magnetic Components.