Big Polytone amp + cabinet

[Lecram]

Hi all, first thread/post here.

I'm looking for some info about a Polytone amp and cab that's been sitting around in my basement for a long time now. Sine I've seen a lot of threads about Polytone here, I reckoned this might be the place to ask since I can't find any info.

So here it is. (see pics) I wonder what year this is manufactured and if it holds any value.
The amp still functions except for the reverb. Runs on 220 volts. It does need new pots, switches and jacks. The speakers are in great condition, a little dusty but no mold, dents whatsoever. They have no brand on the back of them, only some numbers:12599 137 7522. Sizes are 3x appr. 7 inch, 4x appr. 10 inch. As you can see, the old foam front has been replaced by a very sturdy metal grille.

If anyone could shed some light on this beast I'd be very grateful.

Cheers,

Lecram.

[Greentone]

I have seen this amp once before. It is a bass guitar/guitar amp by Polytone. IIRC, it puts out 140 watts of solid-state power into...as you can see...a tremendous array of speakers. For Polytone, it is a punchy bass amp. It's a big amp. For many of the Polytone fans (like me) it sort of defeats the purpose of using Polytone--sound plus small size--but for somebody like my son, a touring musician (bassist) who _does_ use Polytone products, an amp like that one would be a winner.

There are people out there who are trained musicians with some chops and knowledge who appreciate what Mr. Gumina at Polytone was trying to accomplish with his designs--a line of pro-quality amps for the jazz musician. Gumina was a jazz accordion player. Your amp, in fact, would probably make the world's best accordion amplifier--for those who are interested in such things. In many ways, it was the successor to the old Ampeg Gemini VI amp (which was also a big accordion amp).

You amp appears to be in excellent cosmetic condition. My guess is that it would start right up, too.

Question: are you sure that the speaker cab is a Polytone? Does it have a badge on the back?

[docbop]

Tommy Gumina would of had fun blasting his accordion thru that behemoth. I was working in a music store and one of our vendors wanted us to be a Polytone dealer on one visit he had Tommy with him who played his accordion thru a MiniBrute to show use the range the little thing could handle. The vendor told us Tommy loved to demo that amps. We became a dealer, sadly I never bought a Polytone back then.

Never seen a Polytone that big before that is quite a beast.

[SuperFour00]

Marcel, that is a Polytone cab, I've seen them before. Value is hard to establish on rare models because there are few comparable sales to consult. If you can't find a similar one on Ebay completed sales, maybe you can look in a vintage amp bluebook like Vintage Guitar Price Guide or something similar. Good luck.

[Greentone]

Word to the wise: on the guitar channel--the one on the left--you have the dreaded "distortion" knob (red). IMO--and I say this as a rabid Polytone fan--it emits the second-worst sounding distortion sound on Planet Earth. Don't use it.

The first, you ask? Why, the distortion knob on the Roland JC-120 Amp, of course...completely and utterly useless. I hit it once while performing "Stairway to Heaven" on the big solo at the end--let all of the energy right out of the room. I actually had to rip my cord out of the amp and put it into another amp--only missing one measure.

[Lecram]

Thanks for the replies so far, it seems I've got something special here.


@ Greentone:

Yes, that is a Polytone cab, absolutely positive. It has a badge on the back, although torn apart. The top of the cab has holes in which the rubber feet of the amp fit, so that the amp can't move around on the cab. I also have the original covers with the Polytone brand on it for both the amp and the cab, that's why it is still in such condition. Always had it stored using those.

The amp works fine, like I said, the jacks, switches and pots need replacement. The jacks on the back have some rust on them.


@Superfour00:

Thanks, I'll take a look.

I'm looking to sell it because there's no way I'm going to be able to use it to it's full potential. On the other hand, maybe I will in the distant future and it's a nice project.. For a good price I'll defo sell it I guess, but I don't even know what ballpark to aim for...


Cheers,

Lecram.

[Lecram]

According to this post: Vintage Amps Bulletin Board ? View topic - Polytone 102 (red knob model) speaker swap , I can date the speakers back to manufacturer CTS(137), week 22, 1975 (7522)...

[Danny W.]

The closest I can find, from the 1976 catalog:



Danny W.

[Greentone]

Oh, yeah! It's a Polytone cabinet. What an amp!

[Greentone]

Oh, yes...it's a 70s amp; you can tell from the faceplate and the layout of the knobs. Silver faceplate/bass,treble,volume = 70s; by 80s they had the same features with a black faceplate/red stripe. Later, they added a middle knob concentric with treble knob...around '83. By '90s they revised the circuit entirely. Also, earliest amps had black vinyl. later they went to fuzzy covering (late 70s). Later, still, they went to diamond-shaped boltaflex covering (79-80); by around '83 they had a dark gray vinyl covering. In the 90s they used a blue vinyl covering, etc.

The amp above is probably '75 or '76. That's from faceplate and covering.

[Lecram]

@Danny:

Yeah, almost! After I read your reply I googled ''polytone 1976 catalog'' and this picture came up:



Seems the one on the bottom left is the amp and cab I have. You happen to have that page too?


Cheers,

Lecram.

[Danny W.]

@Danny:

Yeah, almost! After I read your reply I googled ''polytone 1976 catalog'' and this picture came up:



Seems the one on the bottom left is the amp and cab I have. You happen to have that page too?


Cheers,

Lecram.

I have the complete catalog.

I posted that picture because the model number matches the number on the serial plate of your amp. The 215L on the opposite page is described as having a speaker configuration of one 12" and one 15", so even thought the cabinet looks similar to yours it is loaded differently. Yours seems to be a cabinet that is loaded like the 412 in the catalog, but in one box instead of two and missing one 8" speaker.

Danny W.

[Lecram]

I see, that is very interesting...

Too bad the badge on the cab is torn away right where the model number is. Only info it gives is 360 watts and serial no. 225...


Cheers,

Lecram.

[Greentone]

Your model number on the badge on your amp is 412. That's the amp on the right.

[Hammertone]

Gotta love how the description lists the power as 230 watts RMS into 2 ohms and 60 watts RMS into 4 ohms- I guess that's for each of the two internal amps, but they sure don't make it easy to understand.
I found a very similar Polytone "Works" head at a guitar show - the only one I have ever seen in person. It was so bizarre I had to get it.

It does sound great but it's a very impractical amp - it weighs a lot, it's bulky, the suitcase styling doesn't work that well. Huge speaker cabs are also going cheap these days - very few people want them, especially non-mainstream brands, no matter how nice they are. Despite the fact that you do indeed have something special, it's just not worth much in the real world.

IMO, this is a great setup for a rehearsal or recording studio, where it won't need to be moved once it has been set up. Or for someone who likes the Polytone sound, has the space for a bigger piece of gear and digs ancient amps.

Mine:

[Lecram]

Cool

I assume the smaller speaker in your cab is for higher frequencies, did you hook it up to the treble channel of the amp?

[Hammertone]

Cool

I assume the smaller speaker in your cab is for higher frequencies, did you hook it up to the treble channel of the amp?

I've tried running that way ("bi-amped") as well as simply as a mono amp.
This particular rig sounds better as a mono amp with that EV cab (which weighs 500 pounds ). I also have a Polytone 104 combo amp that's switchable between mono and bi-amped (treble goes to one 12" speakers, bass goes to the other 12" speaker). I have used that amp on lots of commercial gigs and found I needed to switch back and forth between modes depending on which guitar I was using or in which room I was using it - a useful and quick way to tune the amp to the room.

[feastdabeast]

Hi everyone,
im not a jazz musician but i stumbled on this thread and just had to reply to it.

The above info is correct, it is a genuine top and cab.
I used to own one and played on it for years.
A bit of a bastard to move around due to weight and size but it sounds great!
I used it mainly as my bass amp till the old top fell apart (cracked wiring , crackle and hiss everywhere and eventually smoked it)
I then sealed the port in the back of the cab and plugged it into a Hartke Bass amp...
Loud as hell with still a very good tone, just what you need to keep up with two Marshall stacks.
I disagree with the guy who said the distortion sucks on this amp.
When the top was still alive i often used it as a guitar amp in a southern rock type band.
Set the gain to an apropriate level with a LP plugged in and switched to bridge humbucker only...cut back a little on the guitar volume pot too ; sweet overdrive with really good tone.
My advice: dont sell, it wont fetch a lot of cash, but its a one of a kind setup wich imho is worth keeping.
Mine got stolen out of our truck, otherwise i would still be having a blast everytime i be playing it.

feastdabeast
rotterdam netherlands

You can see the cab just behind me at some live gig in 2004

[wintermoon]

I've got a 215-300 that I can't sell for the life of me......

[Greentone]

Tommy Gumina was an eccentric genius of an amp manufacturer. Whaddya want for a guy who was one of the greatest jazz accordion players, ever? His company built some doggone interesting stuff. Ultimately, however, it was the handful of amps that "name" players used prominently that caught traction in the marketplace--chiefly, the MiniBrutes.

This is too bad because all of the amps were pretty cool and they all sounded great. The best of the bunch? IMO that would be the Baby Brute and the Teeny Brute. Not too many name guys played them, though, so you don't see them adorning lots of stages.

The bass amps get great, if now vintage, sounds.

I like them all.

I STILL don't like the distortion knob, though. Ugh! YMMV.

[Stanford J17]

What the hell????



I try to imagine the face of a restaurant owner, that has hired you for solo background music in a small italian restaurant and you show up with your marsh... excuse me Polytone stack.