Walter Woods two-channel amp w/5-pin input

[edwardofhuncote]

Okay- first one of these I've seen... 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/192316936373

[JimmyJ]

Wow, I didn't think Walter made more than two of these.  I have one (see below), and a pal who lives in Pasadena has another.  Mine is 400w and the one listed is 100w but I believe the preamp sections were interchangeable.  And if it's like mine, the pickups are wired directly into the two separate channels and the 1/4" input is a TRS which interrupts the signal and allows you to insert an effect between the bass and the pre - on each channel.  Pretty slick.  Mine has been solidly reliable for many many years. 

After he jammed that 5-pin connector into his already packed tiny amp I seem to remember him saying "I'm never doing THAT again".  Now I wonder how many he actually built?

[jazzyvee]

JJ, did that mod give you separate speaker output for bi-amping or are they completely mono heads.

[keith_h]

"The 5-pin connector is most likely for Series 1 Alembic basses made in the late 1970s and into the 1980s."

Somebody might want to tell the lister that Alembic still makes basses. The back plate has the name Stan Musick engraved. The only places I see him show up is in the credits for an Elvis collectors set and a Sinatra show from the 1960's.

[moongerm]

Saw this yesterday. 100w is a deal breaker for me. Very slick indeed.

[JimmyJ]

Jazzyvee,

The power amp is mono however there are line outputs on each channel so you could run "stereo" with another power amp.  It's a surprisingly versatile little box.

Yeah, 100w is not a lot.  These amps were favored by upright players and "big-body" jazz guitar players.  They're especially "fast" (slew rate?) I think because they're class-D "switching" amps.  Probably the first use of that circuit in the music business. 

Jimmy J

[JimmyJ]

Another cool thing is the switch hidden in the cooling fins which allows you to switch the amp to 220v.  Pretty cool.
Jimmy J

[edwardofhuncote]

For some reason, I'm completely unsurprised someone around this place knew exactly what this thing was. 

If I didn't already have an upright rig that I really like, (that also doubles as my small-room/practice rig) I'd be very interested in this amp. For the coolness factor, if nothing else. 

[room037]

I own 100w version, but 1/4 input is nut working as TRS.
It working fine for no effect, I don't try to connect by putch points (Line out to Line in).

Eiji

[JimmyJ]

Eiji-san,

I should have known you would have one!  You are the champion collector of all things Alembic!  Maybe you know how many of these pre-amp panels Walter actually produced?  I thought it was only 2 or 3 but now we're up to 4 that we know of. 

It is possible that the TRS was a further mod on my amp but I can't recall.  Perhaps this was the last straw that made him say "never again".  I assumed the few that he made were all set up this way.  With a 1/4" plug plugged in, Ring becomes the bass output and Tip becomes the return to the preamp input.  With no 1/4" plugged in the circuit is "normalled" and the bass is connected directly to the input.  If I have the only one made this way ... well heck, I'd better get some effect pedals going!

Jimmy J

[jseitang]

actually i just bought the last one from walter recently. i even asked mica to send him a new 5 pin connector  for the amp , just a newer black looking one, nothing special. i believe mine is a 400 watt one. i havent received the amp yet (walter is on vacation till mid october) i had visited him at his house earlier this year, i asked him if he had any more of them lying around, and he found the last one and put it together for me. very very nice man, great to talk to, and knows how to talk shop for hours! So Fun! Jimmy- so now you know where all of them are now! both jimmys have this now!lol

[hieronymous]

100 watts is kind of low-powered - could it be used as a preamp only, to feed something more powerful? Kind of like a DS-5 on steroids!

[keith_h]

All of this talk about 100W being low powered. I remember when that was the gold standard. My how times change.

[JimmyJ]

Wow, that's amazing Jimy (only one "m"?)  Yes, Walter is a great guy and really a blast to talk to.  Quirky too, aren't we all?  Glad to hear you will have the last one.  So, you think he had 5 front panels made back in 1989?  Interesting.

Hieronymous (Bosch?), yes indeed, the EQ sections are pretty flexible so you could use it as a power supply/pre.  Connect directly to a power amp and you'd have a great stereo rig.  Or, I think it can sum the two channels for mono...

JimmY J