Standel Amps

John Macy · Post by **John Macy** » 28 May 2000 8:52 pm

I put this in the Electronics thread, too. There is a great Standel website-they are making them again--and it has a great history section, including the original serial numbers and who they went to. Very cool. Got to hear one!
http://requisiteaudio.com/standel.html#anchor15076719

Jason Odd · Post by **Jason Odd** » 29 May 2000 6:51 am

Ain't it a grand site?

Larry Lenhart · Post by **Larry Lenhart** » 29 May 2000 7:39 am

I was at the Chet Atkins convention in Nashville when they brought them back out, last year or the year before (cant remember when). All the thumb pickers including Thom Bresh (Merle Travis's son) were just besides themselves. They all agreed that was it is-that was the sound that Chet got. It is a great sounding amp-just a little out of my league at $3,000.

Jerry Hayes R.I.P. · Post by **Jerry Hayes R.I.P.** » 29 May 2000 8:12 am

Great site! I'm sorry to hear that Bob Crooks passed away. I got to know him before I left California in the early 80's. I had an amp stolen so Blackie Taylor let me have a Barcus-Berry amp with 2 12's on credit. A few months later I was having a little speaker trouble so I took it to Barcus-Berry's factory in Huntington Beach. They sent me to the back to this repair shop and that's where I met Bob. Over at the side of the shop he had a bunch of old Standel Amps setting there. I asked about them and he told me that he had been the manufacturer and that he'd repair them for people even though he worked for Barcus-Berry. We talked a bit and found out that we had a mutual friend (Johnny Davis, great guitar & steel player) who'd worked for Bob before. He took my amp and tested the speaker which was bad. He replaced it with a 12" JBL. I asked him what it would cost to replace the other one and he said "Give me $50 and it's done". So I got two 12" JBL's for only $50. I went there quite a bit after that just to shoot the breeze and talk about the old days. He was a very nice man and well ahead of his time. I had a Standel Modulux in the middle 60's which was an Echo machine which didn't use tape but sounded great. I'd probably still have it, but leaving a gig one night I sat it on the ground while loading up my trunk and forgot and backed over the thing smashing it to pieces. I had two of those Standel Artists at different times and they were great. They had a 15" JBL and a lighted control panel. They had two inputs with one on each end of the panel. We'd use a "Y" chord and plug into both inputs for the fattest sound you'd ever heard. I tried that on a Twin once and it wouldn't work. I'm glad they're back but in my opinion they'll never replicate the Standels which Bob made. He put himself into those amps and they made him proud!

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Have a good one! JH U-12

chris ivey · Post by **chris ivey** » 29 May 2000 8:35 am

buddy wanted one until he saw the prices, according to an old post of his.....you'd think any self-respecting company would offer a complimentary amp to such an influential figure...especially when they use his name in their promotion!!!

Buddy Emmons · Post by **Buddy Emmons** » 29 May 2000 8:57 am

Chris, my problem has been solved. I got a most pleasant surprise when Mike Cass gave me an old Standel Custom amp for my last birthday. Mike adjusted the amp as I played, and in just a few notes, the sound I've been wanting for years was back. The guitar was a push-pull, but the highs reminded me very much of my old Bigsby: no sawtooth mids… only silk and plume.

Cliff Swanson · Post by **Cliff Swanson** » 29 May 2000 9:15 am

So um...Buddy... Could you please keep me in mind when a brand-new-from-the-factory complimentary Standel shows up on your doorstep? No sense having one of them sit around unused, eh?

Cat

John Hanusch · Post by **John Hanusch** » 29 May 2000 9:25 am

Well, Folks.. Put your buy order in for Standel stock. jh[This message was edited by John Hanusch on 29 May 2000 at 10:27 AM.]

Bob Hoffnar · Post by **Bob Hoffnar** » 29 May 2000 11:54 am

Buddy,
Is the Standel custom a solid state or hybrid ?

Bob

Chris DeBarge · Post by **Chris DeBarge** » 29 May 2000 5:11 pm

John, most people are talking about the tube versions here, which is what's being reissued. And they are great!

Mike Perlowin RIP · Post by **Mike Perlowin RIP** » 29 May 2000 5:42 pm

I wonder if they are going to make a steel amp.

chris ivey · Post by **chris ivey** » 29 May 2000 5:48 pm

buddy...couldn't happen to a more deserving person!

Bob Hoffnar · Post by **Bob Hoffnar** » 29 May 2000 9:23 pm

I just got an old "solid state" model Standel Custom and I really like how it sounds. I'm wondering how it compares to the "Hybrid" model.

Bob

[This message was edited by Bob Hoffnar on 29 May 2000 at 11:27 PM.]

Buddy Emmons · Post by **Buddy Emmons** » 30 May 2000 4:33 am

Bob,
Mine is a front panel, dual channel solid state with no reverb.

Dana Duplan · Post by **Dana Duplan** » 11 Jun 2000 8:16 am

As a Standel player, fan, and dealer (not necessarily in that order), I would like to add my views without writing a novel. I own a Reissue 25L15--it's the one pictured on the website in two-tone seafoam/cream. To me this is the "holy grail" of amps, not just for the sound, but also because of the heritage. No expense was spared in reissuing these amps--I was involved with Requisite during the development and had my order in about 1 1/2 years before they became available. The project was held up considerably due to not being able to capture "that sound". A big part is the speaker. Rather than to just pick a speaker that was close, Standel insisted on an exact copy of the original JBL D130 and ended up having to manufacture them, the oly way they could get it right. And on down the line...no compromises were made. Yes, they are expensive, but I would rather pay more and not have corners cut. That said, I also own a '63 hybrid Standel and a later 60's, and my friends have them as well. These amps still capture a sound that Bob Crooks had in mind. There were some quality problems in the late 60's, but there are still a few techs that can take care of them should they arise. The folks who have purchased the reissue 25L15 couldn't be happier, and wouldn't trade them in for anything. Lately Standel has been doing custom work for Gary Allen's band (Jake Kelly, Jody Maphis). They will build just about anything you want (on their platform) including steel guitar designs. When I talked with Mike Fried recently he was considering designing one for steel. You can see what they are doing on the website, aside from the 25L15 reissue. BTW, I still love my Fenders. Any questions or more info, please don't hesitate.
Thanks,
DD

Johnny Cox · Post by **Johnny Cox** » 11 Jun 2000 2:36 pm

A friend of Joan and me just gave us a 1970 Standel Custom 15. It may very well be my pick of the litter. It sounds so sweet, like Buddy said, sweet hi's and nice mids none of that harshness that all the new amps have.

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GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME
Johnny "Dumplin" Cox
Zumsteel D10/11

John Paul Jones · Post by **John Paul Jones** » 12 Jun 2000 5:40 pm

I bought Dick Stubb's Standel amp, model #1003, from him in the mid '60's. I played through it for about 3 years.

I once took the amp to Bob Crooks for repair and told him I was in a hurry. Eddie Dean's Standel was in for repair so Bob replaced my non-working chassis (they had two, a pre-amp and a power amp) with the working chassis for Eddie Dean's Standel.

I don't remember if it was the pre-amp or the power that Bob Crooks exchanged. But, either way there is a paradox here. That is, neither amp is original. So, whoever now owns Dick Stubb's Standel, or Eddie Dean's Standel, actually owns a hybrid since both amps have parts in them from the other.

Also, I have forgotten where the serial #'s were. If they were on the parts that were interchanged that would have really messed things up. I don't remember about that.

I traded that Standel amp to Bobbe Seymour around 1969. I never did see it or hear of it again. I never remember to ask Bobbe what happened to it when I see him.

John Paul

Bob Snelgrove · Post by **Bob Snelgrove** » 13 Oct 2002 9:03 pm

quote from BE:

"Bob,
Mine is a front panel, dual channel solid state with no reverb."

Buddy, What is the model of this Standel, and does it have enough power for playing live?

Are you still playing through it? (I think this thread is a few years old)

thx

bob

bob

Joe Smith · Post by **Joe Smith** » 14 Oct 2002 3:59 am

Well, I also own a Standel amp. Mine is a model 80L15 Custom. It was one of the last all tube amps that they made. The Standel is by far the best sounding amp that I have ever played through.

Bobbe Seymour · Post by **Bobbe Seymour** » 14 Oct 2002 1:48 pm

John Paul Jones, I wish you were here to see this post, I miss you and am sorry you are gone however to all interested, Paul Yandell bought this one Standell from me and gave it to Chet A. I also had several others that he saw fit to purchase.
They all went to a worthy home.
Bobbe Seymour[This message was edited by BobbeSeymour on 14 October 2002 at 02:49 PM.]