OLd Magnatone Amps.... Worth it?

[BADFISH]

I walked into a shop yesterday and noticed an old magnatone.... (maestro) 150 model , 30 watts . it looked good. It sounded like it may need a little work (may need new tubes and a cap-job)? the price was very low (for that reason)

Are these amps worth it? This is a 50's model (no vibrato or reverb etc.)

I have always played fenders (brown & black faces)... I like the idea of having a low priced gig amp. Can these magnatones sound great?

Are these magnatones easy to work on (service)? I don't know what i'm doing.. so I would need it pro $erviced.

[Greg R]

I've owned a Maggie 150 for about 3 years now. It's a great amp. Made in 1953, true point to point and original Jensen P15N speaker. Yes, these amps are worth it. I value it as much as my Super Reverb as it sounds good and much lighter. Some Maggies take "unusual" tubes but the 150's take the standard (2)5881/6L6, (3)12AX7,(2)12AU7 type with (2)5Y3 rect. tubes. If you like the Fender Brown/Blackface sound (leaning towards brown) you'll like this amp. Loud enough to have some headroom, but quiet enough for tube distortion without blowing you out of the room. For fun plug into the mic input and you'll hear some tubes talk. The first 150's were made in 53-54. The second series were approx from 55-59. Second series has slightly different tube line-up but all tubes still available. Check out Vibroworld.com for pics and info. Also a Magnatone group on Yahoo but you have to join to read the message board. This model is pretty much straight forward and most any tech should feel comfortable working on it. As old as it is I'm sure it needs some service and have that power cord changed to a 3 prong while its in the shop. Give it a quick look over & see if anything has been changed like speaker/transformers(look for extra bolt holes in the chassis from ot trans swaps), etc. Overall, a nice all tube amp thats point to point with a 15" speaker (should be a Jensen). Won't pull your back carrying it as its suprisingly light for what it is. If you find your not interested let me know, I wouldn't mind having another.
Good luck with it, Greg R

[BADFISH]

Thanks for the info... this one WAS a later 55-59 era. It's gone..... I'll keep my eyes open on the future.