Legend Guitar Amplifiers

[InyoTim]

I'm curious what brand speakers were installed at the factory. Mine has a Carvin in it and I'm pretty sure that isn't stock.

[mr natural]

I'm pretty sure they used Celestions.
-Mr. N.

[mutantcolors]

Hi,
I just sniped that straight 4x12. Never heard of 'em til yesterday, saw that listing looking for a tax return toy, did some research, and as soon as I read "finger joint" and saw all y'all drooling over it, I knew it was time to pull the trigger before someone else did!

Edit - WOW. DID NOT realize those original Celestions sold for near $200 each. Thank you previous posters for lighting the fire under me to move on this.

[mr natural]

So it had the original Celestions in it??? Nice score. Let us know how it sounds. I bet it weighs a ton.
-Mr. Natural

[mutantcolors]

Yep, original cones. Finger jointed 3/4" solid oak...yowzza...what a box!

[InyoTim]

That's a nice score mutantcolors. I think that cab would be on of those "keep `til I die" things if I owned it. I'm looking forward to a report on how it sounds too.

[UncleTapp]

Originally Posted by legend

I probably have a 30 schematic somewhere. I'll post it if I find one.

Hi!

Have one A30 in for repair....with burned PowerAmp circuit.

Would be very happy for a schematic

Thanks
Hasse
www.tappamps.com
Sweden

[legend]

Originally Posted by InyoTim

My 30 has the pre-woven cane basket weave grill and tilt back legs. It is the walnut option I believe. It is the nicest looking amp I own. The looks are what drew my eye to it in the first place.

Those tilt back leg models are the rarest ones we made as they were only sold off the floor of a NAMM show.
The solid walnut version was beautiful. There probably were a total of between 2 and 6 of these units made.

[legend]

Originally Posted by InyoTim

I'm curious what brand speakers were installed at the factory. Mine has a Carvin in it and I'm pretty sure that isn't stock.

All except 30s and 60s came with Celestion G1280 and in the case of some multiple speaker units G1265.
After a while all were G1280 as there was very little cost differential.
30s had mostly Eminence with some early models having Pyle speakers. 60s had a real nice 100+ oz. magnet OEM speaker. I thought with reverb it was one of the nicest sounding speakers available. We used small amounts of EV and Altec speakers. The Altecs sounded great. Most customers bought even the 30s and 60s with Celestion speakers.

[legend]

I forgot to type in that the OEM 108 oz. magnet speaker was made by Eminence. The speaker had a 3.5" voice coil, we asked for a cast frame quality speaker with a stamped frame price.

[InyoTim]

My Legend has always had some pots that were noisy. They would crackle and pop when adjusted. I'd tried using spray cleaner/lube on them which helped with the scratchiness, but they still crackled and popped.
Yesterday evening I pulled the chassis and found some of the solder joints had cracked when someone was trying to re-stab the shafts though the holes in the faceplate. This is a bit of a finesse move and they just cave manned them in.
I removed the access cover on the bottom of the chassis and hit all the pot lugs I could reach with the soldering iron to re-fuse the connections. I put it all back together and the noise when adjusting the pots is gone.
This was not done at the factory, as the aluminum faceplate was also mangled a bit at the ends when the chassis was shoved back into place.

[mr natural]

Good job! Now crank that sucker up real loud and rock out just to make sure she's working right.
-Mr. Natural

[mutantcolors]

Yeah I pretty much only buy gear that 1 - I don't plan on selling and 2 - could make me money in the unfortunate event I need to sell it.

Would love to give a sound report, but old buddy didn't ship until this morning.

[Bill Ashton]

Funny story...yesterday I was in Western Mass and happened upon a music store so ambled in. Pretty quiet for a Saturday afternoon, but figured hey, its Western Mass. Looking through the guitars, I found a couple of teenagers doing the "GC mini-shredder" bit on two Les Paul clones through a Line 6 and a Fender SS amp. They were polite though, and playing very quietly to my surprise.

My eyes were drawn however to the beautiful wood cabinet and cane grill of a PR-sized Legend sitting on the floor beside them. I had two thoughts...hmmm, she-who-must-be-obeyed might let me keep that in the living room () and two, that those kids don't really know what they are sitting beside, do they?

[Ponytailsgone]

This has been a very interesting discussion. Here is the deal I have a 4 x 12 Legend cab that I am not using. I just like the sound of a Marshall !960 better. It is a little worn from years of bar travel but still sounds great. So...am I better off selling the celestions or selling the cab? I will probably list on Craigs list in KC.

[mr natural]

Pomytailsgone, I guess it depends. Those Celestions could bring big bux sold individually and you'd have an empty cab to fill with the speakers of your choice. On the other hand, someone looking specifically for Legend stuff would also pay big bux for the whole shebang, but you'd probably have to reach a wider audience like ebay to find somebody looking for something that specific. Your call.
-Mr. Natural

[highervibe]

Mr. Legend - Thanks again for your time and information here. I, like many Legend owners, have enjoyed your amps for years and it's nice to have a chance to get the real story on Legend.

We actually traded voice mails a few years ago while I was trying to track down schematics on the Model A 30 combo amps. I also spoke at that time with Mike Finck, who is an amp tech at Clark Music in Syracuse. He had a few friends at Legend, and is one of the few amp techs in the US that actually understands these amps. Coincidentally I also have a neighbor here NJ that grew up in Syracuse, played the area, and knew Rick Cua as well.

My first real amp that I bought in 1983 was a Legend Model A 30 series I (Cane,Celestion) from a local music shop. I could swear that the other speaker option at the time was a Jensen. I remember jamming with friends and blowing away a guy that had just bought a Roland Bolt 60 (SS pre, Tube pwr). I later joined a HM band where the lead guitarist was a fan of SS and Electronic edgy sounds. It just didn't mesh and I traded the Legend for a Rockman and an Arp Axxe Synth. (and shortly thereafter I knew someday I would buy another).

Fortunately my friend had also bought a Model A (Brown, Celestion) at the same time as me. When he hung up his guitar paying in the late 90s I took ownership of his amp. While trying to power soak the amp with a Holdsworth Juice Extractor, something went wrong and I either fried the mosfets or the transformer, both of which are hard to find. (and again knew I would someday buy another Legend amp)

I currently own 2 Model A 30s - (1) Series I (brown,celestion), and (1) series II (Cane, Legend) with the MK570 option. The Legend speaker was damaged when I got it and I have been trying different speakers in it- but I honestly like the Celestion CH1280 speaker the best.

I also own 2 Model A heads - (1) Series I (my friends) and (1) series II that was already scavenged for parts before I got it and serves as a spare. While the circuit board layout is different between the Series I & II, I cannot tell the difference in actual function short of the fact that the Series II added a vol control for the send and receive jacks.

I would greatly appreciate the opportunity to get the schematics and owners manual for both the series I & II if possible.

Lastly, could you confirm the correct function/circuit position of the controls - e.g. 1st stage tube drive, volume and 2 stage tube drive? From what I saw on the older R&R designs, it looks like channel A/B each have a 1 stage drive preamp, the 2nd stage drive handles the tone stack, and then the volume sits after the tone but before the presence circuit. This would mean that similar to the older R&R amps, the amp needs to be cranked to get full tone. In the later R&R amps a true Master volume was added (after all the pre/tone circuits and just before the SS pwr amp input). Is this why these combos sound so great at ear bleeding volumes?

(I did try to pseudo-soak the pwr amp by using a 16 Ohm speaker, but it just sounded muddy instead).

Again Much Appreciated!

[coolluke99]

I came across this sight as I am on the hunt for a Legend amp. The music store I took lessons at had them in Syracuse IN. I never will forget hearing one for the first time. I never had the money then. I later bought a mesa mark 1. I then saw a store in Lexington KY that had 2 or 3 used about 5 years ago. Didn't buy one like a dummy. Cool to see the following here on this sight. I am selling some other gear to make way for the amp I always wanted as a kid. I will keep you posted when I get one.

Cheers!

[mr natural]

Welcome, coolluke. Keep an eye on ebay. They show up there once in a while. Syracuse, IN? what a coincidence, Legends wre made in Syracuse, NY.
-Mr. N.

[SulliD]

Mr. Legend, thank you so much for finding the forum and posting. A few months ago, after my Girlfriend bought herself a Strat (after playing my guitars for a few months prior) we decided it was time to go shopping for a nice tube combo....long story short, we came across an A30 legend hybrid w/celestion G12-35 in it...the moment I plugged a guitar into that amp, I fell in love...what tone...and range...it also came with the original foot switch. All my guitars, regardless of pick up combination and type, sound simply AMAZING through this amp...and the oak cabinet...made like the best piece furniture money can buy...We got it for less than 300.00 in MINT condition. (I may go back and get the other one the guy still has.)

Are there any schematics or manuals in existence for this Amp. I would love to have a set.

I'm thinking about playing around with the 12AX7 pre-amp tubes to see what kind of other tones I can find. I have some Mullards and Svetlanas I'd like to swap.

Thank you.