Vintage Gretsch amp /NAD

[57joonya]

Hey y’all, I picked up this vintage 60’s Gretsch 6150 with 8” speaker from a friend . I wish I knew exact year and wattage . But he said it’s a 60’s and about 5 watts is all I know .I’m going to try to research a little . It’s a really great sounding amp for rock and roll , it’s got a nice fuzzy overdrive when cranked . And that’s really all it does . It’s got a 5y3 , a 6v6 , and a 12ax7.i always spent my energy’s learning more about guitars than amps, so I have a lot to learn. I’m hoping maybe I can jump this thing to a larger speaker sometimes and experiment with the sound a little . I would like it to be able to clean upy a little at lower volumes ,because I play a lot of country type stuff mixed in with rock , and sometimes don’t want that fuzz . but I can deal with it for now . My only other amp is a Goodsell super 17 , boutique style amp. It’s a wonderful amp , and does get some great clean tones. .it’s too loud for most of my playing these days , which is the reason I was looking for a low wattage amp. If any of you folks own one of these , let me hear what u think about it

 

[d barham]

Cool little amp.

 

[Vibroluxer]

Very nice;

 

[57joonya]

Thx ,
It is really fun. I played it for two hours straight the night I got it . Them took it to practice with my bass player duo friend last night . It’s great , but I gotta look into a slightly tamer tone at low volume .

 

[68goldtop]

Hi!

Hey y’all, I picked up this vintage 60’s Gretsch 6150 with 8” speaker from a friend...

Very cool amp!

If it doesn't´t sound good/clean at low volumes, I suspect the amp needs a bit of TLC
Do you happen to know if your friend had it serviced within the last 5 years or so?
If not, I highly recommend taking it to a competent tech and have him look over it.
Most of the time, you´ll be surprised how good it sounds afterwards!

cheers - 68.


P.S.:
on a side note... the speaker ist most probably not the problem - I have one of these myself, and it sounds really good in a Champ-style amp!

 

[Cali Dude]

Wow! Cool amp. Congrats.

 

[darkwaters]

Weber speaker. Nice. I own the Supro version, which came with the original Rola speaker. Replaced it with an Eminence 820h. Another nice choice.

To make mine more useable for the styles of music that I play, I replaced the 12ax7 with a NOS GE 12ay7. Much better.

Enjoy!

 

[IggyT]

Hey y’all, I picked up this vintage 60’s Gretsch 6150 with 8” speaker from a friend . I wish I knew exact year and wattage . But he said it’s a 60’s and about 5 watts is all I know .I’m going to try to research a little . It’s a really great sounding amp for rock and roll , it’s got a nice fuzzy overdrive when cranked . And that’s really all it does . It’s got a 5y3 , a 6v6 , and a 12ax7.i always spent my energy’s learning more about guitars than amps, so I have a lot to learn. I’m hoping maybe I can jump this thing to a larger speaker sometimes and experiment with the sound a little . I would like it to be able to clean upy a little at lower volumes ,because I play a lot of country type stuff mixed in with rock , and sometimes don’t want that fuzz . but I can deal with it for now . My only other amp is a Goodsell super 17 , boutique style amp. It’s a wonderful amp , and does get some great clean tones. .it’s too loud for most of my playing these days , which is the reason I was looking for a low wattage amp. If any of you folks own one of these , let me hear what u think about it

I have a 1963 National which is almost the same circuit it is perfect for dirty slide sounds

 

[dkevin]

Congrats on the find! I have one also. I found the overdrive preamp a bit too harsh for my taste so I converted it from grid-leak bias to cathode bias. It was easy to do and reversible if you want to sell the amp as original. I just copied the schematic for the Gretsch 6151 amp. The amp sounds much better at both low and high volumes.

 

[Wally]

If the amp is in proper working condition…which means it has fresh electrolytics and has been properly service, that amp will yield cleans at the very same volume of those distorted sonics IF the player can control the output of the guitar. This demands a treble bypass circuit on the guitar’s volume control along with control of the pick attack, ime/imho.
the amp can be dated by component dates.

 

[SUPER*400*]

Hi,
I have the Gretsch 6156 with the 12" speaker. From Clean to ZEP tone !!! Top Amp

 

[Wally]

Hi,
I have the Gretsch 6156 with the 12" speaker. From Clean to ZEP tone !!! Top Amp

Totally different amp but for the badge.

 

[THX1123]

This is my old Gretsch. I don't know how similar it is to yours. It is a 6V6 circuit.

I put male/female jacks in the speaker wires so I can run it through cabs. I've run it through 2x12s and a closed back 1x12. The results were very good.

I think that it might do what you want through a bigger cab.

 

[57joonya]

I have a 1963 National which is almost the same circuit it is perfect for dirty slide sounds

Totally. I can see that. I haven’t played slide through it yet . But no doubt will be great for that.

 

[Whitebeard]

Hey y’all, I picked up this vintage 60’s Gretsch 6150 with 8” speaker from a friend . I wish I knew exact year and wattage . But he said it’s a 60’s and about 5 watts is all I know .I’m going to try to research a little . It’s a really great sounding amp for rock and roll , it’s got a nice fuzzy overdrive when cranked . And that’s really all it does . It’s got a 5y3 , a 6v6 , and a 12ax7.i always spent my energy’s learning more about guitars than amps, so I have a lot to learn. I’m hoping maybe I can jump this thing to a larger speaker sometimes and experiment with the sound a little . I would like it to be able to clean upy a little at lower volumes ,because I play a lot of country type stuff mixed in with rock , and sometimes don’t want that fuzz . but I can deal with it for now . My only other amp is a Goodsell super 17 , boutique style amp. It’s a wonderful amp , and does get some great clean tones. .it’s too loud for most of my playing these days , which is the reason I was looking for a low wattage amp. If any of you folks own one of these , let me hear what u think about it

Gretsch amps of that era were made by Valco which also built amps for National, Supro and Oahu. Can't tell if the Weber spkr. is a ceramic or alnico magnet model. https://www.tedweber.com/speakers/signature-series/8-models/ Weber has changed the basket style on their current versions of the Ted Weber Signature Series so it's hard to know what the age of your spkr. is. Have a qualified amp. tech check the amp out to ensure the component parts are all up to snuff. It should take a lickin' and keep on tickin'.

 

[57joonya]

This is my old Gretsch. I don't know how similar it is to yours. It is a 6V6 circuit.

I put male/female jacks in the speaker wires so I can run it through cabs. I've run it through 2x12s and a closed back 1x12. The results were very good.

I think that it might do what you want through a bigger cab.

View attachment 1006254

Yeas that’s what I’m thinking . Can’t wait to try that

 

[Whitebeard]

Accidental post and don't know how to delete it. Sorry.

 

[57joonya]

Hi,
I have the Gretsch 6156 with the 12" speaker. From Clean to ZEP tone !!! Top Amp

That’s sweet . U probably have so many more tonal options .

 

[57joonya]

If the amp is in proper working condition…which means it has fresh electrolytics and has been properly service, that amp will yield cleans at the very same volume of those distorted sonics IF the player can control the output of the guitar. This demands a treble bypass circuit on the guitar’s volume control along with control of the pick attack, ime/imho.
the amp can be dated by component dates.

Thank you for the response , I’ll look into it. Now I know some questions to ask at least .

 

[Obelisk]

I am not an expert, but many Gretsch amps were built by Valco who also built amps for Supro, National, Wards Airline among others. Since Valco was based in Chicago, their sound always reminds me of the tones I hear on older Chess records. I used to pass on Valco made amps during the 80's and 90's because they don't get the overblown sound like a Fender 6G3 Deluxe can achieve. I bet this particular amp is a cleaner sounding version of a tweed Champ.

Over the past few years, I have acquired a few Valco made amps. The Valco amp that is my jam is an Airline 62-9025A which is similar to a Gretsch 6152 and Supro 6422. It's a single ended 6v6 with reverb and tremolo that beats a Vibro Champ for my needs around my apartment. A recent acquisition is a National Westwood. Some of the Valco amps don't get enough grit for my taste, so this one will hit a tech to change up the tone control and loosen up the input. It's still a great sounding amp with reverb & tremolo. I love the dual 8 inch speaker arrangement. The tiny reverb tank is in a shoebox. It adds a cool sheen to the overall sound, but it doesn't have much decay or depth. After playing a few Valco amps. they are definitely a forgotten part of the sound of 50's & 60's American music.