Vintage Ampeg Gemini I & II

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Desert Surfer
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Re: Vintage Ampeg Gemini I & II

Postby Desert Surfer » Tue May 01, 2012 12:33 pm

bumblebeetwist wrote:Vint Ampegs sound amazing...its a revelation to get into them if you are used to Fenders..."my guitar sounds like that?!?"

Spent rehearsal last night playing instrumental and surf tunes onna Mosrite Maphis thru a '66 Reverberocket II. Far less hi-fi and crisp definition than a Fender but *deep*, mysterious, and the reverb is downright dangerous-sounding. It's been tough deciding which setup I like more, YMMV but for me it can be a tough choice between those two worlds...depends on mood.

The Gemini has the Baxandall tone circuit (Reverberockets and the lower models dont), which would make it even more unlike a Fender, my understanding is that tone circuit is quite interactive, possibly more like navigating thru a Vox AC-30 tonestack. A friend of mine has a Gemini with a 15" and it sounds wonderful.

Thanks, bumblebeetwist (One of my favorite Ventures tunes too)

Now I am curious about these Ampegs. Maybe I should sell my vintage Fender amps and... :?

No, just kidding. I'd better not... ;)

BTW, my vintage 67? Standel Studio XX Amp actually sounds pretty good with this Verythin Jazz guitar. Well, if the late Wes Montgomery used one of them (He used a 1965 Standel Super Custom XV), it is good enough for me. 8-)

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Re: Vintage Ampeg Gemini I & II

Postby bumblebeetwist » Wed May 02, 2012 10:49 am

Just to clarify, if I absolutely had to go with just one or the other, only allowed one amp forever...I'd still pick the Fender. To my ears the combo Ampegs flavor the tone more than a 60's/70's Fender would, but its a really good flavor!!

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Re: Vintage Ampeg Gemini I & II

Postby Mr. Bill » Wed May 02, 2012 2:14 pm

Vincent that guitar looks amazing. Congrats!

Standel model numbers usually refer to the speaker size like Wes' XV with a 15" speaker. I've got an Artist XII with 2-12". What does your XX have in it?

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Re: Vintage Ampeg Gemini I & II

Postby Desert Surfer » Wed May 02, 2012 2:36 pm

Mr. Bill wrote:Vincent that guitar looks amazing. Congrats!

Standel model numbers usually refer to the speaker size like Wes' XV with a 15" speaker. I've got an Artist XII with 2-12". What does your XX have in it?

Thanks, Mr. Bill.

I did not know what XX meant until today. Learn new thing every day....

My Standel has 4-10" speakers. Photos as below:

Image

Image

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Re: Vintage Ampeg Gemini I & II

Postby Mr. Bill » Wed May 02, 2012 6:18 pm

OK, so a model X has 2-10" speakers, and an XX has 4-10"s.

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Re: Vintage Ampeg Gemini I & II

Postby MOSDAN » Wed May 02, 2012 8:47 pm

Great guitar you have there Vincent. In my opinion the Hofners are some of the finest Jazz guitars made in the world. Yes, they are still hand built using European craftsmanship. I have a older Jazzica Custom that is fantastic for jazz and is one of my main goto guitars when playing jazz. The sounds of the Hofners are just so deep and have that crucial "woody" sound that is so critical for jazz. You're right about the Very Thin model playing and sounding so good. When buying my guitar it was a hard choice for me to choose between the Very Thin or the Jazzica Custom. I chose the Jazzica Custom because it had more of a deeper sound in my opinion and was more comfortable for me to play.

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Re: Vintage Ampeg Gemini I & II

Postby Desert Surfer » Thu May 03, 2012 6:25 am

MOSDAN wrote:Great guitar you have there Vincent. In my opinion the Hofners are some of the finest Jazz guitars made in the world. Yes, they are still hand built using European craftsmanship. I have a older Jazzica Custom that is fantastic for jazz and is one of my main goto guitars when playing jazz. The sounds of the Hofners are just so deep and have that crucial "woody" sound that is so critical for jazz. You're right about the Very Thin model playing and sounding so good. When buying my guitar it was a hard choice for me to choose between the Very Thin or the Jazzica Custom. I chose the Jazzica Custom because it had more of a deeper sound in my opinion and was more comfortable for me to play.

Thanks, MOSDAN:

The Jazzicas are very nice. I do love the deep jazzy sound of regular jazz box guitars but just don't like to hold the huge body against my chest.

I remember seeing an unique Jazzica model on Craigslist that has a tapered body. The body is thinner on the top and gradually tapering to a full size jazz box body at the bottom. By the time I contacted the seller, it had been sold. That could have been a perfect solution for me.

Image

:)

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Re: Vintage Ampeg Gemini I & II

Postby MOSDAN » Thu May 03, 2012 6:54 pm

Vincent-The tapered body that is unique to the Jazzica indeed makes it verey comfortable to play. This is one of the features that made me choose the Jazzica. I got mine at a Guitar Show in Arlington, TX years ago and will probably always hang onto it. I hope your Hofner works as well for you as mine has through the years.

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Re: Vintage Ampeg Gemini I & II

Postby Desert Surfer » Sat May 12, 2012 6:52 pm

[Since we are talking about Jazz guitar, do you know what jazz tunes (or semi jazz tunes or something close) that The Ventures have played on stage or recorded in the past? "Walk Don't Run" probably won't count as even Johnny Smith could not recognize his tune when he heard The Ventures' version. The following are a few I found. Not sure all of them can be qualified as "Jazz tunes" but I list them anyway.]

**********

"Maria Elena", "Mexico"


"Classical Gas"


"Pink Panther Theme"


"Baby elephant's walk": Couldn't find The Ventures Youtube but I knew they had done it in '60.


"Harlem Nocturne"


"Sleepwalk"


"Caravan"


"Tequila"


"Calcutta"


Any more?

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Re: Vintage Ampeg Gemini I & II

Postby Desert Surfer » Thu May 17, 2012 6:38 am

A few more:

Night Train


Over The Rainbow


Summertime


Swanee River


Sunny


Windy and Warm


Cherry Pink And Apple Blossom White


Blue Moon


Blue Sky


Blue Star


:)


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