Anyone seen this ShoBud tube amp ?

Steve Spitz · From: New Orleans, LA, USA

Got a line on an old ShoBud tube amp. Here is what the seller claims:
Made in early sixties by Jim Webb, " Telstar Custom " model, 12" original speaker.
Anyone know anything on this one? Good steel amp? What's it worth?
Thanks to all who may know.

Daniel Policarpo · From: Kansas City

I'd go for it quick. Without knowing a whole lot about the particular amp, some things you can weigh the averages on and get a good shot for your gamble. If it doesn't look like its been under water or ina fire, yeah.

Dana Blodgett · From: California, USA

I'd like to think any Sho-Bud amp in good condition would be collectable, I don't think there were that many made originally,I could be wrong. What it's worth is what ever the market will bear.I've heard they were good sounding amps.I've played my Sho-Bud thru a Webb amp and it sounded great,very quiet and clean,nice tone.
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Dana Blodgett
From Los Osos,Ca.
'74 ShoBud 6140 3+4, Martins HD28,D-12-28, D-15,'65 Gibson LG-1, '77 Gibson Les Paul special dbl cut p-90's, Les Paul Special p-100's,Les paul Special Hybrid(maple top) hbkr's,'68 Fender Strat reissue, Fender Squire Jazz bass,Epi mandolin,Epi Wilshire '66 reissue, Kamaka Concert uke, 70's Kamaka Soprano Uke, Fender Super amp, Ampeg ba112 bass amp,60's harmony banjo,'00 Gibson SG Supreme

Ray Anderson · From: Jenkins, Kentucky USA

I play my pro111 custom through a single channel sho-bud with a JBL 15" speaker and my N400 hardly ever gets turned on anymore. No comparison. I rue the day that it "gives up" JMHO Sad

Steve Spitz · From: New Orleans, LA, USA

Ive never seen one that wasn't solid state, or didn't have a 15" speaker. Anyone encounter a ShoBud tube amp, or one with a 12" speaker?
I do agree the WEBB and solid state ShoBud amps sound great, very curious about this one.
Thanks

Ken Fox · From: Nashville GA USA

Actually Jim Evan's amp design. The pre Compactra amp

Stephen Cowell · From: Round Rock, Texas, USA

Man, that's some crazy amp... regulated screens, 7199 PI a la hifi... grab it quick!
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Too much junk to list... always getting more.

Ken Fox · From: Nashville GA USA

He also had "wave symetry" adjustment for the phase inverter. The Compactra is pretty much the same amp. A killer amp. I was working on a 4 x 7027 model before the house fire. Jim and I did a lot of corresponding about that and the the old amps. I decided the weight and price was too much to pursue it, after months of work!

Steve Spitz · From: New Orleans, LA, USA

The seller also mentioned an effect , possibly overdrive, might have been a pull pot type switch. Hard to imagine anyone wanted that from a steel amp in that time period (early 60s?)

Ken Fox · From: Nashville GA USA

That is also correct. Jim mentioned that to me as well, a fuaz circuit,as I recall. I will go through my old emails from Jim tomorrow and see if I can get more info on the amp for you. The firat amp was built for Albert Talley. Albert brought it to me a year ago so I could inspect it and hear it in my shop! It was a killer amp for sure, super clean tube tone for steel guitar. Albert was the person that got Shot Jackson and Jim together to produce the ShoBud tube amps, the Compactra.

Ken Fox · From: Nashville GA USA

This might interest some of the techy types here on the forum. Some notes on the amps power section from Jim:

"Transformer impedance: Theoretically the best impedance match for two 7027's was considered 6600 ohms by RCA engineers. But I used some with 5000 ohms transformer primaries, squeezing out about 25% more power (with two tubes) and still staying within linearity. This was by biasing the grids to achieve Class-AB1 curves (back then the audio-tube-standard). However the Compactra-100 was biased to typically run between Class AB1 and Class-A. For all practical purposes this would achieve what the Class-A sound-purists would still accept as Class-A performance. It's encouraging to see that the 7027 specs you sent me recommended suitability for Class-A.
In case I'm losing you on terminology: Class-A is considered a device operating with idling current flowing constantly, with its "no-signal" point being right in the center of the full current swing. Class-B basically is considered no current flowing except during output signals. This of course, leaves it wide open for Crossover-distortion, when a device first turns on in either direction. Class-AB was created to overcome this, so that idling-current would be enough that a direction change in the output would not show a "notch" at low signal levels. Class AB1 goes a step farther toward Class-A, and is what the Compactra-100 employed."

Joel McCoy · From: Georgia, USA

I love to hear words straight from the man himself! I picked up my second Compactra about a month ago. Just the chassis and the reverb tank. It's interesting to look at the differences between that one and the older (i'm guessing) original combo I have. I would grab that amp if I were you, as long as it's not priced too high. The amp's worth it for the tone and rarity, but I'm not sure you would ever get your money back out if you really over paid.
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'64 Sho-Bud Fingertip D-10 9+1, Goodrich VP, Sho-Bud/Evans Compactra 100 Custom, Sho-Bud/Evans Compactra 100 Head unit, '75 Tele, '77 Guild D25, '71 YBA-1, Marshall 4x10 and a Les Paul.

Joel McCoy · From: Georgia, USA

Here's a chassis shot of the Compactra I recently picked up thanks to the Forum...

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'64 Sho-Bud Fingertip D-10 9+1, Goodrich VP, Sho-Bud/Evans Compactra 100 Custom, Sho-Bud/Evans Compactra 100 Head unit, '75 Tele, '77 Guild D25, '71 YBA-1, Marshall 4x10 and a Les Paul.

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