I got BB King's favorite amp for ... $50 ! The Lab Series amps were developed by Bob Moog for Gibson parent company Norlin in the 1970s. They feature a solid state design with a very tube-like tone and an interesting EQ section which allows you to dial in the exact midrange characteristics you prefer. Supposed to be a Twin Reverb contender. It sure has the weight ! At first play for 1/2 hour, there's a ton of tones in there to be discovered. Second channel has a frequency knob, sounds just like a wah. Also a multifilter, that I'm not sure what it does. A compressor too.
Awesome! It has a built-in Parametric EQ. The Multifilter (Q Control) and Frequency knob work as a notch filter. I had a Yamaha G100-210 in the past that had similar controls and you can really dial in all kinds of tones.
I had one rented, on the road and I just couldn't get it happening with it. Your experience seems much much better! Keep us informed as you explore it as it'd be interesting to know what lurks behind the LAB logo
I recall Joe Bonamassa saying something about the LAB amps being some of his favorites.... You stole this. Jealous! Happy NAD!!
Congrats on the super find! you will have to update us on how it sounds and what type of tones you can get out of this amp!
OEM Square magnet speakers. Reverb loose in cab Even has the service envelope still stuck inside the cab !
Seriously... I used to have that amp. Somewhere between the years of '78 and '80... memory is very foggy from those times. I had it for only a short time, maybe a year... memory is very foggy from those times. I think I traded it in to buy the new Fender 75 back then... memory is very foggy from those times. Congrats on a very unique amp and killer deal, too...
"The multifilter is essentially a six-band EQ with fixed settings, where you control only how much of the signal through it gets mixed back with the main signal, sort of like a flanger's comb filter with the sweep set to zero. The frequency centers are at 1000Hz, 1370Hz, 1900Hz, 2630Hz, 3630Hz and 5000 Hz." From: http://www.rru.com/~meo/Guitar/Amps/Lab/
Thanks, I had found that page too. The multifilter knob acts more like a gain for now. But the whole amp seem pretty complex and I haven't really dug into it yet. Stay tuned ...
Best thing I have found for cleaning filthy tolex is the Blue Coral or Turtle Wax spray carpet cleaner available at local auto parts store. They have the scrubber plastic cap on top that gets into the texture, and smells good too.
Let me get familiar with those controls first :) As I see it, the multifilter acts like a gain knob. For now ... Frequency knob is like a manual wah. Pretty interesting feature. The more you use the EQ (bass/midrange/treble), the more effect it has on the frequency knob. If all EQ is at noon, the frequency knob provides no perceptible change. When volume is cranked, it really saturates the tone, just like a tube amp. I'd have to get the amp outside to crank the master. I think all the fauna in a few km around would run for their lives, not counting neighbors. Inside at 2, you can't hear a human voice. If master is cranked and volume controlled, it is unbelievably clean AND loud, hence the Twin or Super Reverb comparisons I guess (I never played either). I think you could dial ANY tone you'd want on this amp. I'll try to replicate the ones I like on my other amps, then I might start to feel how to work it out. It is so ... complete as an amp, I feel like it's the ultimate modeler. To be followed ...
I find the easiest way to clean an old amp is to strip the chassis, speaker, and all the hardware, then scrub the tolex with plain water, and a bristle brush. (For oily residue, I have used some cleaner, but after the oil is gone, finish with the brush and plain water). After it is dry, wipe it down with Turtle Wax "Clear Guard" protectant. If the grill cloth is grungy, I spray something like Windex, immediately vacuuming it off. Smoke, and accumulated dust usually comes out fairly easily. This little BJ was in somebody's barn, and was almost white when I got it: BJ#4 by Bill Moore posted Jul 31, 2019 at 3:17 PM
