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Thread: Leilani Amps?

  1. #1
    Registered User mando.player's Avatar
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    Default Leilani Amps?

    http://elderly.com/vintage/items/130U-9686.htm

    Is anyone familiar with these? This particular one is close by and cheap. Just wondering what they are like. Google didn't turn up much.
    Charlie Jones

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    Rigel A Natural

  2. #2
    Work in Progress Ed Goist's Avatar
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    Default Re: Leilani Amps?

    Apparently Leilani amps were built in the 40s & 50s by or for Gourley of Santa Monica, California to be used with Hawaiian Lap Steels of the same brand name. Charlie; if you get this amp and decide to throw a Luau in celebration, I expect an invitation.

    c.1965 Harmony Monterey H410 Mandolin
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  3. #3
    Registered User mando.player's Avatar
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    Default Re: Leilani Amps?

    Interesting. If this amp was designed for lap steel guitar, I wonder if it would be better suited for emando? I may have to make some room in my schedule this week to get out to Elderly.
    Charlie Jones

    Clark 2-point #39
    Rigel A Natural

  4. #4
    Registered User wellvis@well.com's Avatar
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    Default Re: Leilani Amps?

    The Leilani amp shown is an early version of the Magnatone student amps sold with Magnatone lap steels. They can have a very cool distorted sound when cranked. They're not very loud. I don't know how well they would fit your electric mandolin, unless you want that sort of sound.
    I remember back in the 1980s someone in LA built a wall of these amps about the same size as a Marshall stack. He couldn't always get them all to work at the same time, but when he did, he had an awesome sound.
    Here's a discussion on the Steel Guitar Forum about these amps.
    Brad's Page of Steel:
    http://www.well.com/~wellvis/steel.html
    A website devoted to acoustic & electric steel guitars

  5. #5

    Default Re: Leilani Amps?

    If it's cheap enough, and in good working order you might have a winner. Only thing I see that might be a problem for me would be the small speaker. I'm only saying "might" be a problem. I've tried a lot of amps lately and anything with less than a 12 inch speaker sounded thin. It may be a sound that you really like, or may not. You should at least go try it out. Old tube amps have a nice vibe you can't get with solid state circuts, even if it has a small speaker.

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