Beautiful Studiomaster Valve Leadmaster Combo Amplifier, made in England in the early
1980's. It was made by the English company famous for their Mixing Consoles.
It is a two channel 60 watt 6L6 tube combo amp with a pull/bright on channel one and a pull/boost on the
second channel. It has an effects loop a master volume, built in 5 band graphic, and pre and post master
volumes. It has a 200 watt Fane speaker. Attractive Stainless Steel front panel and nice Oak Cabinet.
Classy looking amp. Built like a tank. Very, very solid.
Amazingly versatile sounding amplifier. Can be set up to accomodate any guitar and make up for its
weaknesses. Channel one is glassy sounding and channel two is more full bodied sounding.
The sound is complex, vibey and a tube amp all the way. Very versatile and enough power for any type
of gig.
By the early 80s Studiomaster had a firmly established market in the growing pro audio world that rivalled many
larger companies in quality and innovation. Still relatively new, the company was not saddled as just a mixer
company which allowed freedom in perusing other product areas.
Demand for guitars continued to grow and attention was turned to guitar amplifiers. Apart from the few old
established brands there was little in the way of quality combos that sounded good and were affordable.
Once the decision was taken to build a Studiomaster guitar combo it was agreed it had to be something
special and the result certainly was. There was to be no compromise in features or sound and over the
next 9 months developed several prototypes.
The amplifier chassis was finished with a unique chrome front panel housed in a polished dark wood
cabinet. Finally, the name - Valve Leadmaster or VLM for short.
When launched it was an immediate success, due not only to its stunning looks but its sound.
The tone and gain range could produce warm, clean sounds or powerful distortion at the touch of
a switch.
Unfortunately, due to limited production capacity and ever more demand for mixers and amplifiers
it was decided to drop the VLM after only two and a half years.
Today, when second hand examples come up for sale, they often change hands for three or four
times their original price.
The steel amplifier chassis measured 482mm x 76mm (19 x 3 inches) with all the valves in board so a
future compact 60W amplifier head version could be made. A Papst D.C. low noise fan was fitted to the
rear panel to reduce heat build up around the output stage. The power supply used a toroidal A.C.
transformer for its small size and quiet electrical and mechanical operation, important as the VLM was
used in many recording sessions.
The signal path and amplifier was to be valve (tube) as transistor amps just don't come close to getting
a good sound. ECC83/12AX7 triodes were used in the preamp and tone control stages although the power
output valves were not the usual EL34s found in British amp designs. A pair of 6L6 beam tetrodes were used
for their classic tone and punchy mid characteristic and availability in the USA, the primary target market.
The output was 60 Watts driving the specially selected Fane 200L (200W) Studio range speaker. A number
of 12" speakers were tried (including premium brands) during the VLMs development but the Fane came top
for tone and loudness.
The 5 band graphic equaliser could be switched into the signal path expanding tonal possibilities.
Four transistors were used in the design of the graphic which was powered from a 90V supply so
fairly high volumes could be achieved before the inevitable transistor clipping sound became a
problem.
The on board spring reverb was a 16" Type 4 Accutronics (model AB2A1B) unit selected for its superior
sound over much cheaper copies. A new and very useful feature was the effects loop as outboard guitar
effects processors were becoming popular at this time.
An XLR direct output socket and 4 or 8 ohm output impendence selector switch, for extension cabinets,
further enhanced the VLMs flexibility.
This Studiomaster Valve Leadmaster Amplifier is in very good condition, fully functional,
just checked out by my tech. Includes the amplifier, hard rolling carry case, footswitch
and operation manual (also available
here on my website for more information.
eBay Silver PowerSeller and Red Star Trader!
- Bid and buy with Confidence!
eBay Rating of (1099)!
Pay me securely with any major credit card through PayPal!
Terms & Conditions Of Sale
All Items Sold As Described / AS-IS - NO RETURNS: All items
are sold AS-IS, as specifically stated in my auction description above. Items are guaranteed to
arrive as described - once you ascertain it is functional and/or as described in the auction description,
it's all yours! Otherwise - NO returns are allowed. I will ONLY allow a return in the event
my description and/or pictures are inaccurate. I am very careful to accurately document the
good and bad points of my item in text and pictures. However, in such an event, any refund
issued will be for the actual winning bid price. Refunds do not include any shipping/handling
costs or the cost to return the item to me. Items must be returned in the same condition as
when they were shipped in order to be eligible for a refund.
Contact Information:
Winning bidder must contact me with a shipping address within 3 days of the end of the auction.
Please let me know, in advance, if you cannot respond within these three days following the
auction.
Shipping & Insurance:
Buyer will pay applicable carrier shipping charges (preferred shipper in US is FedEx Ground).
Estimated shipping charge within the US will be about $25-35. Contact me for overseas
shipping costs. I will e-mail you with shipping costs and a total amount to pay if not
already stated in the auction or eBay's "Check Out". Sorry, NO COD's.
Payment Terms - U.S. Bidders: I accept Personal,
business and Cashier's checks but must allow 10 days for either type of check to clear. No exceptions,
including Cashier's Checks. A US Postal Money Order (preferred), Bank-to-Bank Wire Transfer
(add $10 for wire fee), Western Union money transfer or Paypal will insure quick shipping
(PayPal may be subject to clearance if charge is made to your credit card, not to an
existing balance). BidPay and BillPoint are not accepted, sorry. I will not be
responsible for cash sent in the mail. Payment must be received no later than 10 days
after the end of the auction.
Cashier's Checks are not recommended - they will wait to clear 10 days just like a regular
check, due to recent cashier check counterfeiting operations. I MUST receive payment within
10 days of the close of auction or item will be relisted. Nonpayment shall result in
negative feedback and a non-paying bidder claim filed with eBay. This is unfortunate,
but due to the increasing incidence of non-paying bidders, it's the only way to enforce
the contract made here, and to recover the fees eBay charges.
International Bidder Terms: International bidders
SHOULD contact me regarding shipping terms and costs before bidding and must pay for items in US
dollars via International PayPal, Wire Transfer (add $10 wire fee), International postal
money order or with a certified check drawn on a US bank, AMEX or Western Union. NO OTHER
forms of payment will be accepted.
Auction Cancellation: I reserve the right to cancel
the auction should Ebay go down within 2 hours of its scheduled close or if the item becomes
unavailable.
Feedback: I'm not one of those sellers who
plays games with feedback, waiting for the buyer to leave favorable feedback before I leave
it for them. Once you've paid for the auction, I leave favorable feedback for you, regardless
of whether you reciprocate.
Got Questions: If you have any questions about
the auction, what's being auctioned, don't understand or don't agree to these terms, please
don't hesitate to email me and I'll do my best to answer your questions or work out alternate
arrangements with you. It's best to email me at least 12 hours before auction's end to
ensure I can respond to you before the end of the auction.
other ongoing Ebay auctions!
