ELK Echo

[Whoopysnorp]

Originally Posted by Nubus

Sometimes one will be 8 and the other 4, I've seen that before. Or they could be paralleled. It could be a good idea to have a look inside.

Oh, you're right, I've seen that before too (different speaker outs for different impedances, that is). In fact, that's probably what it is. I don't know of a good way to test that out though.

[Nubus]

Originally Posted by Whoopysnorp

Oh, you're right, I've seen that before too (different speaker outs for different impedances, that is). In fact, that's probably what it is. I don't know of a good way to test that out though.

My bet is that a looksee inside would show that one jack is wired straight onto the other- that's the way my old Fender amps are. If it's for differing speaker cabs you'd be able to tell because the outputs would sound different from one another.

[Whoopysnorp]

Originally Posted by Nubus

My bet is that a looksee inside would show that one jack is wired straight onto the other- that's the way my old Fender amps are. If it's for differing speaker cabs you'd be able to tell because the outputs would sound different from one another.

I dunno...there'd only be a few decibels' difference between the sound level of an 8 ohm output into an 8 ohm speaker and a 4 ohm output into the same speaker. I think it'd be pretty hard to tell the difference by ear.

[Nubus]

Originally Posted by Whoopysnorp

I dunno...there'd only be a few decibels' difference between the sound level of an 8 ohm output into an 8 ohm speaker and a 4 ohm output into the same speaker. I think it'd be pretty hard to tell the difference by ear.

Well another way to do it would be with a DMM. With a speaker cord inserted into the jack just measure the resistance between the tip and sleeve. It won't show you what it wants to see but you'll know if they're the same without opening the amp.

Food for thought, I have a Super Reverb at home that wants to see 2 ohms.

[joefire]

The ELK TWIN AMP 45 output impedance is 4 ohms. (the speaker box has two 30 cm speakers. 8 ohms each in parallel so the box is 4 ohms.) 30 cm is close to 12 inches but slightly smaller. The amp uses 6CA7/EL34 power tubes, so it is a little different than a Fender which uses 6L6 power tubes. It is ok to connect another 4 ohm box, but shouldn't be needed.

You got a super deal at $ 100. The amps were never exported to the USA because of patent rights, but Canada and Europe have quite a few. They were used by a lot of professional musicians back in the late 60s and into the 70s.

Did you know there was a big fire at the company in 1969. I was there and helped clean it up. The Ladies were in tears and the guys seemed to be in a daze for a while. It happened at night , so no one was hurt. It was a sad occasion indeed to see so many burned amps and guitars. The black and white photos really tell the story.

Good luck on your amp. ELK is the only amp I used for guitar and its great to see other musicians dig them.

Regards, Joe "Fire" sixbil@sbcglobal.net

[joefire]

I forgot to mention that most ELK amp heads have the main output jack shorted until the speaker cord is plugged in. This is a measure taken to protect the output transformer and the amp from damage. A tube amp needs a load connected.

So, if you only plug a cord into the "EXTra" jack , no sound will be heard , because the main jack is still shorted.

If you plug the speaker cable into the main jack and not into the box, the output trans can easily be damaged if the amp is played with a lot of gain. ( Assuming there is nothing plugged into the ext. jack.)

The two jacks are wired in parallel.

There is a model that has multiple taps. It is the VK 60.

Keep on Pickin' Joe "Fire"