Jimi Hendrix 1967 Blackflag

His guitar slung across his back, his dusty boots is his cadillac.

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Xplorer
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Re: Jimi Hendrix 1967 Blackflag

Post by Xplorer » Sat Jul 09, 2011 9:36 pm

Indeed, it's more and more mysterious. Some more infos later but it's actualy a superlead, real deal custom made for jimi, confirmed by jim marshall himself. Parts from 1966 !!
Drake transformers, ge el34....
But why the blackflag then ???

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Re: Jimi Hendrix 1967 Blackflag

Post by Xplorer » Sat Jul 09, 2011 9:43 pm

if it's this serial number, this means ...24th or 25th amp off the line assembly, according to jim marshall. The company said it was a 68, but .. The guy says : 1966 parts. 3 inch and 4 inchs drake transformers.
Was this special blackflag a superlead prototype ? Anyway, it's off the line ... Made specialy for jimi according to .... Mr marshall

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Re: Jimi Hendrix 1967 Blackflag

Post by shakti » Sun Jul 10, 2011 2:54 am

The Black Flag amps are rare, but not *that* rare. In early '67 Marshall made the transition to EL34 tubes. The very first of these amps were identical to the preceding JTM45/100 - same chassis, same power supply (32uF mains, 16uF screens, 32uF PI), same JTM45 front, but with a new output transformer (1202-119) to accomodate EL34s. Only a handful of these amps were made, in fact, I'm not even sure if I've ever seen one? Did they in fact exist? Roe?

Very shortly after that, changes were made with a new power transformer with lower voltage more suitable for EL34s (1203-80) and a dual rectifier arrangement, as well as lower PI filtering (16uF) and two stages of filtering in the preamp. Otherwise they still used the earlier block end chassis and JTM45 front panel. Our very own neikeel has one of these amps:

http://www.amparchives.com/album/Marsha ... index.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Here's another one, serial # 10007:

http://www.amparchives.com/album/Marsha ... SL10007%20(1960%20Pinstripe%20Cab%20SN%201909" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;)/slides/DSCF0070.html

Finally the transition was made to a steel chassis which had a different hole pattern on the front, with a new style front panel which now said just JTM, aka "Black Flag". Here's serial # 10207:

http://www.amparchives.com/album/Marsha ... index.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Marshall serial numbers are not very accurate to trace any lineage - there are amps in the 10300 range which have features which point toward late '67, whereas amps in the 10400 range have features of an early '67 amp. It doesn't seem like the serial numbers followed strictly chronologically, but it does seem like the very earlies 10-series amps had the lowest serial numbers, like 10007 above.

Finally, even if the amp has components from '66, that just means it can't have been built any earlier. Most early '67 amps have '66 date code mustards, for instance.

Hope we can still have photos of the amp!
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Re: Jimi Hendrix 1967 Blackflag

Post by Xplorer » Sun Jul 10, 2011 5:43 am

Here it is ! Pictures !

http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak ... n.jpg?dl=1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

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Re: Jimi Hendrix 1967 Blackflag

Post by shakti » Sun Jul 10, 2011 9:44 am

Thanks! Not very easy to decipher any details though, due to the low resolution. Looks like standard Black Flag stuff to me, but it has certainly been worked on and has several non-original parts.
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Re: Jimi Hendrix 1967 Blackflag

Post by Xplorer » Sun Jul 10, 2011 9:47 am

Yes, i asked for some more detailed pictures, clips ...
Indeed, it was "repaired" in the usa at some point.
If it's possible to find some pictures of hendrix, with a headcab featuring these same stencils it would be cool

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Re: Jimi Hendrix 1967 Blackflag

Post by Xplorer » Sun Jul 10, 2011 9:48 am

And it has this 1202- 119 transformer you mentioned.

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Re: Jimi Hendrix 1967 Blackflag

Post by shakti » Sun Jul 10, 2011 1:56 pm

Classic "repaired in the USA" features, yes, with the large Sprague filter caps on the preamp board. Looks like someone put in some funky, huge output coupling capacitors in place of the mustards, but hard to tell from the photos.

Has the owner divulged anything more that could explain the alleged Hendrix connection?
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Re: Jimi Hendrix 1967 Blackflag

Post by Xplorer » Sun Jul 10, 2011 2:38 pm

He had it from a store in new york, nprmandy music or something, a guy called rich there.
If you learn something there please let me know

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Re: Jimi Hendrix 1967 Blackflag

Post by parkhead » Thu Jul 14, 2011 2:36 pm

Xplorer wrote:And something maybe not impossible would be that hendrix may have had some kind of prototype, before they finished to sell amps with the thinner vents, from their stock ...
IMHO they wouldn't prototype a box ususally they Prototype a new circuit inside the old cosmetics
ie the JTM45/100's exist because they did the electronics first then got around to updating the hardware

once they are set up with a jig to cut the box with a bigger vent they would just make them all that way, unless they were running paralell production in the woodshop, then there would be other examples

p
replica ?? I don't need no stinking replica ...

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Re: Jimi Hendrix 1967 Blackflag

Post by Xplorer » Thu Jul 14, 2011 7:09 pm

are you sure that what you're describing is the only possibility ?
anyway, i don't know why he has this head cab, with this blackflag amp inside. i have no clue. the guys maybe doesn't have any too. i just don't know.

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Re: Jimi Hendrix 1967 Blackflag

Post by shakti » Fri Jul 15, 2011 3:58 am

I'd say the chance of that head cab being original to the amp is about 0.01%...it just doesn't add up. The wide vent head cab didn't appear until late, late '67 at the earliest. That amp has all the trademarks of an early '67 amp.
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Re: Jimi Hendrix 1967 Blackflag

Post by VintageCharlie » Fri Jul 15, 2011 6:03 am

yup, i think too that the cab is not original to the guts if they are earlier than what Thorleif says. Still very interested in the story, as the guts seemed to be a proper black flag with some work done by a tech in US - it's "Fenderized" a bit with the electrolytics of that style and all :lol:

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Re: Jimi Hendrix 1967 Blackflag

Post by Xplorer » Fri Jul 15, 2011 8:46 am

i would think that something not impossible would be that among the amps of jimi, two head cabs from two eras were swapped for some reason ( they didn't care about the vents or something, they were just head cabs from the jimi hendrix experience ) , but that this blackflag inside is the one of jimi, as jim marshall recalls, and confirmed, also with the serial number that is off the line production , 24th or 25th off the line, custom made for jimi, as jim marshall said himself.

also, as vintage charlie said, or someone elese, i don't remember, this head cab isn't the one seen with the blackflag , on a jimi hendrix picture. it'd be great to post the pictures you've got guys, of this blackflag and its headcab , from the jimi hendrix era.

and yes it's a pity that it was "fenderized" at some point.

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Re: Jimi Hendrix 1967 Blackflag

Post by Roe » Fri Jul 15, 2011 9:12 am

I agree that this looks like a standard steel chassis black flag with a later headcase. however, the serialnumber is very low for a steel chassis superlead, so this could be one of the first ones.

and yes, the early 67 el34 amps (basically identical to the kt66 amps except for the 119 ot and el34s) do exist. mine sounds great.
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