Can anyone identify this vintage amp

[Resonator Guy]

I recently purchased this beauty of a suitcase amp and got it working again with the help of 52Bill on this forum. It sounds pretty good,too. I haven't tried pushing it at all hard, but then I never play that way since I got old. Now I would like to find out who made it, the brand name, how old it is, or any of the above.
There are no markings on it at all and it doesn't look like there ever were. It has a 6SJ7 preamp, 6F6 power and an 80 rectifier. It has a Jensen field coil speaker with no date code. The speaker is marked F8RS C3161. The on/off/volume switch is CRL with a code 34-013-078 on it. None of that helps me. It also has an original two tone paint job in pretty good shape. No Tolex - never had any.
What little research I could do suggests perhaps a Sears Roebuck Supertone, made prior to WWII, but that is just a guess.
Any help from the American amp experts would be appreciated. The pictures may say Gretsch, but that is just an early guess.

[Chuck H]

It looks similar to the Oahu copies of the Valco amps. Valco used the three cut baffle and sometimes ran their multi line graphic across the center cut. It may be a very early Valco made amp. That doesn't mean it was sold as a Valco branded amp. I think Valco made amps for a few different brands. Good luck.

[g1]

Have seen that tube set & F8RS Jensen referenced as Kamico and Kay brands. Here's one :KAMICO LAP STEEL GUITAR AND AMPLIFIER SET (late 1940's) (185U-414) - Elderly Instruments Chassis appears the same but different cabinet.

[Resonator Guy]

That definitely is the same chassis, g-one. Now I have read that Kay didn't make their own amps. I will keep hunting to find out who made this one. I need to make a new leather handle and find some appropriate grill cloth and then this one will have a good spot in my music room.

[Chuck H]

Kamico was a Kay brand. When Kay first started making amps they continued some of the Stromberg circuits. Soon after that they started sourcing their amps from Valco. Which is sort of funny because Kay made guitars for Valco that then rebranded and distributed them. I just read all this from misc. on line sources so any corrections are accepted. Anyway, if it's true, the way I see it the amp could be a later Stromberg, an early Kay or possibly an early Valco. Which may all be the same thing.

[Resonator Guy]

Yep, it might be. That's one of the things that make amp collecting fun. I will check out the Stromberg idea. Thanks Chuck.

[pecorporation]

Would anybody have a schematic for that Kamico amp with the 6SJ7 preamp, 6F6 power and an 80 rectifier? Have one here where it looks like everyone and their brother tried working on since the 40s. Trying to restore electronics to originalish specs, if possible. Or if somebody has the schematic for the Valco Oahu Lapsteel amp from 1942 with a similar configuration would also help.

Thanks in advance!
Steve

[Resonator Guy]

Never did find a schematic for it.

[Chuck H]

Would anybody have a schematic for that Kamico amp with the 6SJ7 preamp, 6F6 power and an 80 rectifier? Have one here where it looks like everyone and their brother tried working on since the 40s. Trying to restore electronics to originalish specs, if possible. Or if somebody has the schematic for the Valco Oahu Lapsteel amp from 1942 with a similar configuration would also help.

Thanks in advance!
Steve

Whatever circuit you put in there it should sound just as good as it ever did.

[pecorporation]

I found a set of schematics for a 1942 Oahu lap steel amp, which was very close to the 1947 Kamico lap steel amp by Kay, and traced a schematic drawing over the Oaho drawings with the component/values found in the Kamico amp. I was able to get the amp working but thought I'd post the schematic for archiving and/or review.

Doesn't sound too bad for 1940s practice amp

1947 KAMICO LAP STEEL AMP SCHEM.pdf

[pecorporation]