Pearl ss 061 mystery

[daraghdman]

Trying to get an amp working for the band and have no idea what kind of power cord is required. I've gone to 3 guitar shops and have had no luck in finding out what would work.
Its a pearl ss 061. Most likely from the late 70s early 80s.
Anyone know?

[Chuck H]

Assuming there's little likelihood of direct experience with this exact amp from a member here...

What is the problem with the amps power cord? Is it missing? Does it require an unusual plug configuration to amp/wall? If there is an existing cord, does it not plug into your AC receptacles? Are we sure the amp is designed to operate at the AC voltage you have? Did the amp work before but the original power cord was broken?

With some pictures and answers to the above questions it's possible we can solve for this without having to find a cord that may not exist anymore.

[Enzo]

Are you in 120v land? Or 240v land? Is the cord hard wired or is it detachable?

[TomCarlos]

My curiosity got the best of me.... I had to do some digging.

I found a similar amp that was sold in Germany. So my best guess is that this was a European amp - not seen here in the states.

From what I could gather, this is a 220V, 80 watt bass amp. Some of the amps came with a detachable cover; kinda like a suitcase. If you look at Pic #2 (not the SS-061), we see a 220V cord but it ends up in a connector that attaches (or screws onto) the front of the amp. The connector looks like an XLR connector. There you will also find fuse. So perhaps this is what daraghdman is referring to.

[Chuck H]

The OP's location would seem to be Dublin. So 230VAC. All good there. It's almost certain that there's no equivalent cord that can be purchased. The alternatives would be:

Make one if the correct amp end plug can still be had.

Remove the socket at the amp, put cord and strain relief in the hole and hard wire the cord in the amp.

Modify the amp plug/hole to accept a plug for which a cord IS available.

[daraghdman]

Pearl ss 061 mystery

Im missing the power cord.
https://images.app.goo.gl/s2fsDQrGafQc697U9
This is the best picture I could find.
Can you still get these?

[Chuck H]

Can you still get these?

I would think not. At least not as an off the shelf item anywhere. See options in post #5. Hard wire is the easiest and least expensive.

[daraghdman]

So you reckon hardwiring is the best option?
Theres not much chance of finding the right cord even online?

[Chuck H]

Third times a charm...

I don't even know if that company still exists in ANY incarnation. Even if it did it wouldn't be the same company that was making instrument amps in Japan in the 60's and 70's. So you can't get a new cord from the brand manufacturer. We can barely find images of the amp. The odds of finding a used cord for that amp, because somehow the amp was lost but the cord remains, are probably remote enough to be ignored. So, any other cord with your AC wall plug going to an as yet unidentified 3 pin connector (maybe a DIN but it's hard to tell) would certainly be made for a different device or appliance. So you can't count on the wiring to be correct for your amp since that 3 pin connector isn't a standardized AC plug. If you ever DO find a cord that will plug that amp into the wall I would strongly suggest that you DO NOT try it unless the cord is expressly stated to work with that amplifier. Possible consequences otherwise include a fried amplifier, fire and death.

I hope I haven't been too subtle

To hard wire a cord you would need to accurately identify the two or three connections inside the chassis. That may involve opening it up, taking some clear photographs and posting them here if you can't do it for yourself with certainty. We will almost surely encourage you to install a grounded AC cord and instruct you on how to do that even if the amp didn't come with one when it was made. If this is beyond your comfort level I don't think it would be hard to find someone that can handle it reasonably. It's really very simple and easy for anyone that's done any of this sort of work.

[daraghdman]

Thank you bossman.

[Jazz P Bass]

I found a few pics online.





The third pic shows the amp connector.
It appears that the lower pin is larger than the other two.
That is going to be a tough one to find.

What comes to my mind is 'aviation connector'.
https://www.google.com/search?q=3+pi...=1573428162815

I agree with Chuck that you will have to rewire the amp.

I guess they had a removable cord so you could close up the case.