When did they start putting ICs in amps?

[Axtman]

My brother-in-law was talking with me yesterday about electronics. He posed an interesting question. "When did manufacturers start putting integrated circuit chips in guitar amplifiers?" Is said that I did not know but would guess mid to late 1970's. I know Music Man and Peavey ampliers of that era have ICs. (Music Man has those cyclindrical ICs that look like discrete transistors.)

[Mick Bailey]

The HH IC100 used 741 opamps and I think was launched in 1971. That's the amp Dave Gilmour used in that year.

[Axtman]

Interesting. I have never heard (or seen) an HH IC100 amplifier. Thanks Mick!

[Mick Bailey]

I've owned a 2x12 combo (ex-Showaddywaddy, which probably devalued it considerably amongst fellow rock guitarists) and had a few heads in for repair over the years. They were very popular in the UK in the 70s, but not my thing at all. Insane volume, but not much character IMHO. Some had a built-in fuzz circuit. A big attraction was the control panel had a phosphorescent display which backlights everything in green. Apart from Gilmour, Marc Bolan and Wilko Johnson used them as well as a few punk bands in the late 70s.

[tedmich]

HH is still around, having been bought by Laney. They have some real fanboys and were reportedly used by The Clash, Marc Bolan, Sweet as well as Floyd, as Mick mentioned.

[teemuk]

I suppose we are not counting those early encapsulated integrated things like T-filter networks or tone controls but things like opamps and other active devices...?

I don't know what was the first guitar amp with them was but my hunch goes to SS pioneers overall. Say, Gibson, Acoustic Control, Peavey, Standel, QSC... The companies adopted them early on once they had become cheaper than discrete circuits but I'm not going to place bets on who actually managed to do it first. Good bets would maybe be companies that manufactured also other electronic products than guitar amps, so maybe Warwick/Thomas Organ, Quilter/QSC, Jennings....?

The first integrated (as in "monolithic" not potted circuit board) chip, ua702, appeared in ca. 1963 and commercially successful (probably meaning cheap enough to become an alternative to discrete circuits) opamps in 1965. The ua741 was introduced in 1967. FET input chips in 1970. I would suppose that by at least 1965 or 1968 in max there would have been a guitar amp with an IC opamp - or other chip - in it. By 1970 you'd probably find several examples with persistent searching.

[g1]

I suppose we are not counting those early encapsulated integrated things like T-filter networks or tone controls but things like opamps and other active devices...?

I think those passive networks had their own specific name but I may be mistaken.

[Dave H]

I think those passive networks had their own specific name but I may be mistaken.

Hybrid Integrated Circuits?

[Axtman]

I think those passive networks had their own specific name but I may be mistaken.

I think they were call a "couplet". Though I am not sure of the pronunciation "Koop let" or "Kup let". :-)

[Helmholtz]

I know hybrid ICs and monolithic (single chip) ICs.

[g1]

I think they were call a "couplet". Though I am not sure of the pronunciation "Koop let" or "Kup let". :-)

Good call. 'Couplate' was the Centralab term/brand. The generic term was 'printed electronic circuit' aka PEC.
They were passive circuits, where the 2 types mentioned by Helmholtz in post #10 were active (containing or entirely semi-conductors)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Printe...tronic_circuit

[tedmich]

Burson still sells discrete op amp modules!

[tedmich]

check these"hard numbers" LOL

[Axtman]

What is the network of capacitors and resistors in older Ampeg amps called?

[g1]

What is the network of capacitors and resistors in older Ampeg amps called?

Those are PEC's.