Goodsell Valpreaux 21 Combo Amp - Black Line
The Valpreaux 21 is the imagined French spelling of a contraction of "Valco" and "Supro". ("Valpro" was already being used by a Euro-pharmacuetical company). Along with a few vintage Gretsch models some of these amps used the 6973 tube, which was also found in juke boxes and certain hi-fi applications. About the same size and shape as an EL84, the 6973 is capable of up to 20% more power at plate voltages of up to 400vdc.
Architecturally, the Valpreaux is very similar to the Super17 - exact same control surface - and a single gain stage matched to a long-tail phase inverter, which was not present on any of the original Valco/Supro amps. A 5-volt GZ34 rectifier tube supplies the higher voltage to feed the 6973s, and the front-end utilizes 3 12AX7s to cover pre-amp, reverb, and tremolo functions.
The Valpreaux 21 has noticeably more girth and clean headroom than the 17, and the breakup, coming at the same place on the dial as the 17, is thicker, like your mama's gravy made in an iron skillet after a roast beef - two completely different beasts of the same DNA. Does for humbuckers what the Super 17 does for single-coils, and when it's dimed it yields the most beautiful Tele bridge pickup tone you've ever heard.
Congrats to Richard Goodsell! Premier Guitar Magazine awarded the Valpreaux 21 with their BEST OF 2011 Premier Gear Award!
From Premier Guitar
Magazine:"We were onboard the minute we heard that Richard Goodsell was building an amp powered by 6973 tubes—the tube of choice behind many low-to-mid-powered 1960s Valco, Supro, and Gretsch amp circuits. We also knew that in the hands of Goodsell it would become something very special all on its own.
Editor in Chief Shawn Hammond dug the wide range of tones, from the fat and slightly scooped Wes Montgomery sounds to the bright, biting, and twangy textures. But he was bowled over by the tremolo, remarking “I’ve never encountered a warble that sounded so fat and three-dimensional… at about 10 o’clock and Depth cranked—it was like Hendrix playing “Machine Gun” through a Leslie!”
We’re used to Richard Goodsell building great stuff. It was especially nice to see him venture out from the tried and true templates this time around—and with such spectacular results."
