VINTAGE 1971 LONDON CITY DEA 100 WATT MK IV "SUPER AMPLIFIER" MARSHALL JTM JMP 100 PARTRIDGE OT

THIS IS A VINTAGE 1971 LONDON CITY DEA 100 WATT MK IV
"SUPER AMPLIFIER" MADE IN AMSTERDAM HOLLAND. BORN ON OCTOBER 29TH 1971 ACCORDING TO ITS DATE STAMP.

LONDON CITY ARE RARE AND RELATIVELY UNKNOWN BUT VERY COOL AND GREAT SOUNDING VINTAGE AMPS IN MY VIEW. LONDON CITY WAS CREATED IN 1969 BY DUTCH SOUND EXPERIENCE (DSE) WHEN A MUSIC SHOP (DE WAAL) IN AMSTERDAM WANTED A CHEAPER ALTERNATIVE TO THE EXPENSIVE MARSHALL AMPS IMPORTED FROM ENGLAND. LONDON CITY HEADS WERE BASICALLY MARSHALL KNOCK OFF'S. THE DIMENSIONS OF THE CABINET AND CHASSIS ARE IDENTICAL TO A 100 WATT MARSHALL OF THE SAME ERA AND CIRCUIT WISE THEY WERE HEAVILY BASED ON THE  MARSHALL JTM 100 "SUPER AMPLIFIER" AND JMP  DESIGN OF THAT TIME.

LONDON CITY OFFERED VARIOUS MODELS IN THEIR TIME SUCH AS "DEA 50' "DEA 100" "DEA 70 Mk V" AND "DEA 130Mk V" THIS AMPS OUTPUT EXCEEDS MORE THAN 100 WATTS. IT PUTS OUT 105 WATTS CLEAN BEFORE DISTORTION!

THESE AMPS WERE HAND MADE AND HAND WIRED WITH POINT TO POINT CONSTRUCTION AND BUILT ON AN ALUMINUM CHASSIS WITH WOOD BLOCK ENDS. THE EARLIER EXAMPLES SUCH AS THIS ONE USED EXCELLENT SOUNDING PROVA TRANSFORMERS, LATER CHANGING TO LOWER QUALITY ITALIAN TRANSFORMERS. THE OUTPUT TRANSFORMER OF THIS PARTICULAR AMP HAS BEEN CHANGED TO A PARTRIDGE AS FOUND IN HIWATT AND SOUND CITY AMPS.
THE CIRCUIT IS 99.5 % ORIGINAL. THERE WAS A "LINE OUT" ADDED AT ONE TIME WHICH I REMOVED. BEYOND THAT I COUNTED 1 RESISTOR CHANGE. OTHER THAN THAT I COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING IN THE CIRCUIT CHANGED. ORIGINAL CAPACITORS, FILTER CAPS, POTS JACKS SWITCHES, KNOBS ETC.

THE CONTROLS AND FRONT PANEL ARE AS IF A MARSHALL GOT FLIPPED UPSIDE DOWN. THE HIGH AND LOW INPUTS FOR CHANEL 1 AND CHANEL 2 APPEAR TO THE LEFT OF THE CHASSIS VERSUS THE MARSHALL ORIENTATION OF BEING LOCATED ON THE RIGHT SIDE. THE VOLUME FOR CHANEL 1 AND 2 ARE LOCATED ON THE FAR LEFT AND THEN FOLLOWED BY  BASS, MID, TREBLE AND PRESENCE. THE POWER AND THE STANDBY USE SIMILAR BAT STYLE TOGGLE SWITCHES LIKE MARSHALL'S OF THE ERA WITH A SIMILAR STYLE RED PILOT LIGHT.
I BOUGHT IT FROM HOLLAND IN THE LATE 90'S AND HAD IT SHIPPED HERE TO THE STATES. THE AMP RUNS ON 3 12AX7 / ECC83 AND A QUARTET OF BRAND NEW JJ EL34 OUTPUT TUBES WHICH I JUST INSTALLED AND SOUND MONSTER.

COSMETICALLY, THE AMP IS IN GOOD OVERALL CONDITION WITH SOME SCUFFS ON THE BOTTOM EDGES AND CORNERS AS YOU MIGHT EXPECT AFTER 49 YEARS OF USE. ITS ADORNED BY THE INFAMOUS LONDON CITY BADGE.

THE AMP HAS A 220 V AND 110 V SELECTOR BUT THE 110 V SELECTOR DOES NOT SUPPLY SUFFICIENT VOLTAGES TO THE CIRCUIT WHEREAS THE 220 TAP DOES. FOR THIS REASON THE AMP IS HARD WIRED TO RUN AT 220 V AND OVERWHELMINGLY SOUNDS BEST THAT WAY. USE IN THE USA REQUIRES A STEP UP TRANSFORMER WHICH IS NOT INCLUDED IN THE SALE OF THIS AMP.

OPINIONS ARE SUBJECTIVE BUT I THINK THE AMP SOUNDS REALLY GOOD. ITS FU&KIN LOUD! AND IT SOUNDS VERY REMINISCENT OF A NON MASTER MARSHALL FROM THE LATE 60'S / EARLY 70'S BUT IT HAS ITS OWN SIGNATURE.  A SUPER RARITY FOR SURE. ITS HEAVY AND WILL BE PACKED WITH CARE AND DETAIL AND FULLY INSURED.
THANKS FOR LOOKING.