The Danelectro Commando is a combo

guitar amplifier A guitar amplifier (or amp) is an electronic device or system that strengthens the electrical signal from a pickup on an electric guitar, bass guitar, or acoustic guitar so that it can produce sound through one or more loudspeakers, which ar ...

manufactured by

Danelectro Danelectro is a brand of musical instruments and accessories, founded in Red Bank, New Jersey in 1947. The company is known primarily for its string instruments that employed unique designs and manufacturing processes. The Danelectro company was ...

from 1954 to 1960. There is some evidence that it may be one of the many different amplifiers used by

Little Walter Marion Walter Jacobs (May 1, 1930 – February 15, 1968), known as Little Walter, was an American blues musician, singer, and songwriter, whose revolutionary approach to the harmonica had a strong impact on succeeding generations, earning him ...

. The circuitry of this 30-watt amplifier is typical of its day, with a 5Y3 rectifier tube, one

12AX7 12AX7 (also known as ECC83) is a miniature dual- triode 6AV6 vacuum tube with high voltage gain. Developed around 1946 by RCA engineers in Camden, New Jersey, under developmental number A-4522, it was released for public sale under the 12AX7 ide ...

preamp tube, one

for phase inversion, a

6SN7 6SN7 is a dual triode vacuum tube with an eight-pin octal base. It provides a medium gain (20 dB). The 6SN7 is basically two 6J5 triodes in one envelope. History Originally released in 1939 it was officially registered in 1941 by RCA and Syl ...

additional gain stage, four 6V6 power tubes, and a 6SJ7 (1954-1958) or a

6AU6 A vacuum tube, electron tube, valve (British usage), or tube (North America), is a device that controls electric current flow in a high vacuum between electrodes to which an electric potential difference has been applied. The type known as ...

(1958-1960) for the built-in vibrato unit. What makes it unique is the cabinet. Employing a "suitcase" design, it contains eight 8-inch Rola 10610 alnicos speakers wired series / parallel in two arrays one in either side of the suitcase, with the amplifier and controls located at the top and bottom of one side. The suitcase opens out so that both sides face forwards. When closed, the amplifier is 22" × 22" x 10". It weighs 38 lbs, relatively lightweight for a valve combo amplifier. The same amplifier was made by Danelectro under the following names: Danelectro Commando Model 88, Silvertone 1337, Montgomery Ward 35JDR8419, Montgomery Ward 55JDR8437, Montgomery Ward Airline 85GDR8518 where the first two letters of the Montgomery Ward code backwards represent the first year of design/production (but with the 35JDR8419 only being available in 1954). The schematic is readily available on the web under the name Montgomery Ward GDR 8517a.

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Vintage amps in Harmonica Master class

Neptune Bound
Instrument amplifiers Valve amplifiers