The Gretsch Pages: Discussions: Gretsch Amps: 1955 electromatic amp i think

1955 electromatic amp i think

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- Rated: 1 ↑
Aug 25, 2008 2:13 p.m. strut70:

can someone help i,ve looked and can,t find this exact one..Most of them has the porthole in the front but mine don,t s/n is x66894...and what might the approximate value be ... ball park...work but is weak needs tubes
- Rated: 1 ↑
Aug 25, 2008 2:18 p.m. strut70:

well have to figure out how to post a pic i guess
- Rated: 52 ↑
Aug 25, 2008 2:19 p.m. bigalthethird:

Send the pics to me and I'll post them for you

alundeen at ucsc.edu

I owned a 1955 Electromatic amp and it was just about the coolest thing I've ever owned (besides The '38 of course). I'm really curious to see if yours is identical to mine.
- Rated: 1 ↑
Aug 25, 2008 2:29 p.m. strut70:

seen your on this forum and don,t think it is thats why i,m not sure what it is
- Rated: 52 ↑
Aug 25, 2008 2:31 p.m. bigalthethird:

Gotcha. Well still, send the pics to me and I'll post 'em for you right away.
- Rated: 1 ↑
Aug 25, 2008 2:34 p.m. strut70:

on the way
- Rated: 1 ↑
Aug 25, 2008 2:36 p.m. strut70:

hang on keep gettin it back
- Rated: 52 ↑
Aug 25, 2008 2:40 p.m. bigalthethird:

Hmm, that's odd. You can also try

bigalthethird at yahoo.com
- Rated: 1 ↑
Aug 25, 2008 2:41 p.m. strut70:

think they went ok this time
- Rated: 52 ↑
Aug 25, 2008 2:47 p.m. bigalthethird:

Here you go:
- Rated: 1 ↑
Aug 25, 2008 2:49 p.m. strut70:

Thank you very much...have you seen one like this before
- Rated: 52 ↑
Aug 25, 2008 2:53 p.m. bigalthethird:

Not with the baffle the way it is, but yes I have seen them before. It's a '56, we know that much. Let me look into it...
- Rated: 65 ↑
Aug 25, 2008 4:36 p.m. antik:

This looks like it might be the right one: A 6155 Electromatic Artist model

Just FYI: Here is the 1955 catalog page as well-
- Rated: 52 ↑
Aug 25, 2008 4:43 p.m. bigalthethird:

Nice find!!! Yep, that sure looks like it. You get 1956 too Antik?
- Rated: 1 ↑
Aug 25, 2008 4:54 p.m. strut70:

thanks guys... any idea on value?
- Rated: 65 ↑
Aug 25, 2008 5:03 p.m. antik:

Yep, according to the serial number chart this one was born in 1956.

The text from the 1955 catalog says ".. And - though the picture does not show it - this amplifier has just been restyled to include attractive wrap around grille - the latest and finest in radio and amplifier design."

I take that to mean the one pictured in the 1955 catalog was not the one they were offering when the catalog was released.

So it seems the Artist model took on the new appearance in 1955.
- Rated: 52 ↑
Aug 25, 2008 5:22 p.m. bigalthethird:

Value? I don't know - I sold that 6161 (or whatever the hell it was) for $1100. You might get anywhere from $300 to $600 for that? Maybe somewhere in there. If you find the right buyer on eBay and really play up the "1956" aspect, I'd expect a high end around $500-$600. But factoring in the custom paint job, it might get a little less.

Awesome amp though!!!
- Rated: 1 ↑
Aug 25, 2008 5:29 p.m. strut70:

cool well might see if i can get some new tubes for it and get it working better....I bought it at a yard sale about 8 yrs ago for 25 bucks not a bad investment lol
- Rated: 52 ↑
Aug 25, 2008 5:31 p.m. bigalthethird:

Wow, very nice!! No, not a bad investment at all!
- Rated: 1 ↑
Aug 25, 2008 5:31 p.m. strut70:

can you buy replacement grill material for it or would the decrease the value more
- Rated: 52 ↑
Aug 25, 2008 5:51 p.m. bigalthethird:

I know you can get replacement grill material, and I think it might increase the value if you also include the original. Sure as hell couldn't hurt!
- Rated: 1 ↑
Aug 25, 2008 6:24 p.m. strut70:

do you get it from gretsch????????? sorry about all the questions
- Rated: 52 ↑
Aug 25, 2008 6:34 p.m. bigalthethird:

Don't worry about questions dude! They're fun.

Grill cloth? Hmm... I don't know or can't tell what exactly you have on there. On mine it was a soft, fuzzy cloth. Very nice.

Check out this thread: http://gretschpages.com/forum/general-tech-questions/grill-cloth-is-there-anything...

And check this site: http://www.guitar-parts.com/content/estore_list.asp?category=95&catname=Grill+...
- Rated: 97 ↑
Aug 26, 2008 2:32 p.m. Setzer:

Grill cloth on these old Gretsches are metal screen material that has fabric flocked to it. I dont think any body makes the stuff nowadays. You could make your own I guess. Another thing you could do is remove the baffle and leave the screen material in place and put new cloth material over the top of it. If your selling it I would just leave it alone and let the next person deal with it. Mine above somebody drew a G & N in magic marker.
- Rated: 52 ↑
Aug 26, 2008 2:43 p.m. bigalthethird:

Setzer, I've been meaning to ask. These old Gretsch amps have the absolute coolest switch of all time. It's so satisfying to play with!!! Know what I mean?

I'm going to use one of these switches on my Green Buddy. What kind of switch are they? Any idea where I can get one?

These old things are so damn smooth and they have a satisfying 'pop' when they click over. I love them! That and the pilot light were my two favorite things about my old amp.