I recently picked up this little bad boy. It's a Kay Vanguard 704 - one of the first solid state guitar amps ever offered on the market, and it was made with germanium transistors.
The Kay 704 was made from 1962 to 1966, but this seems to be a very rare version. Normally, the Kay 704 has a cream covering with a strip of dark brown or black vinyl down the side (see bottom picture). However, when I bought this thing I realized that it was an all-black model. Out of all the ones I had seen on the internet up to that point, they all had a cream and brown/black colour combination. So, it got me wondering if this was some kind of rare one-off, or perhaps an early version before they switched to the "snazzier" colour scheme.
The filter caps had been replaced on this amp, but luckily when the work was done the tech saved the original caps that came with the amp from the factory and put them in a bag. So, I had a look at them and they all had date codes with a "62" stamped into them, so as far as I am concerned, this is a first year 1962 Kay Vanguard 704 with a rare all-black covered cabinet. It seems that very, very few of them were ever made like this one.
Sadly, when I got it home though, it no longer worked! Despite the filter caps having been replaced, the amp was just about dead. It still played, but the volume output was low, but not muffled. It still reacted to being cranked and overdriven, and having the volume pot set lower for a cleaner tone, but everything was just at a
very low volume. Also, the tremolo circuit doesn't seem to work, so this amp requires a little TLC. I have been cash-strapped lately, so unfortunately it's been put on the back burner. But fear not, it
will get refreshed and back to proper working order!
However, watching some of the videos on YouTube, this thing sounds great! It has that classic, natural germanium transistor breakup that really has a great tonality all its own. It has an old Oak Leaf brand speaker in it too. I'm hoping the speaker isn't the issue with it though, because it's a big part of the overall tone of this little guy. Check out the videos below to have a listen for yourself. I love the sound of it and I can't wait to get it up and running again. I just love the early-60's kitschy vibe of this thing with its kitchen cabinet handle and all.
Here's what a normal Kay Vanguard 704 is supposed to look like:
Here are some videos. Beware though: in the first video, the dialog is quiet, but when he starts playing, the amp is at a
much louder volume, so don't crank the volume up or else you'll scare the crap out of yourself. lol The other videos are at regular volume. This should give you an idea of what this thing is capable of though. It can do anything from raunchy rock to jazz (as heard in the first video especially). I think this little thing sounds awesome: