more music dreams

Then it´s the question in regards of the very very beguinning. In the year of 1965 my schoolday´s came to an ending and I started me first job in a music shop called "Pianomagasinet" in the rather small town of Trollhättan. 

NOHAB locomotive made by Trolls in Trollhättan

Jeteninge / Volvo Flygmotor

Know mainly for the production of Locomotives, Aeroengines and 2-stroke cars named SAAB.

SAAB made by Trolls in Trollhättan, her the desing o 

Bo Zolland

The area know as "Trestad" Three towns (not the beer) was also know for the extreme amount of pop-rockbands in the area. More then 350 different groups was in action hoping for a career in music. 

The Shop I worked in was one out of two similar shops in the area, one of them still exist called Rämjes Musik. Anyway among the popular items sold to the bands was natuarly the VOX amps. The AC30 and 50 was expensive but popular. Kind of top of the line - top of the dreams among the bands.

"Swede singers" during rehersal

Among the bands was a  group called the Swede Singers. A vocal group in the style of american Four Freshman. They didnt only sing, they was extremly talanted musicians. Maybe caused by their talent they soon was into building their own studio and why not build a realy nice amplifier.

So how did they do it? After a short discussion possibly they went to our musicshop and asked my boss and shopowner to borrow two amplifiers. Two Vox´s, AC30 and 50 left the shop and was brought back a week later.

As a result of this arrangement, together with some Tecnician´s from Förstärkartjänst-Trollhättan the New GROPE guitar amplifier was developed. A VOX-clone no doubt about it. In all main details the amp was copied. Even the cabinet styling was the same but excvlusivly made in Teak.

The GROPE guitaramplifier had two channels, and was fitted with two 12" FANE 16ohm speaker. There was no tremolo or reverb in the unit. App 35 units was produced and sold mainly in the Three Town area.

Ream weiv of the amp

A couple of weeks later the first amps was delivered to our musicshop. Among the bands buying this new amplifier was "Strömkarlarna" (backing band to the female singer Laila Westersund). As often as I could I fired up the amp and enjoy´d it. Natuarly I was one of those musicians hoping to buy this low priced VOX-clone. the fact still tells that ever since then I hav´nt even seen one of those amps. I contacted members from the Swede Singers but none of them did have one of the old amp´s. In my dreams i hoped there was a GROPE amp hidden in their closet.

At least one of those first amps broke down and was sent to the recyclingbuisness some years ago. SHIT!

Today for the first time in years I check´d the adverts on internet, and there it was. 

The great VOX-clone from Trollhättan. The GROPE guitar amplifier on sale at 11000,oo skr.

Who will buy this Amplifier, a true part of Swedens musical history. I dont have the money, only the dream.

Life could be a dream

So what´s gonna be written this time. As a Burns-fanatic one of me interest´s is to search the internet for old Burns equipment for sale. 

this is the Burns Orbit Six from 1964-66. An amplifier that even for most Burns fanatics didnt exist at all. a huge 75 watt combo with three channels and 3 x 12" speakers. Still its the real thing and extremly rare, on sale at ebay.usa.

It was a rainy day in Gothenburg the year of 1968, when a young me took his place behind the stering wheel of a light blue Volvo Amazon Sports. After a three hour drive to Malmoe he parked the car outside Hagström Music Store. It was ten minutes to Six and soon closing time. He entered the shop running and  the staff didnt seam at all pleased to show him one out of two brand new Gibson Barney Kessel guitars. One of the guitars was already sold to a wellknown Swedish guitarplayer. Mr Berndt Öst of the Family Four band.

Ten minutes later the young man left the shop with a huge guitarcase in his hand. He opened the door to his old Volvo and placed the new guitar in the backseat. A guitar that had cost him more then 8000.oo swedish crowns. the same as the price for 4-5 Strats!!!

a year later the guitar was stolen and no insurance to cater for its cost´s!!!!

The memory of that guitar have not left me and when different guitarfactories in Japan started to make the famous Lawsuit copies the possibility to buy such a guitar appered. Well not for me cause of my extremly bad economy.

Well my dream was still in mind and suddenly those copies was on sale as second hand guitars. A lot of them was tested but the economy was still bad. Then suddenly the other day an Ibanez Barney Kessel Lawsuit guitar was up for sale at a swedish marketplace, at only 4500,oo!!!

Nothing in the world could stop me from calling the owner who told the guitar was sold, but also regret the sale when he realised that I would have offered him two of my guitars in exchange for the guitar. pofff   no deal...

Being a Burns fanatic make me look for Burns guitars every now and then, the white Baldwin Burns Double Six was a rare find in White. Very rare on sale as a true collectors item and not for me. I have to dream about purchase of one of the new models made in Korea.

Heres yet another finding. An Ampeg-Burns Jazz Splitsound made in 1963 when Burns factory made guitars to be sold under the Ampeg-Burns badge. This red one is one out of five guitars in this special order colour.

end of dreams

more about

Time once again to write a few words and hopefully post some pictures,