StoryTime: the amp used by Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Pete Townshend: the 1967 Sound City One Hundred
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DESCRIPTION:
Our Story Time episode 2 is about the 1967 Sound City One Hundred (model number SC100 or L105), which might be the most unsung hero of the late 60’s amps. It was played by 3 of the biggest acts of the time – Jimi Hendrix (Jimi Hendrix Experience), Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin) and Pete Townshend (The Who) and can be heard on some of the most iconic albums of rock history.
It is all over the place on Hendrix’s Axis: Bold as Love album, it is the amp used by Pete Townshend on Live at Leeds and Jimmy Page played lots of early Led Zeppelin gigs on these amps before transitioning to Hiwatt and later on to Marshall.
This has been a very personal journey for me and along with REX, this is to me one of the most important amps in my collection.
The MKI Sound City One Hundred was built only for two years in 1967 and 1968 and due to Dave Reeve’s exceptionally high quality standards, not many were built. So it has become an extremely rare amp. Further it looks like these rarely were sitting around – they got played a lot by their lucky owners and hence they rarely come up in good shape.
This one won’t get a collectors award, as it has been used a lot, but it sounds simply glorious and it easily nails all those iconic tones mentioned above.
The tone of the Sound City One Hundred can be described as extremely punchy, raw, with an incredible bite and definition to the tone, but without any harshness. It is very dynamic and will clean up from proper crunch levels a crystalline clean tone just by rolling back the volume control on your guitar.
It offers some of the best clean and edge of breakup tones, as well as some of the most ferocious crunch tones that are the incarnation of the term “kerrang”, when you play some big chords.
It takes pedals also incredibly well thanks due to the special Sound City / Hiwatt fixed bias phase inverter design, which makes this stage exceptionally clean and well suited for the pedal platform duties.
SOUND DEMOS BY:
Big thanks to two exceptional guitarists for the demos by @degani.guilherme (The Who inspired background track) and @julijaneric6470 (Hendrix Axis: Bold as Love album track covers)
TIME STAMPS:
00:00 Intro
00:30 What is it?
00:58 Legendary Sound City One Hundred Users
01:30 Dave Reeves and Sound City
01:58 Sound City and Hiwatt Phase Inverter = Magic!
02:40 Axis Bold as Love tones
02:47 Castles Made of Sand (Julijan Erič)
03:29 The unique drive character on You Got 5e Floatin’
03:55 You Got Me Floatin’ (Julijan Erič)
04:16 Tonal characteristics of the Sound City One Hundred
04:51 Sound City One Hundred vs Hiwatt DR103
05:32 The definition of “Kerrang” and the Who
06:04 Axis: Bold as Love tones at your fingertips
06:21 Control Layout
07:24 100W Power and what still gives Karlis a scare
07:46 One rare beast
08:12 Not a smooth sailing acquisition
09:08 Indestructible!
09:34 Thanks to Julijan Erič for the demos!
09:45 Little Wing (Julijan Erič)
10:50 Outro
#StoryTime #amp #Jimi #Hendrix #Jimmy #Page #Pete #Townshend #Sound #City
Originally posted by UCcutrIMwGKog5J-tlDsfzsA at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-t3DdeEKIZw
I’m sorry, you’ve still got the spelling wrong! You’ve got the H and the S in the wrong order. Please, T-O-W-N-S-H-E-N-D… thank you
Please correct Pete’s surname, it’s spelt TOWNSHEND. In the past, he’s been understandably annoyed at this unrelenting typo, which frustratingly has dogged him throughout the six decades of his career. Thank you.
Love this. When will the QC DI pack come out?
I bought a Sound City 120 stack 2x4x12,s in 1972 brand new for £300. That was a lot of money then. Dandelion Huddersfield. Cheers Dixie.????????????????????????????????????
I think this may be the amp pete used for "a quick one while he's away" recording for the rs rock and roll circus. Pete really got a lot of dynamics from just using the volume pot on SG.
I hVe a VERY EARLY Sound City. 50 W. Noo master volume, Plack on R side. Its UNREAL !!! &, A hand drawn schematic in an envelope W / Blue electrical tape on R side. ( I need a new or replacement volume pot , L side. ( Someone Over tighened the set screw) & its styck wide open. Besides that, uts mint ! I run a 67 Super Reverb as my pedal platform & With an A/B box Use a 72 hand wired Big box Straight up. controled W/ the volume knob on whatever guitar I'm playing. ( Would Live to add my sound City, ) Soo much more to carry ! ( Not fir sale ) Thank you for posting this Unicorn amp !!
I owned this beast from 1985 till 1987, played bassguitar and guitar on it, damn that amp goes loud!
That amp sounded nothing like the tone on Axis.
Jimmy Page must've used this amp for concerts on stage. Because he has stated many times that for both Zeppelin studio albums 1 & 2, he used a Supro amp during the majority of those recordings.
Right on! This is so cool
Those guys did their best work through Marshalls (& Hiwatts). Only the early SCs made with Dave Reeves' involvement are even worth talking about. Later ones are not good equipment. Early ones are not good equipment either but they are better than later ones. They are however incredibly loud.
Don't forget David Gilmour . He played a SC 100 MKIII .
Thank you !
Why nothing about the speakers????
We asked Jimi what amps he preferred in 1968 in Tucson where I sat at his feet ten feet from him during the show. He said "Sound City PA's and Marshall Amps." Neither of us had heard of Sound City. Maybe. he was referencing what kind of vocal amps he liked. But years later I read that guys in England used their PA amps for GUITARS. So maybe you got it wrong. There were less than 50 people at that show, he was amazing and I got to hold his white Strat, the same one from Miami Pop Festival. He was and always will be the only true GOD of guitar.
@lousekoya1803
Hey ! First timer here , you have a new sub from Quebec !
Hi, I'm selling my '69 Sound City 100 mark3 custom built with matching '69 4×12 cab with fanes . It is in Slovenija. If interested let me know.
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Sound City was always known as a poor man‘s HIWATT. Similar construction and sound with those great Partridge transformers. But after Dave Reeves met Harry Joyce and was able to start production of the non compromise amp he always dreamed about, things were never the same again….
Is this package available for the Nano Cortex? Thanks.
Great tone, very unique. I had a new Sound City 50 W amp in the 70s, which I bought in London, but very soon I swapped it for a Hiwatt, so I think it didn`t sound very well. I remember the trader said "it is good for the money". Maybe Sound City's heyday was over at the time.
just bought these. A quick try tells me these ara amazing! Excellent.
My first cab was a 2×12 Sound City! Though it's long gone I'm Sound City to the core.
When the DI captures come out I'm in!
Insane story! Thank you for this in depth overview! Getting this for myself!