Vintage Goldentone 7-40 - AUS 1963/64

The early Goldentone amplifiers are an important part of Australian guitar history, built in Melbourne by Rose-Morris at a time when imported American and British equipment was prohibitively expensive in Australia. Rather than simply reproducing the amplifiers being made overseas, Goldentone developed its own range around locally available valves, transformers and speakers, resulting in a distinctly Australian approach to valve amplifier design. By the early 1960s the range had expanded considerably, with Goldentone amplifiers finding their way into rehearsal rooms, dance halls and onto stages around the country.

Offered here is a 1963 Goldentone 7-40, built in Melbourne during the original Rose-Morris period. These early Goldentones are wonderfully straightforward amplifiers, with hand wired valve circuitry and construction that reflects the Australian electronics industry of the period. More than sixty years later, surviving examples have become increasingly interesting pieces of Australian made guitar equipment, particularly as so many were heavily used, modified or simply disappeared over the decades.

The 7-40 has its own character when compared with the Fender, Vox and other British and American amplifiers that tend to dominate discussion of the early 1960s. There is plenty of clean headroom available, but pushing the amplifier brings out the compression and breakup that has made old Goldentones such enjoyable amps to actually play rather than simply collect. This is a genuine piece of Melbourne amplifier manufacturing from a period when Australia was producing some genuinely distinctive guitar equipment.

This example has also been fitted with a factory speaker upgrade to a Wharfedale 15 inch speaker, giving the amplifier a fuller low end, increased headroom and a more robust overall projection compared to the original smaller format speaker configurations.

Specifications:

Year: 1963

Manufacturer: Goldentone / Rose-Morris

Model: 7-40 (740)

Amplifier Type: Valve Guitar Amplifier

Output Power: Approximately 40 Watts

Configuration: Two Channel

Construction: Hand Wired Valve Circuit

Channels: Normal / Effects

Controls: Volume, Bass, Treble, Tremolo and Reverb Controls

Effects: Valve Tremolo / Spring Reverb

Footswitch: Reverb / Tremolo Switching

Speaker Configuration: 15" Wharfedale Speaker (Factory Upgrade)

Transformers: Australian Made A&R

Speaker Manufacturer: Wharfedale (Factory Upgrade), originally Australian Rola / MSP depending on specification

Cabinet: Timber Cabinet with Vinyl Covering

Hand Wired in: Melbourne, Australia