A vintage made-in-USA guitar amp via eBay for only $9.99? You bet!

[WeedArson]

You read it right - I won a made-in-USA vintage guitar amplifier (in very clean condition) on eBay last month for the opening bid of $9.99!! Okay - so I also had to pay the $14.88 for shipping. I just bought it on a lark - a cheapo solid state amp with a 4” speaker. But with a few squirts of DeOxit before turning it on, I completely got rid of the static that the seller described as an issue with the volume & tone controls; and it’s actually fun to play through. It’s branded Global Solid State 4070. I’m generally a tube guy, but I do have a few solid state amps that I like. (One is really old and sounds great with it’s tiny number of components.) This one is definitely at the very bottom of the heap as far as my amp collection goes. But I’m still glad I bought it, cause it’s fun in a gutbucket zero-clean-headroom sort of way. Kind of a toy - but still fun! And for only $9.99? I’m pretty sure I’ve already gotten my money’s worth...what do y’all think?

Here’s the original listing:

VNTG Global 4070 Solid State Electric Guitar Amplifier - Made in USA | eBay

The power cord appears to be in good condition. Item turns on while plugged in with the attached power cord. This is a pre-owned, donated item being sold AS IS. Item is in used condition.

www.ebay.com

Here’s pics -
Front:

Back:

And the mostly empty innards:

And here’s a short sound demo:

 

[Sweetfinger]

Could they make those any cheaper?
I have a soft spot for those older really basic transistor amps.

 

[Jkist7]

Costs more to ship the amp than it does to produce it. Wut.

 

[CBHTele]

OMG my dad had one of those!

He got one and a cheap Global guitar back when I was around 10 or so. Then *I* yoinked them when he stopped playing and I started.

Wow…

 

[WeedArson]

OMG my dad had one of those!

He got one and a cheap Global guitar back when I was around 10 or so. Then *I* yoinked them when he stopped playing and I started.

Wow…

That’s awesome! There’s a guitar out there that goes with this amp? I must have it! I’ll pay any price (up to $25 anyway) to complete my Global set, so post a picture if you have one so I can know what the guitar I’m looking for looks like! Of course, I can only imagine how it must feel to know that if you had managed to care for & hang onto that little amp for all these years, you could cash out and be $10 richer right now.

 

[WeedArson]

Could they make those any cheaper?
I have a soft spot for those older really basic transistor amps.

Haha - Me too... I especially admire the care they took to ensure that the little 4 inch speaker didn’t feel like it was being crowded!

 

[Steppin' Wolfe]

@WeedArson, you made that little amp speak up! It recorded well, too.
I saw a Taiwanese speaker. The label there does not say Made in the USA. I have a suspicion that that is an imported amp sold with that Global logo.

 

[Steppin' Wolfe]

FYI, all of the Global guitars I have seen were made in Asia.

 

[Sweetfinger]

@WeedArson, you made that little amp speak up! It recorded well, too.
I saw a Taiwanese speaker. The label there does not say Made in the USA. I have a suspicion that that is an imported amp sold with that Global logo.

I thought so too, but the amp says "Made in USA" on the front. My guess is the guts were made in Japan or Korea and the cabinet and/or assembly done here.

 

[Steppin' Wolfe]

I thought so too, but the amp says "Made in USA" on the front. My guess is the guts were made in Japan or Korea and the cabinet and/or assembly done here.

Well, we know the origin of the speaker. A look at other components would give clues.
No matter……if the cost and shipping are hurting @WeedArson—-which it seems is not the case—-I would hit his ‘go fund my slide playing fund’ just for that little bit he played through that amplifier.
It takes a good player to make such an amp sound that good, ime.

 

[70 Mach 1]

Cool find but probably one step better than plugging into your clock radio on the side of your bed.

 

[Sweetfinger]

Cool find but probably one step better than plugging into your clock radio on the side of your bed.

I took apart an old clock radio once and found some transistors that sounded great in a Fuzz Face.

 

[Tony Done]

I really like that, mostly for its sheer eccentricity, but the tone is also pretty good in your demo.

 

[WeedArson]

Thanks much y’all for the kind words re: my playing on the hastily thrown together iPhone demo. I concur that - despite it clearly claiming “Made in USA” on the amp’s faceplate - there is a strong possibility it was manufactured overseas as @Steppin' Wolfe suspects. Or maybe not; as @Sweetfinger points out, it’s possible it was constructed stateside using cheap foreign components. It sure is a pretty bold example of false advertising if it was constructed overseas! lol

 

[WeedArson]

Cool find but probably one step better than plugging into your clock radio on the side of your bed.

Did you even listen to the demo?!? I feel it is clearly a full TWO steps above my clock radio!! Of course it’s possible that you just have a much nicer clock radio.

 

[70 Mach 1]

Did you even listen to the demo?!? I feel it is clearly a full TWO steps above my clock radio!! Of course it’s possible that you just have a much nicer clock radio.

Yeah I did.
Very Nice playing
It's just the 4" speaker is
Bugging me out lol

 

[Albion9]

That's the standout of the line. The 4060 and the 4080 can't hold a candle to it. The slide playin' was cool. It sounded a bit Beefheartish. Were you using any effects on that?

 

[WeedArson]

Yeah I did.
Very Nice playing
It's just the 4" speaker is
Bugging me out lol

Haha I hear ya... I don’t think there’s much chance I’ll be doing a “Global” tour with it any time soon, that’s fer sure

 

[Tommy_G]

Nice score. Collector's amp.

In seriousness - its a nice looking little piece that would probably work as a way to widen your sound esp if you have stereo chorus and delay

 

[WeedArson]

That's the standout of the line. The 4060 and the 4080 can't hold a candle to it. The slide playin' was cool. It sounded a bit Beefheartish. Were you using any effects on that?

Too funny!! And no - I purposely used no pedals or eq tweaking of any sort. Ps.I love Captain Beefheart!