Selmer Truvoice TV-18 Tube Amplifier (1958)
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Selmer Truvoice TV-18 Model Tube Amplifier (1958), made in London, England, brown faux woodgrain covering finish.
This amp is rare sight even for our showroom, a fairly early example of a UK-made Selmer Truvoice TV-18. In the 1950s Selmer, London catalogs amplifiers were advertised as a fairly minor accessory to the (mostly) Hofner electric guitars which dominated the line. Nevertheless before JMI/Vox became the dominant force of the 1960s Selmer was arguably England's most important amp supplier. Still, in this pre-beat boom period even the most basic amplifiers were rather a mystery to the average player; within a couple of years they were everywhere.
The 1957-8 Selmer Truvoice amp line-up had a streamlined appearance of a dark marron and grey faux woodgrain covering. This new improved range of models were advertised as having "built-in isolating transformers, making the amplifier virtually shockproof", a significant improvement to the more basic rectification of earlier Truvoice amps. While perhaps fairly crude designs compared to later Selmer (and JMI) products, these are attractive, solidly made and neatly laid out amps.
The four 1957-8 Truvoice models, the TV6, TV12, TV18 and TV20, offered various speaker and power configurations, ranging from 5 watts with a 7" elliptical speaker all the way to 18 watts and a 4x8" format. This TV18 features two inputs, each with its own volume control and master bass and treble tone controls. The dual KT55 power supply yields roughly 18 watts of power into the Goodmans Audiom 60 speaker, quite the powerful amp in 1958. The weight of the transformer causes the cabinet to be somewhat unbalanced; Selmer's designers thoughtfully mounted the Bakelite handle in an offset position to compensate! The cosmetic touches including a neatly piped control panel, large white and gold knobs and a clear back-painted Selmer logo plate are classy in an antique-looking way. This is a really cool early pre-beat era amp that still offers a surprisingly powerful and rich sound.
Height is 20 1/2 in. (52.1 cm.), 19 in. (48.3 cm.) width, and 9 1/2 in. (24.1 cm.) deep.
Cosmetically, the amp is in decent shape considering its age and the fragility of the thin covering. The cabinet shows a fair amount of wear, most notably around corners and edges with parts of the covering missing. Aside from a handful of scuffs, the front of the amp looks fabulous and the original grille cloth is in great shape. The plastic Selmer Truvoice logo is nicely intact as well, with some moisture wear on the underside. The control panel (covered in fairly thin plastic) shows some wear, mostly some deformation around the top laminate layer and some moderate wear overall. The original (and impossible to find) knobs are intact, as is the offset plastic handle and its associated hardware.
Electrically, this little Selmer is nicely original save for the power transformer which was at once point replaced, presumable to allow for 120V operation, which this amp is currently hardwired for. The choke and output transformers appear original, as does the 12" Goodmans Audiom 60 speaker, which has been professionally reconed and sounds and tests fabulously. The pots appear original save for the 2nd volume pot which is newer, dating to 1995. The amp also features a switchable external 16 ohm speaker out on the side of the cabinet which appears to be a very old modification, hence left intact. Otherwise, the amp has seen our typical maintenance and servicing including replacement of all electrolytic caps, cleaning of all sockets, pots and jacks, a 3-prong power cord and power tubes biased to spec.
A bit scruffy perhaps but this is still a rare and wonderful amp, much like a slightly more powerful UK cousin of a Tweed Deluxe! Overall Very Good Condition.
This amp is rare sight even for our showroom, a fairly early example of a UK-made Selmer Truvoice TV-18. In the 1950s Selmer, London catalogs amplifiers were advertised as a fairly minor accessory to the (mostly) Hofner electric guitars which dominated the line. Nevertheless before JMI/Vox became the dominant force of the 1960s Selmer was arguably England's most important amp supplier. Still, in this pre-beat boom period even the most basic amplifiers were rather a mystery to the average player; within a couple of years they were everywhere.
The 1957-8 Selmer Truvoice amp line-up had a streamlined appearance of a dark marron and grey faux woodgrain covering. This new improved range of models were advertised as having "built-in isolating transformers, making the amplifier virtually shockproof", a significant improvement to the more basic rectification of earlier Truvoice amps. While perhaps fairly crude designs compared to later Selmer (and JMI) products, these are attractive, solidly made and neatly laid out amps.
The four 1957-8 Truvoice models, the TV6, TV12, TV18 and TV20, offered various speaker and power configurations, ranging from 5 watts with a 7" elliptical speaker all the way to 18 watts and a 4x8" format. This TV18 features two inputs, each with its own volume control and master bass and treble tone controls. The dual KT55 power supply yields roughly 18 watts of power into the Goodmans Audiom 60 speaker, quite the powerful amp in 1958. The weight of the transformer causes the cabinet to be somewhat unbalanced; Selmer's designers thoughtfully mounted the Bakelite handle in an offset position to compensate! The cosmetic touches including a neatly piped control panel, large white and gold knobs and a clear back-painted Selmer logo plate are classy in an antique-looking way. This is a really cool early pre-beat era amp that still offers a surprisingly powerful and rich sound.
Height is 20 1/2 in. (52.1 cm.), 19 in. (48.3 cm.) width, and 9 1/2 in. (24.1 cm.) deep.
Cosmetically, the amp is in decent shape considering its age and the fragility of the thin covering. The cabinet shows a fair amount of wear, most notably around corners and edges with parts of the covering missing. Aside from a handful of scuffs, the front of the amp looks fabulous and the original grille cloth is in great shape. The plastic Selmer Truvoice logo is nicely intact as well, with some moisture wear on the underside. The control panel (covered in fairly thin plastic) shows some wear, mostly some deformation around the top laminate layer and some moderate wear overall. The original (and impossible to find) knobs are intact, as is the offset plastic handle and its associated hardware.
Electrically, this little Selmer is nicely original save for the power transformer which was at once point replaced, presumable to allow for 120V operation, which this amp is currently hardwired for. The choke and output transformers appear original, as does the 12" Goodmans Audiom 60 speaker, which has been professionally reconed and sounds and tests fabulously. The pots appear original save for the 2nd volume pot which is newer, dating to 1995. The amp also features a switchable external 16 ohm speaker out on the side of the cabinet which appears to be a very old modification, hence left intact. Otherwise, the amp has seen our typical maintenance and servicing including replacement of all electrolytic caps, cleaning of all sockets, pots and jacks, a 3-prong power cord and power tubes biased to spec.
A bit scruffy perhaps but this is still a rare and wonderful amp, much like a slightly more powerful UK cousin of a Tweed Deluxe! Overall Very Good Condition.