1948 National Valco Tube Amplifier

National Model 1260 Model Tube Amplifier (1948), made in Chicago, blue textured vinyl covering finish.

This very attractive high-end, just post-war amplifier was built by Valco and sold under the National brand. It was one of the top professional models in their 1948 catalog, at a time when National was still considered a prestige brand. Listing originally for $165, the Model 1260 was more expensive than anything Gibson, Rickenbacker or Vega offered and in the same price range as the high-end Epiphone amps. While not the most powerful amp of its time, it was just shy of National's slightly more powerful 1215 "Professional" model, featuring more 6L6 tubes.

Exactly what did the ambitious musician of 1949 get for the princely sum of $165, besides great looks on the bandstand? The Model 1260 features a double-ended 6L6 design, putting out around 20 watts into an AlNiCo Jensen 12 inch speaker, a change from the old and true field-coil design.  It has two channels, one for instruments and one with higher gain intended for microphones and as a single master tone control. The microphone channel especially can provide some really nice saturated overdrive and the instrument channel offers beautiful warm clean tones one would expect from a 1940s tube amplifier.
 
Height is 20 1/2 in. (52.1 cm.), 17 5/8 in. (44.8 cm.) width, and 9 1/4 in. (23.5 cm.) deep.

LOCAL PICKUP IN SOUTH BURLINGTON, VT ONLY