Categories: Guitar Equipment

Concept 1 Delta Guitar Amplifer circa 1974

I stumbled across a 40yo advert for a guitar amplifier that I had never heard of: the 300-watt Concept 1 Delta, of which only /as few as 10 or as many as 100/ were ever sold. In attempting to research it, I came across one of the most obnoxious GearS____ (sorry I can’t bring myself to type that word) posts that I have ever read. Check it out if you want to become irritated. This pretty much sums up my feelings about the worst elements of online culture. Good god. The gentlemanly figure involved here (and designer of the intriguing Delta) is Harvey Gerst, who owns this joint (and what a saint he must be, with those crazy low-fixed-price production packages for local bands) and wrote a few of the early Byrds’ songs.

Is anyone aware of a blog that tracks the most obnoxious, moronic, or otherwise awful GearS____ threads?

chris

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View Comments

rrusston says:

04/21/2012 at 9:50 pm

I saw a complete rig many years ago, but the heads have mostly vanished. Most of the cabs were simply rewired and used with other heads. An alternative is to use an autoformer to match them.

The heads were very complex and used sweep tubes and other types not in the music store armamentarium. You had to know ELECTRONICS and be able to THINK to keep them going and that cuts out 90% of the music store cowboys. My guess is most were just scrapped. Since there were few made in the first place they are now rare indeed, which is not to say there are many people who want them. They are not like a Dumble or Trainwreck which got a lot of press and carefully built mystique.

The cabinet tech is much like the work of Bill Fitzmaurice. Google him.
- JOMAMANOSE says:
  
  07/31/2012 at 12:43 pm
  
  MY BUDDY FROM NEWPORT BEACH BACK IN OUR NAVY DAYS (1980-83) HAD THE HEAD AND JUST THE 4X10 CABINET. ONE DAY FLUIDS SPILLED INTO THE HEAD AND SHE BLEW UP. UNFORTUNAQTELY WE DEEP SIXED IT AND I ACQUIRED THE CABINET. I USED AN AMPEG V4 AND THAT BABY HANDLED IT VERY WELL! AND THE FEEDBACK, JUST GREAT! I KEPT THE CABINET AFTER I GOT OUT AND USED IT AS AN EXTENSION FOR MY PEAVEY SPECAIL 130! AFTER THAT I CAN'T RECALL WHAT I DID WITH IT. IT WAS THE BEST CABINET I EVER HAD!
sknoof says:

10/08/2012 at 7:25 pm

I have one of these amps on eBay right now, if anyone's interested...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/DELTA-PRODUCTS-Harvey-Gerst-CONCEPT-1-HEAD-RAREST-GUITAR-AMPLIFIER-ON-EARTH-/251164344549?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a7a8fc0e5
Carl Wiesener says:

02/21/2015 at 8:30 pm

I have one of the concept 1 amplifier tops, by Delta Products. It was working great the last time I used it several years ago. I will pull it out and check it. If anyone is interested let me know. It is a 1974 model.
- Al says:
  
  04/02/2016 at 5:59 pm
  
  I need the 2x12 cabinet if anyone has one
- Joe says:
  
  04/09/2016 at 9:51 pm
  
  Is it still for sale?
- steve danielson says:
  
  05/20/2019 at 2:19 pm
  
  Carl,
  
  Old thread, but I am interested if you still have the concept 1 head.
  - Walter Easley says:
    
    02/12/2022 at 7:08 pm
    
    I have the entire system if you are still interested.
Brian says:

11/30/2016 at 8:40 pm

Harvey Gerst has previously worked for JBL and was central to the development of the D130F from the original JBL D130. He's offered a lot of great insight into the workings of many JBL speakers in various places on the net...
Daniel Astor says:

08/16/2018 at 10:28 pm

As a Young man at my first NAMM Showt in Los Angeles. Frank Zappa walked in with one of their heads. and slammed it to the floor and said "Thanks but no thanks!" They wanted Frank to be an investor of these amplifiers...
I guess that didn't go too well...
Walter Easley says:

02/12/2022 at 7:03 pm

I have the entire Delta concept 1 system, including the foot switches & the echo (but it requires 8 track tapes). He contacted Harvey Greats’ son with no reply on a question about tubes. If anyone is interested in purchase, please contact.