Another amp arrives. Been looking out for one of these for a while. When I got a pic, nearly passed up cause thought was a modern thing, looked pristine. Heres the front:
‘The Roost’, not just Roost like I expected. Classy.
In the back, not sure if there should be a back panel with writing here. Get me a dymo labeller I guess. Authentic.
Inside, not sure those are partridges, no label, not dipped.
Yay, no PCB. Fair bit of corrosion, cobwebs and modifications though. Interesting black square thing tot he right, think is a rectifier.
Can’t start work on this till have assembled the Antigua bass. Turns out the machine head bushings are the wrong size.
ampstack 
Hi,
Strewth, last time I saw one of those was in the late 70’s.
From memory ‘The Roost’ was made Brian Roost himself after he left Roost in 1974 or 75. Brian Roost parted company with Roost (this is the Roost as in the web site).
Again from memory Ron Bailey, one of the founders of Roost along with Brian Roost in the very early 70’s, left to follow a career as a pro musician and Bass player in a band called Granny, but that failed in 1974/5 and he found himself back at Roost by taking Brian Roost’s position in the Company when Brian left.
I’m not sure how much, if at all, he changed the circuit.
I feel I’m more or less right with the above info, but apologise if there some errors and omissions.
Where did the amplifier come to light?
Regards
Terry Bateman.
Ex Roost, Southend.
Thanks very much, that is some pretty cool information, sorta stuff that I hope this blog will generate more of, new info hitting the net rather than just moving about info already there. I picked it up in Surrey.
Hi,
Glad the info was useful.
Your right info like this needs to be put on the net or else I’ll get lost in time. Best as I can looking at your photos it’s more or less the same as the ‘normal’ Roost being made by us. The transformers were made by a company called Electro-Voice products (not the speaker company) that were based in Rickmansworth; they also made transformers for later Sound City amplifiers.
Brain had quit Roost before I got in involved in the summer of 1975.
It hadn’t wondered too far from Southend, out of curiosity do you know anything of its history or owners?
Regards
Terry.
Ah, are you the same Terry that is quoted on John Chambers’ Chambonino.com about the Electro-voice trannies? I’ve made myself unpopular pointing out that people’s Soujnd Citys do not contain the fabled Partridges cause of that. Made to comparable spec I guess?
Dunno much of its history, didn’t press the dude who was selling it, was kind of cheap as wasn’t working right (caps), and didn’t want to push my luck.
Hi,
Yes, I’m the Terry, who is quoted on the John Chambers site. Not all the Sound City amplifiers used Partridge transformers. Sound City used Partridge in the early days but went over to Electro-Voice, as in the amplifier on John site, sometime in the Mid 70’s as the partridge transformers were getting expensive. The Electro-Voice transformers are exact copies of the Partridge transformers. Electro-Voice made a lot of transformers in there time for the electronics and radio industry. In the early days Roost used to get transformers from Sound City, who was just across town so this explains why they had the same transformers.
I have Sound City 120 and that has Electro-Voice transformers.
Regards
Terry.
Ah cool, all of my Sound City’s have Partridges so far. Again, handy reference material. Cheers. Gotta open up the Roost to get it going again soon, had a lot of guitar teching to do.
Hi, just a word to say thank you for helping to keep my name of my amps alive. Brian Roost.
No prob. If you are up for emailing some anecdotes and such I’m keen to publish stuff like that.