When Epiphone entered the electric guitar market in 1935, they also launched a new series of amplifiers under the Electar name and consequently set the benchmark for others to follow. Electar was a name invented by Herb Sunshine, an Epiphone employee who played an integral role in the development of various electronics for the company. Herb made contact with a young Nat Daniel in 1934 and employed him to design the first Electar models. The amplifiers were aimed at the New York dance bands and were produced in both AC and DC versions to accommodate lower Manhattan’s dual electric system at that time.
Many of the first amps were built for the lap steel market. The chassis was housed in a black leatherette cabinet that was supplied by a suitcase manufacturer and featured hinged, detachable front and back covers to protect the tube circuitry and the 8” speaker. The bottom-mounted chassis was equipped with an on/off switch, fuse, AC-DC control and two input jacks.
As the popularity of the amplifier grew, so did the options and choices available to the player. The Model C and Model M added tone and volume controls as well as 10” and 12” speakers.
1936 saw the Super AC-DC featuring the stylistic E logo. The cab was covered with Keratol, a vinyl like finish material, and had “Detacho” back and front panels.
This Electar amp is one of the first electric guitar amplifiers to have been produced, hand built by Nat Daniels, the founder of Danelectro. This is a very early amp and it does not have a volume or tone control as you would use the ones on the guitar.
