![]() The circuits themselves were fairly simple, and the components and wiring configurations could look rather sparse inside the capacious chassis. This photo shows some of the band’s original gear, including their West guitar and bass heads and cabinets. Grand Funk Railroad were West Laboratories’ biggest client. Inside the bulky, roadworthy cabinets of the Fillmore and its brethren, the quality of the amps’ construction could vary somewhat. “My dad’s amps were the sound of the Grande Ballroom,” his son Aaron West told The Lansing State Journal (opens in new tab) for an obituary following his father’s death in November 2015 at the age of 71. His model names came from a penchant for the great rock and roll ballrooms of the 1960s: the Avalon and Fillmore (both in San Francisco, if you think “West”), and, closer to home, Detroit’s own Grande Ballroom, where Grand Funk Railroad frequently kicked out the jams alongside fellow Michiganders like the Stooges and the MC5. West himself was a live-music enthusiast, and even managed several regional bands for many years. Unfortunately for West, as Grand Funk had bigger hits, they moved on to other amps to suit their new pop-oriented sound. “Not only did they sound great,” Brewer said of the amps, “but they looked great.” ![]() Not only did they sound great, but they looked greatĪccording to Grand Funk drummer Don Brewer, West’s amps were used on the group’s first four albums – On Time, Grand Funk, Closer to Home, and Survival. 6CA7s), the 100-watt Grande with two 6550s, and the 200-watt Fillmore with four 6550s, made famous by guitarist Mark Farner and bassist Mel Schacher of Grand Funk Railroad. Three core models populated the lineup: the 50-watt Avalon head with two E元4s (a.k.a. ![]()
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