1964 Selmer Truvoice Constellation 14

Rare 1964 Selmer Truvoice Constellation 14 for sale in excellent condition, serviced and sounding superb. The croc-skin case of this amp is generally very clean but does have some scuffs and scrapes as shown in the photos. The grill cloth had been damaged at some point, but has been carefully-repaired, included in the photos is a picture showing the damage before and after repair.

Click on the photos to zoom in – plenty of detailed shots.

Sounds superb. Quiet for an amp of this vintage after some careful service work (you can hear this at the end of the new video demo below). Also note that you will see from the internal shots that at one point this amp had the rectifier replaced with a silicone bridge (it’s written on the that part of the chassis), however we’ve reinstated the valve rectification to get the sound of the amp back to where it should be.

This is the cosmetically-enhanced (with croc skin finish) and renamed model that followed the earlier Stadiums, famously-used by the Beatles in their Hamburg days, and also by the Shadows as their main amp pre May 1960. Giving a respectable 14 watts output, this amp includes the original footswitch for the tremolo – with blinking eye indicator on the front of the amp.

All major internal parts look to be original, including the alnico Celestion G12 T731 dated 13th March 1964 which has a very small well-executed repair (see photos). The valves are a mixed bag: 2 Mullard 1 Brimar 2 Mazda, 2 unknown.

These are stunning amps and not easy to find in any condition.

It has the fabulous ‘blinking eye’ trem circuit which looks very cool and sounds great. Has just had a thorough and sympathetic service with our vintage amp expert. He’s kept everything as original as possible, but has worked wonders on the sound – old Selmers can have a tendency to hum, but this one’s now very quiet in operation – a stunning job. 

From the Vintage Hofner site:

The famous croc-skin Selmers, probably the most sought-after models due to their exotic good looks. Imitation crocodile-skin (and snake-skin) finishes were commonly seen on British footwear and fashion accessories in the mid-sixties, and Selmer departed from their normally staid and traditional finishes by adopting a very striking two-tone croc-skin/black colour scheme – just in time for the September 1963 British Music Trade Fair. All fashions come round again, flared trousers and the fabulous croc-skins !

Selmer’s changes to their range of amplifiers, which had been quite stable for some years, were more cosmetic than fundamental. The most significant were the novel “blinking-eye” which pulsated in time with the tremelo, the croc-skin coverings, enlarged Selmer logos and new model names. It seems that it was an attempt to update Selmer’s image without investing in entirely new models of amplifier, and judging by the popularity of Selmer amplifiers from this era it was highly successful.

THE CONSTELLATION 14
A re-named Stadium with croc-skin/black finish, “blinking eye”, new logo and price up to 55 gns. 

“For the boys in the big time” – a thumping 14 watts and tremolo, generated by EF86 (3), ECC82(1), ECC83 (1), EL84 (2) and EZ81 (1) and a 12″ speaker (Goodmans Audiom 60 in most I’ve come across) to deafen the audience. Impressive array of 6 control knobs (vol Ch1, vol Ch 2 & 3, trem speed & depth, bass & treble). Footswitch included for 52 gns, serious money in the early 60’s.

Demo of this amp below.