Rory Gallagher’s Stramp K80 Powerbaby

Rory used this amp between 1971 and 1973. He used a Stramp K80 – this is a 2×12 with an amp, and a Stramp K81 – which is a similar looking 2×12 but without the amp. On stage he would have these stacked on top of each other (see image below).

While Rory has stuck with Fender and Vox he has experimented and tested several makes of amplifiers. Some of the more interesting makes he ran across were Stramp (a clean-sounding German amp which Leslie West used), Magnatone, Burns, and Vincent (an Italian brand). For studio work Rory also uses Fender — a small Deluxe which sounds rather fuzzy at the time of recording, but which comes across very clean on record.

Zigzag magazine, November 1971

We’ve got a better p. a. system -it’s a German firm called Stramp, and the equipment is very powerful and very robust, but it’s compact… you don’t need great walls of speakers. But I still use a Vox AC 30, same as I always have. I got my old one stolen, but I got another second hand for £40.

Rory Gallagher by Steve Rosen, Guitar Player (July 1974)