Standel Firsts
Bob Crooks and his Standel brand of amplifiers have been credited with several "firsts" in the early development of guitar amplifiers. A few of these "firsts" are:
- the use of JBL speakers in a musical instrument amplifier (1953)
- illuminated dial (1953)
- padded upholstery (1953)
- closed back bass amps (1957)
- piggyback amps (1957)
- front panel dial (1957)
- hybrid (tube/solid-state) circuits (1961)
- first commercially successful all solid-state amplifiers (1965)
- self-powered solid-state speaker cabinets (1966) Standel called them "Magnifiers"