Budget Bluz Ampz

-CB-

Epic Member
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Fifteen bux with shipping, from eBay.

Has two speakers, probably a single EL84, who knows what for a preamp... but keep in mind that the typical guitar pickup puts out vastly more signal strength than a phono cartridge, and will overdrive this puppy into bluzdom.

Take out the turntable portion, make a little gizmo to hold a guitar jack and volume control... and... you get to play it with either open box or closed box configuration (tone control!)

I'm lovin' it.  Done this before.    :icon_thumright:
 
Okay, so what do I search for on ebay if I want one of those babies?  My searches keep turning up big '50's vintage wooden monstrosities.
 
search : tube record player

From what I can see... there are old ads floating about, showing the ECR-1 and ECR-2 record players... dated 1957.  That means, we are just about guaranteed no "solid state" parts, except maybe the rectifier... maybe. 

This also could have weird... 35 / 35 / 12 / 12 / 12 / 6 configuration.  That is the output tubes are 35v heaters, the preamp are 12v heaters, and the rectifier is 6v.  The whole heater circuit is layed out in SERIES on 110v, and if one goes bad, they all turn off.... since they're in series.  I tend to not think so though, as that was used mainly for lower ouput, lower cost table radios and such.  This is a school room record player, and I recall them being plenty loud when ya cranked em up.  Like, my old teacher saying "-CB- go tell Miss Scrivano in the next room to TURN IT DOWN!".  I didn't mind, Scrivy had great gams, and nice jiggly assets as well. 

I should add... the 45watts on the label are the power used, by the amp, by the motor for the record player, etc.  The audio output is probably more like 5 watts of bliss.
 
Working on those "transformer-less" amps always gave me the willies for whatever reason. The worst I've ever been "popped" was attempting to revive an old Silvertone Amp-In-Case when my mind wandered a bit, and POW! Nothing, and I mean NOTHING, compares to the thrill of completing a high-voltage circuit with your own body. You suddenly grasp why they use to execute people with DC instead of AC.  
 
Until you've grabbed the (electrically) leaking spark plug wire of a Sportster while trying to switch to the reserve tank.... doing about 85... well, you've just not lived. 

 
RLW said:
You suddenly grasp why they use to execute people with DC instead of AC. 

AC throws you around; with DC, you just kind of twitch in place. It's much more polite.
 
no... just showing what you can do for a little money, a little work, and a little online searching
 
-CB- said:
Until you've grabbed the (electrically) leaking spark plug wire of a Sportster while trying to switch to the reserve tank.... doing about 85... well, you've just not lived. 

Only time I've been on a bike was riding sissy behind a Bandido, Joe "Artist" Tabaracci. As soon as the Statute of Limitations expires, I'll explain what I was doing there. Let's just say that surviving the 70's made me believe in miracles.

"One thing about working on guitar amplifiers is that you lose all your fear of wall current."

"I work at the Texas Department of Corrections, so I obviously know a lot of guitarists."

The above quotes courtesy of Johnny Poe.
 
Just scored this AO-29 project for $76!!!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270218814341
 
I'm still waiting on the turntable... BUT... thats a real meat-n-potatoes project ya got there Jack...wooooot indeed~
 
I would have just as soon had an AO-35 EL84 duet; but you can't touch a clean one on eBay for under $140.
 
CB,
If you hack an MC-30 into a guitar amp, I'd hunt you down and poke you in the eye.
 
No big hack there; check these clean as new pics:

http://homepage.mac.com/urbanradio/Vintage.HiFi/JPEGs/MC30_pair.jpg
 
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