Hey, I actually won an auction! (Champ-a-like)

Default

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Made in Mexico Vibrochamp thing.
3ec1_1.JPG
 

Guildmark

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Congrats, Default! Looks cute and fun! And easy to carry!

Here's one I won yesterday:
1968 Sears 1420
It's not nearly as cute, but I got it as a summertime project with my kids. The plan is to rennovate it. If it doesn't work it'll probably wind up as part of the man-made reef off of Huntington Beach. If it does work, and if we have fun at it, we'll move on to a fresh kit project. I'm gonna be leaning heavily on the amp gurus like you and Capnjuan! I barely know a power tube from a rectumfinder.
 

capnjuan

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Guildmark said:
I'm gonna be leaning heavily on the amp gurus like you and Capnjuan! I barely know a power tube from a rectumfinder.
Well ... of course the funnel has long been considered the most reliable rectumfinder. Congratulations !!! ... but ... for your homework, read here ChrisB's LTG Dano Cadet thread paying particular attention to default's (and the Real CJ's) remarks about Isolation Transformers; Chris heeded and put one in to increase the safety factor. The tube lineup in you amp is identical to Chris'; the 35W4 is the funnel / rectumfinder, the 12AU6 is more of a 'power' tube but used as a preamp, and the 5OC5 (likely misread/typo by seller who called it a 50CS) as the output tube.

Without generating tone mud, chronic static, or unremitting squeal, there are only so many ways to arrange the pieces and parts to get a useful signal so, at least visually, your amp's interior likely to look like Chris' except physically re-arranged.

Unlike Chris' amp:
1. Some of his parts are mounted on a metal shelf connected to a faux wood-like substance back panel, the auction pics show at least a vertical metal chassis back panel on yours;
2. His output transformer is in/on the cabinet/chassis, yours is mounted on the frame of the speaker - 'field coil' style. Depending on whether yours passes a signal - let's make that a usable signal - one place to start working for tone upgrade is finding a new output transformer and speaker. The 'field coil' is just an output transformer mounted on the speaker and not on the chassis...

Dano made amps for both Sears/Silvertone and Wards/Airlines however no clearly labelled 1420 schematic found but, for the time being and discussion purposes, you might want to look this over; Airline GDR 9001B Schematic Has matching tube lineup and funky heaters for two of the 3 tubes. If you get tired of looking at it before the amp arrives, get it printed oversize, use it for dining table placemats, and play 'Maze' with it, letting each player choose their own crayon color ... I think it'll be a reasonable match for the time being and, with two exceptions, doesn't show any unusual pieces or parts.

The exceptions are: (1) The field coil / output transformer which, according to the Airline pseudo match, has a primary impedance (the side connected to the 50C5 output tube) of 180 ohms - the secondary is 3.2 ohms or suitable for an easily-found 4 ohm speaker; finding one with the somewhat unusally low input impedance may offer a challenge. However, if as seller says it's working reasonably well, then mayhaps weez can bypass the output transformer for the time being. (2) If the amp matches the Airline 9001B, that schematic shows a three-section capacitor but Chris' amp had/has several loose caps performing the same function. Whether yours has a can cap or not, the values indicated are common enough to buy and easy to install.

Tube Check:
35W4 $7.00
12AU6 $.700
50C5 $13.00

Otherwise, this looks to be similar to Chris' amp, layout, and rehab job; ID'ing part values and ratings, take 'em out, and put 'em in. Provided it doesn't blow up, the payoff for the exercise is pretty much at least one order of magnitude uptick in the sound; tighter bass, more headroom, more tubey chime ... at a little risk of failure thrown in ... less risk than say, sky-diving though.

Congratulations! John
 

Mingus

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Guildmark said:
and if we have fun at it, we'll move on to a fresh kit project.

Here's a shameless plug for my friend Mike Marsh:
www.marshamps.com

Keep in mind when buying kits (ESPECIALLY your FIRST kit) that the reported end result is only one piece of the puzzle. You also want good components (easy to find with all of the more respected "kit companies") and good CUSTOMER SERVICE. (not so easy to find!) Mike will spend time on you troubleshooting your problems, etc.

I haven't built any of his kits, but he built me his 18 watt marshall kit as a gift and it's by far my favorite amp EVER. (i've got lots) I think his Champ clone kit would be REALLY fun to build and a perfect starter project!

-James
 

capnjuan

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Default said:
Made in Mexico Vibrochamp thing.
The perfect musical taco; 5Y3, 12AX7, and 6V6 out ...

"In a little cafe just the other side of the border,
The taco sitting there givin' me looks that made my ears water .." Jay and/or The Americans
 

Guildmark

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"Come a little bit closer, you're my kind of amp!"

Thanks, John! You know, last year I was debating here about whether amps mattered. Ah, such acoustic ignorance! I'm glad to be able to say I have been educated, swayed, and converted to the belief they are vital - especially if you play 'leckies- and can even be fun. All hail, LTG! Thanks, All. I will be leaning on you heavily during this project.

I'll keep a record of our progress.
 

capnjuan

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My pleasure Mark; when it comes to 'leckies, the amp is everything; different situation w/ acoustics. As a rule and since they lack gain, an average tuber amp will not do as much for an acoustic guitar as an average tuber amp will do for a average 'leckie .... but - when you get this stablized and refurbed, it will be begging for a vintage Dano, Airline, or Harmony Rocket 'leckie!
 

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Congrats to Default & Guildmark... those look to be very nice scores!
 

chrisb

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Yep, cj, I'd say that's a dead-ringer for my little Dano Cadet. Just add 4 years and 2" to the speaker! It really looks like they just rearranged the components and updated the cosmetics. I'll even bet that "chassis" is just the same as mine, but turned around! BTW, my output trannie was mounted on the speaker basket, but I took it off and mounted it inside the cabinet so I could swap speakers out.

So Mark, here's what I found after replacing almost every electronic part in that amp: none of it really mattered that much except the tubes and the speaker. It's still dirty sounding and rattles like hell, but it's cool and unique and a lot of fun! I recommend taking the chassis in to Ford Electronics by the Fullerton airport (yes, there's an airport in Fullerton) and getting new caps. They can help you get some that'll work reliably. After that you might consider the iso trannie for safety's sake. When you get it done, let's have a jam, cuz I work at your local Trader Joe's in YL! Come in & say Hi sometime.
Chris
 

Guildmark

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Awesome! There is, indeed, an airport in Fullerton. I know the guys who own/operate Air Combat USA. They are regulars at the open mic in Yorba Linda! And the wife of the guy who runs the open mic flies out of there. Thanks for the lead about Ford Electronics, and look for me in the wine aisle!
 

Default

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The "Campeón de la defensa" showed up today. The seller "Sonic Circus" wrapped the sucker in bubble wrap and it got here unharmed. The tubes were still in the sockets :roll: . It looks like the same compliment as a Champ, except for the missing tremelo tube. I don't know what that is until I look at the tubesocket. I won't be able to really mess with it, as my lovely bride had a cyst removed from her arm and had a pretty bad reaction to the anesthesia. I'll power it up briefly tonight after I give it a once over.
It needs a 3 prong cord for sure, looks like it uses separate caps (yay!) for power supply filtering. The faceplate looks like it has been bent out from the chassis in a concave shape. Maybe they did this to stop it from rattling? One concern is the lead from the output transformer are varnished as an insulation and cross a couple of times before they reach a terminal strip. I'll have to insulate them, I don't trust 40 year old varnish. From the terminal strip, the leads connect to a sweet-looking AlNiCo Jensen 8' speaker. This amp has good tone.

I know this because it has "good tone" written on a piece of tape with 2 stars. :lol:
 

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Finally had a couple of minutes to putz around with this thing tonight.

Observation 1:
Nails must have been a lot cheaper than screws, because that's how the baffleboard is held on.
Observation 2:
I'm going to have to remove the faceplate, knobs, pot and jack nuts just to get the chassis out of the cab. (see Observation 1)

On the bright side, it looks like it might have seen a service tech sometime in the past decade or so.
 

Guildmark

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The painted plywood shows good attention to detail. They could have left it bare, you know.
The grill cloth looks pretty clean, too.
Is this the one you were planning to add an isolation transformer to?
 

Default

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No, that's a different beast altogether. The quality on this one is fairly good.
On the other hand, this one is a study in late fifties thrift in construction.

img0381dp9.jpg

img0383wz5.jpg

img0384ys3.jpg



Crappy construction, weird circuit (2 35z5 rectifiers???) and no available schemo = fun for Steve.

Neat looker though and around 6 watts or so.
 

Guildmark

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It does look like it has a nice retro-vibe mojo going on, but functionally it may need a fuse... going to a small stick of dynamite in the chassis. :(

I was doing some playing around on my Sears 5XL this afternoon and discovered how much different it sounds depending on which guitar is plugged into it. My daughter's Squier Strat is very clean but not very loud. California's Aria Pro II (335 clone) cranks a very cool distortion and is a bit louder. Output of Single-coils vs. Humbuckers, I guess. They each prompt their own style of playing. Fun stuff I'm learning. :)

Good luck with both amps, Steve!
 

Default

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I just can't seem to get my act together, time management wise.

Less posting more working?
 
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