Tubeblaster
Junior Member
Hi Folks,
I just joined and have been perusing threads about this amp. I have the opportunity to purchase a Guild Thunder I Reverb T1-RVT from the original owner. I have the amp in my possession right now for evaluation. It hasn't been played in 10 years. I heard it at that time and it sounded OK although there was some hum (probably old filter caps). Before that, it hadn't been played since the late 1970's.
It has the two-tone tweed grill and surprisingly; it has a three prong cord. It's serial #6657. It has the polarity switch, which surprised me since it has the 3-prong cord. My buddy told me his parents bought it new for him in 1968 and I don't think any work has been done on it. I can see the 6GWB tubes have the Guild brand on them and are presumably original.
I'm interested in restoring this amp for my personal use. I'm a hobbyist and am fairly well-read on tube amps with some experience helping restore a Fender Deluxe Reverb and a 1938 Gibson EH-150 with a field coil speaker. I did have amp tech help with these projects and may do so again with this amp if I take it on.
I have this amp for 3-4 weeks for evaluation and am favorably inclined to tackle this but I could use some advice. Since it hasn't been turned on in 10 years, I'm reluctant to do so since the filter caps are probably not up to the task and I don't want to fry any other components. I assume it should be brought up on a variac for evaluation before going any further.
I see the tube compliment on these amps is peculiar and the prices for NOS replacements are expensive (but within my means).
Cosmetically, the amp has some grime and stains but the tolex and tweed are in pretty good shape. It has a 12" main speaker and the reverb speaker. It has the reverb footswitch. The front panel dials turn without trouble.
I can provide external and internal photos as desired although I just got this today and haven't opened it up or photographed anything yet.
I want to offer my buddy a fair price for the amp; recognizing the cost of the likely work it will take. I'm thinking a fair price would be the estimated selling price of a functional amp minus the cost of putting it in functional shape. My current SWAG is a selling price of $450 with at least $250 in repairs for testing, filter caps, a replacement tube or two, and perhaps some bucks for consulting with an amp tech.
I'll be glad for any advice on how to proceed. I'm certainly excited about this amp and would like to get it into playing shape for my own enjoyment and not for resale.
Thanks much
I just joined and have been perusing threads about this amp. I have the opportunity to purchase a Guild Thunder I Reverb T1-RVT from the original owner. I have the amp in my possession right now for evaluation. It hasn't been played in 10 years. I heard it at that time and it sounded OK although there was some hum (probably old filter caps). Before that, it hadn't been played since the late 1970's.
It has the two-tone tweed grill and surprisingly; it has a three prong cord. It's serial #6657. It has the polarity switch, which surprised me since it has the 3-prong cord. My buddy told me his parents bought it new for him in 1968 and I don't think any work has been done on it. I can see the 6GWB tubes have the Guild brand on them and are presumably original.
I'm interested in restoring this amp for my personal use. I'm a hobbyist and am fairly well-read on tube amps with some experience helping restore a Fender Deluxe Reverb and a 1938 Gibson EH-150 with a field coil speaker. I did have amp tech help with these projects and may do so again with this amp if I take it on.
I have this amp for 3-4 weeks for evaluation and am favorably inclined to tackle this but I could use some advice. Since it hasn't been turned on in 10 years, I'm reluctant to do so since the filter caps are probably not up to the task and I don't want to fry any other components. I assume it should be brought up on a variac for evaluation before going any further.
I see the tube compliment on these amps is peculiar and the prices for NOS replacements are expensive (but within my means).
Cosmetically, the amp has some grime and stains but the tolex and tweed are in pretty good shape. It has a 12" main speaker and the reverb speaker. It has the reverb footswitch. The front panel dials turn without trouble.
I can provide external and internal photos as desired although I just got this today and haven't opened it up or photographed anything yet.
I want to offer my buddy a fair price for the amp; recognizing the cost of the likely work it will take. I'm thinking a fair price would be the estimated selling price of a functional amp minus the cost of putting it in functional shape. My current SWAG is a selling price of $450 with at least $250 in repairs for testing, filter caps, a replacement tube or two, and perhaps some bucks for consulting with an amp tech.
I'll be glad for any advice on how to proceed. I'm certainly excited about this amp and would like to get it into playing shape for my own enjoyment and not for resale.
Thanks much