MaxHart85231281734137 Posted June 3, 2009 Share Posted June 3, 2009 hey guys i just stubled upon my great uncles old webcor record player, its like a suit case with two speakers that swing out from the sides and have speaker jacks on them, i pluged the speakers into my lil gaint and they sound awsome , my question is on futher tinkering with the rocord player i noticed thats its loaded with tubes, it says 70 watts on the back this thing is oldddd, but is there any way i can turn this thing into a guitar amp head? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m-theory Posted June 3, 2009 Share Posted June 3, 2009 Anything can be turned into a guitar amp, if you have the patience, the know-how, and the desire to do so. The question would be "is it worth it?" That's hard to say, without seeing the iron, the tube alottment, the layout of the chassis, etc. I recently saw an absolutely gorgeous vintage PA amp that was military (navy). The thing was a stunning work of art, inside and out. Absolutely beautiful. The iron was impressive, the wiring was flat out amazing, and the entire amp was pristine. I ALMOST bought it, but then took a good hard look at the chassis and realized that it would make absolutely no sense as a guitar amp. I seriously doubt that device is 70 watts. That may be the power consumption, but I seriously doubt it would be the output rating. The fact is, it may well be that the speakers are the only parts of that thing that have any value. If they're old Jensen alnicos and they're in good shape, you could probably get a few hundred dollars for each. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
appa69 Posted June 3, 2009 Share Posted June 3, 2009 I seriously doubt that device is 70 watts. That may be the power consumption' date=' but I seriously doubt it would be the output rating.[/quote'] This is more than likley true. Best way to tell power output would be find the output tubes and note type and how many there are. This would give you an idea, at least. Types of tubes used and count would be a good factor in determining wether or not it is a candidate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaxHart85231281734137 Posted June 4, 2009 Author Share Posted June 4, 2009 well im not shure thats just one of the things I can barley read about it but it has two 12AX7's two 6BQ5's and one 5Y3 so im not shure what that puts the power at but thats what the tube guide says thats on the inside of it, and it actually looks wired pretty well the only thing that i found is that i would have to change the circut for guitar instead of spinn wax Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
appa69 Posted June 4, 2009 Share Posted June 4, 2009 5Y3 is a DC rectifier tube, 12AX7s are preamp and PI, most likely, and 6BQ5=EL84. Sounds to me like you may have the start to a nice little amp there. I'd probably ballpark it at about 18watts? Nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m-theory Posted June 4, 2009 Share Posted June 4, 2009 It's a Marshall 1974 in waiting! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
appa69 Posted June 4, 2009 Share Posted June 4, 2009 It's a Marshall 1974 in waiting! LOL=d> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaxHart85231281734137 Posted June 4, 2009 Author Share Posted June 4, 2009 so my uncle is an electronics super nerd , I havent asked him yet , but do you think someone with pretty good knowlege and experince with electronics could turn that into a guitar amp head? or do you think that any electriction out of the yellow pages could handle it too? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaxHart85231281734137 Posted June 4, 2009 Author Share Posted June 4, 2009 also what does the dc rectifier tube do? never heard of it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sledge57 Posted June 4, 2009 Share Posted June 4, 2009 Ok I know I'm not crazy, what happened to the other replies to this thread, there were some good links to building tube amps and now they're history. Was it a no no for those people to post those links? If so, if you posted those links please PM them to me if possible. I spent all night reading and researching building tube amps last night but I didn't save the links because they were here I wish I could stumble onto one of those record players, that sounds like an awesome start for an amp project Also about the tube rectifier, a rectifier circuit converts your ac wall current to DC current, that record player does it by means of a tube circuit instead of silicon diodes or bridge rectifier. Purists will tell you a tube rectifier is the only way to go, but opinions do differ on the subject. Regardless, what you have is a KOOL start Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m-theory Posted June 4, 2009 Share Posted June 4, 2009 but do you think someone with pretty good knowlege and experince with electronics could turn that into a guitar amp head? Maybe. If not, you should be able to find an amp tech somewhere nearby that would do it for you. Electricians aren't generally going to know anything about tube amps and very little about electronics. Their working knowledge of circuits is running wires from a fuse box to a switch or outlet. FWIW, amps with tube rectifiers will sag or compress much more when pushed hard than a similar amp with SS rectifier. This is entirely personal preference, and the only way you'd ever know what you preferred would be to log some miles on both. There are numerous sites online where you can find resources for this type of project. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaxHart85231281734137 Posted June 5, 2009 Author Share Posted June 5, 2009 Ok I know I'm not crazy' date=' what happened to the other replies to this thread, there were some good links to building tube amps and now they're history. Was it a no no for those people to post those links? If so, if you posted those links please PM them to me if possible. I spent all night reading and researching building tube amps last night but I didn't save the links because they were here [img']http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v125/Sledge_57/Smilies/banghead.gif[/img] I wish I could stumble onto one of those record players, that sounds like an awesome start for an amp project Also about the tube rectifier, a rectifier circuit converts your ac wall current to DC current, that record player does it by means of a tube circuit instead of silicon diodes or bridge rectifier. Purists will tell you a tube rectifier is the only way to go, but opinions do differ on the subject. Regardless, what you have is a KOOL start +1 i never saw the links either and guess what else i found in the storage unit as well to turn into an amp, an old webcor reel to reel that has a tube amp inside of it ........................................................................................... ive got two new amps if i can get the right people to do it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaxHart85231281734137 Posted June 5, 2009 Author Share Posted June 5, 2009 as soon as i get my camera back ill post some picks so u guys can tell me what im workn with and thanks for the replies Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m-theory Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 an old webcor reel to reel that has a tube amp inside of it You're probably better off just selling that. The only part of it that would really relate to a guitar amp would be that it has a preamp. It's very doubtful that it would have the primary iron to handle output tubes. The other thing is totally worthy of an amp build, as long as the iron and chassis aren't all corroded, and as long as that primary iron is working properly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sledge57 Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 You're probably better off just selling that. The only part of it that would really relate to a guitar amp would be that it has a preamp. It's very doubtful that it would have the primary iron to handle output tubes. The other thing is totally worthy of an amp build' date=' as long as the iron and chassis aren't all corroded, and as long as that primary iron is working properly. [/quote'] + to that, in my reading frenzy the other night it was mentioned how the Reel to Reel amps weren't too hot for guitar amps, a lot of useless circuitry to remove, the record player however is another story! If you decide to give up on the idea let me know The big neighborhood garage sale is tomorrow and I intend to scrounge for a donor......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaxHart85231281734137 Posted June 11, 2009 Author Share Posted June 11, 2009 heres some pics guys tell me what ya think http://img301.imageshack.us/gal.php?g=0000001w.jpg http://yfrog.com/8d0000001wjx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaxHart85231281734137 Posted June 11, 2009 Author Share Posted June 11, 2009 well this is where it should be butttt far more poeple hit the guitar page so i just wanted to fish around for some answers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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