Here's one for Capnjuan
- Thread starter taabru45
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Hi Steffan; that's a pretty cool old amp! A month or so ago, our BBer Zulu became mesmerized while staring at a double-mint (not spearmint :wink: ) matched Gibson BR-9 and Gibson lap steel. And Dave they do resemble those made-for-the-military amplifiers that Bell & Howell sold with their projectors ... in fact I wonder if Oahu made B&H's stuff? Jensen made at least some of the B&H-badged speakers that went in them.
If anybody gets the itch for one of these, they usually have a field coil speaker with something that looks like an output transformer bolted to the speaker frame. The chunk of metal on the back of the speaker isn't a permanent magnet; the power supply sends current down to the field coil which turns the metal into what we think of as an electro-magnet ... magnetized only when the power is on. So ... that umbilical cable from the chassis to the speaker can present some ... eh ... management issues but these amps do the hot smoky thing better than almost anything else.
If anybody gets the itch for one of these, they usually have a field coil speaker with something that looks like an output transformer bolted to the speaker frame. The chunk of metal on the back of the speaker isn't a permanent magnet; the power supply sends current down to the field coil which turns the metal into what we think of as an electro-magnet ... magnetized only when the power is on. So ... that umbilical cable from the chassis to the speaker can present some ... eh ... management issues but these amps do the hot smoky thing better than almost anything else.
taabru45
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We had an old upright radio that was about 4.5 feet tall, at our cottage. This this was old back in the 50s, when Bill Haley was big....and it had one of those speakers, we played lots of 78s on an old changer, plugged into that thing, it also served as my 2st guitar 'amp'. The sound that came through that speaker was just about as good as anything, and would still not bow down today, as I remember it...I'm almost tempted to find a way to this thing, but I'm trying to cut down and lighten up... :? good to hear from you John, I thought of you immediately when I saw this. 
Steffan
SteffanThanks Steffan ... other than the care and feeding of the umbilical cords used to separate the speaker from the chassis, there's nothing wrong at all with the speaker technology ... in fact there's an argument that I don't fully understand that says that field coils are superior for reproducing music. Without grinding through it, it's interesting to note that the higher-end speaker re-builders charge an extra fee for re-energizing modern 'permanent' magnets ... so they will have some of the same qualities that field coil speakers already have :shock: :wink: ...
zulu
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Love that Oahu. I'm currently trying to resist the urge to pick up a little Sano, kind of like this one :
http://www.ludlowguitars.com/item/a-3
At a local pawn shop.
Hey capn, the field coil speakers, are those rated for voltage, rather than resistance? (I have a pair of solid state Bogen PA amps with a 18.5v output next to the 8ohm speaker out)
http://www.ludlowguitars.com/item/a-3
At a local pawn shop.
Never made a deal, every trade offer I had, the guy had pretty much the same things only better. A few weeks later I answered an ad for trade of a brownface bandmaster... same guy. I even offered to trade my old boat, he sends back a pic of his pristine 30 foot cabin cruiser.
Hey capn, the field coil speakers, are those rated for voltage, rather than resistance? (I have a pair of solid state Bogen PA amps with a 18.5v output next to the 8ohm speaker out)
Reminds me of the two magicians trying to impress each other with tricks, eh Zulu? A few months ago I was trying to trade with jazzmangm but it was just like that! Funny thing is I can't recall for the life of me what we were discussing.
Funny thing is I can't recall for the life of me what we were discussing. Hi Zac: say, I think saw your old boat recently down at the marina ... this is it, isn't it?zulu said:
Pic of capnjuan's last ship:
Well ... if you're at all hesitant about the Sano, stay away from littlesongs ... his enthusiasm for Sanos is communicable ... even over the web ... I'm sure it's a really fine amp. Like modern speakers, fc speakers are rated for voice coil resistance and power handling respectively expressed in ohms and watts. Useful Ohm's Law Calculator here indicating 42.5 watts @ 18.5VAC across 8 ohms for the Bogen PAs. Matching new speakers to the Bogens is a function of finding out to what degree, if any, each manufacturer understates their products' power handling. For example, there are hundreds of healthy 15 watt Celestion Blues in hundreds of 15 watt amps and there are hundreds of dead 15 watt speakers in hundreds of 15 watt amps.
taabru45
Enlightened Member
I've always believed that taking care of where the source of the music, signal, is worth the effort and investment, most amps I think do a reasonable job of amplifying....but a turntable should have a good cartridge, good mikes make a difference, and generally...get a much higher rated, best quality speaker with a higher ratering than the output of the amp..an amp will only make a bad signal bigger, so start with a quality input, and finish with a quality output.... just my generally undereducated opinion... Steffan
Steffan
JerryR
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taabru45 said:
Guess that rules me out then :roll:
taabru45
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Ah Jerry, not at all....its a matter of degree, thats all...you have all kinds of qualities ....all kinds :lol: :lol: Steffan
Oh no my friend ... the 'Golden Ears' crowd would agree with you completely. Just like the trend towards high-grade boutique guitar amps, with the advent of high-efficiency speakers, the stereo crowd now favors 3-5 watt tube amps ... they already have the finest signal sources ... now they have stuff like these Bottlehead monoblocks ... goodbye Mark Levinson 200 watters ...taabru45 said:
zulu
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yeah it was funny: "how about a G&L tele?-nope I've got a vintage tele, how about a mij strat?-nope I've got a custom shop strat.. and on it went.Chazmo said:
capnjuan said:Hi Zac: say, I think saw your old boat recently down at the marina ... this is it, isn't it?
Pic of capnjuan's last ship:
that old boat does bear a slight resemblance to mine:
So, your "last" ship. As opposed to your "next" one? Not even a little skiff currently at juanzdockz? Beautiful boat though, Radar and everything, looks like an extreme comfort machine with maybe some pleasure fishing?
Hi Zac; last boat ... as in final ... a Michigan-built 1989 North Coast express fisherman; twin 454s/700 hp total ... yes, radar ... full electronics. Deep-Vee hull, 23 deg dead-rise aft, continuous curvilinear 'rocker' keel with the rudders aft of, not under, the boat. Teak and holly cabin sole (sorry ... nauti-speak for floor), two-compartment head ... considered the finest sea-going hull in its class since the 1960 31' Bertram. In 1990, North Coast sold the unfinished inventory and hull molds to Phoenix (who I think now only makes bass boats) ... there are some 1991 Phoenix versions of the this boat. The hull molds were later sold to Blackfin who used them for their very popular 1994-1997 Combis. 31' Blackfin Combi ('97 pictured below w/ hardtop):zulu said:
The differences between the North Coast and the Blackfin were that all the Blackfins were sold with diesels, they (gratefully) added a hydraulically-operated bridge deck to get at the engines, wrap-around Euro-style windshield, and gave up on the leaky side windows ... otherwise same boat. We used it for coastal cruising, drift-fishing, and picnicking on the hook down at the Palm Beach Inlet ... not so much for dragging bait ... the Jupiter Inlet is only 20 minutes by boat from JuanzDockz.
zulu
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I dream of boats like that. Amps too.
Here's a cute matched set my wife picked up in Port Townsend last year. The little Magnatone amp has NO volume control, only ON and OFF, but I had it cleaned up and de-buzzed (tech term :lol: ) and it sounds great... not exactly a powerhouse but I love the sound of it. Notice the original kitchen drawer handle on top.
taabru45
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Does it get any simpler than that? :lol: Steffan
AlohaJoe said:Here's a cute matched set my wife picked up in Port Townsend last year. The little Magnatone amp has NO volume control, only ON and OFF, but I had it cleaned up and de-buzzed (tech term :lol: ) and it sounds great... not exactly a powerhouse but I love the sound of it. Notice the original kitchen drawer handle on top.
Holy Mother of Toilet Seat! That is cool! :shock: :shock: :shock:
Dave
Hi AJ; yes... cool it is ... MOTS in all its glory! Did the tech ID the preamp tube for you? New power cord? You might consider a new speaker for it. Weber (click Weber speakers on the left / Signature series / 8" straight or ribbed cone). For short money, you'd get a much bigger sound with a more efficient speaker. Congratulations!
All the tech did was change a few caps I believe. The power cord is the original as is the speaker as far as I know. We bought it from a collector who only likes original lap gear. It belongs to my wife and she didn't want to change anything that might effect the collector value, although I did manage to convince her that making it quieter would be good. The 3 prong is a good idea too, but I haven't convinced her of that yet. She actually plays the steel through an amp w reverb so the little matching amp sits neglected unless I pull it out.capnjuan said:
I like the idea of a Weber (and cord). Perhaps in time. Any idea why there would be 2 inputs?
I just recently picked up a small box of very old tubes from my wife's father's house as we're cleaning it out, mostly from old radios I'd guess. Would you be interested in them if I do an inventory? There's only maybe a dozen or so, some very odd.