NAD Guild 40-T

[BradHK]

I finally purchased my first Guild amp. I have been keeping my eyes open for a lower watt vintage one and ran across this 40T. Anybody have schematics or any additional details on these amps? Given the tolex color and grill shape I am thinking late 1950’s to maybe 1961. Hard to get details on the 40T. I have not received the amp yet from the seller but here are some photos. I am looking forward to seeing how it sounds (and hopefully no material repairs!).

 

[twocorgis]

Looks pretty sweet Brad! I think @Default might be able to help you with schematics if he has one.

 

[BradHK]

Looks pretty sweet Brad! I think @Default might be able to help you with schematics if he has one.

Thanks! Hopefully it looks and sounds as good as the photos. Do you have any recommended amp techs in NYC?

 

[twocorgis]

Thanks! Hopefully it looks and sounds as good as the photos. Do you have any recommended amp techs in NYC?

There's a guy in Douglaston Queens that my luthier often refers people to. I haven't used him personally, but he seems pretty well regarded. He's an easy walk from the Douglaston LIRR station.

SG Custom Sound

www.sgcustomsound.com

 

[chazmo]

Neat, Brad!!! Looks pretty good!

 

[Default]

12AB5 power tube, 6x4 rectifier, iirc. That looks identical to mine. The top chassis is factory, the bottom half is some sort of surplus. The power capacitor on that, if it is like mine, mounted in a loctal socket. That is for serviceability reasons. I think that it's a government surplus military part, because of that.
A truly odd little amp.

 

[Default]

The bottom chassis has a circuit board, btw. I will try to remember to pull mine out and take a look when I get home. 1955 is stamped in orange in on the cap, so it predates the amp itself. There was another version that had all the tubes on the top chassis, and a strangely angled front.

 

[matsickma]

Wow!! Cover and foot pedal included!
That version with the separate preamp and power amp sections is the one I hung onto. There is another version with both stages in a single chassis.

I have some cab vibration issues with mine. Also useful to wrap some foam pipe insulation around the handle to minimize handle vibration. Definitely a good sounding "50's" amp.

 

[BradHK]

The bottom chassis has a circuit board, btw. I will try to remember to pull mine out and take a look when I get home. 1955 is stamped in orange in on the cap, so it predates the amp itself. There was another version that had all the tubes on the top chassis, and a strangely angled front.

Thanks!

 

[BradHK]

12AB5 power tube, 6x4 rectifier, iirc. That looks identical to mine. The top chassis is factory, the bottom half is some sort of surplus. The power capacitor on that, if it is like mine, mounted in a loctal socket. That is for serviceability reasons. I think that it's a government surplus military part, because of that.
A truly odd little amp.

The amp arrived safe and sound. Really good condition! It works and is is dead silent with no hum. However, it breaks up very easy at low volume. I think I just need to take it in for a service which is expected when you buy a vintage amp. Quick question on tubes. Mine has a 12X4 rectifier and a 12AB5 power tube in the bottom. On the top is a 12AX7 on the left (pre amp I believe) and a 6211 on the right (tremolo). I would have expected these to be the same. What are the tubes from the factory? Some work has been done as I see a couple newer caps. Amp tech time for a full check up!

 

[Default]

Those are the correct tubes. The heaters are a 12 volt system, as opposed to the 6 volt heater string that is typically used.
The 12ab5 is a nine pin member of the 6v6 family, and it was designed for car radios, so it's not going to be champ level loud. I would definitely replace the Fisher speaker with something better. That speaker is not great.

 

[BradHK]

Those are the correct tubes. The heaters are a 12 volt system, as opposed to the 6 volt heater string that is typically used.
The 12ab5 is a nine pin member of the 6v6 family, and it was designed for car radios, so it's not going to be champ level loud. I would definitely replace the Fisher speaker with something better. That speaker is not great.

Thanks for the confirmation on the tubes. Regarding the Fisher speaker. The numbers on the back are 1056 for Fisher, 108 which I assume is the 8th week of 1961 and what looks like GS-2 which I assume is the model number? Do you know the ohm rating of this speaker? I don’t want to desolder yet to measure. Thanks for all of your assistance!

 

[BradHK]

Quick update. I finally took the amp to a tech for a full check up. No major issues but the speaker was shot. I replaced the original Fisher with a Jupiter 8-SA with a paper voice coil. I saved the Fisher for originality reasons but it will need to be re-coned to be usable. This is a fun great sounding amp now. Very touch sensitive and my wife even commented that it sounded deep and rich. For a low volume vintage Guild amp, this one ticks the boxes. The tremolo is even fun.