New here.

[mozz]

New here. Name is Bob, from the Pocono's in PA. Lots of info here so i joined, good reason. Building tube amps from scratch, from film projector amps, PA, heads, etc, guitars, pedals, tube repairs, mods, you know how it goes. It varies, a few scratch made amps this summer and a Esquire, now it's pedal time. Rangemaster type, so been sorting through transistors last few days. Sorted tubes all summer, (6000), now semi inventoried.

Here come the stories. Ok, it started way back when, late 60's as a kid helping my dad. He had a tv shop so tubes, books, test equipment was always around. Building Heathkits. He used to frequent a army surplus place in Wilkes-Barre PA. and always bring home stuff. Circuit cards, tubes, military radios, odd things like a few thousand 33 ohm resistors, etc.etc. I was building fuzz pedals from Rca books before i got my drivers license back in 78.

Ok, stuff collected dust for 20-30 years, now last few i have finished the house projects and getting back in old hobbies. Been doing lots of tube repairs and mods for friends and customers, winding hundred or so pickups, other musical related things.

Few pictures below, note the messy workbench in basement, also have amps piled high in garage and extra bedroom, also wood working equipment as i want to start building my own cabinets, i buy tweed or unfinished cabinets from Mergili or TRM. Member over on the Agile guitar forum and visit it daily, nice bunch of fellows.



B&K transistor analyzer. Been using this but hard to read the small meter for exact gains and leakages. Some times matches the gain reading on my 2 Micronta bench meters, sometimes doesn't match. I have a DCA55 on order to see how that works. I don't like the RG geofx setup, too lazy to build it? If it's the standard everyone uses, i will build one.


Next up, some of the hundreds of trannys, some NOS or boxed, all mostly pulls from 1960-1970? Me or my dad or my sisters actually unsoldered these from military boards or got them at ham fests or wherever. I had bunches of new i sold to Rich at Monsterpiece fuzz some years back. Great guy, great pedals.



Trying to sort them out but now waiting on the DCA55 from Newark ($48), great price, i hope it's not obsolete or something.



Some of the capacitor and resistor hoard,new and old, 3 or 4 HP distortion analyzers (may be selling a few as i have another i use), some guitars.



Some of the real old transistors, hand etched rca's, lots of mil numbers to cross, i have boxes of radio-tv books and manf. data books, have been boxed since we moved here 12 years ago, have to dig them out as some of these tranny numbers don't cross on the web.



That's all for now, hope i didn't go past the newbie word count limit or something. Will post some old amp pictures when i get some time, pre-war Supro, few premiers, 59' champ i picked up this summer.

[cooder]

Very cool, great to see you here! Welcome to the forum!
Great background and history story, a treasure trove of goodies you've got there...!
Looking forward to see what you're cooking up!

[mozz]

Never know what i am cooking up. Pedal wise, i have been reading on the rangemaster, one part of me says to make it original, other part says put a 6 way switch on the back with variable input capacitor, 2 bias pots, etc.etc. I bought 3 enclosures similar to a aluminum bud project box, so it might, from 50 ft, look like one sitting on top of the amp. I was thinking a Iommi/Rory switch. I can play children of the grave but no Rory songs. I'm gonna make 3 of them, one for me, one for guy at work, and one for my buddy who brings me lots of repair work.

[alanp]

That is a very, very cool collection of parts!

[mozz]

 I may be getting old but sometimes i am looking for a part, such as a .05uf/400v i just bought. Couldn't find them, they were out in the garage where i left them.

Some of the tubes i got. I stopped counting after 5,000. Half where from my dad's tv shop, others i buy at local ham fests and yard sales. Many tubes people never heard of.  I got tired of the old 12ax7 into whatever. Too easy. I'm on a octal kick now, 6sj7, 6sl7, 6sq7, 6sc7 for preamps, odd ball such as 6gk6 and 6ar6 for outputs.



Few amps, i have my pictures scattered, phone, computer, tablet. Marshall 18 watt style, second is half princeton, half matchless, i think.

[diablochris6]

Welcome to the forum! Thanks for sharing your story and pictures of all those interesting toys. Looking forward to seeing what you cook up.

[Leevibe]

Welcome! Can't wait to see build reports on those fuzzes. They should have plenty of mojo with all the cool old parts you have on tap.

[Ekimneets]

Welcome,

I think we may need you more than you need us.

-Mike

[drog_trog]

Welcome, Impressive parts

[mozz]

 I may get rid of some silicons lol.  Email me if you need something specific, maybe some germs ( trying to inventory) i have old caps and carbon comps too.  I would rather trade.

Like i said, i might have a dozen 2n1305's but only one 2n1304. I know i have bunches of germ diodes 1n200 series?

I end up buying more projects like i got this today for $40. Maybe this year or week or 5 years i will glue it back together.

[selfdestroyer]

Welcome to the forum!

But the real question is, How was the Dunkin Donuts Bagels?

[mozz]

Wife worked there a few years back and brought boxes home for me. Doing inventory things sucks. Never mind testing these tubes. I have a Hickok 6000a and a few others now so i am set on testers. Here is the start of the rangemasters.

[cooder]

Nice when you can complain about having the tubes and inventory to test and sort...

[ahiddentableau]

Welcome mozz.  Keep us updated on how the great Pocono Transistor Sort goes!