Pland Posted September 17, 2002 Share Posted September 17, 2002 Hi, Actually I meant 200.00 including the usual caps,some new EL84's and a couple of hours for a good tech if all doesn't fall in line.In the case of a Scott 299,price a nos Mullard 5AR4 just for grins(try not to scream).I've received two of these amps with bad rectifier tubes,and while they tend to last forever if stationary,they must be sensitive to rough handling.Fortunately the sovtek 5AR4 sounds fine to me,and is cheap to boot. When I sold Tim Babb his EF81,I also shipped a seperate package of NOS RCA EL84's,Telefunken 12ax7's,etc.so that he could try some tube rolling with primo NOS tubes.They didn't make it thanks to a great Fedex screw-up,and turns out that it took more than the $350.00 insurance reimbursement to replace them.Try to buy some NOS 7189's for your Scott,and I bet you can spend at least a hundred bucks in a hurry. The point is,if the planets line up right when you buy your 40+ year old tube amp and it just needs coupling caps and a silicone diode pack,200.00 is way more than you'll spend.Just don't count on being so lucky and give yourself some reserve if you need to call in a pro. Best, Pat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mobile homeless Posted September 17, 2002 Share Posted September 17, 2002 Well, luckily, NOS EL-84 can be found for reasonable rates if you do a little road work. The Mullard EZ81 can be found as well (I just procured a pair off ebay for a measily $26, much to Craig's chagrin...heh). The Mullard 5AR4 is now insanely expensive. I tend to love the Mullard GZ-37 more as they (in SETS) sound smoother to me. These tubes are also going up and up but I have a few good sources for cheap. Of course, finding excellent NOS 12AX7/12AU7 can lead you in all directions but the dividends are worth it. In reality, Pat is right in that diving into vintage electronics does not really save you money per say, unless you learn to take the labor quotient out of the picture, as labor is by far where most of your ducats disappear when working on these amps. An EICO user friend took his HF-81 to a tech in Raleigh, NC and it cost him $115 for TWO Nichicon PS caps installed! That is insane as the same could be done on own for a total of $10 (not counting the iron). It pays to learn the ropes here. Still, some of these vintage amps/monoblocks etc, just way overshadow the modern counterparts, especially in the PP arena. kh This message has been edited by mobile homeless on 09-17-2002 at 10:17 AM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BryanJ Posted September 17, 2002 Share Posted September 17, 2002 Hope this does not happen to any of you. UPS has "Mis-deliverd" my Scott 222A to another address and left it on the doorstep!! Same numerical address but somewhere else in the hood! Sure, after 4 days now I'm sure it is going to turn up!! What Horse's Arse's these guys are! Bryan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mobile homeless Posted September 17, 2002 Share Posted September 17, 2002 This happened to me with a very fragile item... instead of waiting for them to find it, I went all over looking for it and finally found it. There are many horror UPS stories but I still have had more good than bad. The USPS totally crushed an Ebay purchase that wasnt packed that well. I use UPS because of the WEB shipping which makes sending stuff a piece of cake. Please tell me why I still owe Robinson four tubes and some ducats!!! heh.... Poor freak. I need to go up to Boston area and hand it to him! kh This message has been edited by mobile homeless on 09-17-2002 at 10:55 AM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BryanJ Posted September 17, 2002 Share Posted September 17, 2002 MH, will probably go look. Your previous post motivated me. May go look for other vintage equip. Going to run an add in the local rag. See what happens!! I've got a few tube radios with some hum. Will mess with them first. Bryan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kudret Posted September 17, 2002 Share Posted September 17, 2002 Speaking of shipping misshaps, I decided to have my second 299 shipped to me by USPS. Yesterday I got a confirmation from the seller that the amp was shipped and should be here (in Canada) in 4-6 weeks. WHAT THA .... 4-6 weeks - honestly I still couldn't get over it. How can one wait for 4-6 weeks? UPS would have cost me the same and take only 3 days. I am glad at least I insisted that he double-box it - who knows how many times it will be tossed around before it arrives. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOSValves Posted September 17, 2002 Share Posted September 17, 2002 Mobile, Bought those tubes so I can't get the HF81 running huh !!!! Thanks dude !!! This message has been edited by NOS440 on 09-17-2002 at 05:28 PM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mobile homeless Posted September 17, 2002 Share Posted September 17, 2002 Yeah, I had been watching that auction for five days and suddenly you bid. I was bummed. But I did a search and there are plenty of alternatives coming up. I think you'll score in the next few days. kh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOSValves Posted September 17, 2002 Share Posted September 17, 2002 Kudret I'm sure the seller just said that because of the customs clearing time. I'm sure you will have it a no time. Craig Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOSValves Posted September 17, 2002 Share Posted September 17, 2002 Mobile I only bid because I wasn't going to be home today when it ended so I shot $25 on it for the hell of it. Craig Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike stehr Posted September 17, 2002 Share Posted September 17, 2002 (I just procured a pair off ebay for a measily $26, much to Craig's chagrin...heh). Was that for NOS? Hell, I thought I got a good deal for a pair of Mullard 6CA4's used for 20 bucks. That's with shipping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mobile homeless Posted September 18, 2002 Share Posted September 18, 2002 Yep. NOS. At least, as far as I know - place has great feedback as well. kh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BryanJ Posted September 18, 2002 Share Posted September 18, 2002 Guess what I found yesterday!!!!!!!!!!!!! 4 days being there, nobody touched it!! UPS did not even send a person out to look, they were going to wait until the regular carrier was "in" the area. Heck with that. Took MH's advice and found it!! I was hesitant to look for it, for my neighborhood is filled with questionable people. When your neighbor is hauled off for drug traffic with a copter in the air and fed's everywhere, one wonders. The bust was even on TLC's Investigative reports!! Here is a pic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mobile homeless Posted September 18, 2002 Share Posted September 18, 2002 Glad it worked out. I had LITERALLY the same thing happen. UPS was useless and I found it finally, sitting where they left it, totally untouched and out in the open. Absurd. Hey, get that beautiful Scott off that ugly modern rack with a knob on it! heh... kh This message has been edited by mobile homeless on 09-18-2002 at 02:28 PM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BryanJ Posted September 18, 2002 Share Posted September 18, 2002 MH, yeah, I'm delighted!! UPS lost some lustre with me on that one. I could of for all practical purposes still claim the insurance but told the sender to notify them. I was kind of upset. I'll follow the power up suggested on the forum but not with out the variac. Still waiting on the HF from Canada. Took 7 days for a 2 day overnight to get there send USPS. So I can just imagine...... I'll post pics when it arrives Funny you mentioned the one knob receiver. I call it "CYCLOPS" The harder I push it the cooler it runs with the small muffin fan. Has been real decent for HT. Bryan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyKubicki Posted September 18, 2002 Share Posted September 18, 2002 Hey guys, on those horror stories about the Brown Army, aka UPS, happen all the time. They get a lot more deliveries correct, and because of the sheer volume they handle, there are bound to be mistakes made and packages damaged. I worked for UPS from 76-81. Now I work for FedEx Express, so I can give some recommondations for your shipping needs. The main thing you need to know, especially if you'll be shipping fragile and heavy vintage amps, is that they are far more likely to get damaged if sent via ground, whether UPS or FedEx Ground. The reason is that ground shipments tend to be heavier than express shipments, so there are more other heavy boxes going down conveyor belts at high speeds. If a jam occurs, your fragile amp gets beat up by these other boxes. Then they get loaded on to trailers where supervisors are yelling at loaders to achieve maximum packages/hour. Though they "salt" the load (try and feed a missort to the loader to see if the loader will catch it), they encourage speed. So what is typically done in a trailer is every several feet a "$hit wall" is nicely built, with many other boxes just thrown between these $hit walls. At FedEx Express, all cartons are hand stacked in aircraft containers. Since space is at a premium, each box is placed. Now all this doesn't mean that FedEx doen't damage anything, of course they do. But statistically, a lot less. FedEx also assumes each package requires a signature to deliver, so most are not left unless the recipient has a signature release on file, or if the shipper has a release. Everyone makes mistakes now and then, and I too have been guilty of spacing out and leaving packages on the wrong street. If we get a call asking about that, they do ask the driver to check it out the next day. Now you do pay more for this, but it may be worth it in the long run. Use Express Saver for economy. It's a 3 day service, and it's the cheapest of their services. As to online shipping, once you open an account you can ship off the web page. It will print your airbills and even schedule a pickup if you want. It will also automatically email your recipients that a package has been sent to them, and notify you via email when your shipment is delivered. Whatever way you send your packages, include a copy of the shipping label inside. Many labels are torn off or made illegible when stuck on a conveyor belt label down. They end up in overgoods if they cannot be identified. Sorry for sounding like a commercial, but consider this more inside info. BTW, if you open an account and ship off the web page, starting the 21st, there is a 10% discount. You also save 3 bucks per pkg by dropping off. ------------------ Andy 78 Khorns w/ALK (20' apart!) Audire Difet 3 Preamp Adcom GFA 535 II NAD 4130 Tuner Marantz CD 63SE Pioneer DV 434s>c> This message has been edited by AndyKub on 09-18-2002 at 03:03 PM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BryanJ Posted September 18, 2002 Share Posted September 18, 2002 Andy, I've been most happy with Fed-Ex. I recently had a 120 pound telescope delivered with out a mark via Fed-ex air! It must be a stressfull job especially around the holidays, Fed-Ex/UPS. I'll remember your post next time something is delivered. This is only about the 3rd time in many years I've had any trouble so I guess I'm doing ok statisticlly Bryan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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