Attention Fairchild Freaks!

Hey hey, freaks. Procured a 260 amp in nice condition today - first piece of Fairchild gear. Is there any chance of finding another?

What, should be checked/ replaced before being put into rotation? Thanks.

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Coupling caps for sure, electrolytics should be changed also... but I'm a hypocrite, because I still have the original electrolytics in mine..
You could have posted in the tube audio forum, as long as you don't talk value.
 
Nice find! Some of the usual suspect sites have a single occasionally (1/year or so?)...and very rarely a pair...
 
Hi jmela, first off welcome to the Fairchild owners club he on audiokarma. There's a few of us here now. That's a very clean 260
Did you happen to get the cage with it?
As Scott pointed out the coupling caps will definaletely need to be replaced as theyll probally be leaky especially if thier the good-all white ones which Fairchild used back in the day. Any shots of the underside? I'll be a hypocrite along with Scott as I still have the original electrolytics in mine also and they still perform great with no hum or overheating(knock on wood) but all coupling caps have been replaced.
I see you have metal tubes in your amp and that they are 1614.those are the original tubes the amp calls for or a 6l6 GC. Do not put in even a 6l6 metal tube as the plate voltages the amp puts on the output tubes is higher than a 6l6 is rated for. Any 6l6gc should be fine though. I'm running a pair of if you could call them now some original swetlana winged emblem 6l6gc in mine until I convert them to el34/6ca7.i have a pr of n.o.s G. E. C kt77 tubes and just waiting for another to show up to do the mod. As for the 248 preamp
First get the matching 260 amplifier it doesn't matter if its the first generation with the square decal or the 2nd version with the foil like the one posted. The third version which is what is referred to the 260r(the r stands for revision) this is what Scott referred to it after the modification from 6l6 to el34/6ca7 had been done. Although the modification is real and Fairchild put out the mod I doubt they actually sold amps with the modification. The ones that I've seen using el34 tubes the chassis is crudely stamped with the tube number and looks very unprofessional for a company of their stature.
 
Thanks for the comments, guys. No cage was included, alas. Here’s a shot of the innards. Looks relatively untouched but power cord is a recent, lamp cord replacement

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Thanks for the comments, guys. No cage was included, alas. Here’s a shot of the innards. Looks relatively untouched but power cord is a recent, lamp cord replacement

View attachment 1091059
Yep stock. Those coupling caps are good-all and are all probally leaking so I'd be changing those and the 2 smaller sprague ones to start. Have you fired it up yet and listened to it?
 
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