MurrayLives
Born to lose, live to win
I would have done this deal, too. It's a good score.
A quad of GE 6550s and 2 brand new JJ6550s came with it... the GE are all in decent shape, and I'll run them until I can't. The former owner only bought new tubes because the center keyed pin on two of the GEs are broke... but if you make sure they are positioned right, they work.MC60's for under 2k with decent cosmetics! Yah done well. If you got vintage output tubes, you've done disgustingly well. Congrats.
This one, I am not DIYing. They will be corrected by a Mac tech, with Mac parts, to Mac specs. No fiddle-faddle. The one with the issues, has had a very sub-standard choke installed, and my tech has already sourced the right one, but it alone is going to cost some bucks.I would squirrel away those GE's and get some new Gold Lions or equivalent new production. Recap parts are about $140 per amp and it was not difficult to DIY, if that is your play. When all is said and done, the cost will be roughly half of what a new MC275 will cost. And the kicker is I think you will find the MC60 to be better than the new MC275. I know I did when I played my restored 60's side by side with a MC275V.
I have a MC60 serial #519. Years ago I called McIntosh to determine approximate date of manufacture. They told me the first production number was 500 and August 1955 is the month production began. So yes, yours is among the earlier production models.
Thanks! Does yours have the Variable Damping kit installed? If so, it was probably installed later.
I talked to the tech and the DK 30 60 is an additional circuit installed in later models. It isn't the choke. The choke in mine was not original, not correct and he has replaced it with a correct one. Also my Serial # 1049 did not have the VD circuit, but he installed one that matches my other later production one. He remembers doing this to units ~40 years ago when he was updating MC60s, doing Mac Labs. As soon as I can, I will pick up my pair and be rocking to the rhythm of less than .3 thd @ 60W. Acceptable for 50 year old amplifiers...
I doubt that it has this mod and to be certain I'm not tech savvy enough to look inside and find out. I could send you an upskirt pic if you're interested. It has been rebuilt by a reputable tech and sings beautifully populated by some nice vintage tubes except for the KT88s which are JJ. When I found it, one of the KTs had gone to gas and the other was physically broken.