Bose 1801

[Copa1934]

I have an opportunity to acquire an 1801 on the cheap ($200), unknown working condition.

How serviceable are these, how readily are most common parts, etc?

Yes I have a pair of 901, Series II Continental to be specific.

Thank you

 

[hamrules]

I think the parts by looking at the service manual shouldn't be hard to come up with or at least a substitution

 

[ivandezande]

Yes. No question, get it.
All parts are available, just a lot of TO-3’s.

 

[blhagstrom]

Price is no brainer.
Lot of info about rebuilding them. Done a couple many years ago. Parts readily available.
Easy trick to add DC offset adjustment.
Worth doing right. A Hell of a brute amp.

Very heavy.
Very sharp heat sink all around.
Wear heavy gloves.

 

[sae-7125]

definitely a monster transformer inside. not sure about finding replacement vu meters though. i have one of these monsters staring me in the face right now (on the bench)..


heavy is an understatement, gonna need a brace for the back brace..

 

[ivandezande]

definitely a monster transformer inside. not sure about finding replacement vu meters though. i have one of these monsters staring me in the face right now (on the bench)..

View attachment 2833701
heavy is an understatement, gonna need a brace for the back brace..

Had one of the big silver filters measure 3 ohms. I replaced it, it exploded in the trash a few days later. Wild stuff (be sure to get rid of them).

 

[RossW]

Cosmetics are king, everything else can be fixed.
Meters are 100% unobtainable, I spent years trying to find a replacement before I ended up parting out the amp. I even had a friend of mine who worked at Bose ask around to see if any of the old-timers there had any spare parts kicking around their toolboxes, nothing.

 

[sae-7125]

its odd that bose used an upside-down vu meter since that alone limits replacement options. after a rather futile email exchange with jewell/modutec it would seem that they no longer make vu meters.


whats missing in this photo (i wonder).


manufacturer and part number help somewhat but... not much on the net.

a meter mod would involve far more than what was needed when i replaced some sae amplifier meters, in another thread. at least the LED vu equivalent still functions and there is a choice on the "indicators" selector switch.

 

[Copa1934]

Thank you!! Just waiting to hear back. Will start a post after I get it and test it out.

 

[TriodeLuvr]

I bought one of these brand new in the '70s. If memory serves, it weighed about 80 lbs. They originally came with a strap that could be hooked around the heatsink fins to lift and carry the amplifier. It's a very difficult unit to work with otherwise, because the fins are sharp. Note that later models used a toroidal power transformer and weren't quite so heavy.

Jack

 

[Copa1934]

Got her Sunday. Looks good. Unfortunately I can't do anything with her at the moment as I'm dealing with a pinched sciatic nerve, and this bugger is heavy. Looking forward to more info in this post.

Thank you all for your input. Can't wait to get running and hooked up to my 901 II Continentals. I have a couple Series II EQ's as well.