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Kegger/blueglow kt88 project

John Ess said:
No sparks..no drama...and no buzzing transformers. It sucks when you have to cringe while turning any piece of gear on.
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No sparks, no drama, yes the PT buzzes a little (maybe because of being made in more environmentally friendly way than in the past???), but it didn't buzz for many months and it's not a problem. Never cringe when I turn it on which I have been doing almost every day for 2 years (twice in one day at times). Current surge at start up is something other people worry about.

Hope you continue to enjoy yours as much as I do mine. :thumbsup:
 
opnly bafld said:
No sparks, no drama, yes the PT buzzes a little (maybe because of being made in more environmentally friendly way than in the past???), but it didn't buzz for many months and it's not a problem. Never cringe when I turn it on which I have been doing almost every day for 2 years (twice in one day at times). Current surge at start up is something other people worry about.

Hope you continue to enjoy yours as much as I do mine. :thumbsup:
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Maybe even more :thumbsup:
 
reverend13 said:
I’ve gone through this thread a couple of times and thinking of going with Hammond over Edcor for the transformers and choke, despite the additional cost. Also would prefer something other than powder coat blue (know I can paint the Edcors but might be more trouble than it’s worth).

For those who used Hammond for everything, any issues and regrets instead of using Edcor? Thanks.
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Based on others experiences, it does sound like going with a Hammond PT is at least a good idea. I think their OPT and chokes are great though. If you have a powder coating service near by you can have them changed to any color you want. Admittedly, its a little expensive but I think it does offer a more professional look then spray paint. Though, with a steady hand you can get nice results with paint as well. For reference, my chassis and all 8 edcore end bells was $200 total for powder coating. Not cheap but you can literally get any color you want, and I think offers a very professional finish.
 
nitro803 said:
Based on others experiences, it does sound like going with a Hammond PT is at least a good idea. I think their OPT and chokes are great though. If you have a powder coating service near by you can have them changed to any color you want. Admittedly, its a little expensive but I think it does offer a more professional look then spray paint. Though, with a steady hand you can get nice results with paint as well. For reference, my chassis and all 8 edcore end bells was $200 total for powder coating. Not cheap but you can literally get any color you want, and I think offers a very professional finish.
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I'd love for someone to look at my amp and tell me which are factory powder coated and which are spray bomb painted. I understand powder coating is more durable but do transformer end bells really need that sort of durability?
 
Seemed in other threads there was more concern about disturbing the transformer by taking the bells off and attaching them back on? I read where some folks say to keep them on and mask around the transformer? Not sure if there’s any truth to that given the feedback above.
 
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There is absolutely no harm in removing the end bells. Just make sure when you reinstall them you put the plastic spacers back in the bolt holes.

I also do not care for the electric blue factory color, so I paint mine, usually black. It takes a bit of work to prep the blue surfaces. It requires roughing it up good first and then I prime them with automobile rattle can primer, sand them smooth with 600 grit wet/dry, then apply two coats of color, then sand them again with 600 wet/dry, then put on 2 or three coats of high gloss clear coat.

All of this takes some time. But I really dislike the factory blue!
 
StepheK said:
I'd love for someone to look at my amp and tell me which are factory powder coated and which are spray bomb painted. I understand powder coating is more durable but do transformer end bells really need that sort of durability?
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I'm sure I could not tell the difference. The finish on your amps look fantastic! The durability aspect is admittedly on the comical level of over kill for sure. Definitely a luxury addition for sure, but one that turned out nice.
 
StepheK said:
I read people being concerned about painting over powder coat, don't be. Scuff them off with some 180-220 grit sandpaper and spray them whatever color spray bomb you want. There is no reason to buy new end bells.
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I've gone both routes and I can't tell the difference between raw end bells that I've painted and those that I sanded and repainted. I'll never send them money for the raw end bells again. The prep and materials are almost equal in both cases. I had to try it before I knew.
 
StepheK said:
I'd just try replacing that first cap, I used a 22uf in mine FWIW. Also, a bucking transformer does make sense and might help reduce the buzzing! I just wanted to share what happened to me. A defective cap can randomly take out rectifier tubes.
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I replaced the first cap with the same - a new Solen 10 uf. I got faked-out for a minute when I opened the package. Solen changed their label from 10uF to 10,00uF. I'm also running the amp through a buck transformer now and also have the extra diodes installed at the rectifier. The amp sound great even though the bucked voltage is only 112VAC tonight. (probably has something to do with the outdoor temperature being only 10 below zero where I am) With this suspenders and a belt approach, I'm guessing I should get decent mileage out of my new rectifier. And with the buck transformer you're right Stephe, the Edcor PT buzzing is reduced quite a bit. From 10' away, I can't hear it all.

btw.. for any of you using your Kegger KT-88 without a preamp, I suggest you give it a try. I built a 76>6SN7 cathode follower pre for mine and difference for me is remarkable.
 
kentuckycat said:
I replaced the first cap with the same - a new Solen 10 uf. I got faked-out for a minute when I opened the package. Solen changed their label from 10uF to 10,00uF. I'm also running the amp through a buck transformer now and also have the extra diodes installed at the rectifier. The amp sound great even though the bucked voltage is only 112VAC tonight. (probably has something to do with the outdoor temperature being only 10 below zero where I am) With this suspenders and a belt approach, I'm guessing I should get decent mileage out of my new rectifier. And with the buck transformer you're right Stephe, the Edcor PT buzzing is reduced quite a bit. From 10' away, I can't hear it all.

btw.. for any of you using your Kegger KT-88 without a preamp, I suggest you give it a try. I built a 76>6SN7 cathode follower pre for mine and difference for me is remarkable.
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Yeah, that single 9 pin tube has a hard time driving a pair of KT88 tubes without a pre-amp. It's why when I build mine, I used Kegger's other design using a pair of triode strapped 6EJ7 tubes. Those can drive a pair of KT120 tubes!
 
Epilogue to a long story- This might explain more than one issue that I've had with my amp. When built this amp in 2020, I used a piece of bare solid wire wrapped around two lugs of a terminal strip to join the two halves of the 100uf+100uf filter cap and then soldered the B+ wire to the center of the solid piece of wire. I never soldered the solid wire to the lugs - it was just wrapped there. Lately, the amp has been making crackling and popping noises so I put it on the bench, belly-up, and switched it on. I left the lights dim to see if I could spot any arcing. I definitely saw and heard the arc. I soldered the wires to the lugs and that solved the problem. That amp plays nice again. Here's the one question left in my mind about this mishap; Could that arcing and at least half of the 100uf+100uf cap basically switching on and off been the culprit to my loosing 3 rectifiers on on this amp?
 
kentuckycat said:
I painted my Edcors black a few years ago with standard rattle can paint. I think they look fine. Hit them with fine sand paper and blast away.
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Does anyone know what type paint is on the Edcors? Just wondering for future reference. Also, has anyone ever asked Edcor to supply the transformers with raw unpainted end bells when the order was placed? The company supposedly builds to order, rather than pulling off the shelf.
 
Edcor used to sell bare end bells separately but not sure they would supply the transformers with them. Probably and extra cost item to get the bare ones.
 
TriodeLuvr said:
Does anyone know what type paint is on the Edcors? Just wondering for future reference. Also, has anyone ever asked Edcor to supply the transformers with raw unpainted end bells when the order was placed? The company supposedly builds to order, rather than pulling off the shelf.
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It's powder coat and no, they won't supply anything other than this blue unless you buy a BUNCH of them, I think when I asked it was 50 or 100. Scuff them off and repaint is what I do.
 
kentuckycat said:
Epilogue to a long story- This might explain more than one issue that I've had with my amp. When built this amp in 2020, I used a piece of bare solid wire wrapped around two lugs of a terminal strip to join the two halves of the 100uf+100uf filter cap and then soldered the B+ wire to the center of the solid piece of wire. I never soldered the solid wire to the lugs - it was just wrapped there. Lately, the amp has been making crackling and popping noises so I put it on the bench, belly-up, and switched it on. I left the lights dim to see if I could spot any arcing. I definitely saw and heard the arc. I soldered the wires to the lugs and that solved the problem. That amp plays nice again. Here's the one question left in my mind about this mishap; Could that arcing and at least half of the 100uf+100uf cap basically switching on and off been the culprit to my loosing 3 rectifiers on on this amp?
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Hmm not sure if that would or wouldn't.
 
StepheK said:
It's powder coat and no, they won't supply anything other than this blue unless you buy a BUNCH of them, I think when I asked it was 50 or 100. Scuff them off and repaint is what I do.
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That would be understandable if they were pulling off the shelf, but not when they state that they build to order. I think this company will be my last resort for iron when the need arises. I greatly dislike the blue paint, and no one else's transformers require repainting.

Jacke
 
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