Need help identifying this beast

[vintage cltr]

here I have a beastly, really cool, monobock tube amp. the chassis is stamped #1889, that's it. there is no other number or name. i have enclosed pictures. i think it's possibly a GE console amp, but I was hoping to get some information.

any help would be really really really appreciated....

 

[Tom Bavis]

Transformer numbers may help narrow it down...

 

[vintage cltr]

cool.

dumb question, where would they be located on the transformer?

 

[cubby01]

Look for any numbers stamped into the end bells (the black covers of the transformers). There's one on the edge of the power transformer that looks something like K-63J132.. or something like that.

Also a shot of the underside would be interesting. Appears to be push-pull 6v6. Good sized PT, Choke, and Output Transformer. The light brown (or whatever) octal socket on the side mostly likely ran to a preamp. The 4(?) pin socket with the plug in it most likely ran to the speaker(s).

With the rubber isolation grommets I'm thinking possibly an organ amp. I haven't seen that done much in consoles.

@Tom, by the way thanks for the TEK links via PM

 

[vintage cltr]

Hey,

sorry for the delayed response, anyways, I have found that the power transformer is numbered K-63J132 and the output is K-63J134. They are both stamped GE.

after some research, I had some help and put this amp somewhere around the mid 50's.

This did not come from an organ, I know because I pulled it from a console, but like a dumba** I didn't write down or keep any information on it.

The reason I need the information, is because, I'm on a search for another one just like it.

anything would help

thanks

 

[Horn Head]

No help here on ID'ing the unit. But that looks really nice.....beefy iron.

Hope you find a mate for it! Good luck.

 

[seta1]

That looks like an old organ power amp. I have seen quite a few amps like that in old Conn organs. In fact I have a pair of slightly larger amps using 4 6L6's in each amp that came out of a huge Conn organ. The other place I see these amps is in old sound systems in theaters. This is a commercial power amp and very tough. Many have some RC networks in the preamp stages and or the feedback loop to limit high frequencies to about 5Khz. But if those RC filters are removed, these amps sound wonderful as hifi power amps. Like I said, I use a pair of similar, but more powerful amps like this in my one system. Many actually even have a volume control on them. Some have several extra octal as well as odd multi pin sockets on the chassis which were used to power other units used in conjunction with the power amp. This amp is most probably in the 20 - 25 watt power range. Don't let the huge iron fool you. They used big transformers not for brute power but for reliability in a continuous commercial duty environment. The amps were designed to be run all day at close to full power. This one is probably a 40's vintage, or possibly early 50's. Common manufacturers of these amps were Central Commercial (Operadio), Conn, Western Electric, RCA.

 

[cubby01]

That looks like an old organ power amp. I have seen quite a few amps like that in old Conn organs. In fact I have a pair of slightly larger amps using 4 6L6's in each amp that came out of a huge Conn organ. The other place I see these amps is in old sound systems in theaters. This is a commercial power amp and very tough. .

I thought it was an organ or MI amp as well but the OP says he pulled it out of a console. So maybe an organ or theater sound maker that also made consoles???

 

[zarek]

Hi guys, I've seen the amp in person and it has some clues. Both the power and output transformers have the GE script logo stamped into them. Also the original tubes are all GE brand. It came out of a high end console of about 1955 vintage, other than that we just don't know

 

[vintage cltr]

it's just not fair

so, what's better that one GE Musaphonic mono block..... how about a pair!! that's right, after about 2 years of searching, i have found the other piece of this audio puzzle. now, the fun will begin having these beauties built.

you know i didn't think it couldn't get any better, after my Magnavox 142's were found and very completion.

i guess you can't have too many monoblocks, right?

i would like to give a big thank you to another fellow member on this site, Pat Lawlor. if it wasn't for him, all of the amps more than likely would have been sold off on eBay. man, i'm glad he opened me up the glorious sound of tube audio.

i know for some, they might not appreciate yesterday's technology with today's ingenuity..

 

[gadget73]

Cool. I'm also one of those people searching for a matching needle in a large haystack, so I appreciate your perseverance in finding a mate. Looks like an awful nice amp with that big iron it has.

 

[Horn Head]

Most excellent! Hope you spif them up real nice.

 

[3_Limes]

So were you able to find out what it came out of??? Now that we've read the thread, we have to know. Don't leave us hanging!

(W/ those grommets in the mounting holes I'm not seeing a console amp there either. Unless there used to be console stereos in roller-coaster cars once upon a time. Although, I guess if the particular console was extremely small, and/or had an unusually large speaker compliment, or huge woofers, such that the engineers were worried about microphonic feedback through the tubes. That kind of feedback is usually only found at deafening volumes, but it's also why tube powered bass guitar amps are so very rare.)

 

[zarek]

Positive ID of Amp

Hi everyone, The amp is without doubt a 1947, 48, or 49 GE Musaphonic. What threw Tracy and I off was that it was older than we expected. We originally guessed mid 50's, but we were wrong. I recently saw one for sale on eBay, that by chance still had a GE ink stamp part number. From there I started working backwards in the huge Rider Manuals until I found the schematic that matched the amp. It was the amp used in General Electric's top of the line consoles for those three years. The weight and build quality of the amp is very impressive in person. The pictures just don't do it justice. Also, tracy was able to win the auction and is now the owner of a pair of these. It was the first time we saw one for sale in two years of looking, so I thinks it's fair to say that having a pair of these puts him in a pretty exclusive club. Pat