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Re: Thrift store find - vintage Baldwin amp
Posted: Mon Sep 20, 2021 10:01 pm
by laurie
Dirk wrote: ↑Mon Sep 20, 2021 5:41 pm
That looks like an 80's transistor radio, but I bet you don't want to carry these on your shoulder around town blasting the Beastie boys or Run DMC!
And it is the size of a Fender Twin....
Re: Thrift store find - vintage Baldwin amp
Posted: Mon Sep 20, 2021 10:04 pm
by laurie
This is my favorite so far... one of the 2uF inter-stage coupling caps. Pretending it is a "capacitive diode".
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Re: Thrift store find - vintage Baldwin amp
Posted: Mon Sep 20, 2021 10:07 pm
by laurie
Another 2uF inter-stage coupling cap. Also very dead. Huge voltage transmission loss and ESR.
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Re: Thrift store find - vintage Baldwin amp
Posted: Tue Sep 21, 2021 3:16 pm
by laurie
This is the reason Channel #2 was problematic.
2uF reading as 0.0027uF and huge ESR.
This is the cap that couples Channel #2 to the mixer that mixes Channel #1 and Channel #2 before sending to the power amp.
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Re: Thrift store find - vintage Baldwin amp
Posted: Tue Sep 21, 2021 11:14 pm
by laurie
Main amplification unit is done. Re-cap is finished. Pots cleaned. Switches and jacks cleaned. Frayed wires repaired. Ground switch replaced.
Working on the reverb tank now.
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Re: Thrift store find - vintage Baldwin amp
Posted: Thu Sep 23, 2021 11:52 am
by laurie
Reverb tank is done. Working on the power supply now.
Re: Thrift store find - vintage Baldwin amp
Posted: Sat Sep 25, 2021 2:24 am
by laurie
Plugged it all back together today.
All I can say is WoW. Nearly all the transistors are germanium. And from 1965, vintage by definition. Best sounding SS amp I've ever heard.
Re: Thrift store find - vintage Baldwin amp
Posted: Sat Sep 25, 2021 7:04 am
by Pepe
Great!
Re: Thrift store find - vintage Baldwin amp
Posted: Sat Sep 25, 2021 7:36 am
by The_Doc
Great work, as always, Laurie. I can only imagine how good it sounds.
Re: Thrift store find - vintage Baldwin amp
Posted: Sat Sep 25, 2021 12:05 pm
by fernieite
Cool, great save! I'm glad you like it.
Fwiw, I think it was made later, like 1969. Your Elna cap was dated from 69, I believe.
Neil Young has used one of these Baldwin amps too.
(Not the same model though)