Thrift store find - vintage Baldwin amp
- laurie
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Thrift store find - vintage Baldwin amp
Baldwin C1 Professional. Unfortunately, they knew what they had so it cost a bit... But a beast. Sound is pure early SS.
Needs a re-cap, pots cleaning and lubricating, and a clean-up.
. .
Needs a re-cap, pots cleaning and lubricating, and a clean-up.
. .
Last edited by laurie on Sun Nov 19, 2023 3:55 pm, edited 1 time in total.
- fernieite
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Re: Thrift store find - vintage Baldwin amp
Wow, cool!
Looks like the speakers are late 1965 ceramic magnet CTS. Are they 12"?
Looks like the speakers are late 1965 ceramic magnet CTS. Are they 12"?
- fernieite
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Re: Thrift store find - vintage Baldwin amp
The brand of the speakers? Like I said above - CTS. (Chicago Telephone Supply)
The code for them is 137, and yours were made the 51st week of 1965.
The code for them is 137, and yours were made the 51st week of 1965.
- Pepe
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Re: Thrift store find - vintage Baldwin amp
Oh, this looks like a lot of fun! Can we have a close-up picture of the coloured "Supersound" switches?
Re: Thrift store find - vintage Baldwin amp
Interesting read, if you haven't seen it already
https://www.vintageguitar.com/32703/mar ... s-trigger/
https://www.vintageguitar.com/32703/mar ... s-trigger/
- laurie
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Re: Thrift store find - vintage Baldwin amp
Amp is completely dismantled for a clean and a re-cap. Will take pics once it is cleaned up.
Even though it is SS, it is built using the same techniques as a tube amp - turret boards, tag-strips, multi-segment capacitors, etc. These amps that are on the cusp of the change from tube-to-SS are an interesting beast.
The multi-segment capacitors are impossible to get today - they are high capacitance/low voltage. The only modern multi-segment capacitors are low capacitance/high voltage replacements for tube amps. I will need to build a "capacitor box" to replace them. Fortunately modern caps are about 1/5 the size. I'll post pics of the comparison when I get that far.
Parts required:
- All the electrolytic caps. Everything is 100% original. Fernieite decoded the speakers to November 1965, so the caps are 56 years old...
- Ground lift switch. It had fallen apart.
- Power cord. Must change from 2-wire to 3-wire (with ground).
- Fuse holder. Must change to safe type.
- Rubber shock-mounts for the reverb tank. They are crumbling.
- Foam rubber around the reverb unit. It is disintegrating.
- Maybe some new pots if I can't get the old ones fixed.
Plus parts to make a foot-switch.
Even though it is SS, it is built using the same techniques as a tube amp - turret boards, tag-strips, multi-segment capacitors, etc. These amps that are on the cusp of the change from tube-to-SS are an interesting beast.
The multi-segment capacitors are impossible to get today - they are high capacitance/low voltage. The only modern multi-segment capacitors are low capacitance/high voltage replacements for tube amps. I will need to build a "capacitor box" to replace them. Fortunately modern caps are about 1/5 the size. I'll post pics of the comparison when I get that far.
Parts required:
- All the electrolytic caps. Everything is 100% original. Fernieite decoded the speakers to November 1965, so the caps are 56 years old...
- Ground lift switch. It had fallen apart.
- Power cord. Must change from 2-wire to 3-wire (with ground).
- Fuse holder. Must change to safe type.
- Rubber shock-mounts for the reverb tank. They are crumbling.
- Foam rubber around the reverb unit. It is disintegrating.
- Maybe some new pots if I can't get the old ones fixed.
Plus parts to make a foot-switch.
Last edited by laurie on Sun Nov 19, 2023 3:56 pm, edited 1 time in total.
- Pepe
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Re: Thrift store find - vintage Baldwin amp
Well, that sounds like a challenge that will take a while.
Re: Thrift store find - vintage Baldwin amp
This should be really interesting. I do like SS amps so I can’t wait to what this one sounds like after Laurie has saved it !
Re: Thrift store find - vintage Baldwin amp
Gorgeous piece of vintage gear.
Congrats for this score Laurie.
Gave me instant deja-vu from my childhood in the early 70s, when my uncles had european made shortwave radios and used to bragg themselves for listen to BBC classical music shows.
Congrats for this score Laurie.
Gave me instant deja-vu from my childhood in the early 70s, when my uncles had european made shortwave radios and used to bragg themselves for listen to BBC classical music shows.