Meteor amp/vintage find

Randy Reeves · Post by **Randy Reeves** » 19 May 2006 7:33 am

I found this little amp at a yard sale this morning.
5 dollars.
I ran back home, plugged it in, watched the three tiny tubes brighten up, plugged in my strat, and holy cow.

the amp was totally hiss and noise free.
playing at very low volume the sound was clean and clear.
turning up the volume the amp broke up nicely emitting a warm crunch.

on the back the sticker says Sears and Roebucks.
it has an oval speaker.
I didnt measure but it appears to be a six X nine.

cant wait to get back home afer work.

I would like to know more about this amp.
the logo is killer.

[This message was edited by Randy Reeves on 19 May 2006 at 08:35 AM.]

Bill Hatcher · Post by **Bill Hatcher** » 19 May 2006 8:48 am

You are extremely lucky in that old amps always need to be brought back up with a variac if they have been off the air for a long time.

If you ever find another cool old amp like this, bring the voltage up slowly on the amp in order to reform the capacitors and keep from blowing them out. Getting to be an expensive repair on those.

Nice little amp.

Randy Reeves · Post by **Randy Reeves** » 19 May 2006 9:21 am

Bill.
you make an excellent point. and I have heeded that caution in the past.

when I saw the amp one of the first things I asked was when was the last time it was played.
the owner said " a few months ago".

so with that knowledge I figured the caps would be okfor a low impact test.

when I get back home in a few hours and back to that amp I plan on taking the time to check it out thoroughly.

here is a shot of the back.

[This message was edited by Randy Reeves on 19 May 2006 at 10:24 AM.]

Bill Hatcher · Post by **Bill Hatcher** » 19 May 2006 12:32 pm

Good deal!

Jay Fagerlie · Post by **Jay Fagerlie** » 20 May 2006 6:10 am

Hey Randy
Nice find. I have one of these also.
My model is a 1430, what model is that?
Tubes? 12AU6, 50C5, and 35W4?
Jay[This message was edited by Jay Fagerlie on 20 May 2006 at 07:17 AM.]

Blake Hawkins · Post by **Blake Hawkins** » 20 May 2006 7:49 am

Randy, If that is a 1430 as Jay suggests, be concerned about a possible shock hazzard if the power plug is inserted wrong.
The high voltage return is the neutral side of the power line.
It is isolated from the chassis by R-5 (68K)
and C-3 (.05 mfd, 600v.)
Make sure those components are good.
Their purpose is to prevent a serious shock.
You'll still get a tingle.
The best course is to install a modern 3 wire power cord which will make sure that the chassis is always at ground.
The 1430 has a small transformer for the heater of the 12AU6 but that does not isolate
anything but that heater.
Blake

Jay Fagerlie · Post by **Jay Fagerlie** » 20 May 2006 8:32 am

Good point Blake.

With these types of amps, you have to be REALLY CAREFULL about touching things while you are touching strings....like mic stands, other musicians, playing barefoot, etc.

Jay