Changing a tube amp...

[Arne]

Ok, I have already posted on building a gainclone . However, cleaning up some stuff in the attic I came across a Garrard recordplayer I still had lying around. The player itself is a SP20, which is not really nice, or so I have been told. However, it does also house a tube amp. The question then is, is that usable at all?

• Can I pull it out (that means smashing the casing as most of the wood is glued together) and use it to amplify something else?
• How do I make it suitable to amplify a CD player?
• Is this something a beginner can do? -with a bit of forum help...
• Or would I just be better off selling the Garrard for peanuts and buy a chip from the money?

[ak_47_boy]

Sure, as long as its a stereo. Just post a few pics and a list of the tubes and parts it has.

You will need new caps though.

[ThSpeakerDude88]

Hi! your Garrard uses two ECL86's (6GW8's) , Assumingly stereo, which means you could make a nice SE amp out of it. Output power ~ 2-3 watts/ channel.

[Arne]

Update:

Through the TNT-Audio list Peter Boser replied to tell me he found out more on my Garrard. You can find it here: http://www.grammofoon.com/frameset.h...ntentFrame</a>

After careful consideration (and a great tip from Peter), I did decide I wanted to test it and hooked up my laptop to the Garrard. 1967 meets 2007. Forty years separate these machines, but with a din to 3.5mm jack they could talk together. And boy, did they do that. I had to talk a friend of mine into bringing me an old speaker I left at her place ages ago, because that had the old DIN loudpeaker plug needed for the Garrard. Luckily she brought some spare ones as well, so I could hook up an old set of JBL's I have sitting around. Now, I have a smile on my face the size of an old vinyl record. (No, i did not trust the needle on the SP20, so I did not try an record on it.)

First impressions:
- The adjusters for volume, balance, treble and bass are worn. They creak and sometimes if you tap them, they work better. There is room for improvement there.
- The sound was pretty nice and after warming up a bit, it worked with the JBL's with ease.
- There is a lot of work to be done

What is up next? Well, let's get it out of the box it has been in since 1967.
- It will need new adjusters and some of the old ones will need to go.
- It will need to get new speaker terminals
- New input terminals
- A new euro spec connector for the mains
- A new mains cable
- And I will need to find it a new case

Funny, someone just made me an offer of 40 euro's... I think I am going to pass on that...


The Garrard Derby Stereo as it has been since 1967...