Soundcraftsmen 5050 - Page 4

Captn Dave · 7th May 2012, 07:17 AM

Humm, good question. IIRC both of those are 6BQ5/EL84 amps. They both have good iron and they offer about the same complexity. It's a vintage piece, which one will look better to your eye? Somehow the Scott has more curb appeal to me. My beef with the X-100 is that it tries to looks like a solid state amp. Check out a photo of the X-101C and see the difference. But that's just me rambling.

So, I'd take a careful look at the condition and completeness of both amps and pick the one that looks to be the most complete, trouble free and clean. Things like bottom covers, face plates, knobs and power resistors might seem like no big deal today but they can be very hard to find. Hell, I've been looking for a "dog bowl" knob for my Scott LK-72 for 5 years now

Corrosion's pretty hard to deal with too if it's bad.

Next you'll want to qualify the iron. Check the power transformer with a dead bulb tester and a volt meter to see if it's good and then check the output transfos to see that they are good.

Either of them will sound great if you do a proper job on the restoration.

pancaQe · 7th May 2012, 04:54 PM

the X-100 uses 4 - 7868 power tubes and the 299A uses 4 - 7189 power tubes.

Captn Dave · 7th May 2012, 05:56 PM

Well then, I didn't remember correctly.

The 7189 in the Scott actually IS an el84 variant; it's an upgraded or premium version that will take greater plate voltages. Same pin out. They were ubiquitous and are still in production. There is a Russian tube 6P14P that is sold as a substitute for both the EL84 and 7189 but I've never check to see that it actually is suitable as a 7189 replacement.

The 7868 is more unique. I think EH is making them again but kind of spendy. You will want to check those tubes.

I say go with the Scott if everything else is equal.

pancaQe · 7th May 2012, 07:29 PM

I have 4 - Amperex 7189A and 4 - ElectroHarmonix 7868. The Fisher has these "integrated circuit" type components. Basically it has 3 to 6 leads coming off of a component. The schematic shows a series of caps and resistors inside the sealed component. That alone worries me if any of those are bad, I'm sure acquiring replacements would be near impossible. The Scott looks like it needs a little more work, but I'm more comfortable with it's layout. I'll test the iron, hope it's all good. Thank you Capn Dave for your help. I'm sure I'll be posting here for assistance and updates along with photos. Can't wait to get started.

Eli Duttman · 8th May 2012, 01:30 AM

The Russian 6П14П-ЕВ (6p14p-ev), AKA EL84M, is a genuine 7189 equivalent that's tough as nails. It also sounds pretty good. The 6П14П-ЕВ is THE tube to use in the 299-A.

The 7189A pins out differently than the EL84 or 7189. Depending on how Scott set things up, you could damage the tubes and/or the amp, if tried in the 299-A. Amperex 7189As are valuable. Think about selling them off to fund other purchases.

pancaQe · 8th May 2012, 02:27 AM

Really the 7189A is a different pin out then the 7189? I just assumed it was the same tube. Thanks for letting me know, that would've been no fun to find out the hard way. I'm sure I have some 7189 tubes around also. Thanks for the warning

8th May 2012, 01:30 AM	#35
Eli Duttman diyAudio Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Plainsboro, NJ	The Russian 6П14П-ЕВ (6p14p-ev), AKA EL84M, is a genuine 7189 equivalent that's tough as nails. It also sounds pretty good. The 6П14П-ЕВ is THE tube to use in the 299-A. The 7189A pins out differently than the EL84 or 7189. Depending on how Scott set things up, you could damage the tubes and/or the amp, if tried in the 299-A. Amperex 7189As are valuable. Think about selling them off to fund other purchases. __________________ Eli D.

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7th May 2012, 07:17 AM	#31
Captn Dave diyAudio Member Join Date: Jun 2008	Humm, good question. IIRC both of those are 6BQ5/EL84 amps. They both have good iron and they offer about the same complexity. It's a vintage piece, which one will look better to your eye? Somehow the Scott has more curb appeal to me. My beef with the X-100 is that it tries to looks like a solid state amp. Check out a photo of the X-101C and see the difference. But that's just me rambling. So, I'd take a careful look at the condition and completeness of both amps and pick the one that looks to be the most complete, trouble free and clean. Things like bottom covers, face plates, knobs and power resistors might seem like no big deal today but they can be very hard to find. Hell, I've been looking for a "dog bowl" knob for my Scott LK-72 for 5 years now Corrosion's pretty hard to deal with too if it's bad. Next you'll want to qualify the iron. Check the power transformer with a dead bulb tester and a volt meter to see if it's good and then check the output transfos to see that they are good. Either of them will sound great if you do a proper job on the restoration.

7th May 2012, 04:54 PM	#32
pancaQe diyAudio Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Los Angeles, CA	the X-100 uses 4 - 7868 power tubes and the 299A uses 4 - 7189 power tubes.

7th May 2012, 05:56 PM	#33
Captn Dave diyAudio Member Join Date: Jun 2008	Well then, I didn't remember correctly. The 7189 in the Scott actually IS an el84 variant; it's an upgraded or premium version that will take greater plate voltages. Same pin out. They were ubiquitous and are still in production. There is a Russian tube 6P14P that is sold as a substitute for both the EL84 and 7189 but I've never check to see that it actually is suitable as a 7189 replacement. The 7868 is more unique. I think EH is making them again but kind of spendy. You will want to check those tubes. I say go with the Scott if everything else is equal.

7th May 2012, 07:29 PM	#34
pancaQe diyAudio Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Los Angeles, CA	I have 4 - Amperex 7189A and 4 - ElectroHarmonix 7868. The Fisher has these "integrated circuit" type components. Basically it has 3 to 6 leads coming off of a component. The schematic shows a series of caps and resistors inside the sealed component. That alone worries me if any of those are bad, I'm sure acquiring replacements would be near impossible. The Scott looks like it needs a little more work, but I'm more comfortable with it's layout. I'll test the iron, hope it's all good. Thank you Capn Dave for your help. I'm sure I'll be posting here for assistance and updates along with photos. Can't wait to get started.

8th May 2012, 02:27 AM	#36
pancaQe diyAudio Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Los Angeles, CA	Really the 7189A is a different pin out then the 7189? I just assumed it was the same tube. Thanks for letting me know, that would've been no fun to find out the hard way. I'm sure I have some 7189 tubes around also. Thanks for the warning