Procrastination No More

I've been putting it off for months, but tonight I finally manned up and got it done. That is, I replaced the tube sockets on my old Bogen-converted to 18 Watter.

The old sockets were intended to hold tubes upright, so they had no retained clips. Also, the contacts were getting loose. Hell, they're original early '70s vintage, it's no wonder. How loose, I had no idea until I compared them to new sockets tonight.

I tore the amp apart two months ago and replaced the filter caps, then the procrastination began. I just knew replacing the tube sockets was going to be a PITA. Even after the conversion, some of the wiring on the sockets is original, and those Long Island ladies who soldered those things together in the early '70s really knew how to build 'em. Solid wire, through the hole in the terminal and then wrapped around it before soldering. Getting them apart is infuriating.

But I did it. Pulled all three sockets, one at a time, and tested the amp after each one. Now, the amp has a cool blue-anodized twist-lock shield on its 12AX7, and the ECL86s in the PI/output stage are sporting wire-spring retainers to make sure they don't vibrate out, important since the chassis now hangs upside-down in my homemade combo cabinet.

This is my only amp, so I've been ampless since the end of March. I'm taking it on a business trip to Cleveland tomorrow, since I'm getting together with an old buddy Monday night to jam and compare amps.

It's great to have my baby back.

http://i785.photobucket.com/albums/yy134/Rich_S_GuitarGeek/DIY%2013%20Watter/13-Watter2.jpg

those Long Island ladies who soldered those things together in the early '70s really knew how to build 'em. Solid wire, through the hole in the terminal and then wrapped around it before soldering. Getting them apart is infuriating.



These are the tasks I get when apprenticing.
I can feel the pain from here!
That looks really nice. I know you're deeply relieved to be done with that for another 40 years.