I have a chance to purchase a working Bogen CHB 35A in good condition for $100.00. Worth it or not? I would appreciate any comments. Thanks!
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If your intention is to use it as a PA, it would be OK for basement/garage rehearsals but not for a real gig.
I've converted a couple into guitar amps for others with success.
Depending on the production model you have, check for high voltage DC on the terminal strip on the back of the amp. that's bad design practice on the manufacturer's part. Be sure to disconnect the components that bring that voltage to the terminal strip.
You wouldn't want to reach around to the back of the amp and make contact.
I wouldn't go 'over' $100
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I don't think I would pay more then $35-$40 for any old CHB 35A...
If I was desperate for a vacuum tube amp project, maybe $50 for one in great usable condition... which is very unlikely anymore.
Keep in mind you're also going to spend a handful more cash on bringing it up to speed using fresh parts.
Now, if you have no extra, new parts, no chassis, no transformers and no tubes, etc, ... compared to buying all new stuff, at $100 you'd at least have start with some decent iron and a chassis, but many of the components in that chassis are not that great and pretty old.
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Bruce is right on all counts, of course. I didn't want to sound too harsh, so I said "not over $100". Another thing I've found is that the chassis metal is rather thin and the trannys are heavy enough to distort the shape if the amp has been tossed around [as PA amps often are]. Not unusual to see transformers sitting on an angle and the chassis surface being far from flat.
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Pre-converted Bogen CHB35A - http://cgi.ebay.com/Bogen-CHB-35a-Tu...23113007r11376
Currently at $20.
Not my auction, I just googled the model name to see what they look like and that popped up.
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