Wollensak 1980 Reel to Reel preamps

[HDS]

Hello, first time poster here and a bit of a tinker. I have played around with old ADA amps and preamps but no tube amps this old.

I have this old Wollensak 1980 Stereo Tube reel to reel for sometime now and was going to us it to record with but it started to very in speed. The wheel rubber was breaking down. Well I pulled the preamps out to use as a tube guitar amp. I have already pulled my guitar in to the PA/Mic 1/4 and it does sound pretty good but a bit a bit bass-ie. I would guess the tone stacks have to be played with (dont know how to do that). I can turn the volume up to 3 before it breaks up from clean guitar. The tubes in her are 2-6EU7's and 1-7591, for each preamp, (Right and Left side have their own chassis) and a 3rd chassis with 1-6c4 tube with a big old iron. That make in total 4-6EU7's and 2-7591's and 1-6C4. Question to you guys is what can I make with this amp or just use as is?







ANy ideas would be very cool!

[HDS]

Today I switched out the phone/mic jack's resistors from 22k to 33k resistors. And I can turn to volume up to 7 before breakup. She gets pretty loud!

[imaradiostar]

sounds like some neat parts to tinker with.

If it were mine to play with I'd make a small stereo guitar amp with a pair of nice efficient alnico speakers. I'd build something with a simple tone stack and a little negative feedback so it would work well with a stereo chorus or reverb pedal.

I'm thinking you could make a little 2x10 combo. Search around here for different circuits and how they sound.

I built a stereo fender champ and I like it pretty much. You'll find the 7591 has a neat tone, a little different from most other amps out there.

jamie

[HDS]

Thanks imaradiostar, the 7591 really does sound nice. Im torn on what to do with her because she sounds nice asis other then the scoop in the tone stack (which isnt bad really). I think Im going to try and remove everything that isnt needed, like the recording portions etc. Im taking it slow being I dont know much about hand wired amps and I have no schematic from Wollensak. I started on the input jack which was pretty much setup like a Gibson 30RV input but with 2 -22k resistors. It had the 1M to ground for jack shorting even!

Im a 70's/80's kinda player and I'm after that kinda sound. Dont know if that will help with amp converting lol.

[HDS]

Just a quick update, I tried my Ibanez Org. UE-300 on her and rosted two 6EU7! Suck =p

[petemoore]

Probably the tube amp has failed because
Old Tubes, old capacitors fail.
The speaker is a great monitor for amp performance, otherwise if there's no smoke from any coils, capacitors, old tubes are the cause of the problems.
Amps expect input, the speaker tells loudly if the input is so large to be incompatible, very very doubtful that an input source caused tube amp failure.

[HDS]

Just the preamp tube died. The Ibanez UE-300 is a 1980's Tube Screamer and pushes that preamp tubes, thats why I pegged it what killed the tubes. Before using the Tube Screamer I didnt have any problems. But I will be stripping the preamp down and re-wiring to use 12AX7 tubes in lue of the 6EU7's.

[petemoore]

Got one today, same deal, 2 amps and a RTR unit on top, tall rectangle.
My 'top' [RTR unit] works fine mechanically, seems to have no output but motorboating on one side for some reason, other side is noisy too, but plays.
So the work would be or will be concentrated on the amplifiers, the expense dominated by capacitors.
And the amps...This turns into:
Something with an IEC, Earthed groundplug/chassis.
New capacitors, not dissimilar by far than originals in value, somethings on the not too bassy side.
Usable resistors ID'd, everything else removed [caps at least]. The sockets are in good shape, and the wiring to the heaters works...it definitely stays.
I gave up and chop the wire of the part away from the socket, ugly and what, best way to dis-and re-connect I've used.
Probably something like common vintage guitar stages [not too bassy], some of them having similarities [such as the output tube configuration, obviously the driver tube scheme works, the input for Mag-Phono-Guitar might take a bit of re-routing.
With nice speakers and capacitors would be sweet, I have the speakers...kind of a big project, I should be playing guitar more through any one of my tube amplifiers or putting new caps into the re-issue I put new everything else in [besides resistors]..ughhh, too many amps already.