Not a videogame but hardware just the same

[joeybastard]

I recently acquired an old German guitar amplifier from 1963. It's a Klemt Echolette Showstar 40 L. It didn't have a power cord, but I made one, no problem there. My question is about voltage because this thing has selectable voltage on the back. It has settings for 110, 120, 130 through 250v. The fuse says 1 amp at 220v or 2 amp at 110v. Which setting is best for using this thing in NY? I'm guessing 110v and a 2 amp fuse but I don't know if that's right. The original power cord for it is only 2 prong if that matters.

[+FujiSkunk]

Most home appliances and electronics run off 110v current here in the States. Those that don't, like laundry driers, usually require a different plug.

 

So, if you're going to plug it into an ordinary wall outlet, you'll definitely want to use the 110v setting.

[joeybastard]

Cool, that's what I thought but I wasn't sure. Thanks!

[A.J. Franzman]

Most home appliances and electronics run off 110v current here in the States. Those that don't, like laundry driers, usually require a different plug.

 

So, if you're going to plug it into an ordinary wall outlet, you'll definitely want to use the 110v setting.

110 volts was a common standard several decades ago, but now the voltage is nominally 120 volts almost everywhere in North America, but can vary by location and local demand. Here I get around 125 volts most of the time, though it may sag a bit in the middle of a hot day due to everyone's air conditioners running.

 

I would recommend the 130 volts setting to be on the safe side, though if it's a tube amp it most likely won't hurt anything to use it on the 110 v setting. You might even try several settings to see if/how the sound is affected (you could get some interesting distortion using it on 120 volt power at the 250 volt setting, if it works at all).

Edited November 1, 2007 by A.J. Franzman

[frogstar_robot]

Cool, that's what I thought but I wasn't sure. Thanks!

 

If this amp has been sitting in a basement or attic, you may want to have a good bench tech give it a good going over. Any electrolytic caps in it will be long dried out and it could probably stand a good cleaning and inspection of it's solder joints. It may also be best to more slowly power it up with an autotransformer but the really important thing to worry about is old caps. Some of those tubes could be really hard to come by. I suspect just plugging it and trying it out is the worst thing you could do unless you received it in a known operable state.

[joeybastard]

Well, it works on the 110 setting for a minute or two and then it blows the fuse. I think I'll bring it to a pro to check out. I suspect it's a bad power tube because 1 of them gets super bright orange when it's powered up but the other one just has the normal glow. Either way, I'd rather let a pro check it out. The cabinent works great though with my other amplifier which is nice. The coolest thing is that this Echolette has neon lights for the faceplate that can be turned on or off separately from the amp. It looks pretty damn cool in a dark room all lit up.

 

I got this thing for free. An old guy down the street was throwing it out so I just went and took it off the curb. He was surprised I'd want it. This is really just a side thing for me, I have 2 perfectly working amps already so if the head is just too decayed to be worth fixing, I still got a nice extra cabinent out of it.