Pilot Sa 232 amp

[stuwee]

Hey guys, Rex is going to get to do a refurb on the Pilot amp. He's had and worked on these in the past, so I'm putting my 'baby' in his talented hands . I've never pulled a console before, it looks straight forward but on a close looksie, there's an awful lot of stuff leading from it to the speaker outputs (which are mounted outboard of the main chassis on the edge of the consloe frame) and stuff from the side to the sidewall of the console. Of course there's the interconnect to the tuner/pre, I can handle that one!

Rex if you look at the bottom pic, you'll see how the top EL84 is a bit darker than the others, that one is taking all the heat from the others below it, a really bad idea in my opinion. The chassis is in great shape so I had the idea of finding a cage for it and having it sit on top of the console (for better heat dissapation, looks and for the ability to disconnect and use it in other systems). So can you advise any on the pulling info, all those wires and all that?

 

[stuwee]

I know this is like rebuilding a car (kinda) so pics of the wires, connections are vital and also labeling everything with tags etc...

edit, just saw your above post
And yeah, we should chat on the phone about it when I can start messing with it.
The Russian Sovtex were put in about 4 years ago.

The tuner/pre is the 690-A, the good one , front and back of it...

 

[stuwee]

Some good nudies of the 690-A

http://vacuumntubes.com/pilot-fa-690-st ... ifier-nice

 

[laatsch55]

Alright, a fixit thread!!

 

[stuwee]

Some good nudies of the 690-A

http://vacuumntubes.com/pilot-fa-690-st ... ifier-nice" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

You still have the original power tubes?

No, those are long gone, my gramps, being an EE, replaced them with the best he could in '59, and even that set wasn't with it when I got it. He might have futzed with some of the circuitry when he added the multiplex unit later in the early 60's.

 

[laatsch55]

Some good nudies of the 690-A

http://vacuumntubes.com/pilot-fa-690-st ... ifier-nice" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

You still have the original power tubes?

No, those are long gone, my gramps, being an EE, replaced them with the best he could in '59, and even that set wasn't with it when I got it. He might have futzed with some of the circuitry when he added the multiplex unit later in the early 60's.

Ah, so it's in your blood!! What else is in there?? Had it checked lately??

 

[stuwee]

I have no idea , lot's of cool shit in my family tho, as if you couldn't tell by my stories , if I died tomorrow, I can proudly say "I Have Lived!!!"

 

[stuwee]

I wonder what my chances are of scoring some nice mahogany plank for an amp base?? Man that would look sharp with the brass colored cage to match the pre's faceplate...sitting on top of the console...Ooooooooooo

 

[laatsch55]

Talk to the MM, he lives in hardwood country, or Robert he has reproducing wood in his basement.

 

[stuwee]

Lee, did you notice the wood in my pics? That's real southeast asian mahogany (impossible and illegal to get/buy nowdays). I'd have to find a vintage piece of plank to redo

Which brings me to refurbing the pre/tuner, part of the cabinet has to come apart it get the 690-A out. The pics in the link show how the faceplate is gapped forward on the chassis where the wood plank fits. I really don't want to have to do that, I seriously doubt there's a craftsmen in Tucson willing to do it properly

Why am I even thinking about all this? McIntosh and Marantz never made a hifi console, this Pilot is THE one to own, the Rolls Royce of vintage consoles Plus it was my first exposure to what great music can really sound like

 

[laatsch55]

Well It's HIGH TIME TO PUT SOME AMERICAN MAHOGANY IN THERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[stuwee]

I wonder what my chances are of scoring some nice mahogany plank for an amp base?? Man that would look sharp with the brass colored cage to match the pre's faceplate...sitting on top of the console...Ooooooooooo

You have a cage also? So, this is one of the gold colored ones and in a console?

You can go on eprey and get wood for it.

No Rex the faceplate on the pre is the Pilot gold color, the amp chassis is grey/silver and doesn't have a cage, I have seen the cages on ebay tho, thanks for the tip on the wood, I'll have a sniff around

 

[stuwee]

Make sure and get the "ribbon" mahogany, Stu!

I was gonna freak if you had a goldish one with a cage.Was gonna make some Mac offers to ya......

Haha, yeah those are really rare! I don't think they ever put one of those in a console with a cage, I saw a stand alone one for sale only once, and some guy on AK had one too IIRC. If I make a base in mahogany it would cover the silver chassis anyway and Damn if it's not gonna be sweet that way. Start thinking of ideas for the speaker output plate fitting on the back of the amp and through a wood base. Since now it's wired from the side. Was yours from a console or was it stand alone?

 

[stuwee]

Not at night, not enough light!

 

[laatsch55]

Another original smilie.