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Post subject: I found a vintage amp in garbage
Posted: Wed Oct 26, 2011 3:59 pm
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Location: Province de Québec, Canada
It is a WEM Dominator MK III. (1970 ? ). I know it is a Fender forum , but I'm always on this forum.....

Monday ,I find this amp ont the sidewalk close to the street just fot garbage day Tuesday. I put In my car.

Tubes are all Mullard England ,3 X ECC83 and ....One EL84 , one is missing.
Short story ;
No power cord , I put new one, put on a variac to reform capacitors, DC voltage are good but little low ( 180 ) , Heater 3 volts.
I suspect a power transformer wiring for 220 England voltage. But power transformer have only 2 wire on primary and two other cut very short (less 1/8 ") on the transformer.
With exacto I remove insulation on those 2 short end and solder two 6 inches wire.

After few mesurment with meter and also with putting 1 volts ac at the secondary heater wires and mesuring some result at the primary wire.
I found wich wires I should use for 120 ac,
Plug and power on ; all voltage are ok , bias too hot but no sound ,no hum ,no hiss nothing.

Check first the power tubes wiring .The two EL84 pin 2 was not connected, the signal from Phase inverter is comming at pin 1 which is not used in EL84. I notice on both tubes that pin 2 have no trace of solder.
This amp have NEVER PLAY before.

Solder the two wires at pin 2 and power on and amp is working nice . Sound like a Vox, it is a Class A amp.
Now I have to do a good ang big tune up. I use low cost tubes for this test . I don't know if Mullard tubes are good for now.

The speaker in cab is a low cost Fane model with no cone, gril cloth is damaged too

Pictures later


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Post subject: Re: I found a vintage amp in garbage
Posted: Wed Oct 26, 2011 4:05 pm
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HE SHOOTS, HE SCORES......

Nothin' but net, Stratele!

RAWK ON!

8) 8) 8)

Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY


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Post subject: Re: I found a vintage amp in garbage
Posted: Wed Oct 26, 2011 5:16 pm
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Retroverbial wrote:
HE SHOOTS, HE SCORES......

Nothin' but net, Stratele!

RAWK ON!

8) 8) 8)

Arjay


+10K...you just can't beat FREE :!: :!: :!:

T2

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Post subject: Re: I found a vintage amp in garbage
Posted: Wed Oct 26, 2011 6:01 pm
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Indeed!

It's prolly worth a couple hundred bucks just in salvage value alone.

Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY


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Post subject: Re: I found a vintage amp in garbage
Posted: Wed Oct 26, 2011 6:10 pm
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nice :?:www.vintagehofner.co.uk/britamps/watkin ... /dom2.html


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Post subject: Re: I found a vintage amp in garbage
Posted: Thu Oct 27, 2011 12:53 am
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Thank's for the link bluestrucker, That's the amp but mine, the cab in not good shape ; grill cloth damaged, missing upper back panne , no logo.


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Post subject: Re: I found a vintage amp in garbage
Posted: Thu Oct 27, 2011 1:11 am
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Any chance of finding some repro replacement parts, Stratele?

Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY


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Post subject: Re: I found a vintage amp in garbage
Posted: Thu Oct 27, 2011 1:25 am
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I don't know Retroverbial

I'm not an e bay buyer, but I could begin. I'll have a look .
Thank's for the hint


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Post subject: Re: I found a vintage amp in garbage
Posted: Thu Oct 27, 2011 5:21 am
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Image

Wem;

The cab I found and the Fane speaker basket. The fane is the model " with highefficiency anisotropic ferrite magnet "


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Post subject: Re: I found a vintage amp in garbage
Posted: Thu Oct 27, 2011 5:27 am
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The amp chassis ; I replace the two toogle switches , originals have broken bat. For power switch I use a 3 position DPDT. center is OFF, down is STANBY position and up is PLAY. This amp have no stanby switch before and with silicon rectifier it's a must.
The second toggle is a bright switch on first channel.

Image


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Post subject: Re: I found a vintage amp in garbage
Posted: Thu Oct 27, 2011 5:32 am
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The chassis ;
Red and white wire I solder to the 1/8 " piece of wire from power transformer. I found that the white one is for 110 volts use. I put a kind of silicon to keep both end of the wires solid to transformer.
Image


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Post subject: Re: I found a vintage amp in garbage
Posted: Thu Oct 27, 2011 5:33 am
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That's cool....not just anybody could restore an amp like that,good for you!


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Post subject: Re: I found a vintage amp in garbage
Posted: Thu Oct 27, 2011 8:43 am
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stratele52 wrote:
with highefficiency anisotropic ferrite magnet "


The Brits' byzantine method of describing a simple ceramic-magnet loudspeaker.

:mrgreen:

Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY


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Post subject: Re: I found a vintage amp in garbage
Posted: Sat Oct 29, 2011 8:44 am
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Now I'd like to replace the grill cloth. I don't think the original still avalaible but the big problem is how to ?
The amp look to be built around the baffle, with grill cloth on. No way to remove grille cloth or baffle.
Or there a trick I don't see. Anybody have an idea ?


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Post subject: Re: I found a vintage amp in garbage
Posted: Sat Oct 29, 2011 10:21 am
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I would think Vox diagonal cloth would be pretty close. While not the exact pattern, I think the pattern would at least recall the original.

The baffle board had to be installed somehow. I wonder if it was just stapled or bradded into place?


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