Scott LK-48B Restoration Project
17 watts per channel integrated tube amp
4x Telefunken EL-84 (6BQ5/7189)
4x Telefunken 12AX7
2x 6U8A
I often hear fairy tales about how people unexpectedly find something really neat for peanuts in the world of audio. Such tales usually begins with a visit to a local thrift store or estate sale. Well, that sorta happened to me, except I didn't visit no store. I got it on eBay. Got a near mint Scott LK-48B (a kit version of 222C) for $304 by bidding with 30 sec to go in the auction (aka sniping). Yes, like they say on eBay, you don't just buy things - you win things. I was very happy with my purchase and was paying a reasonable price for an amp of such caliber.
When I got the amp I was mostly excited about hooking it up and listening to the amp for the first time. And I was not dissappointed! It sounded soooo good. There was a little glitch with one of 6U8As that failed to light up once in a while and caused one of the channel to go dead. The tube seems to be doing ok now, but I already placed an order for a replacement.
So, here is the fun part - since I had that minor problem with the 6U8A, other tubes caught my attention. I thought it might me a good idea to see if retubing the whole amp was in order. So, I started investigating other ones. To my surprise, all my other tubes, save the good 6U8, looked like they were original Telekunkens! After doing some research on the web, it was confirm that these were indeed genuine Telefunkens. So, basically I had an amp that had tubes that cost twice as much as the amp they are plugged in. Wow, I felt like one of those people on Antique Road Show!
Anyway, I am going to refurbish this beauty up. The chassis will be polished. All pots will be cleaned and lubed. I already placed an order to recap the whole thing, with Auricaps and all. More pictures to follow...
