It looks in fair condition to me. A couple of odd ripples in the top cover (was it upside down with the courier - you might have a claim?) and some scratches but that is its history.
Some less than perfect repairs / mods, but obviously someone has cherished it in the past and they are easy to correct / restore.
What are the circuit boards like underneath by the way?
The KT88s may be the icing on the cake. The original MO made ones last for ages, I've seen them with the base ring split open, no lettering left and nearly all the silver gettering has turned brown and they still function reasonably well! So those look in good order...
You asked, keep it or send it back? If you really want a more pristine or fully working one, send it back now. If you paid a reasonable price 'unseen' for it and factored in repair costs, stick with it (I would), where will you find another one?
Yes, again ''it will''.
Dents and other deformations in equipment casework can be dealt with by a good car restorer or bodywork specialist if you ask them nicely.
The dents/ripples in the top case were there already - I could see them in the photos used for the ad.
I'm very curious to get the 4 Gold Lion KT88s tested - if they're in good working order they are probably worth what I paid for the whole thing. But I'm not betting on it!
The price 'unseen' was definitely very reasonable, and leaves a healthy potential budget for work/restoration, bearing in mind prices I've seen for rare fully-restored and working examples.
Here are the 4 Gold Lions out of the TT.
Middle 2 look almost new - nice shiny silver getters sides and top. 1 on right looks OK on top, but the side getters are brownish, and on the 4th the getters look worn away/transparent. Black bases, look to be in good condition.
But looks can be deceiving, won't really know until they are tested.
IMG_0497w.jpgIMG_0498w.jpg
Last edited by nickbaba; 10-05-2018 at 15:21.
The look of the getter is pretty insubstantial in giving indication of the valve quality.
Unless it has turned white or a milky shade that indicates a leak or poor vacuum.
I have valves that have either almost no silver getter but are absolutely fine.
I love Hendrix for so many reasons. He was so much more than just a blues guitarist - he played damn well any kind of guitar he wanted. In fact I'm not sure if he even played the guitar - he played music. - Stevie Ray Vaughan
The TT was delivered to David today. The project has begun!
So... there is news, and it's not all bad!
Initial tests have been done and there is life in the old beast! Some bits were bodged by the previous owner(s) e.g. things stuck together with blu-tac instead of properly secured inside, and some parts need to be replaced due to age (old capacitors) but the good news is that the transformers test well and are working fine.
The scariest part was that apparently the power supply board had come completely loose inside and could have shorted 600v into the metal case if it were plugged in...
Anyway David gradually introduced voltage up to full power and all went well - he even said it doesn't sound too bad... at least for a first test.
So things are looking very hopeful.
Location: Suffolk, UK
Posts: 1,473
I'm Paul.
That’s great news. Overall the amp looked fairly solid and build quality seemed good enough that it was an amp built to last, just had a few issues due to age and a bit of bodging, but don’t we all!
~Paul~