Bogen K130 Tube Amp (ATTENTION GRIM)

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shaneoftheroad
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Bogen K130 Tube Amp (ATTENTION GRIM)

Post by shaneoftheroad »

I found this at one of my local junk shops tucked away in a corner. It was covered in dust, dirt and grime. I scrubbed down the exterior a bit so I could show you guys. I also scrubbed the interior but put the casing back together before taking pics, I'll take more tomorrow.

Basically, all the tubes are still there and seem to be in good shape (can't be sure yet). It looks like it's missing the fuse on the back and I have no idea what the inputs and outputs are called (that's where I need your help).

Here are some pics:

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Missing the fuse there on the left, I need help figuring out what it's called and where to find one.

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The speaker output. Never seen a jack like this. Anyone know what it's called and if adapters exist for modern speakers?

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The mic input. Is that a standard XLR? If not, what kind of jack is it? (EDIT: It is standard XLR)

And finally, here's the icing on the cake.

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Thanks in advance for any help identifying the fuse and jacks! I don't have a tube tester yet so the only way for me to know if the tubes are good is for me to power this thing up. But I don't want to power it up until the fuse is in place. What do ya' think, fellas?

-Shane
Last edited by shaneoftheroad on Sat Jan 12, 2013 4:17 am, edited 2 times in total.
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dcmak5
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Re: Bogen K130 Tube Amp (Junk Shop Find)

Post by dcmak5 »

what kind of tubes are in it?
and I love the size and designs of those old compact amp/pa heads.
I've got a klemt echolette m40 PA amp that's somewhat similar. just get a good "15 speaker to go with it.
yours looks like a PA head. regarding the outputs, I'm not that versed. take it to someone reputable and get the info.
if they're something outdated or foreign you should be able to find the parts online to put together some patch cables that would allow you to use xlr or 1/4 inch
Last edited by dcmak5 on Sat Jan 12, 2013 2:48 am, edited 2 times in total.
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shaneoftheroad
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Re: Bogen K130 Tube Amp (Junk Shop Find)

Post by shaneoftheroad »

dcmak5 wrote:what kind of tubes are in it?
and I love the size and designs of those old compact amp/pa heads.
I've got a klemt echolette m40 amp that's somewhat similar. just get a good "15 speaker to go with it.
Tomorrow I'm gonna take pics of the inside as well as the tubes. This is my first foray into tube amps so I'm learning as I go. I can't wait to see how it sounds! I already have the perfect PA speaker for it. Gonna be an excruciating wait while I get it set up.
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shaneoftheroad
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Re: Bogen K130 Tube Amp (Junk Shop Find)

Post by shaneoftheroad »

dcmak5 wrote: yours looks like a PA head.
That makes sense. But I can still run my pedalboard through it though, right?
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rsimms3
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Re: Bogen K130 Tube Amp (Junk Shop Find)

Post by rsimms3 »

The speaker connects are just bare wire instead of RCA. It has multiple outputs for speakers depending on their ohm rating. The ground screw would go to the ground of your RCA cable and then the other half would go to the specific screw that matched the ohm of your speaker. Quick search indicates that this is stereo, but I would have thought it would be mono. The XLR looks standard, keep it unplugged and try out a regular XLR cable. I don't know much beyond those bits. The tubes maybe a goldmine if they are good, it's a crap shoot until you get under the hood. This is somewhat similar to what Jack is using these days in those old RCA mono PA units.

http://www.google.com/#hl=en&tbo=d&scli ... 40&bih=724
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shaneoftheroad
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Re: Bogen K130 Tube Amp (Junk Shop Find)

Post by shaneoftheroad »

Thanks, man! That's highly encouraging! :D
curseofhalos

Re: Bogen K130 Tube Amp (Junk Shop Find)

Post by curseofhalos »

That thing looks rad. I'd love to hear how it sounds. Great find! I need a tube amp. One day...
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shaneoftheroad
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Re: Bogen K130 Tube Amp (Junk Shop Find)

Post by shaneoftheroad »

OK, here's the inside:

With tubes removed.

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And here are the tubes:

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First 6AV5GA, note the white spot (bad tube?)

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Second 6AV5GA, note the white spot (bad tube?)

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First 5Y3GT

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Second 5Y3GT

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6CG7, dark spot

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6U8

So there it is. What are we thinking? Thanks again.

-Shane
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Re: Bogen K130 Tube Amp (Junk Shop Find)

Post by shaneoftheroad »

Oh, and I still need info on this fuse.

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rsimms3
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Re: Bogen K130 Tube Amp (Junk Shop Find)

Post by rsimms3 »

Grim's the tube guru, make sure he makes his way over here. He can probably tell you about the fuse as well.
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Re: Bogen K130 Tube Amp (ATTENTION GRIM)

Post by shaneoftheroad »

Changed the subject title to the proverbial Bat Signal. haha Thanks, man.
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Re: Bogen K130 Tube Amp (ATTENTION GRIM)

Post by jrfhoutx »

30 watt PA amp from ~1958, should make a sweet amp head for a guitar. The XLR can be replaced with a 1/4" TRS, or you can just splice in a TRS and fin a spot for it on the chassis somewhere.

Don't plug it in and turn it on (even after putting in the correct fuse), it could do serious damage if there is anything wrong with it. I needs to be brought up on a variac.

Find a local repair shop that can test tubes and get them checked out, replace any that test bad.

Replace the capacitors and any resistors that test out of spec, and replace the selenium rectifier diode.

Don't worry about the old umbilical plugs for the speakers, just use the terminal strip with some spades on the wires. The small metal piece hanging is a bridge and should probably connect the two farthest terminals (look like they're labelled common and ground), and the black wire coming from the hole in the chassis most likely is to be connected to one of those two terminals (though I don't have a schematic, and couldn't say any of this for certain without a schem or manual, but it is a common setup with PA heads; you really need to get your hands on a schematic, any tech you take it to would ask for one, and you'll need one to do any work on it yourself.)

Yes the mic XLR Should be standard XLR.

While most resources seem to call it a stereo amp, that baby is mono (very few stereo PA heads out there if any, note the single speaker terminal strip, single oDutput transformer, and single RCA phono).

The tubes you have are a full compliment, 6AV6, 12AX7, 6U8A, two 6AV5GA, 6CG7, two 5Y3GT. The 12AX7 is usually used for a phono stage (you took a pic of it inside it's 'can', the 6AV6 is also in a can, though not sure of its purpose). I dont think those 6AV5GA tubes are in production anymore by anyone, so your only bet there is to find some NOS ones, the bay would be your best bet there (they look like they can go anywhere from $4-20 each).

Not sure about the fuse, but looks like ~2 amp, again a schematic woul be best to find that info.

My ultimate suggestion is to visit AudioKarma.org, join and ask around in the Tubes forum and the DiY forum and you will probably get a great deal of help with this project (several people there have rebuilt this same model and the can most likely help with schematics as well as any mods you might be interested in performing), and most likely after any advice and info that Mark gives you, he'll also probably advise you to visit and ask around at AK (it's an insanely awesome resource, it is to vintage audio gear restoration what the Swirl is to JWIII related vinyl collecting).

I say head over to AK, dig up a schematic and maybe a manual, do some reading and research on tubes in general (and this amp in particular, and some of similar type), get yourself a soldering iron, and have a seriously fun project for yourself! :)





BTW, seriously nice score Shane! That looks to be in really good shape cosmetically, and whether it needs a little electrical work or not $12 is a serious steal.
Last edited by jrfhoutx on Sat Jan 12, 2013 6:41 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Bogen K130 Tube Amp (ATTENTION GRIM)

Post by shaneoftheroad »

Wow, lots of very helpful info there! I'm obviously a novice when it comes to audio tech but I'm slowly learning. Now I want this thing to work more than ever. I hope I can find someone local to give me a hand. Lots to learn.

I've always wanted a 50's tube amp, it'd be sweet to get this one up and running. Thanks for the info!
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Re: Bogen K130 Tube Amp (ATTENTION GRIM)

Post by jrfhoutx »

Definitely check out AudioKarma, the people there are really nice, unbelievably helpful, and ridiculously knowledgeable. Probably the only thing you won't be able to do for yourself is test the tubes (unless you drop a few hundred on a tube tester). Amps of that complexity used to be sold as hobbyist kits for people to assemble at home with nothing more than a soldering iron, voltmeter, and maybe an oscilloscope...

You say you found it at a junk shop, like an 'antique shop', or a GW type resale shop?
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Re: Bogen K130 Tube Amp (ATTENTION GRIM)

Post by shaneoftheroad »

jrfhoutx wrote:You say you found it at a junk shop, like an 'antique shop', or a GW type resale shop?
It's literally a junk shop. It's inside an old grocery store, lots of people have different booths. But some booths are unmanned, you dig through the piles. When you find what you want you take it up front and as long as it has a price tag they sell it to you. Cash only. The place smells of dust, oil and old grease. Some of the vendors are prickly old bastards but I've found a lot of great stuff in there.
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