The Altec 9477B Amplifier here's something you don't see every day... The 9477B is an early high power transistor amplifier design from Altec. For those who believe the sound is in the iron, this amp fits the bill. That huge block in the center is the output transformer and yes, it simply dwarfs the power transformer. Added to it is an interstage transformer as well. While I am generally not a big fan of early transistor amps, this is something special. The sound on the bass in undeniable. Although it might not hit the sub frequencies, it sounds simply huge on everything else. These were originally designed for studios and although the specs are laughably bad in comparison to a simple amp of today, they (unexpectedly!) have far more value than just another period piece. #transistors #Altec #rerunelectronics #solidstate #vintageelectronics #vintageamps

The Garen Classic 11 Combo Amplifier I still don't have a lot of familiarity with French amps after 4 years in Pays-Basque, but one brand that comes up more often than others in the vintage market is Garen. This particular model, the Classic 11 is from the late 60s and sports a pair of EL84s cathode biased in the output for around 11 watts (!) of tube power. The construction and components remind me a lot of WEM Watkins amps of the period but the circuit itself is a bit different as it utilizes a cathodyne inverter and higher gain inputs. The bias tremelo is, typically wild and deep. The amp came to the shop pretty much original besides a bodged power plug so cleaning off the cobwebs and replacing the electrolytics was necessary. As well a small barrier was added to the back panel because access to high voltages should always be prohibited, vintage look or not. The super efficient alnico speaker and classic circuit makes this a fun amp and definitely worth the effort involved in getting it back to working order.

The Very Minimum Integrated Tube Stereo Amplifier This project started out as a repair of an older Spanish 15 Watt HiFi amplifier that the customer brought in. It had so many problems from a humming power transformer, horrible wiring, and unsafe repairs from a previous tech, that we decided to start fresh. This is a super simple design that utilizes a pair of the original Z-565 Dynaco output transformers and a modern toroidal power transformer with two EL84 per side for around 15 Watts. That's more than enough power to fill a normal sized room with reasonably efficient speakers The sound is excellent on all types of music with lots of detail and a very balanced presentation, testament to the great quality of the Dynaco transformers and the classic EL84 push pull arrangement. A phono preamp is also included along with 3 line level inputs. Other than a input selector, there is only a volume control making this a very minimal hifi amplifier indeed! #tubehifi #rerunelectronics #dynaco #el84 #tubes #hifi

The Hortson 25 Watt Combo Amplifier with Reverb and Tremolo This beautiful set originated in France where the Hortson name was well known for high end home cinéma. Along with the matching 16mm film projector, the cinéaste would have a system here to entertain friends and family. As the amp arrived in a terrible state with blown output transformer and more, it was deemed the perfect candidate for a full rebuild into something more useful. The idea here is to hearken back to the big clean amps of the 50s--a full sound that immediately grabs the guitar tone and makes something special. Adding a giant reverb and a thick tremolo just complements the whole. The speaker is a large magnet Alnico for a vintage sound, while the circuit is classic: a switched scooped mids, treble/bass controls, two chokes, tube rectifier, vintage oil filter capacitors and a pair of 6L6 in cathode bias for lots of headroom and nice compression. Overall, this is just a stunning amp which works as well in the studio, on stage or at home. With all hand wiring, white snakeskin tolex and gorgeous details, you can't go wrong here. DM for details or check in via the rerun-electronics website. #hortson #rerunelectronics #guitaramp #tubeamp #reverb #tremolo #16mm #snakeskin #homecinema #frenchdesign

TUBON ! by Joh Mustad AB This fascinating instrument is of Swedish origin, thereby giving the music of Dansband the heavy synth bass it's known for...Other marginally famous users include the odd German electronic group from Düsseldorf and a Liverpudian band with a few hits from the 60s. Although the monophonic design is simple, the sound is actually pretty huge. It has three filter settings run through a hefty inductor, a fourth button for a decay function, and a fifth which controls the volume. As it's built from plastic, the instrument isn't exactly robust but all told, this one has held up well considering its age. The amount of work needed on this included the usual recapping, one faulty transistor replacement, many broken traces on the PCB repaired, and a lot of cleaning and adjustment. Normally, the output jack is a 4 pin DIN but we dug deep into the vaults of used parts to find the perfect DIN to jack adapter which also allows the internal battery to switch off when the 1/4" jack is removed. As to whether this is the origin of the keytar, someone else will have to decide, but we can't think of an earlier example of such a design. Surely there must be a video out there somewhere of a Swede in full Dansband regalia playing one of these? #rerunelectronics #tubon #dansband #kraftwerk #beatles #synth #synthbass #keytar

The Big Peeve Basement Rehab Amp This not so fine example of a Peavey Classic came into the workshop after spending years in a basement with all the associated misfortune: damp, filth and numerous broken parts. What it did have however is some character(!), a nice 15" speaker and just about the perfect platform for a complete teardown and rebuild. With this amp we've decided to give it a mix of old and new technology. Tubes of course, in this case a metal 6SJ7 pentode front end a pair of cathode biased EL34s for the output, vintage mustard coupling caps, but a transistor based tremolo and low impedance power supply for near zero noise even at high gain. And this amp does have a lot of gain, yet still has enough headroom to ensure a clean tone at full output. Along with the tremolo, the spring reverb circuit is the same we've been putting in all our amps for a few years now that sounds massive without the noise and boing/pinging of the typical Fender. All in all, this makes for a very versatile and fun amp to play. We always recommend 15" speakers for guitar so it was especially nice to see one come in already outfitted with it! Some sound samples will be up on the rerun-electronics.com website soon... #rerunelectronics #peavey #rehab #tubeamp #modification #guitaramp

The D-695-A Muirhead Wigan Decade Oscillator For all the BBC Radiophonic Workshop and Delia Derbyshire fans, here is a very clean example of the famous decade oscillator used extensively in the studios. This amazing piece of equipment is literally built to last: over 60 years old, yet the only serious service required was replacement of the electrolytic capacitors and one resistor! Sweeping through the frequencies is still incredibly accurate. The circuit utilizes all tubes of course and includes top quality Muirhead transformers, balanced and unbalanced outputs are possible. This lovely looking and sounding piece deserves a good home, so if there are any budding Derbyshires out there, send me a message and make me an offer. Power supply is variable from 190-245 Volts and a full service manual in English and German will be included. #bbcradiophonicworkshop #deliaderbyshire #muirhead #tubes #valves #testequipment #oscillator

The Altec Lansing 1567 Stereo Extension Unit The Altec Lansing 1567 mixer is pretty famous for its use in the studio ever since its inception. However, it is a mono mixer with 4 mic inputs. What if we could take two of those inputs and create a stereo field? That is exactly what this box does. Using period correct components like the original Peerless 15095 output transformer and a late 60's chassis, this unit is an exact recreation of the mixing section of the original 1567 including the bass, treble and master controls. Even better, when the switch is deactivated, it allows the 1567 to function as originally planned while at the same time utilizing the the expansion unit as a high quality line amp! This sounds great on synths or any other signals that could use a little tube warmth, gain and equalization. #rerunelectronics #altec #alteclansing #tubemixer #studioequipment #tubes #vintagegear #1567

The MiniTube Instrument Preamplifier This project came about when a customer asked for an "Alembic" style preamp for guitar and bass. The original Alembic circuit is just a straight knock off of the typical Fender preamp section: 12AX7, tone stack, volume control and 2nd 12AX7 gain stage. All fine but there are two issues. One, the high impedance output means the high frequencies will drop off quickly with anything but the shortest cables. Second, the typical Fender mids control is pretty anemic. Enter this mono mini tube preamplifier. It also sports a pair of 12AX7 gainstages, but it includes a very flexible mids control to scoop or push. As well a 12AU7 is used so that a master volume can be included after the treble and bass controls so overdrive and fuzz tones are possible where the Alembic/Fender circuits come up short. It's small size and low impedance output make it perfect for small studios as well as live gigs. All in all a simple, effective and essential tool. This prototype is available from the website or DM for details. #rerunelectronics #tubes #studioequipment #tubegear #alembic #bass #preamp

The Left Tube Microphone Preamplifier Of course Akai is known best for its hifi and music production equipment of the 70s, 80s and beyond but once upon a time they also produced tube reel to reel tape machines. Evidently, they made lots of them because the parts are still pretty common today. Clearly, these look great and make the perfect chassis for a high end mic pre. There are some "mods" floating around the interwebs using the original parts but they are pretty useless. Instead, we decided to take a bit of the old and a bit of the new and create something completely different. The Left uses two low noise pentodes for the gain and offers a high impedance instrument input as well as a transformer coupled mic input (vintage Beyer "peanut"). From there, the signal goes to a simple tilt tone control for a little sweetening, then to a beefy output amp that drives a vintage French low impedance transformer. The power supply is completely modern, utilizing high frequency switching to provide DC heaters and an extremely clean, noise free high voltage. This also means the pre can be used anywhere around the world without hassle! For fun, we even used a gas regulator tube which glows purple to provide the pentode screens with a stabilized voltage. This is a very high gain amp, perfect for dynamic mics on vocals or any source where lots of detail is needed. There are insert jacks on the upper left for applying compression or other effects, and phantom power on the upper right. On the back are XLR jacks but all the front jacks are also functional. This item is for sale DM me if interested. Check the website for other special offers. #rerunelectronics #tube #micpre #studioequipment #akai #tubemicpreamp

Back in Paris at the beautiful @arpastudios to give a little tweak to the system. This 5 section unit includes a 2x500 Watt Subwoofer amplifier driving a pair of 18" woofers; a low voltage power supply for the tube heaters, the subwoofer equalizer and crossover, and the supply for the original Western Electric compression drivers; a high voltage supply for the two 300b output tubes and the two d3a driver tubes; a preamp section including a phono preamplifier; and finally, the heart of the system, the stereo single ended power amplifier. This was custom built by rerun electronics for Arpa a few years ago to fit exactly into the bookshelf and to drive a Western Electric 16a horn. The full range speaker system also includes the aforementioned subwoofers as well as a pair of high frequency horns. #rerunelectronics #arpastudios #westernelectric #300b #tubehifi #hifi #soundsystem #customhifi

How petite should an amp be? Coming in at a whopping 4 Watts of power, this little single ended stereo amp is a classic configuration of 6J7 paired with a 6V6 output tube. Both pentode, both very linear. With the right speakers, this set-up can be the perfect amp for an office or small apartment space. This has 4 inputs and an optimum load of 8 Ohms. This was made with some spare parts that I had sitting around the shop-- a pair of Saba output transformers, the nice Hammond box, and obviously the rare coke bottle 6V6s. #rerunelectronics #tubeamplifier #hifi #vintage #stereo #handmade