Hey y'all, second post here...
I found an OOOOOOOLLLLLLLDDDDD McIntosh tube amp in my grandpas garage following his passing. Well it looks like it is in wonderful shape. A little dirty but good overall. Several thoughts,
1. How much is something like that worth?
2. What would be the best way of testing it out?
3. Is there somewhere I could take / send it, to get it looked over before just plugging it in. I would hate to have something stupid torch the antique.
4. Other special considerations?
Thanks
You might want to include the model with this question.
To give a rough answer to your question, it's worth a lot more than it was.
If you plug it in and turn it on now, you may launch the electrolytic capacitors, which can cause the power or output transformer(s) to go bad. That would make it an interesting paperweight and nothing more. Where are you located? That will help in making any recommendations.
When you clean it, don't use any solvents like acetone, lacquer thinner, naptha, etc on the case where the letters are silk screened onto it- they come off pretty easily. Use a weak water-based cleaner, but not Super Clean- that will take the lettering off so fast it will make your head spin. I used that on the dash of a car and it took the chrome striping off of the black plastic instantly. If the bottom pan is dull and slightly scratched, you can use polishing compound- just don't use rubbing compound. If it's pitted and rusted and you want to restore it because of the connection to your grandfather, you can strip it, sand it smooth and re-paint with black lacquer. I did that on a pair of Mac MC-75 amps I had (they were in rough condition) and they turned out really nicely. I wet sanded and polished the paint, making them look like they were new. Whatever you do, never use steel wool, Scotch Brite ir any other abrasive on the metal. I don't think I would use anything more aggressive than denatured alcohol, but I would test an area first- if you wipe it gently and ANY of the lettering comes off, let it dry and keep using the water-based cleaner. I would think about contacting McIntosh to find out what is safe to use for cleaning.
For that matter, you could always send the amp to McIntosh for refurbishing- IIRC, they will also make sure it matches the original specs.
