Yes, if the chord is two pronged, they are wired grounded which is typical for the period back then. If you notice hiss or hum above normal it likely will need power filter caps replaced. A fun little amp though.
thanks for the demo i need a practice amp and there is a guy selling one by me for a 100 bucks i think im going to grab it Am i correct in reading that this amp is not grounded ? I could get zapped ?
@jojokeo Thanks! I gave the Truetone/Kay 703 amp to a buddy for his studio use right after I got it. He plays some kind of newer Les Paul thru it maybe with hotter pups than vintage, and it breaks up really nicely for him. I never tried my '78 LP Deluxe thru it, maybe that would have broken up nice too. My stock '73 Strat pups didnt make it happen though - but does with my '69 Champ, even with a Weber Sig 8 speaker upgrade. Who knows. Works for my buddy so AOK. Thanks for your reply.
Since the amp is a whole 2 watts or so it needs to be turned up most if not all of the way. But this is good as it saves you ears, keeps peace, and gives up some sweet power tube crunch. It was fun to play. Thanks for your comment. :)
Just picked up one of these. Great amp. I love to turn everything up on the amp and control the volume and tone from the guitar. I posted a video playing a Kay K-592 Red Devil into the 703. Your playing is great...you make this amp talk. Cheers!
Which Kay 703, 12AU6-35Z5-50L6 or 60FX5-18GD6-36AM3 tubes? Got the first and can't get good sound - very quiet maxed in my room, can't get crunch, bass is fart and sound dark and fizzy. A speaker problem? It's a Heppner. What's the impedance, thinking of getting a replacement? Problem shouldn't be tubes - it works and hum is very quiet.
Thanks for any help! Also, is it safe shock wise, when I use it with a 240V - 120V voltage transformer, since in Europe, mine has no isolation transformer?
@ronaldkorv - Sorry for the late reply, email settings changed w/out realizing it. This is the 12au6/50l6 model 703C version. I re-capped this amp, installed a grounded 120VAC chord, and made a couple of circuit adjustments if I remember correctly. The most important was the 150 ohm cathode resistor on the power tube wasn't bypassed w/ a cap. This makes a big gain increase and a bit brighter/clearer too as the tube doesn't suffer from degenerative internal feedback. Hope this helps?
Hi, sounds really good! I have a Truetone amp with the same circuit as the Kay 703-C. I replaced the filter caps and got rid of the hum, but my amp doesnt break up into the smooth tweedy distortion your's does. I play a 73 Strat with stock pups. What do you think?
Do you happen to have any photos of the inside? I'm rebuilding one of these from the ground up, and the schematics I've found aren't very clear. If you have a parts list too, that would be neat.
Hi and greetings to you. Yes it is a strat w/ Lace Sensor pickups. Sold the amp on eBay and the quick demo was for that purpose. Tubes are 18gd6a - preamp, 60fx5 - power amp, and 36am3 - rectifier. I restored this amp from no sound and very poor condition to what you hear. Unfortunately the camera's small mic doesn't sound very good compared to live sound. Cheers! :)
Yes, if the chord is two pronged, they are wired grounded which is typical for the period back then. If you notice hiss or hum above normal it likely will need power filter caps replaced. A fun little amp though.
jojokeo 11 months ago
thanks for the demo i need a practice amp and there is a guy selling one by me for a 100 bucks i think im going to grab it Am i correct in reading that this amp is not grounded ? I could get zapped ?
divrack 11 months ago
@jojokeo Thanks! I gave the Truetone/Kay 703 amp to a buddy for his studio use right after I got it. He plays some kind of newer Les Paul thru it maybe with hotter pups than vintage, and it breaks up really nicely for him. I never tried my '78 LP Deluxe thru it, maybe that would have broken up nice too. My stock '73 Strat pups didnt make it happen though - but does with my '69 Champ, even with a Weber Sig 8 speaker upgrade. Who knows. Works for my buddy so AOK. Thanks for your reply.
bear1484 1 year ago
Since the amp is a whole 2 watts or so it needs to be turned up most if not all of the way. But this is good as it saves you ears, keeps peace, and gives up some sweet power tube crunch. It was fun to play. Thanks for your comment. :)
jojokeo 1 year ago
Just picked up one of these. Great amp. I love to turn everything up on the amp and control the volume and tone from the guitar. I posted a video playing a Kay K-592 Red Devil into the 703. Your playing is great...you make this amp talk. Cheers!
cpkelley 1 year ago
Which Kay 703, 12AU6-35Z5-50L6 or 60FX5-18GD6-36AM3 tubes? Got the first and can't get good sound - very quiet maxed in my room, can't get crunch, bass is fart and sound dark and fizzy. A speaker problem? It's a Heppner. What's the impedance, thinking of getting a replacement? Problem shouldn't be tubes - it works and hum is very quiet.
Thanks for any help! Also, is it safe shock wise, when I use it with a 240V - 120V voltage transformer, since in Europe, mine has no isolation transformer?
ronaldkorv 1 year ago
@ronaldkorv - Sorry for the late reply, email settings changed w/out realizing it. This is the 12au6/50l6 model 703C version. I re-capped this amp, installed a grounded 120VAC chord, and made a couple of circuit adjustments if I remember correctly. The most important was the 150 ohm cathode resistor on the power tube wasn't bypassed w/ a cap. This makes a big gain increase and a bit brighter/clearer too as the tube doesn't suffer from degenerative internal feedback. Hope this helps?
jojokeo 1 year ago
have this, its so nice
imants88 1 year ago
Hi, sounds really good! I have a Truetone amp with the same circuit as the Kay 703-C. I replaced the filter caps and got rid of the hum, but my amp doesnt break up into the smooth tweedy distortion your's does. I play a 73 Strat with stock pups. What do you think?
Bear
bear1484 2 years ago
@bear1484 - I don't know if this will still help you but read above regarding the power tube bypass cap. Sorry for the long delay.
jojokeo 1 year ago
Do you happen to have any photos of the inside? I'm rebuilding one of these from the ground up, and the schematics I've found aren't very clear. If you have a parts list too, that would be neat.
danerectal 3 years ago
@danerectal - did you ever get the amp done?
jojokeo 1 year ago
Sounds great! What's the tube line-up in the amp? Is that a strat?
vpulcini 3 years ago
Hi and greetings to you. Yes it is a strat w/ Lace Sensor pickups. Sold the amp on eBay and the quick demo was for that purpose. Tubes are 18gd6a - preamp, 60fx5 - power amp, and 36am3 - rectifier. I restored this amp from no sound and very poor condition to what you hear. Unfortunately the camera's small mic doesn't sound very good compared to live sound. Cheers! :)
jojokeo 3 years ago