Scott 222 B tube amp


I have the opportunity to buy a Scott 222 B power amp, in unknown working condition, for $75.00. Based on where this amp is, I have no reason to think its been abused or damaged. As with many of the other things in this house, it most likely has been sitting unused for several, if not MANY years. I've not had any tube audio equipment before. Would this be a reasonable starting point/introduction? Assuming I have it tweaked up to spec when I get it, how reliable is this unit? Thanks for your help!

Dale.
128x128dalehimself
Probably not the best possible way to start tube audio. My reason is that despite the likely low usage the amp will need to be recapped and some tubes may be less than optimal. Unless you are willing and have a good tech familiar with vintage tube equipment who can give it a thorough check up and recap which can be costly. I would opt for either a reliably refurbished vintage or a relatively inexpensive modern amp. You will not find a good working modern amp for that money but if you are really interested in tube amplification you have to think in terms of much more money.That said, as a tube guy it's worth it.
I bought a recapped partly retubed Fisher 400 recently, that works great but I use it for nearfield only. My point is that there are other issues to consider. Such as, what kind of speakers and listening room preferences do you have. Most older amps work best with higher efficiency speakers.
My 2 cents vintage amps can sound very good but in all honesty of the several I own none compare to my modern tube amps.
Respectfully disagree with Mechans; although his concerns are very well taken. But, $75 to get a taste of what tubes are all about? No brainer IMO! These Scott amps can be very sweet sounding, and will definitely let you hear what the fuss is all about; look cool too. But as Mechans mentioned, you should not try to drive anything other than a fairly high efficiency, easy load speaker. With an efficient small box speaker, the Scott can sound really good.

Sounds like cost is a conern for you. If you are reasonably sure that the amp has not been abused you are probably in good shape. Check to see what tubes are in there. Probably Telefunkens, which last a long time, and are probably worth more than $75 by themselves. Even if the amp is not working, it is worth much more than $75 for parts alone (transformers). I would buy or borrow a Variac and bring it up to full voltage SLOWLY, since it has not been turned on for a long time. Go for it!
You did well on the price!- properly refurbished they can be quite nice sounding. However unless you have it on good information that the unit has been recently serviced, I would not run it until you have the power supply rebuilt with new filter caps and have the unit checked over, else the power transformer could be damaged.

With a new set of filter capacitors and other relatively minor service issues taken care of, you can expect the amp to be reasonably reliable for another 20 years or so.

We've been doing a lot of work like this in the last few years but anyone familiar with servicing tube amps should be able to take care of it. I would allow for at least $200 to get things taken care of, although it could go higher than that if the tubes have to be replaced.
You need to be a-bit DIY to handle this amp. The cap banks that most-likely need to be replaced are not cheap and might cost more than you would pay for the amp, but $75 is a great price even for the partially functional unit.
I agree with Mechans that this amp is great for near-field, but should probably mention that built quality of this amp is superior to the modern tube amps.