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More information about the unique amplifiers made by Magnatone and Valco
Half of a 12AX7 is used for the preamp. The other half is used for the LFO (low frequency oscillator). Stereo Vibrato, as well as phase inverting duties are handled by four 6CG7's. A hard to find 6BX7 (dual triode) vertical deflection tube, amplifies the LFO for the pitch shifters. Four 6973's power pentodes drive twin output transformers for the stereo speakers. It uses a 5AS4A rectifier tube (full wave equiv to 5U4GB).
The TC-1 came with 2 controls that can be mounted to the organ (see photo right). The Echo Control is a 3-way switch between Main, Both, or Echo. The Stereo Vibrato Control is a concentric style adjustment for the speed and depth of the vibrato. There is also a 5 pin tube base style female connector and a 3 position terminal strip on the rear of the chassis as well as a "Magnatone Hi Fidelity" decal. The terminal strip is for speaker output L+, Common, R+. These are attached to the two internal 12 inch Oxford speakers. The 5 pin connector has AC, speakers+, and chassis ground. The chassis is mounted in the top section of the enclosure on three rubber vibration isolators. Approx. 50 Watts Stereo total (25 watts per amp)
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I got this amp about a year ago but just picked it up from a local dealer who has had it for about a decade (Steve M. from Angela Music). It is a fun amp, but noisy right now so I have to open it and see if the tubes or caps need some TLC." Approx. 50 Watts Stereo total (25 watts per amp)
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Approx. 50 Watts Stereo total (25 watts per amp)
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Randy sent these photos of the model TC-1. Looks circa 1957 from speaker codes. Dimensions: 27in. wide x 33in. tall x 17in. deep. Weight - approx. 80 lbs. The cabinet is made of plywood covered in a brown fabric with grainy texture. The Stereo Oxford speakers are mounted on the sides, close to the bottom, surrounded with walnut frames and tan grill cloth. The front of the unit has two "birdies" (the brass V shapes) close to the bottom and a recessed brass colored metal strip across the top that has a small logo on the right side. There is a base on the cabinet consisting of 1"x2" rails on the sides and rear leaving the front section open. The enclosure is a kind of tuned port style with the port on the bottom rear, coupling with the air space left by the base between the bottom and floor.
There is a 6 pin male connector (tube base style) as well as a volume adjust and a tone (low-pass) adjust. These are "set and forget" type controls as they are inside the back of the cabinet.
Chris sent us this photo of his TC-1 Tone cabinet. Chris says "Looks good enough to be furniture. Pretty much it has faux leather trim up the front with the dual V's, and you can see where a Magnatone "M" was on the front but was removed sometime in the past. Still has a little "M" in the gold metal trim on the front. Sides have one 12" speaker each. This one has been modified to allow you to plug your guitar in and play. No speed control for the vibrato as a knob. When I took the chassis out, it turns out that the 5 pin connector for power has these 3 other connections (1) signal in (2) vibrato speed (to the 220k resistor), and (3) Vibrato on/off. The transformers have the following numbers on them: Output - 606 801 and 4411, the power transformer
has 606 802 and 4410. The tubes are 4 - 6CZ5, 1- 5U4GB/5AS4A, 4 - 6CG7, 1 - 12AX7 (for the oscillator both sides are paralleled), 1 - 6BX7GT (?) this is an octal tube. Also it looks to have 12 varistors in the circuit. No circuits that I could find have more than 8. Not sure how they are all used.
Tim Martin sent this photo of the Magnatone Model BVW. Looks just like the TC-1 above. Notice the warranty card is still attached to the unit. The card reads: Model BVW, Serial number #10969, Magna Electronics Co, Inc, 9810 Anza Ave, Inglewood, Ca.
Mark sent this photo of the Magnatone Model TC-1. This is the low profile model with serial number 13929. It's circuit is similar to the stereo model 280. It uses four 6973 output tubes. Cabinet dimensions are 37.5 Wide x 29.5 High x 18 Deep. It has the original controls and cables.
