Tools, Tones and Toys for Guitarists
Picked up another Bell & Howell Gaumont today, with the speaker cab – a Model 601 from 1950 (based on the capacitor dates). Nice to see the original speaker still in the cab – I gave a quick test, sounds fine. The 601 is the same amp as the 621 (full details here). The 601 … Read more
This one turned out to be slightly different to the others I’ve worked on – it’s a Bell & Howell Filmosound, Model 156 Projector Amplifier (Part No. 13817), field-coil speaker version. Apart from field-coil speakers, there are clear differences between the 1576 vs the more common Filmosound 621 & 179 models. The tone control and … Read more
The original schematic for the 385 was killing me – just too many part numbers listed, so I cleaned it up a bit. I also removed the projector circuits. I think there are two versions of this amp – this is the 6V6 version, while the other uses EL84s (which is nearly impossible to find … Read more
Just documenting my latest Bell & Howell conversion. – Model 601 amplifier, with 1950 capacitor dates.
Documenting another Bell & Howell amplifier conversion. While it has a different model number and a shiny red faceplate, it’s the same amp as the 621 and others in the series. Quite often, variations of the model number has more to do with the projector than the amp. BELL & HOWELL 622 PROJECTOR AMPLIFIER Stock … Read more
Despite saying never again – I now have another Bell & Howell projector amp. This is a 621 model from 1951, which as far as the amp is concerned, looks almost identical to my 601 from 1949. I believe the main differences were with the actual projector itself – the 621 being a later and improved model. … Read more
When I started this project, I knew some people prefer to keep these amps stock. However, running something with electrolytic capacitors from 1948 seemed like a disaster waiting to happen. If one failed, it would be a nightmare to fix. In fact, if anything failed, the cramped design would make repairs extremely difficult. On top … Read more
I know, I know—this is starting to drift even further from pedal circuits with each post, but stick with me for a moment. These old Bell and Howell projector amps have quite the following, so I’ve been keeping an eye out for one for a while. The catch is, they don’t pop up on the … Read more