GTC Vega PA-450

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Hi,
I'm not having any luck via New Shittier Google finding any info on this 4-ch solid state PA mixer w/ spring reverb I got thru craigslist this morning: made by General Transistor Corp (est 1976) of Whittier, CA. Anybody know 'em? They now just seem to sell electronics components. I wrote to see if they have any info on their legacy products, but I won't hold my breath. Anyhoo, seems to be a straightforward early 80s cheapie deal, but I really don't know. I just wanted to be able to try out the reverb. I suppose I'll have to pop it open anyway bc the nut from one of the handle screws is rattling around loose in there.

Re: Small questions that don't fit anywhere

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Practice space/storage space - how bad is it to keep amps in a not completely finished basement? It's dry, temperature is maybe high 50s to low 70s over the course a year.

Or how does one make it safe for your stuff without having to spend loads of money? What do you all do?
"I got to tell you, if I went to a show and an opening band I never heard of lugged a Super Six on stage, I am paying attention." - Owen

Re: Small questions that don't fit anywhere

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Nate Dort wrote: Temperature swings are fine, as long as they're gradual. It's fast swings that cause issues, i.e. cold can of soda into a hot humid room.

Bigger issue is humidity. You say it's dry, but what's the air humidity like? I run a dehumidifier in my unfinished basement during the summer to keep things around 50% RH.
So temps are less of a concern than humidity? That's good to know, thank you. Are dehumidifiers as annoying to run as people say? It's often mentioned as being like a new hobby. Maybe that's just if they're in your living room or similar.
"I got to tell you, if I went to a show and an opening band I never heard of lugged a Super Six on stage, I am paying attention." - Owen

Re: Small questions that don't fit anywhere

1347
jirbling rake wrote: Fri Jul 07, 2023 7:30 am
Nate Dort wrote: Temperature swings are fine, as long as they're gradual. It's fast swings that cause issues, i.e. cold can of soda into a hot humid room.

Bigger issue is humidity. You say it's dry, but what's the air humidity like? I run a dehumidifier in my unfinished basement during the summer to keep things around 50% RH.
So temps are less of a concern than humidity? That's good to know, thank you. Are dehumidifiers as annoying to run as people say? It's often mentioned as being like a new hobby. Maybe that's just if they're in your living room or similar.
The components in your amp are likely rated to run between -20 C and +85 C, so ambient temperature isn't a concern. Your basement isn't going to get anywhere near as hot as the amp internals will when it's run at high power output.
Sometimes people say, "well, what if my amp gets really cold, like freezing?" Well, amps are shipped from the factory in the winter and sit in unconditioned warehouses and trucks all the time, and they work fine. The trick is to let them gradually get up to temp if you take them from a cold area to a hot area before you turn them on.

My dehumidifier is pretty much set-it and forget-it. I have the condensation line running into the same pump that removes condensation from my central AC unit, so I don't have to manually empty a tank. You could also route the drain line into a floor drain if your basement has one. Only thing I need to do is rinse the cat hair off the metal filter every month or so.

Re: Small questions that don't fit anywhere

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This reminds me of a recent amp repair I did for an acquaintance. Marshall Super Lead which he said just died. I didnt even have it inside my building before I noticed one of the power tubes was milky white (he didnt have the back panel on it) and that's a definite sign that the tube lost vacuum. When I pulled it there was of course a big crack in the glass and I also noticed a little bit of dry sticky residue on it. Asked the guy "hey what are the chances that after you last show some spillage happened and you got cold beer on a hot piece of glass?"

"uh....yeah that would check out"
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Re: Small questions that don't fit anywhere

1349
jirbling rake wrote: Fri Jul 07, 2023 7:30 am So temps are less of a concern than humidity? That's good to know, thank you. Are dehumidifiers as annoying to run as people say? It's often mentioned as being like a new hobby. Maybe that's just if they're in your living room or similar.
Tolex loves to grow mold - but if the humidity in that basement is bad enough for that, you would want to run the dehumidifier for the sake of your health. I have one that cost $200, and it's set and forget - even easier if you run hose from it to drain so you don't have to empty it (most bigger ones have a hookup for that).
It's much, much much more comfortable to do anything in an environment that is less than %65-70 humidity

Re: Small questions that don't fit anywhere

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Yes to dehumidifiers. I have two at opposite ends of the basement, a medium sized one and a big one. I empty the medium one once a day, sometimes twice a day in the worst of summer, and the big one less often. Before I got the dehumidifiers, like ten years ago, I was down there one day and noticed a thin film of mold on the top tolex of a combo amp. Upon further inspection, pretty much all my amps and cabs were showing a bit of dusty looking mold. It was nasty and just starting to smell musty. I pulled everything outside, sprayed it down with bleach water, scrubbed it and left it in the sun for a day or so. The atmosphere is infinitely more hospitable down there in the summer months and none of my gear has shown any signs of mold or moisture damage since.
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