New Amp Day - Hilgen Basso Grande B2503

[dougazbass]

Picked this up today and thought that I would share to see if anyone else is familiar. 1960s Tube Bass amp. Cab as 2 12" speakers. Looks never to have been worked on. I cleaned it up a bit. Missing two knobs.

 

[dougazbass]

Lonely place being a Hilgen owner, but I like this amp and cab. Needs a little love. Sounds very real or like it is a very accurate representation of what the guitar is putting out. Very simple, of course compared to new amps. Four separate inputs for different sounds with a volume and tone knob for each. Has a slight hum. Might benefit from a ground plug and a filter cap change. I plan on looking into that. I am not real knowledgeable about amps. Maybe I will learn on this one.
I guess that I just enjoy vintage stuff. Not as much love for vintage amps as guitars, I think. Except for a select few.
It looks like Hilgen only existed for 3 years. USA hand made old school stuff.

 

[B-string]

What output tubes are there? OT looks like maybe 25 to 30 watt output. Interesting unit!

 

[dougazbass]

I think it is supposed to be 40 watt. I have no idea which tubes the "output" tubes are. One tube made in Great Briton, 2 in USA and 2 small one in Holland. Pretty funky stuff inside, but nothing looks fried or bulged out.

 

[B-string]

The two USA Sylvania tubes are the output tubes. The Great Britain tube and the small Holland tubes could be worth some major coin.

 

[dmac1961]

I'm not familiar with it at all, but I dig it. Very Silvertone-ish. I bet it will be great for recording.

 

[dougazbass]

OK. I pulled them and looked close and they do not have a wattage rating anywhere just some model numbers or something. Thanks for the input. You too dmac.

 

[dougazbass]

The Hilgen Catalog - Hilgen Amplifiers

Here is the catalog. Its the third one down and its says 40 watts. Mine might be an older model.

 

[dougazbass]

Reading further down on the page...

The wattages reported for the amplifiers are "peak power," as was common in the 60's. Because "peak power" denotes the maximum amount of power an amplifier can possibly handle for an instant without damage, it exaggerates by about 30% the amplification power produced under typical operating conditions. In 1974 the Federal Trade Commission issued a rule requiring that amplification be expressed as "continuous" or "RMS" power, which basically represents the maximum output of the amplifier before total harmonic distortion exceeds 2%. The rule is found at 16 CFR Part 432. It's interesting if you are a geek. To convert peak power to approximate RMS power, multiply the peak power figure by .707. Thus the Hilgen guitar amps ranged from about 18 watts RMS for the Troubador and Challenger to 53 watts RMS for the most powerful of the line, the Swingaway.

So you probably hit it just right B-string.

 

[B-string]

The model "number" of the tubes will tell what they are capable of, 7591, 7355, 6V6GT, 6L6GC and so on.

 

[dougazbass]

7591

 

[B-string]

Those are high quality tubes, very hard to find in old US and expensive when you do. Used a lot in the HiFi market ranged between 25 and 35 watts from a pair. EH has a good new production tube if you want to save those older expensive ones. The JJs are okay in NP tubes but much lower power.

 

[Slackerprince]

Cool find.

S

 

[dougazbass]

Thanks again B-string. I may swap and save them.

 

[59Pan]

I have a couple Troubadours and one 2501 Basso. Here's the schematic for yours, at the bottom of this page:

Schematics - Hilgen Amplifiers

Keep the 7591's. You can still find replacements.

Jack

 

[JxBass]

Brings back memories, a Hilgen Basso Grande was my first amp back in the '60s.