Sympathetic Radford MA25 Restoration

[Radford Revival]

Hi all

One of many jobs lately, I have restored a very rare pair of MA25s. These had been stored unused for many years and had come from the labs of Bristol Polytechnic. These were acquired and restored on behalf of a customer

Cosmetically they had a few imperfections but otherwise they were in quite good condition - but they needed a bit of work

Here's how they started:

 

[Radford Revival]

Unfortunately I didn't take many pictures "during" so if you're impatient you're in luck! This is how they ended up. Most of the wiring has been renewed, especially from the sockets to the boards. I've also completely replaced all the output transformer secondary wires from the impedance switches, another classic problem area. I've also fitted a new mains lead, new power switches (originals had become stiff and one had broken), and just generally tidied the things up. The new owner wants to address the external cosmetic issues himself.

 

[Mike P]

I'm jealous!

 

[Johnjo]

Sweet! I wonder how much he got them for

 

[Ali T]

Very nice.

 

[a.palfreyman]

You bl00dy resto guys make me sick...
Fantastic job.

 

[Darmok]

Hi all

One of many jobs lately, I have restored a very rare pair of MA25s.

Hi Will,

Have you ever seen / handled a Radford MA25 "KT88" version?

 

[Radford Revival]

Hi Will,

Have you ever seen / handled a Radford MA25 "KT88" version?

I have They are very rare indeed. The person I know who owns them restored them in the late 80s but still has them. He found them, no exaggeration, left in a stream?!

 

[Darmok]

I have They are very rare indeed. The person I know who owns them restored them in the late 80s but still has them. He found them, no exaggeration, left in a stream?!

Mmmm, Incredible!!

Edit: I guess the stove enamelling preserved / saved them.

 

[Radford Revival]

Bag o' removed bits

 

[chiily]

Bag o' removed bits

Complete with green goo?

Great job Will.

 

[Radford Revival]

Complete with green goo?

Yup, this one had it bad, including bonus broken wires. Every time I work on an original that isn't a rebuild job I kick myself for not just stripping it down and starting again. I hadn't started out with the intention of pretty much re-wiring these, they just ended up needing it, the movement on the PCB from changing the cap quickly makes it apparent how fragile the original wires can be.

 

[Arkless Electronics]

I have They are very rare indeed. The person I know who owns them restored them in the late 80s but still has them. He found them, no exaggeration, left in a stream?!

I have an Amcron (Crown) DC300A which came out of a stream!

 

[Barrymagrec]

I have an Amcron (Crown) DC300A which came out of a stream!

And I thought streaming devices were a relatively recent innovation.

 

[Arkless Electronics]

And I thought streaming devices were a relatively recent innovation.

iRiver was not the first