Comments on: Webster-Chicago: Because Shouting Is Outmoded (1939)

By: Carl Morrell

Carl Morrell — Mon, 03 Apr 2017 15:04:00 +0000

Need help… desperate!! I have a Webster Chicago amp out of a Seeburg Selectophone Jukebox, circa: 1932-1935 and need a schematic for the amp. It is a Type: SB5 serial number A 6255.
Does anybody have a suggestion? I have tried all the Jukebox repair facilities with no luck. As recommended, I’m not going to fire it up until I change the capacitors, but I can’t read the values on the old square paper ones. The wax ones I can read easily.

By: FRE0

FRE0 — Tue, 23 Sep 2014 00:38:38 +0000

Caution!

Do not power up an old amplifier that has not been used for many years. They have electrolytic capacitors which have a limited life. If you power up the amplifier, serious damage may occur.

Check out all the electrolytic capacitors first. Probably most, or all, of them will need to be replaced. After you are sure that all the electrolytic capacitors are OK, you can try powering up the amplifier while taking precautions to be sure that it will not draw too much current and damage a component. One trick is to connect it in series with a light bulb of appropriate size, one which has a rating which would cause it to draw about twice as much current as the amplifier is expected to draw; it will limit the current to prevent serious damage in case there is a problem. A tungsten filament when hot has about 20 times the resistance as when it is cold. If everything is OK, the light bulb may immediately become slightly bright, then dimmer, then gradually brighter again. The amplifier should work, but not quite normally since the light bulb in series with it will reduce the voltage. If everything seems OK, then power the amplifier normally.

By: john bowman

john bowman — Wed, 22 May 2013 16:54:09 +0000

i just found a webster w920 with all origional tubes, i wanna fire it up to see if it works, but have no idea how to hook it up! some help please! im a guitar guy so this might be saweeeeeet! plz help! coldandhomeless@yahoo.com

By: Nancy

Nancy — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 21:10:33 +0000

I have a Webster Electric microphone, model SS667. I can’t find anything about it anywhere. Whenever I google, I do get items related to Shure–is this an early Shure mic? It’s in mint condition and I even have the spiral hand held pole that screws into the base.

By: Bastaard Sons of Darius McCollum

Bastaard Sons of Darius McCollum — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 03:38:02 +0000

Mike Schultz has some really good stuff at http://www.uv201.com

I really like looking at the old tubes. Most of the plants they were made in weren’t that elaborate or large, and even with our excessive environmental laws I think it would be easier than people think to start a small tube plant making the tubes that are the most valuable and ironically often the simplest. Triodes like the 2A3, 300B, 50, 45 and 10 bring the stupid money, along with rectifiers and some antique types. Seeing eye types wouldn’t be that hard either-indeed, any tube made before WWII is probably fairly simple to make. Only later high perveance and multi-element miniature tubes, and a few specialized types, would be really challenging. Litton, the company that made the grid lathes and sealers is still in business!

By: Tom Fine

Tom Fine — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 22:06:04 +0000

Chris, this post is really interesting, thanks for the catalog. That little portable amp/mic/speaker rig works really well with a harmonica. You don’t quite get the Little Walter thru a Bassman effect, but it’s super-gritty and dirty sounding, real urban blues.

Mike’s link above is super-cool. I love the mandolin demonstration photos, also the trade-show floor disk recordings.

By: rrusston

rrusston — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 20:52:48 +0000

I still see these old Webster amps at hamfests and whatnot. They can be made into a pretty good guitar amp, especially the 50s ones, which are similar looking to these but have all RC coupled circuits. Usually the original OPT will last a few months in guitar service and then fail. The power transformer will last a long time, especially if you bake it at 150 F. for a few hours to get the water out. I use a DC supply across the primary and adjust the current so it dissipates enough to heat the outside to about 130 F. as measured with an infrared thermometer.

By: chris

chris — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 12:34:15 +0000

In reply to Mike Schultz. Thanks for the link Mike; those photos you posted are amazing! what a great find! I encourage you all to follow the link to mike's site.

By: Mike Schultz

Mike Schultz — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 12:22:57 +0000

Great site-thanks for posting that catalog!

A while back I ran across some old glass plate negatives, some of which showed the contents of a Webster-Chicago dealer in Philadelphia, from 1938. The image quality is fantastic-serious eye candy. For anyone interested in Webster-Chicago in particular, or vintage audio equipment in general, they are worth checking out at my website (at the posted link).