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Need help with Scott 350

stoutblock

stoutblock

"If it sounds good, it is good." Duke Ellington
Subscriber
I picked up this Scott 350 tuner from the son of the original owner a couple of years back. He said it had been in storage since the early 70s because it had stopped working. It was in excellent shape so I decided it was worth fixing and it would be great to use with my matching 299C. All the tubes were original (the two 12AU7 are Telefunken) and the 6x4 was bad but all the rest test strong.

Now that I have my 299C working great, I decided to bring out the 350. I found a nice NOS RCA 6x4 black plate that checked very strong and plugged it in. No worky...

It powers up but the meter stays pegged and the dial light stays lit no matter what channel you are on. I assume this orange dial light should only light up when a stereo signal is present? This is just with a dipole hooked up. I don't even get static. I double checked the tubes and all read very good.

Good looking pair!



It's in really clean original shape so it is worth some effort to fix:





Sure is impressive inside. No obvious problems (I did not remove the shields).



I will probably end up sending it to a tech as tuners are a bit over my head, but just wondering if you guys know of any common problems with these or have any recommendations to check something simple out?
 
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Well after being on this site for over 6 years you would think I would have learned something. I have. Deoxited all the switches, rotary contacts and volume pot. Cleaned all the tube sockets.

I now have beautiful clear and solid FM stereo playing as I type. Even the meter now works perfect. It only reads about 7.5 on strong channels with just a dipole but it sounds pretty darn decent. In its current alignment (and with a dipole) it is no DXer, but man does it sound nice on the stronger channels! :yes:

I'm sure I need to replace the caps, and get a professional alignment, but I sure am glad it still has some solid life in it. :thmbsp:

Still would appreciate input from anyone who knows these gems...
 
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Isn't that the truth, reading through the old books, checking the cord & cleaning are the first steps. Those are beautiful pieces, how does the tuner sound?
 
Perkinsman said:
Isn't that the truth, reading through the old books, checking the cord & cleaning are the first steps. Those are beautiful pieces, how does the tuner sound?
Click to expand...

You know, after a couple of hours use I have to say it is actually sounding quite exceptional!

I listen to NPR Jazz late at night using headphones quite often. FM through headphones can be very revealing of faults. I really like my Yamaha T-2 and C-2x combination for this as it is very, very clean yet musical and full of detail.

After a couple of hours tonight/morning this Scott combination is really starting to open up. Granted I get better reception at night but the tuner's background is really cleaning up and the detail is getting crisper by the hour. Quite enjoyable listening to KPLU 88.5 NPR Jazz right now!
 
stoutblock said:
You know, after a couple of hours use I have to say it is actually sounding quite exceptional!

Congratulations on a beautiful tuner! Following this thread and the DBX1 Yamaha T-2 thread.
I can't understand the rush to recap every piece of vintage gear before a through evaluation of how it sounds. Granted some gear could use refurbishment especially if it was beat the death. Anyone who thinks that high end,expensive caps will make mediocre quality gear sound better than new is mistaken as far is I'm concerned.
Happy listening
Jimmy
Click to expand...
 
DOBIEGUY said:
I can't understand the rush to recap every piece of vintage gear before a through evaluation of how it sounds. Granted some gear could use refurbishment especially if it was beat the death. Anyone who thinks that high end,expensive caps will make mediocre quality gear sound better than new is mistaken as far is I'm concerned.
Happy listening
Jimmy
Click to expand...

For me it is not just about the sound. It is also knowing the unit is safe to operate and does not need concern or attention for years to come.
 
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DOBIEGUY said:
Congratulations on a beautiful tuner! Following this thread and the DBX1 Yamaha T-2 thread.
I can't understand the rush to recap every piece of vintage gear before a through evaluation of how it sounds. Granted some gear could use refurbishment especially if it was beat the death. Anyone who thinks that high end,expensive caps will make mediocre quality gear sound better than new is mistaken as far is I'm concerned.
Happy listening
Jimmy
Click to expand...

DBX1 will evaluate his newly purchased Yamaha T-2 Tuner before performing restorations/upgrades. DBX1 never purchases middle of the line mediocre gear and never uses mediocre caps when upgrading his beloved equipment. :D

Has DBX1 told you that he has what is nearly two 30 year old TTs in his possession which are still going strong? Single owner. Both modded to elevate from decent to the best sounding component in the audio chain. I'd love to see the Yamaha T-2 to get near that level of performance.

Congrats on restoring your beloved Scott Tuner Stout Block.
 
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Sam Cogley said:
Your dial light is burned out, too.
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Hmm, no wonder the numbers are hard to see at night.

What is the orange light for? It is always on as long as I have it set to MPX no matter weather is a stereo channel in tune or not?
 
DBX1 said:
DBX1 will evaluate his newly purchased Yamaha T-2 Tuner before performing restorations/upgrades. DBX1 never purchases middle of the line mediocre gear and never uses mediocre caps when upgrading his beloved equipment. :D

Has DBX1 told you that he has what is nearly two 30 year old TTs in his possession which are still going strong? Single owner. Both modded to elevate from decent to the best sounding component in the audio chain. I'd love to see the Yamaha T-2 to get near that level of performance.

Congrats on restoring your beloved Scott Tuner Stout Block.
Click to expand...

I think DBX1 will like the T-2...
 
stoutblock said:
Hmm, no wonder the numbers are hard to see at night.

What is the orange light for? It is always on as long as I have it set to MPX no matter weather is a stereo channel in tune or not?
Click to expand...

It's just telling you that you're on Stereo MPX mode (not necessarily that you are on a Stereo broadcast). Quite primitive...

On my LT-110, there's a separate circuit with a 6AV6 to engage the orange neon only when a stereo broadcast is transmitting (19kHz pilot detection).

BTW, three caps appears brand new (big yellow and two little orange drops).

Patrice
 
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Patrice B said:
On my LT-110, there's a separate circuit with a 6AV6 to engage the orange neon only when a stereo broadcast is transmitting (19kHz pilot detection).
Click to expand...

Hmmm, that would be what I would expect.

Patrice B said:
BTW, three caps appears brand new (big yellow and two little orange drops).

Patrice
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Hmmm, I thought those looked pretty modern for something this old. Must have been tweaked by someone in the past?
 
Martin,

Call me the tuner needs about 7 or 8 caps replaced. I seriously doubt you will get much benefit having it aligned I can walk you through a basic field alignment. You can tackle this project on your own with a bit of guidance I will happily provide.

Craig.
 
stoutblock said:
Hmmm, that would be what I would expect.



Hmmm, I thought those looked pretty modern for something this old. Must have been tweaked by someone in the past?
Click to expand...

The way of showing if the 19kHz was synced had four iterations at Scott:

- The 350 first version and the idiot neon light;
- the neon with the 6AV6 circuit (stereo guide);
- "Sonic monitor" on the later models;
- Automatic detection of MPX signal on the 310E and the 4310.

Fisher had a better way in my opinion...

For the caps, those (the new ones) are the MPX most important caps to replace.
 
stoutblock said:
Hmm, no wonder the numbers are hard to see at night.

What is the orange light for? It is always on as long as I have it set to MPX no matter weather is a stereo channel in tune or not?
Click to expand...

The dial light is a standard #47, same as the meter light. If you can find one, install one of those "helmet" style shields on the bulb, and aim it to direct all of the light down at the tuning shaft. That will produce a nice even glow around the dial. Otherwise it will have a real bright spot at the top.

Be careful loosening and tightening the screw on the dial. Those dials are brittle after 50 years, and no one is making replacements.
 
Man you guys are the greatest! I will get this guy back on the bench. Craig, yeah I will give you a call. t
 
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Can you give a update when the tuner is done ? ( with pictures please )
I have the same tuner waiting for a recap but a little scared to start with it.
 
arnold58 said:
Can you give a update when the tuner is done ? ( with pictures please )
I have the same tuner waiting for a recap but a little scared to start with it.
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I ended up finding that many of the caps were recently replaced. Over the last weeks I have probably had the tuner running for dozens of hours and it is really starting to sound mighty fine. I think it just needed some reawakening time as it seems to work perfectly now. Once on a strong station, these are very fine tuners and sound very musical combined with the 299C. :yes:
 
I see only 3 or 4 "new" caps, did you leave the other old ones as is ?
Mine plays also very well, all stock, but only in mono, stereo is to bad to listen.
 
arnold58 said:
I see only 3 or 4 "new" caps, did you leave the other old ones as is ?
Mine plays also very well, all stock, but only in mono, stereo is to bad to listen.
Click to expand...

Yes, I have not touched anything since it has settled down. Good enough for now but may go for the others this winter.
 
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