MC2205 Replacement Glass

lbcgav

AK Subscriber
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Has anyone around here replaced the glass on their MC2205 lately? I'll need to replace mine soon and was wondering if McIntosh parts has any in stock or when the next batch might be made. I don't think Tom Manley has any in stock and it appears Audio Classics is out as well. I haven't had a chance to call McIntosh Parts yet.
 
Yea best bet is to call McIntosh Parts and ask. Sometimes they have immediate stock and sometimes they don't. For me it was always immediate (MA6100, C28, MDC7008).
 
MC2205 Face-plate

I called McIntosh about 3 weeks ago to order one, they put my name on the back order list and said it would be at least 6 months. They will make them again, I believe they wait until they get enough requests before they make a production run...so all you McIntosh MC2205 guys out there, order a face-plate so they will speed up production!!
 
Good to know. I'm on it!

I called McIntosh about 3 weeks ago to order one, they put my name on the back order list and said it would be at least 6 months. They will make them again, I believe they wait until they get enough requests before they make a production run...so all you McIntosh MC2205 guys out there, order a face-plate so they will speed up production!!
 
Peeling paint?

I'm sure there's a special hell reserved for whoever decided to use that crap foam tape for light isolation. I had the center section peel and just stripped the bad paint, feathered the edges, and painted it over.

Didn't work out too bad ... you gotta look REAL close to notice.

mc2205-meters-painted.jpg


Mostly, I see the off center "AMPLIFIER" over the right meter. If I were to do it again, I might also scrape that off and just leave the MC 2205 over the left - we all know it's an amplifier, right? <G>

I still gotta clean up the discoloration on the meters though. Rumor is, you can sand the brown off the light boxes and the gel's easy enough to replace to give you the brand new McBlue ...
 
Yes, peeling paint is the main problem. I committed a total brain fart and pulled off some paint when I was trying to replace the foam. I actually did a pretty good job of repairing it by using black nail polish to cover the glass. The repair turned out pretty well, but I have bubbles in other places.
 
The other problem is the blue plexiglass appears kind of smokey between it and the glass. I'm not going to try to remove that after the foam fiasco.
 
The last MC2205 went out of our shop in 1982, I think the first came out in 1976. At least you can buy new glass for these ++32 year old amps.

The pastic and such off gas and cause a haze between the pexi and glass.

The gels are between the lamps and the meter face back and fade over time.
 
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Interesting. Did you use some kind of pin striping tape to outline the meters? I haven't seen that anywhere else.

Peeling paint?

I'm sure there's a special hell reserved for whoever decided to use that crap foam tape for light isolation. I had the center section peel and just stripped the bad paint, feathered the edges, and painted it over.

Didn't work out too bad ... you gotta look REAL close to notice.

mc2205-meters-painted.jpg


Mostly, I see the off center "AMPLIFIER" over the right meter. If I were to do it again, I might also scrape that off and just leave the MC 2205 over the left - we all know it's an amplifier, right? <G>

I still gotta clean up the discoloration on the meters though. Rumor is, you can sand the brown off the light boxes and the gel's easy enough to replace to give you the brand new McBlue ...
 
I cut thin strips of metal duct tape for that. Presses down nice and molds tight to the bezel. A final polish with some never dull and it's a good match for the existing trim and print.

PS ... had some fun with a rack mount Yamaha eq too. Cut off the side tabs and used several layers of the metal tape on those to match the Big Mac. Build layers, and you can get depth too.

yamaha-q2031-005.jpg

yamaha-q2031-009.jpg


Handy stuff!
 
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Just put my name on the waiting list. $138 plus shipping and a 4 month wait. If you were pondering replacing your glass, please call and put your name on the list! They only ask for your name, address & phone number...no credit card info.
 
Point of order ... is the paint on the new glass any more durable? Seems to me it didn't take long at all to have the dreaded bullseye show up around the headphone jack anyway. Maybe add a thin fiber washer between the glass and jack, or just leave the locking nut loose?

I DO know if I went new, I'd figure out a better way to shield the light boxes other than that flaky foam tape. Does McIntosh have any recommendations there?
 
The bullseye around the headphone jack trim piece is caused from the epoxy that is used to hold the jack to the glass shrinking over time. When it shrinks, it pulls the paint right off the glass. The jack itself is mounted to the chassis, the trim piece epoxied into the faceplate.

I'm sure McIntosh recognized this along the way and switched to a different epoxy at the very least. I bought a new face for my MC2105 from McIntosh about 6 years ago and it looks as perfect today as it did then. I agree on the foam tape and I used to use foam weatherstrip tape when I put new faceplates on. It can be purchased in as thin as 1/8" and 3/16" wide or so.
 
McIntosh Face-plate

I have read in the forums here that the incandescent bulbs used in the equipment, specifically the heat generated by these bulbs, causes a chemical reaction to the paint on the glass causing the dreaded bubbling. It's my understanding McIntosh addressed the issue at some point. I have replaced the bulbs (lamps is correct terminology) in my McIntosh gear with LED units, they make a huge improvement on the illumination a produce no heat. Here is a picture showing the LED lamps installed...the illumination is much more even across the face-plate and much brighter!
 

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Can I ask where you got those? I have a C29 preamp, which uses the small lamps.

I have read in the forums here that the incandescent bulbs used in the equipment, specifically the heat generated by these bulbs, causes a chemical reaction to the paint on the glass causing the dreaded bubbling. It's my understanding McIntosh addressed the issue at some point. I have replaced the bulbs (lamps is correct terminology) in my McIntosh gear with LED units, they make a huge improvement on the illumination a produce no heat. Here is a picture showing the LED lamps installed...the illumination is much more even across the face-plate and much brighter!
 
Look for this seller on Ebay, QUA-CO AUDIO...he custom makes these to your equipment specs, IE. voltage, brightness, etc. You have several color options, he recommended bright white and as you can tell from the picture it does a good job of illuminating the silk screen on the light diffuser. The lamps are a bit pricey at $10.00 each, but it only takes 4 for the pre-amp. One note, these are supposed to be GE1866 replacements, however, I found the base to be really deep and actually pushed the socket from the frame trying to get them to lock in. I had to remove the lamp holders to firmly secure them, something to keep in mind.
 
I have read in the forums here that the incandescent bulbs used in the equipment, specifically the heat generated by these bulbs, causes a chemical reaction to the paint on the glass causing the dreaded bubbling. It's my understanding McIntosh addressed the issue at some point. I have replaced the bulbs (lamps is correct terminology) in my McIntosh gear with LED units, they make a huge improvement on the illumination a produce no heat. Here is a picture showing the LED lamps installed...the illumination is much more even across the face-plate and much brighter!

The various glues used to attach foam, tape etc. etc break down the paint they applied 30++ years ago. Have never seen the foil discs used at the tip of the lamp lift the paint.......the two faced tape and foam eat it away.
 
The last MC2205 went out of our shop in 1982, I think the first came out in 1976. At least you can buy new glass for these ++32 year old amps.

The pastic and such off gas and cause a haze between the pexi and glass.

The gels are between the lamps and the meter face back and fade over time.
I have a MC2155 that is in absolute mint condition - apart from the meters. It appears that the lettering has faded over time. Is this lettering on the gels? Can these gels be replaced? I'll also contact McIntosh.
 
Usually it is just the gels that fade.....washed out yellow is the look.

While redoing the destroyed meter housings for a mc2125(same meter with different numbers) I had to use a different mixture of the two gels to compensate for using LED lamps. I got a gel sample kit from a local photographer who then helped me get the right combo.
 
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