colortrakker
Thinking in color...
Sending regrets this time around...new job farther away, and I'm filling in at 4 AM on the 10th. Maybe September, gas prices willing.
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Feeling lucky? Check out the AK 24th Anniversary Giveaway thread and join in the fun!
Biggest Swap Meet (!), Kutztown, PA, May 8th and 9th, 2026...was Great !!!
- Thread starter tubeactive
- Start date
Less than two weeks until....
SHOWTIME !
SHOWTIME !
There is only 8 days to go...
Ony a few booths are still available, so don't get left out !
Ony a few booths are still available, so don't get left out !
Four days to Go !
Pack carefully and Safe Travels !
Pack carefully and Safe Travels !
Renningers does not supply carts...
However, your friendly table neighbors might have a hand cart, which you might be able to borrow.
Most of the vendors do bring our own dollies or hand carts.
Also, be aware that the parking areas are not paved. So, small wheel, furniture dollies will not be very helpful.
The show is three days away !
SAFE TRAVELS....
However, your friendly table neighbors might have a hand cart, which you might be able to borrow.
Most of the vendors do bring our own dollies or hand carts.
Also, be aware that the parking areas are not paved. So, small wheel, furniture dollies will not be very helpful.
The show is three days away !
SAFE TRAVELS....
Thanks, we are grabbing some breakfast and hitting the road now. We've got an 8 hr drive so I packed everything in tight! Excited to see what everyone has. I have a few tubes I'm hoping to score and if I get really lucky maybe some early Sansui tube separates. Also on the look out for a Dual turntable for my dad.
Here at K town! Come visit me at booth 105!
I ended up with about $50 worth of $1 items. Have a bunch of low mu triodes to do something with now, but a sleeve of NOS GE 12b4 for 5 bucks was too tempting. Not sure what I'll do but the idea of a dead simple low gain triode preamp is appealing. Got a pair of 6bl7 too.
knockbill
Lunatic Member
Hi AKers,,
just got back from K'town Saturday,,, ran into some old AK buddies, and met a new one!!!
Got not one but 2 amp projects from Sterling 245 (Will),,, great guy to talk to and smokin deal on a couple amp projects... I got one Friday,, and went back for 2nd today!!
I'll share the builds in the tube forum when I get into them,,,
A Scott LK48B with mismatched OPTs,,, and the little 6V6PP amp with a git project future!
These guys are right up my alley,,, as pics show the Scott had my name all over it, literally!!!!
Also picked up a 5 sleeves of NOS JAN 6V6s,, and other tubes,,, a few albums and CDs... Plus an large sack of power resistors,, and a box full of pots, one with the proper value/taper/loudness tap for the missing Scott VC!! But teh best part is the company of teh folks at teh meet,, if you didn't have a good time shame on you!!!
I hope everyone who went to the meet had a great time and looking fwd to to meeting more of you at the fall show!!!
just got back from K'town Saturday,,, ran into some old AK buddies, and met a new one!!!
Got not one but 2 amp projects from Sterling 245 (Will),,, great guy to talk to and smokin deal on a couple amp projects... I got one Friday,, and went back for 2nd today!!
I'll share the builds in the tube forum when I get into them,,,
A Scott LK48B with mismatched OPTs,,, and the little 6V6PP amp with a git project future!
These guys are right up my alley,,, as pics show the Scott had my name all over it, literally!!!!
Also picked up a 5 sleeves of NOS JAN 6V6s,, and other tubes,,, a few albums and CDs... Plus an large sack of power resistors,, and a box full of pots, one with the proper value/taper/loudness tap for the missing Scott VC!! But teh best part is the company of teh folks at teh meet,, if you didn't have a good time shame on you!!!
I hope everyone who went to the meet had a great time and looking fwd to to meeting more of you at the fall show!!!
Attachments
Linda and I just got back home. Sure was nice to meet you all. Many of us got talking "old school" 1970s sound systems and it was great. So many people said: "Oh I know who you are!" I also said that to many of the buyers and we knew each other over the years.
That was a crazy experience. We got there late on Friday morning. We pulled in with two mini vans full. There were resellers watching us open the rear hatches. Both mini vans had clear tubs of 12AX7s right in the back. I brought around 500 of these tubes along. These guys were literally trying to open the cases before we could unload. I told them to let us get set-up first.
We were on the far end of the last building. I did not get away from the booths too much as I kept getting calls back from Linda. On Friday, it was cold and the wind was nasty. I weigh under 180 pounds and I was froze. I face is wind burned right now.
About 50 12AT7 Tubes got blown off the table and scattered onto the concrete. We lost about 15 of the tubes and the rest need to be retested. I had a quad of Telefunken ECC82 tubes sitting on top of the 12AT7s right before the blow-off and I decided to remove them so they are safe.
Hundreds of tubes, eight receivers, six tube testers, five pairs of speakers, 12 tube cases and lots of other stuff found new homes. We gave about 1000 tubes away before we left as I did not want to bring them home. We sold most of the equipment at low prices. Lots of buyers kept coming back every hour until I lowered the price enough for them to purchase. Some of the buyers were good at working me!
The hardest piece to let go was a new TV7-D/U Tester. I also had a Nelson Calibrated TV-7 with Digital Readout available but pulled it from sale today. Need to keep that unit as I need to send my other back for recalibration.
The 76 lb/each Infinity SM-155 Speakers sold for $250 on Friday. Those were hell to get out of my basement. Nobody even looked at the mint EPI 100 Speakers that I was selling for $120. They are back downstairs now.
Here is what I learned:
1) Equipment will sell at these venues if you price it right. We sold a few 120-150 watt/channel, 55 lb receivers at low $200 plus range.
2) 12AX7 & 6SN7 Tubes are in demand by the next generation of tube sellers at good prices.
3) The next generation of tube sellers are not finicky on what they buy. All of our $$ tubes have AMPLITREX Test Results listed. Very few understood the EM & GM percentage readings.
4) Ham tubes did not sell at all. I had lots of requests for large AA5 tubes but did not bring any along.
5) All our trannys sold.
6) I let a Western Electric KS-1556-L1 Tube Tester go for $350 and a Hickok 6000A Tube Tester go for $250. I should of brought more tube testers. They are in demand.
I will be at these venues from now on. I getting out of tubes and focusing solely on rebuilding equipment. I am retiring at the end of the year.
Murph
That was a crazy experience. We got there late on Friday morning. We pulled in with two mini vans full. There were resellers watching us open the rear hatches. Both mini vans had clear tubs of 12AX7s right in the back. I brought around 500 of these tubes along. These guys were literally trying to open the cases before we could unload. I told them to let us get set-up first.
We were on the far end of the last building. I did not get away from the booths too much as I kept getting calls back from Linda. On Friday, it was cold and the wind was nasty. I weigh under 180 pounds and I was froze. I face is wind burned right now.
About 50 12AT7 Tubes got blown off the table and scattered onto the concrete. We lost about 15 of the tubes and the rest need to be retested. I had a quad of Telefunken ECC82 tubes sitting on top of the 12AT7s right before the blow-off and I decided to remove them so they are safe.
Hundreds of tubes, eight receivers, six tube testers, five pairs of speakers, 12 tube cases and lots of other stuff found new homes. We gave about 1000 tubes away before we left as I did not want to bring them home. We sold most of the equipment at low prices. Lots of buyers kept coming back every hour until I lowered the price enough for them to purchase. Some of the buyers were good at working me!
The hardest piece to let go was a new TV7-D/U Tester. I also had a Nelson Calibrated TV-7 with Digital Readout available but pulled it from sale today. Need to keep that unit as I need to send my other back for recalibration.
The 76 lb/each Infinity SM-155 Speakers sold for $250 on Friday. Those were hell to get out of my basement. Nobody even looked at the mint EPI 100 Speakers that I was selling for $120. They are back downstairs now.
Here is what I learned:
1) Equipment will sell at these venues if you price it right. We sold a few 120-150 watt/channel, 55 lb receivers at low $200 plus range.
2) 12AX7 & 6SN7 Tubes are in demand by the next generation of tube sellers at good prices.
3) The next generation of tube sellers are not finicky on what they buy. All of our $$ tubes have AMPLITREX Test Results listed. Very few understood the EM & GM percentage readings.
4) Ham tubes did not sell at all. I had lots of requests for large AA5 tubes but did not bring any along.
5) All our trannys sold.
6) I let a Western Electric KS-1556-L1 Tube Tester go for $350 and a Hickok 6000A Tube Tester go for $250. I should of brought more tube testers. They are in demand.
I will be at these venues from now on. I getting out of tubes and focusing solely on rebuilding equipment. I am retiring at the end of the year.
Murph
That was a fine show on Friday !
Nearly all the tables were occupied ! That means well over 250 tables, possibly even 300 tables were filled with goodies.
There was an abundance of HiFi gear, both tube and solid state !
Tubes were available at many tables !
I saw more speakers available at this show, than ever before.
Working tape decks, of all types, were available at more than a few tables.
Turntables were playing at many tables, but I noticed only a few booths had any phono accessories.
I was playing 78s and had almost a dozen tonearms available, as well as a 1940s Thorens 78 RPM table. I sold some cartridges and styli to fellow enthusiasts.
Tube testers and test equipment were also in abundance, at many tables. This show might have had the most tube testers, for sale, at a single event.
I noticed many tables had HiFi literature available. CDs, LPs, 45s, even 8Tracks were on sale...
Clearly, Stereo and mono HiFi equipment plays as much a part of this major show than antique radios.
This show should not be missed.
It is quite an event; a real Happening !
Nearly all the tables were occupied ! That means well over 250 tables, possibly even 300 tables were filled with goodies.
There was an abundance of HiFi gear, both tube and solid state !
Tubes were available at many tables !
I saw more speakers available at this show, than ever before.
Working tape decks, of all types, were available at more than a few tables.
Turntables were playing at many tables, but I noticed only a few booths had any phono accessories.
I was playing 78s and had almost a dozen tonearms available, as well as a 1940s Thorens 78 RPM table. I sold some cartridges and styli to fellow enthusiasts.
Tube testers and test equipment were also in abundance, at many tables. This show might have had the most tube testers, for sale, at a single event.
I noticed many tables had HiFi literature available. CDs, LPs, 45s, even 8Tracks were on sale...
Clearly, Stereo and mono HiFi equipment plays as much a part of this major show than antique radios.
This show should not be missed.
It is quite an event; a real Happening !
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