Congrats on your Marantz 2238B
Congrats on your eBay find. You should enjoy many years of great sound with the Marantz 2238B receiver.
I am not familiar with the model 1050 Marantz integrated amp, but all of the Marantz gear of that period was built using the best quality components and was very conservatively rated when it came to power ratings. During those years, manufacturers were engaged in a power war, so even a difference of as little as a few more watts output power was justification for a model designation. Today we know better, that only an increase of something approaching double the power rating has any audible significance on the ultimate volume and sound you actually hear.
Regarding shipping the receiver, $60 does not seem like too much if it includes FedEx Ground or UPS insured shipping across the country. For that price, make sure the seller understands how to pack the unit. When I purchased my Marantz I insisted that the seller double box the unit for shipping. In the event that the outer box gets dented or torn, the inner box should still protect the unit.
My suggested packing directions:
First - the wooden case: If you were fortunate enough to acquire the unit with the optional wooden case, the receiver needs to be removed from the case first, and the case shipped separately in separate box.
Next - The parts of the Marantz (or any AM/FM receiver) that are most prone to damage during shipping:
Front: Tuning Dial Glass - a bitch to replace if it gets cracked. (The front needs to be protected with several extra layers of large-type bubble wrap, as does the rear of the chassis, in addition to a wrapping in bubble wrap on the top, bottom, and sides.)
Gyro tuning wheel - Should be taped in place to prevent movement during shipping
Knobs, and buttons (extra bubble wrap over entire front of receiver, see above)
Rear:
AM antenna rod: Fragile, highly prone to breakage. Needs to be removed if it can possiblly be disconnected, o else taped up in bubble wrap.
Fuse holder: The fuse holder on the Marantz is plastic and could easily break off. These may be easy or hard to replace, but why find out. (The fuse holder should be removed and wrapped separately, as should the fuse)
Power cord: Should be wrapped up tight and tied with a tie wrap, a rubber band, or taped, and the plug tips taped up to prevent gouging or scracthing any part of the unit.
Once wrapped up in large-type bubble wrap and taped up like a mummy, the receiver should be placed in the inner shipping box, on top of a generous layer of packing peanuts. Then more peanuts around the sides and over the top. Then the inner box should be sealed securely with packing tape.
The inner box should be placed in the outer shipping box, again on a layer of packing peanuts, with more peanuts to fill the gaps on the sides and over the top of the inner box.
The outer box should be taped securely, with plenty of tape. Double thick walled shipping boxes will cost a bit more, but are a better choice for shipping a delicate piece of equipment that also happens to weigh in at approx. 40 lbs.
What you are preparing the unit for is a probable drop off of the back of a delivery truck of up approximately 4-5 feet. Anything less as far as packing and boxing, and you may end up with damaged goods.
If the seller balks at following all these packing precautions, offer to throw them an extra $20 for their trouble, (it does takes quite a bit of time to gather all ofthe packing materials and then package),and they should agree to your shipping directions. In the end, it will still be worth it to avoid damaging the goods in shipping. And don't bet that insurance will bail you out either, because the person holding the insurance on the item is the sender, not you. In the event of a claim, the insurance company will want to inspect the damaged unit and will keep it to sell for scrap if they agree to pay off on the claim or return the item to the sender if they determine that they are going to deny the claim. Either way, you won't have the item and the seller will still have the balance of your money. Don't be put off by what might go wrong, just be up front with the seller and insist on proper packing and insurance for the receiver.
When the unit arrives, assuming all looks well, go ahead and plug it in and fire it up. You may find that several of the display dial lamps are burned out, this is quite common. These are available and are easily replaced. If you are going to use the FM tuner, it is worth having a reputable repair shop perform an FM alignment on the I.F. stages of the tuner as these can drift out of alignment on this old gear. This alignment cannot be done without an FM signal generator and a test scope, plus the specific alignment procedures for the tuner.
If the unit is dirty or dusty inside, it is ok to unplug it from the power outlet and remove the cover and carefully blow off the dust and dirt using a can of compressed gas like Dust Off. Just DON'T grab any old tuner cleaner spray and start spraying every switch or tuning capacitor you see. This type of cleaner was meant for the old rotary type TV tuners, and is not good for cleaning switches or buttons on your receiver and can actually damage the unit. Better to let the repair shop use the proper cleaner to really clean and lubricate all of the switches and contacts while they are aligning the FM. As I recall, I paid my local repair shop here in Silver Spring. Maryland near D.C. a just bit under $50 for the FM alignment, lamp replacement, and switch and contact cleaning/lubrication.
One of the parts on these old Marantz units that is prone to fail is the power switch. The original part is not available but other push-on switches can be substituted. If your power switch is still going strong, great, just don't use it. Plug the receiver into a power strip with an On/Off Switch and leave the receiver's power button in the On position. Always use the power strip to turn the unit on and off. Alternately, if you plug the receiver into an outlet connected to a wall switch, this can be your way of powering the unit on.
Please keep us posted on how things progress.
-Marc
Before I get to the sound, let me tell you about my trials and tribulations. I can tell you this--buying vintage equipment requires both patience and hope. Patience in getting everything in working order, hope in that it will show up as described (I won both on ebay, BTW).
