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Topic: Fender Twin Amp Repair |
TRAP TRULY
From:
Mobile , AL
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Posted 24 Aug 2014 8:02 pm |
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I have a '67 twin that is in need of repair and I can't find anyone near me (Mobile,AL) that is competent. I took it to Pensacola last summer, made two trips, and still was not fixed. Anyone have any recommendations?
Thanks, Trap |
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Jerry Van Hoose
From:
Wears Valley, Tennessee
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Posted 25 Aug 2014 2:57 pm
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Trap, if you don't mind removing the chassis and shipping....try a blues guitarist and friend of mine located in Chuluota, FL, named "Bird Dog Bobby". He has a shop and repairs vintage tube amps, extremely experienced and reliable. He recently re-capped, re-tubed and set the bias on my blackface 67 Twin and it sounds amazing. If interested you may email or send PM for his personal cell number.
_________________
GFI w/Steeltronics 507, Profex II, Nashville 112’s, Hilton, George L .155’s, BJS, Steelers Choice |
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Eric Philippsen
From:
Central Florida USA
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Posted 25 Aug 2014 3:58 pm
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Kevin Silva of Indianapolis has been repairing amps for 30 years. His knowledge and expertise extends to any make and model, vintage or modern. Workmanship is outstanding. If the pics on his wall are any indication, he has done repairs for just about, well, anyone.
As a vintage dealer I take all my work to him. Highly recommended. His business' name is Uncle Albert's Amplifiers. |
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Steve Spitz
From:
New Orleans, LA, USA
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Posted 25 Aug 2014 4:01 pm Tech
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| I've got a guy in New Orleans, Great work, PM me if you want his #. |
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TRAP TRULY
From:
Mobile , AL
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Posted 25 Aug 2014 5:19 pm
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Thanks for the replies. We used to have some good techs on the coast.. don't know what happened to them. Not against shipping, but would like to find someone close.
Steve, I'll pm you.
Thank you!!
Trap |
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Mark Fowler
From:
Minnesota, USA
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Posted 26 Aug 2014 7:09 am
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Not sure how old this is but:
Curt Granger, Granger Amplification. www.GrangerAmp.com - 203 S Beechwood Drive, Hueytown AL 35023 (205) 436-8219. I build, repair, and modify tube amplifiers. I have a degree in electronics, 30 years in the music industry as a guitarist, along with 15 years experience with AT&T as an electronic technician. Service charge of $60 per hour with 1/2 hour minimum. I have a solid track record of service to the customer. Visits to shop are by appointment only. |
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David Cubbedge
From:
Toledo,Ohio, USA
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Posted 26 Aug 2014 8:05 am
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I have an excellent tube amp guru here in Toledo.
_________________
Red Emmons D10 fatback #2246D with sweet Hugh Briley split cases, Black Emmons S10 #1466S, '73 Fender "Snakeskin" Twin Reverb, Peavey Nashville 400, Line 6 Pod XT, Fender 400, Fender Stringmaster Double-8, too many guitars, one bass! |
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John Scanlon
From:
Jackson, Mississippi, USA
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Posted 28 Aug 2014 9:57 pm
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We've got a great one here, too, not too far - I regularly drive through Mobile. Worked on my Twin must earlier this summer and told me it wouldn't need another tune up for years to come.
_________________
Click here for the Index to Mickey Adams's YouTube video lessons
Insert impressive gear list here. |
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Gary Lee Gimble
From:
Fredericksburg, VA.
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Edward Rhea
From:
Medford Oklahoma, USA
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Posted 29 Aug 2014 2:44 pm
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Thesis Audio Service
Mike Metz
4235 W. Central
Wichita, Ks 67212
(316)942-7341
Web/Email: thesisaudio.com
A great Fender Amp guy! He used to have a "tech" column in Guitar World Magazine.
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“TONESNOB” |
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Jerry Kippola
From:
UP Michigan, USA
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Posted 29 Aug 2014 4:26 pm
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| scuse me, but what's wrong with it? |
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Bill Hatcher
From:
Atlanta Ga. USA
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Posted 30 Aug 2014 6:02 am
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i used to repair a lot of fender amps. only the old ones. no new printed board models. a fender amp will still operate with components out of spec and noisey resistors and bad tubes. its almost worthless to just fix one thing. the best repair on these is to take the schematic and "blueprint" the amp. you start by replacing all the preamp resistors if you have egg frying noise when it heats up. use precision carbon resistors. then you replace EVERY electrolytic cap in the amp. dont even bother checking them. 40 year old caps are nothing like they were when they were new plus the new caps made today are better anyway. then you rebuild the phase inverter section with precision resistors and caps and the big 470ohm resistors on the power tubes and the 1500ohm bias resistors. flameproof resistors there. take the circuit boards (including the filter cap board under the pan) and unscrew them and take some cheap spray cleaner and just soak everything. use the expensive cleaner for pots, but here, you are just getting rid of dust and anything that can cause static. then check the tubes and replace any weak ones. take a pointed item and tighten the tube sockets, spray them and check for any carbon tracing that will cause arcing. if you find a trace, dig out all the burned area if you can, and paint that with enamel paint so it cant arc anymore. check the current draw and set the bias. then while the amp is on and the vol turned up you check the lead dress on all the wires that come from the board to the tubes. they must be bent certain ways in order to minimize hum.
a fender amp that is blueprinted and running as it should is one of the most incredible sounding things you will ever hear. most people only hear amps these days working at much less than they are capable of, especially these old vintage ones.
its cheaper to have a tech do all this, than to spend several hours chasing down one weird thing...and still have all this stuff needing done afterwards. |
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Jerry Kippola
From:
UP Michigan, USA
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Posted 30 Aug 2014 7:45 am
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| Unfortunately, techs have different ideas on what what to replace, and what quality to use. Caps are not all better than the old ones, and $ on Sprague/et al has quadrupled. |
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Bill Hatcher
From:
Atlanta Ga. USA
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Posted 30 Aug 2014 9:08 am
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| Jerry Kippola wrote: |
| Unfortunately, techs have different ideas on what what to replace, and what quality to use. Caps are not all better than the old ones, and $ on Sprague/et al has quadrupled. |
i dont really care what the tech geeks have to say, electrolytics (and most all passive components, and ICs, in general) manufactured today are smaller, more consistent, and have better electrical characteristics, and for sure a lot more data known about them than the old stuff. power supply caps made today are better than the old paper covered mallory types.
signal path caps are another story. a lot more voodoo involved with these. if i find a bad one, i just used the sprague orange drops. they work. |
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Jerry Kippola
From:
UP Michigan, USA
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Posted 30 Aug 2014 9:34 am
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| I've worked on amps for almost 40 years--and it still amazes me how much difference there is in the sound of capacitors, aside of tech specs |
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TRAP TRULY
From:
Mobile , AL
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Posted 30 Aug 2014 10:54 am
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Thank you for the replies! There is a very loud popping w/very loud constant static. Also a loud hum that wont go away. Its been recapped and retubed and still the problem exists. It has baffled the two "techs" I brought the amp to. Someone said the hum may be the choke? The static could be something minor like solder or a resister.I don't know.
Trap |
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Tim Marcus
From:
San Francisco, CA
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Posted 30 Aug 2014 11:31 am
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The choke won't cause hum
Old fenders generally have the same cause for their various issues: moisture
Moisture can oxidize the ground points and cause noise. It can also warp the paper circuit card and tear components apart. I'm a fan of the simple fix for fender amps - not the complete rebuild as suggested above. Might as well replace it if you're planning on paying a tech for that big a job.
In tube circuits, individual values are more flexible than you think. A little drift here and there usually sounds ok. It's when things warp/crack that the problems really start. Also, when replacing power capacitors I'd recommend avoiding the big blue modern sprague caps. There's usually a tiny little cap hiding in a big empty can and sometimes the little cap has a different voltage rating than what you expect.
Good luck!
_________________
Milkmansound.com |
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Jerry Kippola
From:
UP Michigan, USA
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Posted 30 Aug 2014 12:34 pm
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| does the hum go away if u pull the 1st two 12ax7 tubes? |
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Bob Poole
From:
Myrtle Beach SC, USA
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Posted 30 Aug 2014 5:34 pm amp repair
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| Would involve shipping but Ron Dodd in Myrtle Beach,SC is really good.I've heard some Twins that he has worked on & they sounded great.i believe he's a Forum member & a great picker as well as bein a great guy!!! |
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