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Post subject: 68 Pro Reverb blows fuses
Posted: Tue Nov 16, 2010 12:37 pm
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Location: Austin, Texas ~ Live Music Capital of the World!
Hey yall,
I just got a 68 Pro Reverb in all original condition. The exterior is near mint and it looks as if nobody has ever touch a thing in the back. It looks amazing but it blows fuses. The tubes light up for about 10 seconds and the the first one on the right (looking into the back) flickers and poof! I intend on taking it to an amp repair shop for the work but I would like to be arm with as much info as possible first so I know what they are talking about.
I just researched all the numbers and it appears everything matches 1968 as the year made. Original Utah speakers and the solder all looks old and original. Original 2 prong plug and foot pedal are there as well. I dont want to let a repair guy replace anything. Not one part. I want it all original for as long as I own it. Can I get the parts rebuilt instead of replaced? How do yall suggest I go about this? I live near Austin so theres a lot of options.


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Posted: Tue Nov 16, 2010 12:52 pm
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You don't want to replace even one part?
Hey like Gerald Weber once said,"you can put it in a glass case and look at it,or you can replace parts and make beautiful music with it...I would make music"...something close to that.
If you want to play music....
You need to replace the 2 prong plug,first of all,and let a qualified amp tech diagnose the problem and only replace the parts that are needed...and keep what he has to take out.
...or you can just look at an amp that could be in original shape and think about it's former glory.


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Posted: Tue Nov 16, 2010 12:59 pm
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Oh it will still sound nice. I just want to have matching numbers stay where they are and get the parts rebuilt instead of replaced. Im in no hurry to tear into it. I have other amps.


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Posted: Tue Nov 16, 2010 2:06 pm
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If you owned a '68 Chevelle Super Sport 396 would you risk driving it across the country with the original fan belts, hoses, tires, and battery?

"Stuff" wears out -- there's no ignoring or avoiding the ravages of time.

Let a qualified tech work that Pro Reverb over and make it right. Chances are, it needs only a few minor components and a new set of glass to make it squawk.

JMO


Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY


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Post subject:
Posted: Tue Nov 16, 2010 2:46 pm
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Dear Oracle,
I very much urge you to see my post of this morning -Valuable (read Expensive!) Lesson Learned... before you make any decisions about what you want done to/with this amp. It's very unlikely that any 40+ year old amp is going to be "all original." I've a '68 DSR and I made a very bad decision about letting it coast with what I thought were original parts and specs-my mistake cost me a great deal of cash to set right. If you just want something to collect, hold on to and re-sell at a profit(original matching numbers, et al.) this may not be the place to inquire. If you want to learn about care, maintainance, and history of Fender amps you're in the right place-there are people here with literally hundreds of years of collective experience that can be very beneficial.


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Posted: Tue Nov 16, 2010 6:50 pm
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OracleGreen wrote:
Oh it will still sound nice. I just want to have matching numbers stay where they are and get the parts rebuilt instead of replaced. Im in no hurry to tear into it. I have other amps.
Right now you can't even keep it running,so how are you going to make it "still sound nice" ?...without repairs?
Whatever..when you find someone who wants to rebuild stuff like filter caps so you can have it looking original,post it...I'll want to see it.
You asked for advice to arm yourself with some knowledge...and ignore it.
Wish you the best,good luck.


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Posted: Tue Nov 16, 2010 6:55 pm
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Rebelsoul wrote:
Right now you can't even keep it running,so how are you going to make it "still sound nice" ?...without repairs?


I suspect that once the gentleman has an opportunity to fully absorb all the "horror stories" that have been posted, he'll see the folly of such a recalcitrant position and do what's both necessary and right.

I hope......

Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY


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Posted: Tue Nov 16, 2010 7:21 pm
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I concur Arjay :wink:
And believe it or not,but I once owned one of those beautiful '68 Chevelle SS 396 rides,and man how I wish I still did. :cry:
on another note as I typed this a Blackhawk chopper from out of the night just cleared the treetops and roared right over my roof...the whole house shook,it was headed straight for Ft. Campbell....another impressive piece of machinery.


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Posted: Tue Nov 16, 2010 7:28 pm
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Probably one of the 101st's ships flying a nighttime NOE exercise.

We have them out here as well -- Army, Air Force, Border Patrol, and US Customs.

Image

:mrgreen:

Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY


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Post subject:
Posted: Tue Nov 16, 2010 9:31 pm
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Hi O' Green, nice amp & welcome to the forum. Seems like you're in the collector's dilemma. You want to play the amp, but you don't want to change any original parts, that would detract from the value or stock sound. I can empathize with this, worked for a collector for 10 yrs. As far as i know, the only parts that can be blueprinted and rebuilt are the transformers, choke, speakers, and pots. And then they would not be original. Blowing fuses is a red flag ! So get that gem checked out and save any replaced parts. Good Pickin' ! Art

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Post subject:
Posted: Tue Nov 16, 2010 11:01 pm
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One other thing you might want to try is cleaning all the sockets & pins of the tubes with a contact cleaner. I use Caig De-oxit. Then, check the bias of the power tubes.

Good luck with your amp!


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Posted: Thu Nov 18, 2010 9:23 am
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Simple test : remove the two 6L6 power tubes and try with a new fuse.
If fuse blow you need a tech, but if fuse don't blow it's your power tubes to replace : buy some new one + bias adjustment and that's it, for basic repair


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Posted: Sat Dec 04, 2010 12:13 pm
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OK, its been a couple weeks since my first post and I can now see how naive I was about keeping everything original. This is just the first amp Ive owned this nice and I guess I got a little wide eyed. My other amps are real beaters but they work great.
So, Ive done a lot a research in the last couple weeks and I bought Gerald Weber's DVD; Tube Amp Repair, servicing and overhauling and watched that about a dozen times so far. Mr. Weber lives right down the road from me outside of Austin so I thought his dvd would suit me best since Ive seen him around town at shows. I opened my amp up and cleaned all the pots and soldered a new 3 prong power cord in as describe in the video. Now Im waiting for a set a caps to arrive in the mail so I can dive into it.
Thanks for the welcome and the straight up advice, and sorry if I rode in on a high horse.
Peace, Love and Understanding!


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Posted: Sat Dec 04, 2010 1:29 pm
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I'm happy to have good news from you. Gerald Weber did great job with is books and vidéo. I have all of his books at home but not the video. You're lucky to be able to meet him.

Come back to tell us how his your work on the amp


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Post subject:
Posted: Sat Dec 04, 2010 2:16 pm
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Rebuilding parts would not make it original.So just fix the thing.It's worth more in working condition.I am sure the next guy that buys it off of you for half of what a working one is worth will fix it.Have it looked at it could be something as a bad solder joint


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