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Post subject: Re: Do amps season with time?
Posted: Mon Feb 21, 2011 7:08 am
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I Think So. For The Better Or Worse Hard To Say. Our Hearing Changes For Sure Though. I Still Use A Fender Musicmaster Bass Amp After 30 Yr's. It Has Never Blown A Tube Or The Speaker. Great Amp.

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Post subject: Re: Do amps season with time?
Posted: Mon Feb 21, 2011 7:09 am
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I Think So. For The Better Or Worse Hard To Say. Our Hearing Changes For Sure Though. I Still Use A Fender Musicmaster Bass Amp After 30 Yr's. It Has Never Blown A Tube Or The Speaker. Great Amp.

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Post subject: Re: Do amps season with time?
Posted: Mon Feb 21, 2011 7:36 am
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joncarr1979 wrote:
Amps do change,for better or worse capacitors drift from spec and tubes wear and the power on the transformers change as well as speakers.A 30 year old amp wont sound the same as it did when you first bought it.


Nope it won't, and it's usually not for the better. I think what happens is it's such a slow process in most cases that you just get used to it until something fails. I was amazed at what a cap job did for my Twin. It went 30 years with no problems and I decided to stop tempting fate and have it recapped and re-tubed and biased. I thought it sounded great at the time too. I also had it since it was new.

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Post subject: Re: Do amps season with time?
Posted: Mon Feb 21, 2011 8:15 am
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Speaking of iron, does anyone have experience with, or want to comment about "Magnetic Components Inc" transformers? I was considering this as an inexpensive replacement transformer. :?:

http://store.triodestore.com/outrforhotro.html

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Post subject: Re: Do amps season with time?
Posted: Mon Feb 21, 2011 1:06 pm
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Retroverbial wrote:
Thanks, Art!

I believe in doing things "by the book" excepting a few rare instances. The Showman is 100% period-correct, with all marginal components replaced by NOS originals. The sole exceptions are the grounded 3-conductor power cable, disabled "death cap" and "ground" switch, and a mix of modern Sprague and F&T caps in the filter and biasing circuits (finding vintage Mallory's is a hopeless exercise).

Visually, all is as it would be the day the amp shipped from Fullerton.

And it sounds heavenly......

Image

Arjay


Oh, I totally understand that. But on the resistors, I don't know, I guess it depends on which part of the circuit they are in. 5% could be negligable, and then again, it could make the amp sound like crap.


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Post subject: Re: Do amps season with time?
Posted: Mon Feb 21, 2011 1:14 pm
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Amps are like wine, some become cheap, few becomes expensive. 8)

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Post subject: Re: Do amps season with time?
Posted: Mon Feb 21, 2011 1:17 pm
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They were the grid stoppers on the sockets for the power tubes. I didn't want metal oxide types so I deferred until I found the proper NOS replacements.

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: Do amps season with time?
Posted: Mon Feb 21, 2011 1:20 pm
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Retroverbial wrote:
They were the grid stoppers on the sockets for the power tubes. I didn't want metal oxide types so I deferred until I found the proper NOS replacements.

Arjay


Works for me. :)


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Post subject: Re: Do amps season with time?
Posted: Mon Feb 21, 2011 6:38 pm
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I've more than once noticed amps which had a lot of work done to them burning in and changing in tone over the first few weeks. The change is towards a more even balance of frequencies.

Think of the value Fender offered in the early amps - NO obsolescence, ever. That blows my mind.


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Post subject: Re: Do amps season with time?
Posted: Mon Feb 21, 2011 7:22 pm
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mr.danny wrote:
I've more than once noticed amps which had a lot of work done to them burning in and changing in tone over the first few weeks. The change is towards a more even balance of frequencies.


Speaker break-in results in the lion's share of this. However, value drift among all of the components plays a role -- especially caps, whether coupling, bypass, or high-voltage.

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: Do amps season with time?
Posted: Tue Feb 22, 2011 6:51 am
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You'll notice it over time. You'll slowly start tweaking the tone controls more to get your tone back. It's easily fixed just by replacing worn components. It's a normal aging process and on the older Fender amps can take decades. The newer amps with cheap caps, quite a bit less time. It took my 76 Twin 30 years to get to a point where it needed some work. The more you play them the better off you are. It keeps the electrolytic caps formed. If you don't use it, you lose it. :lol:

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Post subject: Re: Do amps season with time?
Posted: Tue Feb 22, 2011 9:11 am
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63supro....you just hit on something that is not known by a bunch of the newer vintage amp enthusiasts,that a closet classic might need more work done than a road warrior,the cosmetics are better when they've been stored away,but the fact that it hasn't been used on a regular basis causes problems....the road warrior has been maintained.
The real bonus is when you find a great old amp and restore it like Arjay has done and a couple of mine are...then you hate to take them out of the house. :)


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Post subject: Re: Do amps season with time?
Posted: Tue Feb 22, 2011 9:25 am
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That's for sure. That nice clean pristine amp may have lots of problems. When the electrolytic caps dry up from non use or the tranny gets conductive from corrosion from humidity and not getting warm enough to get rid of moisture, you're at square one. You can always fix the cosmetics as Arjay has demonstrated time and time again. It's like a low mileage older car that's in mint cosmetic condition bot all the engine and transmission seals are all dried out. Looks great but leaks everywhere.

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Post subject: Re: Do amps season with time?
Posted: Tue Feb 22, 2011 10:08 am
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Nice info RebelSoul and 63Supro and Arjay...

Always learn a lot from you guys!
Liked the car analogy... 8)

Hope to never need a drip pan under the DRRI!

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Post subject: Re: Do amps season with time?
Posted: Tue Feb 22, 2011 11:05 am
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tyronne wrote:
Hope to never need a drip pan under the DRRI!


LOLOL

Or jumper cables!

:mrgreen:

Arjay

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