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Post subject: Re: Maintenance for old amps
Posted: Tue May 01, 2012 9:46 am
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I saw a 66 Twin Reverb accidently go bouncing head over heels down a flight of steps to a church bassment for a rehearsal back in '69. We checked all the tubes, causiously plugged it in and jomped back as it was turned on. No reason to worry. That amp worked great and was still working on that set of RCA's last time I saw it in '72. 8)


While I do not recommend trying that with vintage gear, it is nice to know that it can tack a lickin' and keep on tickin'.

Art


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Post subject: Re: Maintenance for old amps
Posted: Tue May 01, 2012 12:06 pm
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My SDR shows signs of abuse. The OT has warped the chassis to the poit of one corner of the OT is a few 16ths ov an inch low and the opposite corner is a couple of 16th high. Still works.

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Post subject: Re: Maintenance for old amps
Posted: Tue May 01, 2012 12:20 pm
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Arc, not to alarm you, but just a word of caution. Warped chassis can lead to early tranny failures. Due to uneven support, esp during warm-up and cool-down.

What I do for these situations, is take the tranny off the chassis and put a rubber grommet onto each support screw-stud (you may need a longer stud-screw to compensate for the grommet). Then, tighten the screws as even and lightly-snug back onto the chassis. Do not overtighten. The rubber helps to distribute the weight of the tranny more evenly, by flexing around the warped chassis.

Another "cure" is to place a flat piece of metal between the chassis and tranny. Sorta like a metal gasket brace. This will help keep the tranny from warping.


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Post subject: Re: Maintenance for old amps
Posted: Tue May 01, 2012 3:29 pm
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What about removing the transformer and realigning the chassis? I know what you are saying is a fix but why rubber grommets and not metal spacers and washers?

Ken

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...I for one, sure would appreciate the return of intelligent conversation, spirit of assistance and the simple yet effective ignoring of those who can't seem to hang with that...
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Post subject: Re: Maintenance for old amps
Posted: Tue May 01, 2012 3:57 pm
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Depends on how badly bent or warped the chassis is. Remember, when metal bends or is re-bent, it stretches. So aligning the holes in the chassis and transformer may not be easy.

Rubber grommets helps to relieve some of the stress of misalignment, esp during warmup & cooldown. There are amps that come this way. It also helps isolate tranny hum from the chassis.

Whichever way works. That's all that matters. Just posted this to bring up tweaked chassis may lead to ranny failure. I have seen it. Not in Fender amps, but amps which have thinner, weaker chassis. It's why amps that last a long time, usually have thick, heavy chassis frames.

Good liuck with that amp!


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Post subject: Re: Maintenance for old amps
Posted: Tue May 01, 2012 7:14 pm
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I'm sorry to have derailed this thread. I'll shut up now.

:oops:

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Post subject: Re: Maintenance for old amps
Posted: Tue May 01, 2012 7:19 pm
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That's ok. Now we all know to put rubber bushings between the tranny and the chassis. :)

Art


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Post subject: Re: Maintenance for old amps
Posted: Tue May 01, 2012 9:59 pm
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Arc, no sweat. It's an important issue. As almost every tranny I've seen fail on a 6L6GC Fender amp is due to: wrong or poor loading, shorted output tube, and/or tweaked chassis. Those old irons used by Fender were very good. And tough as nails. And $$$.

You only need a rubber... grommet, that is... if tranny is humming (and is off-key) or you have a Fender-bender (sorry for pun) to the chassis.


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Post subject: Re: Maintenance for old amps
Posted: Thu May 03, 2012 5:16 pm
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davest wrote:
Fender's biggest competitor is not Marshall, Mesa etc.

It is itself. Fender amps from the 50's to the early 70's.




Well said. It's kinda like the difference between a 60's Mustang and today's version...they just don't make 'em like they used to.

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Post subject: Re: Maintenance for old amps
Posted: Tue Sep 17, 2013 8:41 am
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Followup to this thread, regarding aging components such as transformers etc. Surely there must be a finite lifespan for these? How much more life is there left in an average 50 year old transformer for instance?


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Post subject: Re: Maintenance for old amps
Posted: Tue Sep 17, 2013 11:32 am
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Trannies, especially vintage Fender iron, do not suffer the effects of aging as severely as carbon-comp resistors, electrolytic caps, or paper speaker cones. I've seen 60 Y/O Fenders with original trannies sound just as nice as the day they were built and play just as reliably. Routine periodic servicing of the amp's HV power supply will enhance your odds for trouble-free ownership.

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: Maintenance for old amps
Posted: Tue Sep 17, 2013 12:05 pm
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Retroverbial wrote:
Trannies, especially vintage Fender iron, do not suffer the effects of aging as severely as carbon-comp resistors, electrolytic caps, or paper speaker cones. I've seen 60 Y/O Fenders with original trannies sound just as nice as the day they were built and play just as reliably. Routine periodic servicing of the amp's HV power supply will enhance your odds for trouble-free ownership.

Arjay


I see. So let's say a 50 year old amp is maintained regularly (recapped etc) would the only remaining original parts after a while be little more than the cabinet and transformers? I believe old transformers are said to be superior to anything currently available in production (or not?) So once transformers are replaced the amp would hardly be original anymore.

Just pondering what the future lifespan of old amps may be vs brand new modern built exact clones.


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Post subject: Re: Maintenance for old amps
Posted: Tue Sep 17, 2013 12:32 pm
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TC5A wrote:
I see. So let's say a 50 year old amp is maintained regularly (recapped etc) would the only remaining original parts after a while be little more than the cabinet and transformers?


Conceivably, that could eventually be the case.

Which makes it imperative to care for these amps to the maximum extent possible to preserve the original components. Personally, I don't lose a nanosecond of sleep worrying about this issue. By the time the components in my amps begin to "expire" I'll have long since started my dirt nap.

:mrgreen:

Arjay

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