1965 Princeton Reverb - Part 1

Join this channel to show your support & get access to perks:
/ @bradsguitargarage
Webpage: www.bradsguitargarage.com.au
Facebook: bradsguitargarage
Instagram: / bradsguitargarage
Equipment:
Soldering:
Pace MBT station w/SX100 & PS-90 handpieces
Hakko 474 w/815 handpiece
Hakko 936 w/907 handpiece
Hakko FX-888D w/FX-8801 handpiece
Quick 861DW hot air station
BOFA fume extraction unit
Loctite Multicore solder (C511 / 362)
Test Equipment:
Fluke 11, 175, 177 & 179 handheld DMM's
Tektronix 2236 analog oscilloscope
Rigol DS-1054z digital oscilloscope
BK Precision 4017A sweep / function generator
BWD 160a function generator
HP 6236B triple output DC power supply
Kyoritsu 3132A insulation / continuity tester
Video equipment:
Overhead cam: Panasonic HC-VX1
Handheld cam: Sony a6700
Lens: Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8 DC DN
Capture card(s): Magewell HDMI USB
Headset Mic: Rode Wireless Go II
Lav Mic: Rode Lavalier GO
Headset: Rode Lav-Headset
Editing: Adobe Premiere Elements
Hand Tools:
Wiha, Felo, Stanley screwdrivers
CK & Engineer cutters / pliers
RS Pro wire strippers
Sidchrome & Gear Wrench spanners, sockets & shifters
Veritas planes & chisels
Materials / Consumables:
JJ's / TAD electron valves
Elixir / Ernie Ball / D'Addario / Rotosound strings
Electrolube & DeoxIT cleaners, lubricants & chemicals.

[@oldasrocks9121]

Thanks for the wholesome distraction on one of the most disorienting mornings I've had. Keep it coming please!!

[@BradsGuitarGarage]

I'll try to keep it coming, mate. I know you all need it now more than ever.

[@SurfRockitt]

Second on both, friends

[@retread1083]

2:30 Yes, we DO come here for philosophical questions. 4:52 Valve retainer in a tube? What is the sound of one hand clapping? 7:05 Gak! Hardwiring solid state diode as the primary rectifier is absolutely stupid. Plug-in solid state replacements are readily available and if you're too cheap to buy one, you can easily create one with a couple of diodes and an octal base from a defunct valve. That way you always have the option to do solid state or valve rectification. Backup rectifiers is a move away from authentic originality, but I'd do that. 16:00 If I recall correctly, the Blackface and early Silverface PRs were rated at 15w with a 5AR4/GZ34 and 12w with a 5U4. With SS rectifiers you should be able to milk just a bit more out them. I reckon the 5881s are pissin' away some power due to the impedance of the output transformer being a bit higher than those 5881s would like to see, - You have your work cut out for you, kind sir. But I reckon you'll do a fine job of turning this sow's ear into a silk purse. What's the plan for the PT? Is a proper replacement with a 240v primary within the customer's budget? Or will you make do with that one and install some protection on the opening to prevent wire chafing?

[@pastorbentonit137]

Thanks for that hearty NOS military-grade rant as well as the 'stiff as a wedding prick' laugh we all sorely needed! Keep it real, legend!

[@honkytonkinson9787]

Your ranting is why I watch videos like this. I know very little about the little details about tube amps but for some reason I’m absolutely fascinated by them. I appreciate knowing what to expect and what to look for when shopping for and/or trouble shooting an amp.

[@tedmich]

Cleaning up other peoples incompetence... words to live by Brad, thanks for the content!

[@tjminasi1442]

More words to live by. Old guy does the heavy lifting. Young guys, ‘what was it you did? Why?’ Only questions; no action!!

[@matthewsumma]

A admire your attention to detail, comprehensive content, as well as your sense of humor. Much love brother

[@stevemoore6814]

there is only one other tech in my area and every time I open an amp and see his work it looks like this. i feel your pain. keep up the great work

[@tjminasi1442]

Condolences 😢

[@MikeM-Colorado]

It was a beautiful amp once, full of hope and promise. It suffered, but will live to sing again thanks to you. Thanks for doing the good work!

[@jefffree6990]

I love the smell of a good rant in the morning

[@Kmiommi]

Couldnt agree more.. Some very dangerous work there.

[@maxegarots1507]

Love these rant videos. Should do a PSA and name this shocking tech.

[@matthewf1979]

I let out a very loud WOW when I saw the mains earth tied to the power tube cathode. Brad's right, close up shop. Retire in the bush and don't come back to civilization. We have an infamous "famous" tech around my parts that does TErrRRRRrrrble work. I call him the "Tack-N-Hack" king and he does this level of work.

[@ix-Xafra]

First amp I ever played through was a blackface Princeton that belonged to a mates dad back in '75. I tried to get them to sell it to me in 2002 but they'd already given it away for free! Tears in Brisbane😢

[@tonyevans9999]

That was amazing... the silicone tube retainer hack, why hasn't that caught on? I once worked on a Strat with pickups held "in place" with blue tac, turning over the pickguard for the first time... I can still see it.

[@paulshurmon138]

Thanks for the video.

[@RobbieF]

Thank you, Brad!

[@BradsGuitarGarage]

You're welcome, mate!

[@vadenk4433]

Give em hell Brad

[@martinreid1740]

I'm not an amp tech but even I noticed that earth from the mains cable was dangerous.

[@1Dougloid]

Dang. Servin' it up hot. Glad it ain't me that did it. Build to print. Leo was right.

[@hoilst265]

My favourite bushranger turned amp fettler! EDIT: This amp, too, has angried up my blood. Sympathies.

[@TRtribal]

OMG that cutaway for the coffee just as I was taking a sip of mine. LOL. I know you don't want to be "that guy" but honest thoughts on shit repairs are part of what make your content better than the rest.

[@alvagoldbook2]

Those filter caps. Just wow.

[@JEmilioJNava]

Silicon Tube Holder deserves a patent!

[@TheMorganOrgan]

Top marks for thriftiness 🥇

[@GazCal]

What a bloody awful mess !! ☠Shocking ! We're lucky to have at least some competant techs around, such as yourself, that actually care about what they do and those they do it for. Well done Brad.

[@pacocasanovas1605]

Glued on power tubes, now I have seen it all.....lol 😂

[@Jangorexful]

That nice Hd camera brings out the full atrocity of that hack job.

[@BCEpedals]

I definitely respect not wanting to drag someone’s name through the mud. And you never know if the hack job was 100% their work. But there’s some point, accountability has to be held.

[@joemcgraw5529]

wow Im going to be purchasing Amps in the next 4 months and I am definately going to want to take a look inside before any purchase ,Brad my bank froze my card about 10 days ago because I made a Superchat Question on another channel and the bank thought it wasnt me ,so I had rejoin your channel after calling them

[@goodun2974]

When you look at used amplifiers on Reverb, it's amazing how few sellers included photos of the inside of the unit.

[@goodun2974]

At 6:53, do my eyes deceive me or is that a 5x20 mm "F" type fuse instead of a 3AG size fuse? A 5x20 shouldn't even make contact and therefore the amp shouldn't work......

[@ericluttinger6546]

Great tirade!

[@BradsGuitarGarage]

So much drama!

[@shckltnebay]

@@BradsGuitarGarage Youre stealing my words lol

[@thatampguy]

Damn your sharp low light shots! The entire amp is a hack job!

[@lucyfuir6386]

I have a july of 65 Princeton reverb.

[@siriusamplification]

just wow

[@shckltnebay]

These early amps didnt have washers on the back panel screws, also the baffle being press board was factory

[@baabaabaa-El]

Started watching last night, but was half cut.. heres me thinking Dodgy Bros Inc went out of bizzo yrs back! Nup!! Slick and deadly!!

[@bambule5268]

Stick a couple of kt88s and a transformer phase inverter and it will be as previous tech intended!

[@nickwalters5380]

Nothing better than a ranting Aussie. Good on ya.

[@Mr_Bio_Hazard]

You have the patience of a saint. Do you mainline Valium?

[@BradsGuitarGarage]

If only!

[@theguitaramptech]

OMG Brad. I think that amp is up there for a nomination in the FTOTY Award. (F*cked Tech of the Year). I often wonder if its ignorance or laziness?

[@blakesimpson9974]

Wonder too...maybe old dogs who's work is finally exposed on the internet for everyone to see. This is why we need standards and codes and schooling, keeps a certain standard of quality and safety in check. I see this shit in construction all the time with guys who never learned properly and think because they have the tools they are qualified...yikes! We live in the DIY era where everyone is a pro!

[@sgt.grinch3299]

The store was out of integrity the week of the last work. Crap service never ceases to amaze me.

[@Splattle101]

I've got a late 60s Super Reverb that's got cloth wire with that sexy, glistening wet look. Psyching myself up to rebuild the poor thing.

[@svt4001]

My question is, will Brad remember to check the speaker on this one before the last installment of this series? ;- )

[@BradsGuitarGarage]

Yes, it was the first thing I checked this time!

[@svt4001]

@@BradsGuitarGarage Nice! Looking forward to part 2!

[@Satchmoeddie]

The late Leo early CBS Fender Princeton and Princeton Reverbs were the only amps that went to & through silver face relatively unmolested. Two resistors changed and a 5U4 usurped the 5AR4, but the resistors take care of that, so not any appreciable differences at all. The Vibrolux Reverb also escaped getting a master volume knob, but they did get that shit volume boost circuit and the super-shit low value cathode resistor on the reverb driver, but very easily fixed back to earlier specs. I change that pull for Volume boost switch to do weird stuff to the tone stack. The Dumble thing, or I have a circuit that can mimic the Marshall TBM, using a concentric pot for a mids pot. Sue me.

[@akkudakkupl]

My god, what a total hack job the previous guy did!

[@David-gx9lh]

Can you not get the JJ 40-20-20-20 cap down under?

[@AdmiralQuality]

LOL! Makes for a very entertaining video, at least! *Subscribed!*

[@goodun2974]

At 6:53, do my eyes deceive me, or is that a 5x20 mm "F" fuse in place of a 3AG size fuse? If so, it shouldn't make electrical contact and therefore the amp shouldn't turn on.

[@blakesimpson9974]

You are correct. I noticed this too, surely Brad did too after filming.

[@goodun2974]

Perhaps the B plus voltages will rise a little bit if you put 6V6's in the amp like it's supposed to have (the bias doesn't appear to have been finetuned for 5881's, and the plate current draw may be high); also, 5881's draw twice the heater current that 6V6's do, which might saturate the transformer and reduce the plate voltage. I can see why they replaced the tube rectifier with a pair of diodes, to raise the voltage.......

[@ryanintopeka]

I opened up an Ampeg VT-22 last night and it’s about as bad. Paralleled caps held up by their leads and a zip tie to one of the wires, rust, power resistors in series, blobs of solder laying around…it’s disgusting. I will give it the service it deserves dammit!

[@Mark70609]

The original tech is trying to get more headroom out of the amp. Ultimately, if you want more noticeable headroom you want a bigger amp. I don’t think it’s worth getting upset over an amp. There are plenty of them out there. I was wondering why you replaced the mains transformer on the Fender 6G amp with a Hammond instead of having it rewound?

[@goodun2974]

The 50Hz mains AC frequency in Australia requires more laminated iron than a US-spec transformer has; and it isn't practical, perhaps not even possible, to rewind a 120 VAC transformer to use 240 VAC.

[@vadenk4433]

He's upset about a "tech" charging someone good money to devalue their amp while also turning it into a potential death machine. Its not about the amp itself

[@Mark70609]

@@goodun2974 there are transformers being rewound from 120 to 240vac all the time, I suppose the question is are the core sizes different on 60Hz and 50Hz transformers? It’s hard to know the tolerance of the transformer.

[@goodun2974]

@Mark70609 , My understanding about core sizes is that the core and laminations have to be bigger and heavier if you're going to run them at 50 Hz.

[@Mark70609]

@ thanks for bringing this to my attention. It allowed me to look into it. It’s been quite a while since I’ve learnt about transformers.

[@K707OR30]

I consider myself a hack and wouldn’t dare call myself even approaching a tech. But shit, after seeing this maybe I’m selling myself far too short. Unbelievable.

[@sauce_aux]

Bro should have tried to fit a liquid cooling system in while he was “fixing” the caps 😂 if any one can resolve this problem, Brad can

[@volkspanzer831]

I used to do auto body repair and painting, I feel your pain if you would’ve seen some of the hack jobs I’ve come across over the years with peoples cars that were worked on previously by so called technicians. It made me sick.

[@maxvockner]

Unbelievable. What kind of futwit did this work? Can’t believe someone could do this to such a nice amp. Can’t believe there’s people doing this kind of work. You’re gonna need to get a dog up ya after this hot mess is done.

[@danielsaturnino5715]

You call that a rant? You might as well kiss the guy. And what the heck is covfefe?? Haha you legend.

[@mattrorke7536]

On the bright side, the amp is salvageable and I’m eager to see the finished product after you’ve corrected all the nonsense.

[@wonji1]

My goodness every turn on this amplifier is dangerous

[@riley0187]

you could got to jail in the uk for incompetence like that

[@soapboxearth2]

She's mint lol

[@Tonetwisters]

Output tubes are 5881's in this thing?? Holy smoke. Maybe a car mechanic worked on this poor thing.

[@JagStar]

Don’t mince words, what do you really think of the work done to this amp. 😂😂😂

[@pacocasanovas1605]

Faulty in all parts....holy sh...... even worse than the stuff I got on my bench lately...... 😮

[@pacocasanovas1605]

Laughing my ass off over here......😂😅

[@BradsGuitarGarage]

I'm telling you man, we have some of the worst techs in the world over here. It's the whole reason I started the KZbin channel in the first place!

[@TheMorganOrgan]

I was about so say ‘unbelievable’, on second thoughts…..believable! The junk work just keeps on coming 🤦🏻‍♂️

[@BradsGuitarGarage]

Never ending stream, my friend. I only film like 1 out of 10 amps I put through, too. Literally about 30% of the amps have incredibly shit previous work done to them. These scam artists need to be shut down for good.

[@robertgraham2011]

Very low voltage high ..... 🙂

[@Satchmoeddie]

What a shit show of shoddy work! Before the days of the little red straws on spray cans of electrical cleaner every decent electronics tech (even TV repairmen) had a supply of 3cc-10cc syringes with big long nasty needles on them for applying pure mineral spirits to clean pots and switches and one to add one small drop of silicon oil for each pot. The old clicky clacky CRT TV tuners would get double douche doused with a massive spray of tuner cleaner. The last thing you wanted on those switches was dirt and any oily residue at all, so all of that tuner cleaner spray evaporated. You'd have dirt puddled everywhere under the switch but the liquid solvent part was gone, (into the air, and your lungs and your brain and your liver). The conscientious techs would throw a dirty rag underneath the tuner switch and chuck it outdoors when they were done and let gas off outside.

[@fredfrederici7562]

Someone needed to get laid they took it out on the amp

[@wizardx4187]

wow that's a big mess!

[@shakeypeet]

First time on your channel .To the previous tech that did the work , disgusting ,,,, I tell ALL my musician friends that I tech for , self taught and 50 years under my belt , build to suit the player , I have rule bro , word of mouth only , will not work on anything that you cant re and re , like mesa , great amps , not worth the headache . Met some tech's that turn everyt hing into a Fender , lol