D-Lab Repairs Fender Bassman tube guitar amp using MojoTone amplifier chassis stand Great combo

MojoTone sent me this amplifier repair stand just in time for a Fender Bassman in need of service. I had an old homebrew stand. After using this modern apparatus, the old stand is history. What a difference, stable, safety needed when servicing vintage expensive amps. Yes, I had several close calls in the past, amps slipping off the old stand, lucky I was able to react and save the impending damage. I am sold on this device. If your into the repair hobby, I would highly recommend that you make this investment. As you know, I have partnered with MojoTone. They have really rolled out the red carpet for me. I feel very accepted and respected by their company. In todays world, I need that. Glad they reached out.

[@CC-te5zf]

Good old Vandenberg - 30th Communications Squadron. I miss Lompoc back in the day! Good times. We enjoyed our tour there.

[@pauldavis6356]

Well this answers my question on the Apr 12, 2021 video about the amp stand. Very nice.

[@flintdavis2]

I like these simple fixes, easy to remember, not so overwhelming. Like how you did one at a time too. Thanks

[@I.Kamintsev]

green caps are NOS soviet PIO from 80s-90s, you can buy them here in Russia for like 1$ per piece. and they are good, from my little experience, no leakage detected

[@sarcophagist4097]

They do look like Soviet-made paper-in-oil caps indeed.

[@electroKrunch]

I've always loved the tone of a good Bassman for guitar! Highly modifiable too!

[@preiter20]

A mid-week D-Lab! Remember kids, don't be like Elmer...

[@Jihadbearzwithgunz]

That stand looks sweet holds em firm and keeps them at any angel you want. Solid repair man.

[@Identace445]

Man I cant thank you enough! Its so great watching a professional at his craft!

[@d-labelectronics]

I appreciate that!

[@EJP286CRSKW]

Those green capacitors are Russian PIO (paper in oil). They were made in vast quantities for the military. Audiophiles love them so I stocked them for a while, but a couple of years ago I put some in and they were already leaky. So I've quit. Frankly those yellow polyester ones are good enough.

[@openup007]

Thanks D-Labs... very convenient tool!

[@rogerhansen5474]

I found your channel a couple of months ago. Your videos are top notch! I have pretty much decided restoring old electronics is going to be my retirement hobby along with Ham Radio. My dad fixed radios and TVs as his hobby back in the 60s. My job was to dig through his grocery sack of tubes and find the one he needed. I also remember going with dad to the drug store with a handful of tubes to use their tester to check them out. 73, Roger N0LIA

[@audiotechlabs4650]

Mojo HAS great stuff! I'm an avid DIYer and built mine, but...this.chassis stand IS top shelf! Most dyi designs use a fixed side and a moveable side. This Mojo is a superior design. Those big green caps maybe from Russia, supposedly are of high quality. I use them in guitar tone controls. I can't say they ARE any better than orange drops or others.I bought a 1965 Bassman with JBLs used in mint condition in 1969 and I kick myself for ever selling it. Divorce = sell Bassman. Keep your Bassman, lose the wife! She don't get it! Ha Ha! Love from NW Colorado. Thanxz

[@alfsmith4936]

I did the same with a 65 Gretcsch Country Gent. Sold it to pay bills and ended up single anyway. Luckily I found a better woman but I'm still looking for that exact guitar on Ebay. Moral of the story is.. Women can be replaced a lot easier than good vintage equipment :p

[@thomasmiccolis9051]

The green caps are Russian surplus & are most likely PIO caps. They sound VERY GOOD! They’re the best caps in the entire amp!

[@jamiemascola6614]

With all of the recent talk about undisclosed product placement and shadiness on youtube, this is the healthy alternative. Thanks for being a straight shooter on the origin of the amp caddy, and I'll be damned if I don't order one because it looks like it would be really helpful. I've got a pair of BF Bassmen (a 64 and a 65) getting ready to hit the bench this week for maintenance. Great amps, and still a lot of them out in the wild. Help us keep it that way, Terry! Save the Bassmen!

[@roberthurless4615]

Do not attempt to adjust your television. We will control the vertical, we will control the horizontal. Who remembers that intro? My father was stationed at Vandenberg AFB from 67' to 69', I went to Lompoc Jr. High and the to Vandenberg Jr. High when we ofed to base housing. I got to take a tour on one of the missile silos with a real genuine nuke on top of it. It was quite an experience.

[@johnrogers8032]

I work on old tube radios and not amps, but the information and tips you provide apply. I was so impressed with this stand, that I ordered one right away. Thanks and keep up the good work.

[@electrolytics]

Great video. Thank you.

[@bkbinj6320]

The MojoTone stand looks and works great. Having the right stand/clamp/vise/etc. to hold what you are working on makes a world of difference.

[@millerfat5405]

Long story short: I've been working on the side for extra cash to build a shed. Lumber prices soar, shed dream dead. Enter: Amp build. I've been leaning towards the Mojotone jcm800 head. I'm definitely getting that chassis work station thingy, too. Great video!

[@mason8971]

You are amazing. Its good to see how my love for music and my knack for electronics can come together. Thank you so much Terry, this is outstanding to watch. A very clean narrative as well! Now I just need people to give me their amps to fix hahahaha.

[@tomk1tl39]

MojoTone . . .great outfit !.......another great vid from Terry !

[@wesleymorris1]

Love mojotone stuff, they got everything.

[@rciancia]

Great job and great public service message. Don't Be Elmer !!!! Love it

[@robertrestoule2192]

You also don't want to make a grab for a live amp on its way to the floor!! Could be fatal! Nice video!

[@hestheMaster]

Nice work stand. The small black knobs should be a bit bigger for us weaker fingered older guys.

[@edwardhannigan6324]

Great fix and info Terry. love the stand also. Thanks for sharing. Learning all the time.. Top job and video..Ed..u.k..😀

[@sickofit9247]

Thanks from Australia Terry, Love your style! Would you believe I just finished making a similar amp cradle for myself yesterday. What a difference it makes!

[@whatsstefon]

Nice one mate. Would you be interested in selling one? I’d be keen to likely purchase one as I am not keen on paying the crazy shipping cost from the US for one.

[@sickofit9247]

@@whatsstefon Cheers mate! No, i won't be making another one. It took too much of my time too build one for myself ha ha. Thanks anyway.

[@whatsstefon]

@@sickofit9247 that’s fair enough. I’m horrible at woodworking. Much better at fixing mechanical things like engines and watches, and valve amps.

[@djefferson5669]

Ice cube trays make great temporary organizers.

[@codpug]

i use muffin tray for my auto work

[@Jihadbearzwithgunz]

Specially the silicone ones work great.

[@cchavez248]

I have catcher mitt fingers, I wouldn't even be able to stick one finger into an ice tray compartment!

[@djefferson5669]

@@cchavez248 Your poor wife.

[@cchavez248]

@@djefferson5669 lol

[@jayybone6227]

That stand is cool , keeps you from dying

[@choctawhatcheekid309]

Thanks for another repair video. Those green coupling caps are NOS Russian capacitors.

[@luthiervandros]

The danger to consider when soldering at an angle is having one of fenders pesky solder balls migrating to another eyelet between the main board and the insulator.

[@wesleymorris1]

Dlap your lab is so organized, I guess I gotta clean some stuff out I feel embarrassed, I got speakers and chassis and parts and everywhere. But I do organize my caps and resistors neatly I hate having to search for a part when I need it, keep doing what ur doing, I enjoy amp repair videos. I might buy one of those chassis stands very nice.

[@russellesimonetta3835]

Very pricey but very nice. Could build one like it but you would need a an equiped wood shop in addition to your electronics shop.

[@rickymize8673]

Hey Terry thanks for the heads up on the mojotone stand just ordered me one of those

[@d-labelectronics]

You will love it man

[@NINEWALKING]

I wonder is there anything but iron and maybe eyelet boards original on this poor old girl. Pots look mostly original to. Most of the resistors changed to metal film once. I see one carbon film resistor to. To be honest although technically those resistors should be superior I prefer to use carbon composite resistors on old amps. On my own designes I use carbon film mostly while thise are stable and sound OK and fit the schematics and age of the amp. Nice Atom Sprague electrolytic caps. I like those caps. Those green caps are Russian paper in oil caps that should have nice tone. Though at that low down the stream difference in tone between caps is less pronounced then at earlier stages. Most important feature there is that they are stable and have no leak in the voltage. Tube sockets are big issue. Tons of new available once are garbage. They look nice. They have what looks like nice ceramic bodies. They have thick enough contacts and often even what looks like gold plated contacts. But very often ceramic bodie is made out of two parts and can fall apart. Contacts lose the tension very quickly due to the heat and poor quality of the metal used. NOS Sockets are often very old and contacts are dark due to the oxidation. Contact spray can't really clean them any more. Beltone preamp Sockets are good but Octal Sockets are Marshall type and use just two little points of contact. I do not like them that much. Finding good Sockets is harder every day.

[@chipcrooks557]

Hey Terry. I’m available to test amps if you need me , just yell ! Excited to see the Mojotone stuff !!

[@d-labelectronics]

Yes Sir, will do. Lots of amps moving thru the shop these days

[@acidfuzzpedals9986]

These are great stands to work from. They were reasonably priced at $149.00 + shipping. I was going to buy another for my second workstation and see the exact stand (Mojo Part # N4CHS021) is now $240.00 + shipping.

[@jammer70s]

Unfortunately Mojo's prices took a pretty big jump in the last year... I waited a year too long to order a Brit Clone headshell and it jumped from around $300 to $413. Ouch.

[@radicalaudiodesign]

Yes those green caps are Russian military caps. Easy available on ebay.

[@renegade44040]

Now I'm going to fashion an amp repair stand out of two five gallon paint buckets.😊

[@auntjenifer7774]

I just use a couple fence post blocks cut from the tops for free at the hardware store, for free I might add 😉

[@tom474e]

The schematic I have shows pin 8 soldered directly to the chassis with no resistor.

[@d-labelectronics]

Yes, I add the 1 ohm resistor to measure current thru the output tubes

[@sussudioscott9383]

Hey Terry, those 2 Green Caps look to be Russian NOS Paper In Oil Caps that are usually put in guitars tone controls. Ive never seen them in an amp even though they are usually rated for 630V.

[@chrisbarrett5132]

I got a bag full of these of these Soviet green military caps from a guy who worked in the defence industry. They reputedly have glass lined metal canisters with the cap inside, but I've not taken one apart. I've been using them as coupling caps in builds for a couple of years, and I have only positive things to say about them. I'm down to my last three, unfortunately.

[@michaelhager4270]

@@chrisbarrett5132 I use those Russian caps in amps all the time. Sound great, never had a problem with them. Prices seem to be going up fast though, just like Russian Germanium transistors.

[@douro20]

Those green capacitors are old Soviet metallised paper types.

[@TheChrisCasey]

Hey Terry, I have a NEWB question. Is there a way of tightening the sockets without replacing them? Just curious. Thanks for all your videos and information. I've been binge watching. :-)

[@bbmade]

Thoughts on tensioning the old sockets? Not as nice as original unused replacements but, are you opposed to re-tensioning? Excellent video as always, we are lucky to have a chance to watch you work.

[@d-labelectronics]

In this case, re-tensioning would not be the best approach. The sockets were pretty fried. I have done it in the past, but found that they loosen up again in short time. Metal fatigue. Best if possible to replace

[@bbmade]

@@d-labelectronics Thank you! I’ve learned a lot from your videos, thank you for doing them.

[@HandsOnOffGrid]

Nice work and nice stand. Also great to see someone else with an old Heathkit signal generator! Mine still works great- Carbon resistors always increase in ohm value over time. How do you decide when to replace 1 or all? We do recaps, but does it make sense to do a re-resistor?

[@jokertlr]

Isn’t that a bias balance pot and not a bias adjustment pot? Or was it only that way on some Bassmans?

[@donsigl8520]

The green caps are Russian. I use them in audio amps. They are hard to find these days

[@russellhltn1396]

5:20 what's the condition of the power transformer? In the video, it looks like it's got a crack in the laminations and swelling with rust. But it might be an illusion.

[@Green_House]

Can someone tell me why most people wire fuses the same (wrong) way? Input should be on side terminal & output on rear terminal. No difference functionally, BUT if wired how most people wire them, with input on rear terminal, you can get a shock if checking a 'good' fuse. Ask me how I know! This can happen because the fuse is connected to the rear hot (active) terminal. Connect it the other way and this can't happen! Just as easy to wire it the right way as the wrong way, so may as well do it the right (safe) way.

[@acoustic61]

I put all the screws in plastic vitamin bottle.

[@exceptions9263]

I don’t understand why the socket pins would be mislabeled. Was there a change in the standards at some time?

[@d-labelectronics]

HI, They were not mislabeled, the numbers are correct, you just have to be careful when viewing them

[@antoninowoodystella4607]

Hi, Will the presence pot do on blackface. Circuit?

[@566hank]

Terry, what pin are you connecting the red lead to when biasing those tubes, please?

[@d-labelectronics]

One lead to chassis the other to pin 8 which has the 1-Ohm current sense resistor

[@dhpbear2]

Terry. How matched are those 1-ohm shunt resistors? (19:59)

[@silasfatchett7380]

They look like 1 Ohm 1% metal film. Set each tube to exactly 30mA, worst case scenario is one tube at 29.97mA and the other at 30.03mA. Plenty close enough for a guitar amp.

[@auntjenifer7774]

The wiring and stuff in there is far far cleaner and tidy compared to the rats nest inside my old 70 Bassman 50 head 😉

[@petereff5724]

Come on Terry, buy yourself a good wireless mic. The audio sounds horrible. You can hear the hollow sound of the mic far away. Sounded a whole lot better before you got a new mic a while back. Other than that, good clip.

[@TheyreStillOutThere]

Terry, that amp has had the eyelet board replaced and all new components populated. There is also extensive brand new wiring from the tube sockets to the eyelet. Either an amp repair man gutted that amp without telling his client, or the client had someone rebuild an original Bassman with a modified circuit using the original transformers. Either way, much more went into that amp than just a prior recap. That amp is by no means a vintage blackface at this point. Love your videos, but I’m always puzzled when I see brand new circuitry inside vintage amps and hope they weren’t done by dishonest repair people.

[@d-labelectronics]

Yes, It has seen its share of past maintenance & Mods, Bummer

[@shawnclifton4742]

Did he trip going up the stairs?

[@jeffm8122]

It appears there are two resistors at the pilot light socket, value too hard to see, creating an artificial centre for the heater winding. I don't think there is much point doing that if the heater centre tap (green/yellow) wire is still soldered to the chassis.

[@d-labelectronics]

Yes, I agree, saw that too, Good catch

[@mikes845]

lol I should post videos. Mojo made me pay for my stand a couple weeks ago.

[@d-labelectronics]

Love your ID pic man! Neet!

[@wrenchhead944]

So, If we mention D-Lab when ordering a new amp chassis stand from Mojo Tone . Will they give us a 10% discount ??? LOL

[@KonstantinGrigoriadis]

The Green Caps seems to be Russian ones

[@djefferson5669]

Hey Terry, what is the best may to contact you if I have an amplifier I'd like you'd to consider taking in for repair??

[@d-labelectronics]

My home e-mail is on my channel

[@williamelrod4199]

Don't be Like Elmer Lol. Where is that stand made?

[@stevencraig]

One year later and the chassis stand is $100 more :/

[@Nirky]

Those green caps are NOS Russian, probably Soviet era.

[@Nirky]

@@garyswift135 I've used those kind in recapping an amp's coupling capacitors. Paper in oil.

[@kosmicwizard]

Hopefully those weren't vintage Tung sols

[@jeffmitchell9214]

And it's only $149.00. Cool

[@d-labelectronics]

Yep, worth every penny

[@wa4aos]

C A T 73 WA4AOS Listen to the intro and see if you here CAT