Vintage Fender Vibrolux tube guitar amp repair Static noise fix D-lab How to

[@genebeckytorres6355]

You totally saved my bacon! I have a gig tonight and my Fender Bassman was cracking up real bad. I thought it was a torn speaker. A little deoxit and I am back in business. Thanks!

[@stuarthossack7906]

Bloomin' excellent channel, alcohol, whimsy and solder - respect from the U.K.

[@modernobstacle]

Don't usually comment but D-lab I love your vids. Please keep them coming. Entertaining and I'm learning a lot so thank you!

[@d-labelectronics]

Thanks man, I'll keep it fun

[@matthewf1979]

You're not just an electronics guy. You are a curator of classic amplifiers. Not many guys wouldn't leave those Ajax caps in there and sell them on eBay for $50 each. I hate those guys. It's dirty to rip people off because they're ignorant of the inner workings of their electronics.

[@Barrymccockiner41]

This man is incredible.

[@SinzuSage]

I sense the spirit of Leo fender A tech guy who doesn't play but loves to see guitarist happy. Great video.

[@jazzey69]

Thank you so much for your videos, i have leaned a lot a great learning curve for me and everybody that is watching your very fine channel...blessings from the UK...Nice red wine :-)

[@Tonetwisters]

As a player, I would not want any of those filter caps -- nothing but ATOMS! Dude. You're doing all that in bare feet? You must REALLY know what you're doing!

[@BarefootBill]

Very good repair video, good procedures. Isn't it so nice to see an unmolested vintage amp when it comes in for repair. It just breaks my heart and ears when I see them come in and another so called tech has removed all the "ajax" coupling caps and replaced them with orange drops (harsh and brittle sounding). You gotta have the "Blues in those old blackface Fenders" or they just don't sound right! And Thank Goodness you use an oscilloscope and an audio generator, it is a must have for amp repair! Pulling the OT CT is also my preferred method of bias adjustment, indiscreet and accurate. Then, if needed, the power tubes can be individually checked for match. Wine for the mind! You did a good job for that customer, I hope it was appreciated. 👣

[@jcmcclain57]

I truly miss my old blackface Vibrolux. One the worst decisions I ever made to trade that amp in the late ‘70s. Nice video!

[@stratslinger4492]

Terry this is a great video! I love your Fender amp videos, especially. Speaking of that I have a Vibroverb I want to bring in to you to get a couple power tube ceramic sockets installed. Will be calling you soon!

[@d-labelectronics]

Roger-o my friend

[@daveogarf]

SCOPE-eramus! LOVE IT! And then you totally outdid yourself with "Speakeramuses"! I want to live in D-Lab Land!

[@d-labelectronics]

You can add "ramus" to any word!

[@maniak9343]

The old VAIIIII-a-BRAYto! You are fantastic, fella. Great video.

[@hellskreamer]

Hey Ted! I love your videos, even if i don't actually mess with this stuff, it's interesting to kind of troubleshoot some issues and more or less get the repairs done faster when you tell your repair technician what you think the problem is. You should shoot a small video of the owners playing the amps if they want to so you can show a before and after and whatnot. Cheers! // Viggo

[@TheGuitologist]

Nice amp. Good job on the repair!

[@waynewayne3709]

Detail repair carried out as it should be done, thumbs up Mister Terry. More 🍷

[@izzyauna8814]

I like how you left the blue Ajax in there. Great video.

[@johnsimms3957]

Very nice! Please more guitar amp repair videos. I totally dig 'em.

[@d-labelectronics]

John Simms Will do John, I have several more in the shop. Just need some spare time.

[@tiki_trash]

D-Lab always gets a thumbs up from me.

[@johnmccabe7645]

really appreciate the new camera the closeups are unequaled on youtube. thanks!

[@samchipner1131]

Nice job , Terry have a great day

[@juliochingaling5824]

I love all your videos and i have learned a lot from them. Thank you sir and thank you for your service. I like the juice idea,lol

[@Tonetwisters]

I once read that DeOxit is not good to use on tube sockets as it coats them; but rather TV contact cleaner on the sockets. But this guy's a pro so he knows his stuff ...

[@RobRice-so5nv]

There are several kinds of deoxit. The D5 should leave no residue.

[@ab_ab_c]

Good work. Good tube test techniques! Thanks for sharing!

[@StewartWood1963]

Love your work D., thanks for posting.

[@gastonb2745]

Great video! Nice job recording and commenting. I have a 66 Deluxe Amp (Not Reverb). It crackles pretty loud when warming up. I've been told it;s the output tubes, the pre-amp tubes, the rectifier. I'm sure you;ve come across this many times and wonder what you think it might be?

[@bijouxbijouxbijoux]

Nice tips to clean those tube pins Terry, cheers 🥂

[@jazznerd4]

Great info on current draw via center tap of output transformer!So... I measured 60 ma, (at 460 volts plate )...split in two equals 30ma per tube. What is the range from cold to hot bias in ma?Thanks for your help and informative videos!Jeff

[@rafaelaguirre1594]

great channel, very helpful for us noobs te get an idea of what might be wrong with our amps, you should make a tutorial on home basic maintenance.. cheers

[@mrGoesto11]

For the bias, you explain that you disconnected the center tap connect one ammeter probe but you didn't say what the other probe was attached to. Is that the output from the power tubes?

[@mattdixon333]

nice work! loving these videos

[@jam00723]

New favorite channel!

[@d-labelectronics]

Cool deal man, Stick with me

[@barrychristiansen4579]

Nice work Terry, nice amp i gota say too.

[@adam614ce]

Love the video. Hope you make more videos just like this, very informative and too the point. I'd let you work on my amps in a heartbeat. GREAT amp tech here.

[@d-labelectronics]

***** Will do man, Thanks

[@augustusdevandry]

Rad. I have the same amp. I need to change the caps and I want to add a ppimv.

[@jimmyokawa6800]

Super informative! Now ive got a project for the weekend haha

[@eliezerriveraperez3054]

D'lab, Can you some day explain the reverb section how it works on an old fender vibrolux reverb, I got one and I can't find the problema in it, thank you.

[@tpolak12]

Great overview of 66 Fender Vibrolux Reverb chassis you nailed it so even I could understand the issues. I have this same amp but zero electronics experience and would like you to service it, replacing any noisy transformers, preamp tubes, capacitors and etc. It’s a great amp I inherited from my best friend who died some time ago and would like to keep it in as good a shape when my friend played it. Are you game?

[@Tonetwisters]

SO sorry about your friend, Sir. But you have a real fine, sweet amp. Too pricey for me these days, but I hope you enjoy this one!

[@KB6YAF]

Good video. I would like to see you add the guitarist though putting it through its paces......Russell D.

[@GoldenCageChannel]

Thank you so much!!! your video was quite helpful. Greetings from México

[@sanderblom]

Certainly enjoyed it. Thx!

[@joelaughlin5532]

Aaawww! The liquid courage, used it many times!

[@Leomanvilla]

Wish you were in Houston

[@guitarpenter3357]

Nice work! I’m looking for someone to work on my 68 twin in New York, any recommendations?

[@sunslice]

Terry you're freaking awesome. You are one relaxed dude. Cheers!

[@hawsshaw]

Ur D real back to D future guy hands down! my jr amp making noise on d 1st tube 12ax7 no Master vol noisy n it cuts out? thanks for any advice

[@jonnybeck6723]

Is it Terry? Jonny Here... I really love your channel... what with all your COOL usage of test equipment... really old school pro. In what part of the country are you located? I'm in Los Angeles. Thanx for a great vid and... cheers

[@d-labelectronics]

Hello Jonny. I am located in Battle Creek, MI (Kelloggs)

[@bouipozz]

Great videos! Just curious as to when you tested the capacitors before removing are you not also testing the capacitance of the rest of the circuit in parallel? I would have assumed any component needs removing before it can be tested. Having said that I'm not much of a wine drinker so that could be where I'm going wrong...

[@axedoc2010]

I have the same question! Love your videos D-Lab :)

[@robertcovemaker9440]

@@axedoc2010 I always check capacitors barefoot, with a glass of wine in my hand. Thats why my hair is curly , whats left of it that is

[@johnmccabe7645]

I thought if the knobs had the setscrew was on 1 not 10, and the 8 was not the snowman 8, the amp was post CBS? did the owner replace the knobs?

[@Paqqqman]

I'm a big fan and a long time watcher of this channel, I own a '69 vibrolux Reverb so I recently came back to this video for a little insight from the master. You sure do top quality work almost always, but the installation of those 25uf caps was pretty sad to see. It really isn't very hard to empty the eyelets of solder and trim/fit the new caps to fit properly ...instead of attaching them to the old leads and dangling them in the air. This amp is a masterpiece and should be treated as such. Keep up the good work Terry, but tidy it up jeez ;)

[@theloniouscastaneda]

btw i’ve got a Fender 65 Deluxe Reverb reissue (type: pr 239), got it new in 2010. works great but the vibrato died a year or two after i got it. i’ve replaced caps, resistors and other pcb components in other types of electronics, but i wonder if this possibly a DIY fix for me.

[@PeterPug]

Great vid... I had my '68 Vibrolux looked at by a local tech a couple of years ago and had some caps done as well as the bias. Sounded great! A friend brought over his BiasMaster unit today and I was a little surprised to see that the amp had between 44-46mA as the idle current! That seemed quite high according to documentation...how dangerous is it to leave it running that hot? It sounds great and I'm hesitant to drop it to 30-35ma! What do you think?? Thanks!!!!

[@DustInTheWindAZ]

I'm just getting 'round to viewing your videos. I have a question about this rebuild. When you removed the old Mallory caps, why did you replace them with the ceramic disc caps? All the other Fender amp rebuilds I've watched say to use the "can" style caps, because the discs tend to pick up RF

[@RyanBlecher]

A safe, but slightly more complicated and accurate way to test the bias is measure the DC resistance of each primary winding to CT on the OT. The take the voltage drop over each one and use Ohm's law to find the current. You'll find that will yield the same results as the transformer shunt method without running deadly current through your meter as well as the bias of each half of the OT primary (instead of the entire primary and dividing by two). The only downside is if you have 4 output tubes, you'll have to take the average current for each pair.

[@silasfatchett5693]

That wasn't the transformer shunt method. That involves the meter being connected in parallel with each half of the OPT primary in turn, relying on the fact that almost all the plate current will flow through the lower resistance of the meter. Not as accurate as Terry's method, but the result will be in the ball park.

[@ronniejangles]

Terry, I love your videos and have found them incredibly helpful! I always believed that you had to remove a capacitor from the circuit to test it properly. Is this just a myth?

[@j.w.8663]

Yes, I'd like to know that too please.

[@theloniouscastaneda]

all these vids from this guy are excellent, thanks D Lab!!! 👍🏻🍷 cheers!

[@28noch]

Great Terry! Nice job!!!

[@d-labelectronics]

28noch Thank you. I hope it was of value

[@MrDanielf2413]

How to bias an old trayner, point to point. I looked at the schematic and I can find a bias pot. Help!

[@DavidBerlind]

Ted, had the 6L6's not worked out to 33 mA each,.. for example if they were too high (>44 mA), what would have been your remedy? Bias them down with resistors?

[@Tonetwisters]

Sure wish you could tell me why my original '63 Fender Reverb tank starts a hum after a few days of "ON" / playing through it, then "OFF" ... Changed out the caps, couple diff 6k6's, changed the cable leads to and from the tank ... I have spent a small fortune paying two repair "techs" to fix this thing and neither could. What sayest thou kind Sir? (I just tracked down your Email address and sent this message to it; so hopefully, you will receive it!). Thanks!

[@d-labelectronics]

E-mail sent

[@nissogargir5378]

Dear D-lab, it is not the right topic for this video but I wanted to ask you if you encountered a tube becoming microphonic not due to the tube itself but to its chassis socket where it is plugged ? In other words can a socket induce microphonics into a tube ? Sounds strange I agree but all my several brand tubes (6SL7s) cannot be microphonic !! Thank you.

[@el1r4n91]

great video! I learned alot! Thank You!

[@Gadang16]

Cool I’m fans from Thailand

[@veerchasm1]

When you tap on the tubes how do you have the volumes and knobs set?

[@brittisaacrossman]

Howdy, Terry. That's a nifty little tester you use for your tubes - what kind is it, and where might a feller be able to get one? Thanks!

[@nissogargir4586]

I have noticed something weird on a tweed Bassman of mine. Plugged in the guitar volume pot makes noise when turned. The pot is good. I have measured 300mv on the guitar cable jack when plugged in the amp , first time I see this. Any idea ? greetings from France.

[@fullwaverecked]

Would beer work?

[@pickupsbypeteaflynn]

I have a ‘62 blonde vibrolux head. Can you mod it get the high end sparkle of a B circuit ‘62-63 Bassman? Also the Bassman has more compression.

[@donnyboy911]

hi... saw you vid..nice.. have a friends 83 fender concert on desk. rebuilt with adjustable bias to run the 5881 he had in the unit. C- too hi=15mv/ma at test point(1ohm between gnd and 1-pin8 on output tube). 475 B+ with the 5881s. after mod i have correct 36ma/mv at idle . now that the amp is *functional; i have very little vol on eith chan. tones work ..but each chan is distorted.. no clean. ?? swapped tubes out 1-2 at a time with know good. no change. swicthing ped/knobpulls do their job..i am stumped. bad OT?

[@beeastman1235]

I'm trying to take off faceplate from my 1968 silver face twin having trouble around the pilot light area any tips?

[@viscioushattermaid4410]

You’re the guy to ask ... do hand wired amps really sound better than PCB amps?

[@ferraridinoman]

Good man, Good video!

[@tacratt6091]

Do you prefer WD-40 over contact cleaner for the scratchy pots? I have been afraid of the WD thinking it has some oil residue in it! You do great work, where are you located.

[@d-labelectronics]

Hello, I have used WD-40 on controls for over 35 years, no problems. In the past, I have had contact cleaner lock up pots. No fear using WD-40 my friend. I am located in Battle Creek, Mi

[@daniesahshele3179]

I have a peavey stereo chorus 400 1987-D model amp..works awesome..however..i live i roanoke virginia . i wish i could get this amp to you to check out and see if anything needs to be updated or fixed..let me know where your at i might be able to ship it to you..thanks..what is your email address.

[@mikejamieson419]

Is it ok to put tube shields on el84 tubes?

[@vdriveit]

How do I get in touch with you ?

[@rhykko77]

Does this bias test work with dry white wine also ?

[@d-labelectronics]

Yes, but it has a tendency to give me a headache

[@MiaCameretta]

I followed this method, unmounted tha caps with different values, but when outside the circuit they gave me good values. After replacing them with new caps, inside the circuit these new caps gave me the same exact values measured on the old ones. So I was wondering how those values inside the circuit can tell if a condenser has to be replaced.

[@d-labelectronics]

+Mia Cameretta Hello, The values can measure normal outside of the circuit. However, when in circuit, leakage can cause issues. Did you notice a difference in tone quality after changing them?

[@bmwm3cs]

Very cool amp...

[@d-labelectronics]

bmwm3cs Yep, it's fun having the vintage ones roll in the shop

[@iodicemusic]

Great Stuff!!

[@shockt9610]

Any idea on what's wrong with an amp if it's not getting the amount of volume you need? Like it just lost volume mid song.

[@d-labelectronics]

What kind of amp is it?

[@shockt9610]

It's a Fender supersonic 60 watt head

[@Mirage2000H]

Red plating output tubes possibly.

[@Tonetwisters]

Heck! Looks like the original DIRT!! From when God first made dirt!

[@michaelpelaez7188]

Where's your shop at Terry?

[@d-labelectronics]

Battle Creek, MI

[@michaelpelaez7188]

Thanks for the quick reply. I'm all the way in S. California, or I would of loved to have you service my Peavey 112 solo series. It's solid state but still a great garage/practice amp. I love the videos! Cheers :)

[@pneumatic00]

Nice, Terry. If you would like to get rid of 75% of the remaining hissy noise, change the 100K carbon comp plate resistors (the ones arranged in the "V" shapes) with 2 watt metal film resistors. 6 places. The amp will be dead quiet. Those resistors are always responsible for lots of thermal noise.

[@Tonetwisters]

YES!!! Make that thing as quiet as possible!

[@chopperwolf13]

Would that be six of them?

[@Bbendfender]

Where are you located? I'm in Texas.

[@kxmrock]

would love an AT1000 .....

[@davidpowell8329]

What is the model number of your crusty old heathkit audio generator?

[@d-labelectronics]

+David Powell Its a EUW-27 They called them Heath Built

[@davidpowell8329]

+D-lab Electronics Thanks, found one, on it's way :)

[@ShlomirBareket]

Mate, yr a legend, can you fix my Vox AC125 Climax?

[@d-labelectronics]

Yes, can do. What is the problem with the amp?

[@ShlomirBareket]

+D-lab Electronics sorry i would take itmto,you,if i lived in the USA, lol...imthink it just needs a service, the pots are a bit scratchy, affecting its EQ.

[@d-labelectronics]

Roger that man, WD40 works well for cleaning pots

[@andrewjmcgee]

outstanding

[@umajunkcollector]

Last month I saw an old 60s tube Sunn bass amp at Guitar Center for 800$ w / 15" speaker. If I had the money, it would have been mine. It was in pretty good shape, but who knows what was inside? Don

[@d-labelectronics]

***** Roger that man, I have a nice Marshall Plexi and quad speaker here for sale. Any interest?

[@sbiegs3885]

Why would you clean the pins right over the socket? Just saying.

[@AudioStorm1980]

S Biggs yeah I was kinda thinking the sae

[@chuckc6064]

hey, if you ever needed an apprentice, id like to apply

[@l3ertuz362]

ah yesss! "liquid encouragement"

[@viscioushattermaid4410]

Tube amps sound great but if you look at them the wrong way 💣

[@rojibshahi2075]

will my tube amp works if one of the pre amp tube is not working/glowing..

[@d-labelectronics]

Hello, all tubes should be glowing. Have you touched the tube to see if it's warm? Sometimes tubes looks to be dead, however thats due to blocked view of the filaments.

[@rojibshahi2075]

yeah it is warm,the problem with amp was its making crackling noise/popcorn noise its fender supersonic 60w head I just got the new one from abroad,its really inconvenient to take back to the store I purchased and unfortunately there's is not fender /amp technician in my country,I was trying to solve it, thank you for your quick and kind reply even on Christmas... is there any solution

[@d-labelectronics]

Hello, I had a few of the newer Fenders come in here with that issue. The 12ax7's were cheap and had failed. Try swapping them out. If thats not it, you may have cracked solder joints.

[@rojibshahi2075]

Can't believe how fender quality is degrading,really a disappointment, I can order tubes some how but no idea if I have to checked the solder joints..thank you so much !!!! really really appreciated, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year Admin

[@d-labelectronics]

Good luck my friend and have a great holiday. TD

[@TheRealSlickRick63]

Somebody got in there and tweaked the CAAANtacts

[@JohnvL]

7:58 LOL: "Liquid encouragement" I use Red Label the scottish one, from the highlands of the brave. I'm realy sorry but try the usa one's a Jack D, but i get more distracted... More better the Black Lable.... woooot my hears hear more highs.... * hic *

[@roberthurless4615]

I just cannot understand why a tech would replace some but not all of those ancient electrolytics. BTW, I use chopsticks from Panda Express for the ancient Chinese chopstick test. lol

[@d-labelectronics]

+Robert Hurless Yep, I agree. Chopsticks would be perfect for the test tap tool.

[@clovenwizard]

Hello, could i ask if you could check out my vibrolux hum video.. cant find anything like it on KZbin. . Had no suggestions either. Have you come across this. Many thanks

[@Tonetwisters]

If you still have that amp, I will be glad to send you my address! (But please clean it up, first!)