Fender Super Reverb Blackface tube guitar amp Repair Part 2 Cap + LDR replacement + Demo

Part 2 of the Super Reverb amp repair. Part 1 consisted of initial test, power supply, checkout with original tube set installed. Turned out that the negative bias circuit was not working, that was the cause of overheating. With that resolved we now move into eyelet cap replacement and repair of the Vibrato circuit. I also installed a new set of matched Tung-sol 6L6 tubes. Tony C came over to run the amp thru his acid test. Passed! He loves it. The amp is now running great, stock configuration, no mods performed. The 15 year old owner will love this amp. I love seeing the new generation appreciating old technology. Fender amps rule! Also in this video, I tested a Hioki DT-4256 digital Multimeter. D-Lab electronics has a future need for an auto-ranging meter. This was a good opportunity for initial testing and thoughts. So far, I am very impressed. More testing will follow. Sorry this on ran so long, but at least you get to hear some good stories! Great memories of the USAF. Here is the link to Part 1: • Fender Super Reverb Bl...

[@kevinmiller4486]

I used Sprague caps years ago when I built electronic stuff. They never caused problems. Great videos.

[@sempercompellis]

that is great and all but the blue Ajax caps rarely go bad - at least he doesn't keep them or even worse- throw them out - he returns them with the amp.

[@mikeg3660]

Love your videos…. noticed that both hands were on the chassis at the same time! Stay safe we want to keep you around. 😊

[@dhpbear2]

26:56 - Solder-suckers BITE! They CREATE cold solder connections :)

[@Tonetwisters]

NONE!!!! They are all junk nowadays, and Fender and all the rest should be ashamed of themselves. THAT, from a player of 59 years ...

[@dhpbear2]

17:01 - Hosted by John Sameron Quazy :)

[@dhpbear2]

Snozzeramusization! (31:39)

[@raymondheath7668]

Like the new camera view!

[@jefffree3053]

How do I get my amp to you? I need your help!

[@bobbyv5143]

I like the "over-head" view. It allows you to demonstrate your process well.

[@d-labelectronics]

Yes, I agree, will continue to shoot that way on these repairs

[@Nobody_Important_Yea]

Better if you zoom in a little more. I take a popsicle and wind some solder around to make it easier to handle. Put a couple of notches in the stick to keep it from sliding down. I really appreciate your hard work and knowledge (and your pleasant demeanor). You teach me a lot!

[@Nobody_Important_Yea]

@@newscotlandtv He has to fund new cameras and equipment etc. What is better than an honest opinion from someone you trust? Many hours go into a short video, and D Lab has to be accurate and find new content regularly. 😊

[@danhorton6182]

@@newscotlandtv Just goes to show you can’t please everybody. Just another generic channel? Please. I love the overhead view, gets good info to the people watching. So are you saying Mr.Carlson’s Lab is another generic channel with its mostly overhead shots? I too would like it zoomed in slightly more, but appreciate what I can get. Thank you Terry.

[@andrewthomason3857]

The earlier part of the video, where the entire width of the chassis was in the frame, was a little too “zoomed out” to show what you were doing clearly. Setting up the shot so that the eyelet board fills the frame might work better.

[@brunoheidrich]

excellent job, been following you for some time now, I was raised in Detroit metro aera , Loved the GOUL reference.as a retired Mercedes Benz service tech, I appreciate your soldering skills! ( it takes a LOT of practice) and electronics knowledge to do what you do,,,Bravo! I now live in the SF Bay aera Retired and have taken up a music hobby which has me servicing Fender silver face amps and Gibson tube amps..your videos have been very helpful. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!

[@kendavis8046]

Terry, you mentioned that you occasionally make mistakes, and that we all do. I have been fortunate enough not to get an electrical shock for a good long time, because I generally only do the odd electrical job, like changing an outlet in the house, or my most recent, changing a dispenser module in my fridge. But I can kill the breaker for a given circuit, making that virtually risk-free, in terms of a shock, and I even have one of the little "probes" to verify that there is no power at the location I am working on. All that said, I have discovered a truism from experience that still bites me about every ten years. "A cold soldering iron looks just like a hot soldering iron." And I've had the blisters to prove it! :-) Love your channel, hope you had a very merry Christmas, and I wish for ALL of us a happier 2021 than this mess of 2020 has been.

[@SteveHacker]

Wow! Good job! Your videos are actually starting to TEACH now! Bravo! For a very long time, your “How To” videos were merely, “Look What I DID” (past tense, after-the-fact) videos, but now you’re actually beginning to teach and show your work. Good job! Bravo! Keep raising the bar! The longer, the BETTER! Continue to make your videos EASIER on yourself to make by EDITING LESS, and SHOWING MORE, and thus, TEACHING MORE... 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@mikesclocks3666]

Enjoyed should be in the first sentence of my previous post. That's what I get for not proofing before hitting comment! LOL

[@waynerd]

How much resistance should the photo cell have with lamp on and off (ballpark)?

[@ColocasiaCorm]

how hard do you think it'd be for someone like me with limited electronics experience to convert his super reverb reissue with its PCB to handwired?

[@Matan2222222]

Hello Terry! Are you using a 4ohm load on the speakers output?

[@billmiller7138]

I found 2 not really connected wires in my 68 Super reverb when I went through it. Looked like they never had a good solder joint.

[@randyheath8566]

You could never look like a Moron. BIG FAN Here

[@dhpbear2]

16:50 - I remember the Marantz magazine ad that showed a receiver being pulled out of a house-fire and was still working!

[@Souldoubtrocks]

Kids like that give us hope. Right on kid.

[@Kenman540]

Glad that the kid could know to sniff a hot running set of tubes.

[@davidharmon8745]

Sounds Great.

[@artisanmetalcraft]

Great Video!

[@allanjohnston8049]

I would like to know what type of solder you are using 60/40 I like to use the eutectic solder 63/37 because it has no plastic zone, liquid to solid boom

[@douro20]

The last pound of solder I purchased was eutectic. It wasn't cheap but it should last me several years.

[@dwightjt]

A lesson I learned the Hard way and lived. In my early days tinkering With a Hot water 16 heath kit I was tinkering on the chassies tightening Up screws with an uninsulated screw driver when I accidently touched the 600 volt DC line to the Plate of the 6GE5 RF output tube and got the poke of a lifetime My heart rate went up To perhaps 90 or 120 I think I was 16 years Old then. Now I am Alot more careful Just call me lightnin Or Lucky. Dwight

[@MrRadioGypsy]

I like the Hioki - too! These old Fender amps are built like WWII battleships.

[@ErickPaquin]

The magic of AB763! Geez that sound is sooo....magic! Pure tone.

[@stevebumstead9840]

Love this video Terry. I watch your all of your videos. I don't know squat about electronics, but somehow I find your videos very relaxing. Thanks.

[@d-labelectronics]

Thank you my friend, I will keep good content coming

[@Wizardofgosz]

Give me auto ranging meters all day long. I'll count on my eyes to read the voltage range it's on. You could just as easily accidentally select the wrong range on the your meters and think you're on the right range. Somewhere in the world there's an old military guy who hates range selectable meters because the exact same thing happened to him that happened to you, but in reverse! :-)

[@jbrobertson2758]

Considering the back panel/chassis straightness with the overhead view, those solder connections held pretty well when the amp suffered damage from some mishap.

[@edgarcook9607]

I had to do some panel straightening when I got my early '73 Super Reverb & replace both Vibrato inputs--seems the amp fell over on items that were plugged in!

[@danhorton6182]

LOVE the longer format of the video, plus the overhead camera is the best Christmas present.

[@tubeDude48]

Glad to see you using an auto-ranging meter. Meters like UNI-T are JUNK|! *Mustools* or *Klien* are also very good. DON'T like all the beeping!

[@douro20]

Peter Traynor, one of the founders of Yorkville Sound, made a big deal about the durability of his namesake amplifiers, throwing them off of the roof of his workshop in front of his customers.

[@brentstewart59]

Traynor amps are unlike anything else in their construction. Pete himself is a legend and was quite a character

[@dennisflock3958]

Hey, Tony! You make that SV ring and sing. Love seeing you take amps for test drive.

[@jeffkamen2307]

When checking bias you kept saying “28 milliamps”. Was that not millivolts? Or am I mistaken?

[@d-labelectronics]

Across the 1 ohm resistor 28ma = 28mv

[@jeffkamen2307]

@@d-labelectronics Thanks for clarifying Terry. Now I understand the purpose of the shunt resistor. 🙂

[@JobyP]

Love the long vids! Smart kid buying the Blackface Super!

[@edwardebel1847]

How many of today's PCM amps will be around in 50-60 years? The answer is none...none more amps... Looking into this amp from the 60's I am sort of reminded of my old 1963 Mercedes 190c...I could get into the engine compartment and make adjustments, valves, points, change the plugs. Not so much with today's cars...in fact, not at all. Troubleshooting and modifying a PCB is somewhat similar to troubleshooting and repairing a modern car: you need a lot of specialized equipment and you're probably not going to do it yourself. I wonder if that's why a lot of guys who work on tube amps and vintage electronics also work on classic cars.

[@tripencrypt]

Congrats on the overhead shots. A second camera angle is always appreciated. I imagine it saves you some time having to setup shots. Best wishes for 2021!

[@allanjohnston8049]

What type of solder do you use 60/40 ?? Regular 63/37 ?? Eutechtic VA6RDR

[@SIXSTRING63]

Hioki is a good brand. Brymen is my auto range meter of choice. The features for price and robustness is 2nd to none, not even Fluke. Check out some of Joe Smith’s torture tests of all brands of meters he buys from his own money or are donated. Dave Jones from EEVblog has put his name on two Brymen meters, the BM235 and BM768(not on market yet). The BM869S is the most feature rich of their lineup. The Japanese Yokagawa is actually a rebranded Brymen as are Greenlee meters. The Greenlee deal makes the Brymen hard to get in the US. I bought mine through TME in Poland, $10 shipping and had it in 4 days. I can’t get shipping that quick and cheap 3 states away. Welectron in Germany sells Brymen via EBay too, a little more pricey.

[@mikesclocks3666]

Terry, thoroughly these 2 videos on the repair of the Super Reverb. You do excellent work and I enjoy your tips along the way. The amp sounds great. I also watched the video of the young man playing through his amp. He is incredible. An inspiration to us all. Thanks for sharing. Mike

[@Matan2222222]

Hey Terry! Thanks for sharing! For ground connections, should I go for Weller 200w soldering iron or the 100w is sufficient? Both have tips that goes to 375 degrees Celsius (I can get 425 degrees Celsius tips)

[@GIBKEL]

Hey Terry-I’m putting together a amp servicing kit and after searching, I haven’t a clue what multi meter would be suitable for the voltages and function of testing 30 watt combo’s and smaller? You’ve seem to enjoy this model as I see it turn up in nearly all your videos since. Would you suggest this model or any others for working on small combos and heads? My kit is nearly complete with this exception.

[@MAHGlie]

Very instructional! I'm recapping my 68 Pro Reverb and notice that you don't replace the molded blue caps in the preamp stages nor the small brown disc capacitors? Just the grid caps and the elecrolytics and the two brown caps with Mallory 150s. Mine have been done before as the large brown cardboard cased electrolytics have been replaced with physically smaller black ones like you've done, but it's been over 15 years ago, before I bought the amp. I'm chasing hissing & crackling. Thanks!

[@evtzinevtzin5939]

Hi, I have a problem with my fender super Reverb amp by mistake I tried to turn it on at 220volt, and then when the on off switch is turned on it looks like everything work OK, but when I turn the standby switch on, it burns the fuse every time...do you have any idea what's going wrong? Thanks! Greetings from greece

[@cheycasters]

That sounds great!

[@wadereynoldsgm]

Great video! Appreciate you showing a lot of the work and issues that come up during a repair like that wire that came out. It's good to see stuff like that in order to continue learning. I love tube tech! Thanks for sharing

[@memTigerFanInNC]

Thanks for the video and all of your insights. I'm recapping my own Super Reverb now and your videos are super helpful. The one ohm shunt resistor tip was really great. My only observation was that when you were putting in the orange replacement caps, I was scratching my head why you didn't check the resistors in that area. With the old caps out of the way, that seemed like the time to replace any if needed before the new caps went in. Anyway thanks so much!

[@Serjm87]

Great video! Question for ya, how much hiss is normal for a super reverb? I have some slight hiss when the settings are all set to 1. Any info would be greatly appreciated!

[@MyPinkFloydian]

i came up on an old Sony player that was shorting on a zenner, figured how hard could it be to run through some deductive troubleshooting, didn't take long for me to come across modding the old radios and your video's. That was a year ago now, i have 4 tube guitar amps now, and working on m first build from scratch! still much to learn and i get scared since I teach myself that I'm missing critical concepts because i dont know that i don't know if that makes any sense in any case i just wanted to thankyou for always some entertainment and some examples of often repairs I'm trying to do - so I'm not sure if you're still active but thanks for what you do!

[@voxpathfinder15r]

Well my Carvin XV212 100 watt tube amp was built in 1981 on a circuit board and it’s doing fine, it will easily be around 10 years from now making it 50 years old!

[@Subgunman]

We Had Fritz the Night Owl in Columbus, he would host Chiller Theater every Friday night playing all of the classic horror films of the past. He is also a prominent Jazz musicians well. I do believe he is semi retired now however. Great musician!

[@hddynarider4528]

I hope the kid does not mod that amp. If he wants to modify a Super Reverb he might want to look into an early to mid 70's silver face. While they are great sounding amps in there own right, they while never achieve the collectable value that the Black Face amps do. Great video!!

[@ernestschultz5065]

i think your're thinking of that luggage commercial with the gorilla throwing a suitcase around his cage.

[@jutukka]

If I don't remember wrong, Hioki manufactured multimeters already in the 70's. (Edit: It seems that Hioki has manufactured electric equipments from 1930's.) AFAIK they were quite good quality instruments. However for some reason I purchased a Kaise SK-1000 FET multimeter equipped with 12Mohm FET input. Oh boy, that was something special in those days and quite expensive. I still have it and it works perfectly!👍

[@Subgunman]

Forgot to ask, have you heard of Accutronics Reverb tanks? If so, how is the quality?

[@anthonysilva5312]

Than you for sharing. When building my 5f1 champ, I neglected to hook up a B+ wire. I discovered the problem after inserting the circuit board so I added it over top of the board. Would this add to noise? Thx

[@dambuster6387]

My new amp came with Chinese EL34 tubes and when while playing I noticed a strange effect when playing it sounded like a 50hz hum in fact it was the output tubes self oscillating when I was playing and stopped when I was not playing, changed them out for the Russian Sovtec El34 problem solved and a much sweeter and cleaner sounding amp now.

[@rciancia]

Very cool. Did you notice that chassis is bent on the back, just 3 inches left the DLAB dummy load ? Looks like it took a good hit.. I agree with you, lets get rid of the circus board amp and go back to these hardwire.. they just sound better !!!!! The disconnected wire was a great opportunity to show why we do not shotgun these things.. There is logic to follow which always prevails. What a sweet sounding amp...... You've done a wonderful job as usual...

[@d-labelectronics]

Yep, Not sure how that was inflicted. Maybe a mad wife? Yes, I agree, NO more circus boards!

[@ChatGPT1111]

Probably a Pete Townshend casualty from one of their London pub gigs!

[@rciancia]

@@ChatGPT1111 Funny you mention Pete.. I am friends with him and we exchange email often. He is an exceptional person.... We've spoken at length at few times in NYC and I got to know him as a person. Did you know he started smashing his guitar after at a gig with a low ceiling he jumped up and it broke off his headstock... the crowd went wild... it became a staple of the group in the early days....

[@saschagunkel4482]

Hi Terry, I am a big fan of your channel and watch every episode from far away Germany. I am asking myself how to solder correctly a speaker cable to the (positive and negative) tab of a guitar speaker in a speaker cabinet. The problem is because of the diameter of the speaker cable, wich is thicker than the hole in the speaker tab a good mechanical connection is impossible. I would like to use this big diameter cable but the only way is to solder it on top of the speaker tabs without going through the hole. I worry a little bit because of the vibration while playing wich can cause damage to the connection. Do you have any advice or maybe is this an interesting topic for another episode? Best regards, Sascha

[@tpaairman]

Ghoolardi reminds me of someone on TV in Tampa back in the day. Dr. Paul Bearer, and his show was Creature Feature. From 1973 to 1995.

[@p_mouse8676]

Most auto-range meters I have seen are capable of going to manual mode. Personally don't really care, just find auto ranging meters sometimes a little busy/restless to read Anyway, nice repair again! :)

[@edwardhannigan6324]

Great camera angle, nice test out of the new meter. Nice repair and informative explanation. Learning all the time..Thanks for sharing..Ed..U.K..😀

[@Lu_Woods]

Love the new camera view...and "long form" vids. It's nice to see your workflow . Thanks !! Be safe ;)

[@DaveGVideo]

Nice work Terry. Hats off to Tony too. I like his influences, seems like he’d be a fun guy to jam with. Your customer should be pleased.

[@glenndavis6793]

Wow Beautiful hopefully we're not young man it's really good we're famous will visit you and I Gotta say by far you are the number one channel guide look for all the time love this channel don't change a thing

[@hestheMaster]

Nice auto range meter Terry. Good workmanship goes a long way. 15 year old was smart to send her to D-Lab!

[@meesterprofe007]

Please zoom in on the work being done so it’s easy to see individual pieces one by one be soldered or removed. Thanks Terry...you are a master!

[@gregnewberry4813]

Love your videos. When you put the orange drops in do you check to see which is the foil side of the cap? Thanks!

[@barbmelle3136]

From Leo: I have an old Fluke 77 from the 1980's that is still working fine. It is not as quick as the one you are showing. That was my first auto ranging meter.

[@waynegram8907]

I never understood why technicians want to use a ranging meter they are so annoying to use ranging meters I hate them plus there is no advantage of using ranging meters just buy a fluke meter

[@nigeltrueman5931]

Glad you commented on the mechanical bond for soldering. Totally agree. I was taught that as a 17 yo apprentice telecommunications engineer and its served me well for over 40 years.

[@douro20]

Sanwa and Kyoritsu are two others. Sanwa is the oldest and is renowned for the quality of its analog meters.

[@sski]

Outstanding work, Terry. Great playing, Tony! Good luck to "The Kid"! Rock on my bro.

[@mp-ov9dh]

loved the overhead view! great video, I learn something new each time. plus a Snozzeramos day is always a good day!

[@scottbc31h22]

Regarding the auto range meter. If the manufacturers would enlarge the range indicator to the same size as the numbers, the user would pay more attention to which range the meter is in.

[@preiter20]

I really appreciate the overhead soldering view Terry. I am working on an RCA tube radio that has dry rotted wiring along with paper caps. I often struggle trying to figure out how to replace the wiring when it is routed through not very accessible areas. It is teaching my patience, lol. Another great D-Lab resurrection!

[@Finom1]

Just another amazing educational video. Thank you so much.

[@timmooney7528]

References to the Ghoul keep appearing on the Michigan History FaceBook group

[@johnsimms3957]

Good job Terry. And that new multimeter looks like a keeper. Happy New Year!

[@DoItYourselfMusician]

You have a range button on that meter if you need it. I use mine all the time just like you.

[@jimbeaux4988]

I recently started using wick and I love it, but on some thru holes, I found that I do needed the sucker to clear it out. But it is kind of a juggling act.

[@jorgemellooliveira9611]

Ótimo trabalho South of Brazil

[@andrewclegg6541]

All the best for 2021.

[@mikant71]

You can use that range button to change and lock in the range you want. Won't have the autorange delay then.

[@johnsimoes2172]

Chiller theater on Saturday night played all that 50 s Sci fit in NY when I was a kid

[@TheTjf25]

what kind of solder

[@flintdavis2]

My pleasure to tune in.

[@kornami8678]

Chassis looks like it was in a car accident. Got a big dent in it.

[@barryballenger7246]

Terry, where can we find the meter for sale?

[@d-labelectronics]

I purchased it on www.tequipment.net/

[@luthiervandros]

I love seeing how other dudes set up their workspaces. Gives me great ideas.

[@fiddlix]

Tony is the man.

[@MrDISCOTIME09]

I have a fender blues junior what brand of tube you recommend me

[@brich2929]

What gauge solder for snozzeramus?

[@steveh1273]

Really appreciate you videoing while you work, It really helps my technique to learn from a pro, Is there a way to turn off the beeping on the Hioki meter?

[@d-labelectronics]

I will check into that, I'm sure there must be a way to disable that feature

[@DJ33]

Great vid. Thanks.

[@mellewallen4832]

Love the overhead view ! Nice meter too.

[@AntonioCavicchioni]

Sounds perfect! 👍👍👍🎄☃️

[@jjsant3250]

The brown cap was original. OK to change but not ok to toss. Keep with the original blue caps.

[@hermannbjorgvin]

Totally fine to toss, it's been replaced with a nice Mallory

[@MrMeik1970]

Sounds amazing 👍🏻