Absolutely agree that the Brownface era was Leo’s best work while at the original Fender Company. And these two videos are terrific in both instruction as well as entertainment. Thanks for these and your other very well made presentations. I’m a fan and follower.
@theguitaramptech
2 ай бұрын
Thank you so much. Its your comments that keep me making video!
@Rico_G
3 ай бұрын
Brown and blonde also had that cool, big, beefy logo on the grill which I've always loved. As a teen, I apprenticed as a repair tech in my local music store. 4 weeks in, my master was let go. He was caught replacing various parts of unassuming customers' pre-CBS Fender guitars and amps with inexpensive imported items. Pickups, pots, serialized neck plates, transformers and he had a particular pension for RCA tubes. No, I wasn't taught any of that behavior but I'd like to thank him for getting caught as I was able to step into his job which I maintained for 20 years. He passed away well before his bounty was worth any real money. I just don't get some people.
@theguitaramptech
3 ай бұрын
What a disappointing start to your Repair Tech journey with a very unethical role model. Thankfully, the ethics instilled by your parents outweighed your master's thefts. .
@jhjanko1
2 ай бұрын
Ethical behavior is to be congratulated. Yours was rewarded early on.
@Deus5691
Ай бұрын
The tone of your voice said it all but when you showed the camera, it turned Into a proper horror show. I’ve heard this practice referred to as “shotgunning” an amp.
@theguitaramptech
15 күн бұрын
Shotgunning is used by some "Techs" who don't know how to test components and have little understanding of the son of the consequence of their approach. A capacitor is NOT a capacitor. If they were the same, everyone would use those cheap plastic green caps. Sadly, there is no governing body to be an amp tech.
@sworgan1
3 ай бұрын
Greetings from Melbourne, I've been there Chris and I feel your pain, what pisses me off most is shoddy and dangerous work because you cannot send it back like that, doing things safely was one of the first things we were taught as apprentices back in the middle ages in the UK, LOL i'll give you a call next week I have some caps you might want.
@theguitaramptech
3 ай бұрын
Very true Steve. I often do work at my own expense. I can't have an amp going back with my name on it while looking shoddy and dangerous. My first job out of uni was with the Royal Australian Navy where I was working under the RN man called Terry Flood. I think I learned more about quality workmanship from Terry than I did from Uni. You have me intrigued about your capacitors.
@sworgan1
3 ай бұрын
In Tasmania at present back in Victoria on Monday night I’ll call you tuesday
@rodneykroetsch2924
3 ай бұрын
Hello, enjoying your videos from the USA. I absolutely feel your pain and disappointment over what was done to this amp 😢. Years ago, I acquired a brown Princeton on a trade deal. It looked very nice cosmetically but had some serious butchery done on the inside...like NO remaining remnants of the original Fender board or components. It still had the original transformers as well as an extra OT replacement. I gutted the non-functioning flying lead rats nest and rebuilt to original Fender circuit. It came out wonderfull ❤ I share your aesthetics on preserving history 👍
@theguitaramptech
3 ай бұрын
Its a crying shame that Tech like this don't get exposed and prosecuted for theft. Unfortunately its usually the NEXT Tech who discovers the theft many years later. Great work on your Princeton, Rodney.
@Tonetwisters
3 ай бұрын
Hey, Chris. The very first amp I ever played through was my brother's brand new 1960 PRO. I was a very fortunate fellow. I have no problem with you saying "...Face". And the second and third amps I ever played through were nearly new CONCERTS! First backache I ever got was from hauling one of those Concerts down a sidewalk off of Pearl Street, north downtown, Jacksonville, Florida. Boy, I thought I was gonna die! Thing was nearly as heavy as I was at the time! And I played MANY a job with that wrong American wiring! I have a 1962 Bandmaster with an SS (super sport, short stop ... err ... solid state! Yes, that's it) rectifizer, and that amp sounds fabulous. Thanks for putting up this lovely old PRO. Agreed on all those orange things. But come on with your language, brother. And put some SoZo Blues or some Mallory yellows in that gem. Agreed on that "Shame." A "friend" volunteered to repair my deceased brother's 1966 Super Reverb, and removed all the Blue Ajax caps and I know good and well he put them up for sale on eBay. That guy was in love with money. I promise if you put those new tone caps and coupling caps with the SoZos or Mallorys, it will sound wonderful. Also. Get rid of the JJ tubes. Use some Mullard and Tung-Sol tubes. Yes. Jupiters will work as well. Oranges are fine for certain sounds.
@theguitaramptech
3 ай бұрын
We are on the same page, my friend. I am sorry about my colourful language but it was very upsetting to unexpectedly confront. I also love my '63 Concert. Despite it being "the best sounding amp on the planet" it hasn't done a gig for 16 years. Too loud. Too heavy.
@ryanmortenson9445
2 ай бұрын
There’s a ‘68 Super reverb on eBay right now that the same thing must have happened, all Mojo Dijon caps and some orange drops. I asked if they happened to have the original caps and was told it happened prior to his ownership. So sad to see this. The solder job is pretty crap too on it which shows the type of person that worked on it.
@theguitaramptech
2 ай бұрын
Sorry to hear about that Super. What a beauty it would have been. If its cheap I would still get it, and start the restoration. Sadly, if its near the unmolested price, I would walk away.
@ryanmortenson9445
2 ай бұрын
@@theguitaramptech they’re asking nearly $1200 USD shipped. It’s also loaded with non original speakers. I wish it were closer and I could go check it out. It would be a fun restore project.
@sgholt
3 ай бұрын
OMG the pain and suffering that amp had to bare ..... :o
@theguitaramptech
3 ай бұрын
Oooh yeah. I was outraged. How can a customer protect themselves from theft of this magnitude? I wish there were a worldwide professional association of amp techs. Sure, I am a member of IEEE, but that is a very general umbrella, and you don't need to be a member to call yourself an amp tech.
@TehBIGrat
3 ай бұрын
Its 10:54 pm. But you told me make a coffee.
@theguitaramptech
3 ай бұрын
Damn! I forgot about timezones. My apologies for your sleepless night.
@jjsant3250
3 ай бұрын
Coupler caps may have been Astrons which go DC-leaky I had to change all of them in my friend's 1959 Gibson.
@theguitaramptech
3 ай бұрын
I have seen both Astrons and the Blue Moldeds in Brownface amps. Yes, the Astrons are not as good as the Blues, but I still test them. How do you test coupling capacitors for DC leakage? I hope you tested them before changing them all.
@lestelie4410
3 ай бұрын
I have heard of such theft by immoral amp techs, but I thought it was limited to tube theft. I never suspected I would be watching "Grand Theft Ampo". It's scary to think that I would not even notice if this were done to my amp because I don't know what it should have been. It's similar to the trust we must put in our car mechanics.
@theguitaramptech
3 ай бұрын
This is the worst example of theft I have seen, Les. Sadly I can't even suggest a way for an owner to protect themselves.
@nevillegoddard4966
3 ай бұрын
Great that you can get the original PT rewound for 240V Chris! Chuck that 240 to 120 PT to the shithouse! (well, give it back to the customer!). Such a dodgy repair last time, by someone that not only didn't care about their customers, but wanted to maximise their fee by stealing the original blue Molded caps! Unbelievable! No grommets for ht, neutral instead of active to the side of the fuseholder instead of active to the end, self tappers holding the aftermarket OPT in place! This is the most awful treatment I've ever seen, given to a nice old Fender amp of any kind - & to it's owner! You aren't gunna use the ground switch as a feedback switch? Oh, ok. I'm sure you have a good reason. I'm looking forward to the conclusion of this repair/ vandalism restoration. Hey, please drill new mounting holes for the new PT if it requires them huh? Just kidding! I know you will. I wonder what the crackling noise is from? Valves?
@theguitaramptech
3 ай бұрын
@@nevillegoddard4966 You hit all the points, my friend! Spot on. Yes, I was going to put the switch in the NFB connection, but after talking to the owner, I decided against it.
@BCEpedals
3 ай бұрын
29:20 wow that OTPT transformer is being held on by the edge of a screw. 💀
@theguitaramptech
3 ай бұрын
Yep. It's pretty creepy to see. Sadly I had to drill 2 holes in this beauty (with the owner's consent) to secure that OPT. Otherwise, he would have been up for a new Hammond which he could not justify.
@edwardhannigan6324
2 ай бұрын
Nice Video Chris..Shame its lost its authenticity..🥺 Some people just don't care about things of age and history...As alway great info and sarcism🙂 Take care..Ed..uk..😅
@theguitaramptech
2 ай бұрын
Hi Ed. I hope you keeping well. Yes, its very sad to see. These amps will never, ever come back. We owe it to future generations of players who think this is a just a setting on a modelling amp.
@abijag100
3 ай бұрын
I can vouch for the coffee….and cups …….
@theguitaramptech
3 ай бұрын
HAHAHA! I look forward to your next visit, Steve.
@user-ue6zf5eo5y
3 ай бұрын
Had a 62 brown face deluxe purchased around 1975. Had transformer issues and was rebuilt by a friend who was a vintage amp guy. Great amp. Unfortunately stolen about 78, never to resurface. I agree with your method of rewiring of the 240 mains. The Stewmac Deluxe Amp kit wires the amp up as per Uncle Doug (great guy) wiring in through switch to fuse. I quizzed Stewmac, and they say it's to replicate the original Fender wiring. Given that these kits are marketed to people who have no electronic build ability what are your thoughts ?
@theguitaramptech
3 ай бұрын
I am surprised, as I am a big fan of StewMac, but in this case, they are “dead” wrong. In the early, pre-ground pin, USA amps, there were no specific Active or Neutral wires so by flipping the plug they would swap functions. If StewMac were to replicate vintage amps, they would have to go out with NO GROUND. I suspect that would be just as illegal in the USA today as it is in Australia. But the Earth pin now clearly defines Active and Neutral. The Active MUST BE FUSED AND SWITCHED. In Australia, it must be fuse first. I am not sure of the USA regulations. Yes, Uncle Doug is great and I am a big fan, even if we disagree on this one point.
@user-ue6zf5eo5y
2 ай бұрын
@@theguitaramptech Check Uncle Doug's dissertation on the fuse wiring in his latest video, knowing that you must have oodles of spare time cheers mate!
@fiddlix
3 ай бұрын
If my memory serves me correctly, I had a 62 brown panel pro in for service a few years ago and I believe it had an identical type of stamp that is on your pro that is in for service. I look forward to the conclusion. Cheers mate..!
@theguitaramptech
3 ай бұрын
Thank you, David. I hope you're referring to the number on the Power Transformer. I haven't been able to find that number anywhere. I would love to tell the customer that the PT is original. Thank you for that glimmer of hope.
@fiddlix
3 ай бұрын
@@theguitaramptech I was referring to the number on the power transformer. The amp that I had serviced back then was 100% original unmolested.
@theguitaramptech
3 ай бұрын
@@fiddlix Great news. Thank you for confirming that number. I wonder who made it???
@fiddlix
3 ай бұрын
@@theguitaramptech That is a really good question..? You might send Uncle Doug an email with a pic. He is an encyclopedia when it comes to transformer history.
@theguitaramptech
3 ай бұрын
@@fiddlix Excellent suggestion!
@soapboxearth2
3 ай бұрын
I've read that hammond are manufactured in Mexico and Asia now as well as Canada. I wonder if they could put you in touch with an again supplier and save you a ton in shipping
@theguitaramptech
3 ай бұрын
We have 3 Hammond resellers ikn Australia, so I am OK with them. It would be great if there was a Mercury reseller.
@MrTimcoronel
3 ай бұрын
a friend of mine has Gretsch orange custom shop Tele. It's all wrong!
@theguitaramptech
3 ай бұрын
What??? An orange Tele? Heresy.
@doggwoggle
3 ай бұрын
I think some frames are missing in your video editor 🙂
@theguitaramptech
3 ай бұрын
You are right. I struggle with editing. For example, this video took me away from repairs for a full day. I try to keep the videos as short as possible and sometimes my edits are a bit aggressive. Other times I leave out chunks because I decide that I, or other KZitem colleagues, have covered this topic enough. My apologies if it detracted from your viewing. Its a continual journey of self-improvement.
@vintagetubeamplifiers
3 ай бұрын
I can't even express my disgust in seeing this.
@theguitaramptech
3 ай бұрын
Yes. My feelings exactly. This is the worst example of theft I have seen.
@danarciniega1762
3 ай бұрын
That amp had the yellow Astron caps not the blue Ajax caps The yellow caps are notorious for leaking
@theguitaramptech
3 ай бұрын
@@danarciniega1762 Yes, these amps came with yellow Astrons and the Blue Molded caps. If you Google 1962 Pro you will see gut shots of both. As you probably know, Dan, I will always test before replacing. My approach is to never do shotgun replacements.
@theguitaramptech
3 ай бұрын
@@danarciniega1762 I believe the Brownface amps had both Astrons and Blues. Yes, the Astrons leak more than the Blues, but I would still test them before swapping them out with Orange Drops!! I have 2 ways of testing for leakage. One is at amp voltages and the other way is when I kick them in the balls with 1kV. If they survive that test, they have earned the right to stay. How do you test for DC leakage, Dan? Please don't tell me you are one of the shotgunners. My exception is the old waxy caps.
@danarciniega1762
2 ай бұрын
@@theguitaramptech no i did not work on that amp , I have a 59/60 Brown Panel Pro it is a transitional model that has the volume knob in the middle. it also has a replaced output transformer. and yellow Astron caps. the trem is not functioning because the caps are leaking. but I don't want to change them. I replaced all the ( original) electrolytic caps and thats it. I have seen numerous brown panel Pro amps ( on reverb ) and elsewhere and a bandmate also has one that has a replaced output transformer. I think for some reason the output transformers did not last in these amps, even though they were the same part that was in the narrow panel tweed pro's. By the way it does look like that power transformer is original. if it was my amp I would just get a new replacement and save the original.
@blakesimpson9974
3 ай бұрын
I think it would be worth mentioning that the "Orange Drops" in this amp may be and the ones commonly use are Polypropylene. While good quality this is not the same composition as the originals of polyester. So it's possible that with the same VALUE and same composition you are not going to hear a difference. Admittedly, I cringe when I see a vintage amp full of these, unlikely that all the caps were bad and a sign of "shot gunning". I agree with Chris here 100%. As Scooter from Granville says, we are "custodians" of these vintage amps and we have a duty to preserve the history and function of these classics.
@theguitaramptech
3 ай бұрын
Well said, Blake.
@YeatzeeGuitar
3 ай бұрын
Hate to see it 😞
@theguitaramptech
3 ай бұрын
Very sad. I reckon you will have seen a few of these rape victims, too.
@YeatzeeGuitar
3 ай бұрын
@@theguitaramptech Working on one now, brownface bassman. Just wrecked top to bottom, both transformers, terrible work everywhere, total mess. Really sad, infuriating on behalf of the owner... especially when they didn't know.
@theguitaramptech
3 ай бұрын
@@YeatzeeGuitar I hope you are recoding this repair so I can tune in to your excellent work.
@YeatzeeGuitar
3 ай бұрын
@@theguitaramptech Thanks man! Yeah it's a series that's been ongoing for a while, I just discovered the OT is bad and requires a replacement a couple weeks ago so I'm waiting on the owner to buy one. Real tough break for him, PT already swapped.
@buzzedalldrink9131
2 ай бұрын
These parts may not have been taken out to be stolen. They may have just been taken out by someone who thought that they needed to be replaced based on their age. Lack of knowledge and experience could have a lot to do with butchered amplifiers
@theguitaramptech
2 ай бұрын
Its possible, Buzz. I'm not sure which is worse: Theft, or Stupid uneducated people who take money for this type of vandalism.
@buzzedalldrink9131
2 ай бұрын
@@theguitaramptech I totally agree and find it just as upsetting as you do. I hate to see vintage anything hacked up. I know you will get it as close to original as possible. thanks for the great videos. I really enjoy a pro at work! cheers!
@dwightbehm2886
3 ай бұрын
Hi Chris I think I understand how an amp repairman like you would feel concerning the shoddy work on that amp. Im a hobbyist but have had some training in electronics and self-taught in many things. Orangedrops are high quality even if They dont look the part. Just do quality work as you know how. For me I'm not much on collectibility or being worth a lot because of how it's an antique or some kind of original. To me if you cant play it or fix it overhaul it to be played its useless. Those amps are a charm and nice. But wayway over inflated because of stupid collectibility I say fix it and use it. I have a nice old 66 fender champ I put in a few modifications just to make it even more useful because I needed it for chior band. for a little extra sound and that's the way I feel about it fix it and use it. When someone collects it and leaves it sit doing nothing it's useless. Sorry this may sound a little blunt but I get a little tired of stupid inflation and collectibility,Never made any sense to me whatsoever. I baught my little champ for 100 dollars U. S. Then was told it was worth 800 dollars a few years later. To me I say who cares. I like it for what it is. Just a good little amp. I fixed it to use it. It has a nice warm Tube sound that I like. Just glad glad I didn't pay 800 for it. An old man sold it to me and knew it was collectable he knew if he put a high price on it It would never sell in his music store. He was a Martin guitar dealer those are realy good guitars he knew his stuff. I have one from him it plays sweet. Sorry for the long comment. See you out hear soon. Dwight.
@theguitaramptech
3 ай бұрын
I hear and respect your opinion Dwight, but we are looking at the same scenario from two different perspectives. Firstly, yes, the Sprague Orange Drops are fine capacitors but they don’t have a place in a vintage Fender. Shove them into a Mesa, I say! HAHA! I may be fooling myself, but I believe that I can hear the difference in sound. Certainly, the restored Pro (which you will hear in Part Two) sounds WAY better than it did when I started. My role as an amp tech is to preserve the look, sound and originality of a vintage amp. I owe it to our grandchildren, Dwight. I want those babies of today to know what we fell in love with 50 years ago because, sadly, most of our grandkids will only know the sound of modelling amps. But this is my responsibility, not necessarily yours, Dwight. You only modified one Champ. I could have destroyed hundreds of vintage amps by now. Tragically, there are too many ignorant Techs out there that destroy the legacy we should be retaining for those who follow us.
@dwightbehm2886
3 ай бұрын
I wish you much success Chris in what you do. I wish they still made those blue molded caps They are very reliable even after 50 years in a classic amp very little of them fail but that's about the only ones. I'll be waiting for the new video when you've completed repairs and restoration on the old Brown face amp I'll bet it will sound good talk to you later got to rest now. Dwight. ps I believe in you.
@dwightbehm2886
3 ай бұрын
Chris. One more thing. A question. If you will. What comes close to those blue molded caps. In sound that is made today?
@theguitaramptech
3 ай бұрын
Thanks mate
@theguitaramptech
3 ай бұрын
I like the Sozo blues for the look and sound for a Vintage Fender restoration. The Jupiter Yellows are excellent sounding but don't look right in a vintage Fender. Those two brands are best for sound. Another excellent sounding coupling capacitor is the Vishay brand and also the Mallory 150 series. For electrolytics I use F&T, MOD and TAD. All great.
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