The small transformer, you at first thought on the circuit diagram, was in fact the bias oscillator for the record and erase voltage. This is provided by the EL84 on record. On playback the EL84 was the audio output. Typically giving about 2-3 watts on a good day. Fidelity was a very budget brand. Everything in it was the cheapest available. The BSR tape deck was known as the tape grinder as even when new produced a kind of grinding sound. lol. Just a combination of poor bearings. They all did it, but that's normal. Don't try to fix that, you won't improve things at all.
really nice to see such great technology from bygone eras, and to realise what that machine is capable of can now simply be done on our phones? Without getting too deep into the pros and cons of old vs new technology! 🤯
You guys across the pond probably run into alot more voxes than us here in the states. I need to work out a deal with someone over there. Fenders for Voxes! Amp swap! Have to change the power transformers tho i guess
That was an old 5 amp plug on the tape recorder and yes I remember carrying a fifteen amp plug to gigs to replace the 13amp plug on our board at some out of the way gigs back in the day. Looking forward to your next video.
Funny you call it a Christmas amp! My Bandmaster has transformers dated 44th and 47th week, but the two letter stamp on the tube chart puts it in September. I figured parts that laid around waiting to be checked for the Canadian market. It's mains cable plugs into what I would call a trailer (caravan) plug. A recessed male 3-prong plug, and the supplied cable is 2-prong with a stackable end. (Other 2-prong can be plugged into the back)
Incorrect. It’s 10 years and ONLY to the original owner. However, any Mercury-made OEM transformers are only covered up to the mnfr’s limit, which in Fender’s case is two years.
Great video, thanks for the clear explanation! If you could do a video about other ways to test a faulty OT, that would be very helpful! Or just a general introduction about how to use an oscilloscope for troubleshooting tube amps 😅
On the reverb unit, the ink stamped code inside the chassis indicated the technician and date the wiring was completed. It looks like technician H, 48th week of 64.
Interesting mix of amp and cab. I had exactly that, a cream bassman with a tremolux 2x10 cab. Sounded splendid. Bought it in the 90s from dick Taylor of the pretty things. Some years later, One of the 10” speakers was dying and I wasn’t gigging cos of children so sold it to one of the levellers in their studio in Brighton. Such an odd mix I wonder if this is that actual one. If not still very interesting. :)
That reverb tank is so clean you could eat your dinner off it! Does that mean it’s a plate reverb? 🍽️ 😂 What a privilege to get a look inside these vintage beauties! Thank you Chris and thank you Josh! I’ve got such a soft spot for the look of those blonde Bassmans. And that locking mechanism for the spring tank in the reverb unit is such a wonderfully simple piece of practical engineering! I love little details like that!
Wow, what a time capsule that Fender reverb unit. It is always a treat to work on one that is unmolested as that. The owner brought it in to the right place without a doubt….Cheers..!
The transformer in that Bassman looks like it's been in a fire. How did it get to look like that? As a second thought, Chris, have you considered making a stand alone reverb unit? With your design and build ethos they'd be awesome!!
Congrats on the 3000! Now by only being able to judge on the Internet from audio monitors your guitar amplifiers are the best I have ever heard. That makes sense? 🤔
I wonder if those JJ’s shorted and took out the OT. The modern Fender Schumacher iron is usually pretty resilient to abuse. They don’t sound half bad either.
Fantastic video! I've watched a few of your recent videos and they're great for helping educate novices like me on the workings of valve amps! Thanks for sharing your knowledge!
Is the failure of an OT in a fairly recent amp a common thing? I wouldn't expect it to have been stressed in a 5E3 and the owner seemed to take care of the amp...
I was wondering the same thing. The owner put in new power tubes, so perhaps one of the old ones developed a short? Or the owner turned it on without a speaker connected? I didn't notice whether the speaker jack was a shorting jack or not.
I think they're easier to install, easier to work with, require less dwell time to saturate with solder, have a comparatively larger opening for component leads, and cheaper.The list goes on but ultimately it's purely down to builder preference.
The perspex template is a cracking idea. If it becomes a "standard" piece of equipment would it be beneficial to you if it could be made to fit over the chassis completely so you could mark out everything.
I'm trying to balance flexibility with efficiency. I need to be able to adjust things when component/hardware sizes change yet keep things in a relatively stable framework for ease of mnfr'ing. These perspex templates seem to be the best solution so far.
Love the channel! Don't worry about the .001% of negative viewers, you just have to ignore them cause the rest of us enjoy what you're doing. Keep it up!
