70's AIMS VTG-105 | Evaluation & Repair | PART 1 

Way back in about 1973, I was the singer in a working bar band and our guitar player had this amp. I had always liked the look and sound of it, that is until it went up in smoke at a practice session. He quickly ran out and bought the 100 watt Marshall stack he always wanted. The Marshall sounded amazing... when you cranked it up. I had to listen to clean guitar after that as the Marshall would easily have drowned the band out. I really missed that Aims after that.

I just picked up a VT-100A-71! Best amp I've ever played for the price.

I owned one of the first models of that amp that was ever produced. I ran a music store in Yuma, Arizona and we were a dealer for Aims amps. The factory was located in Phoenix Arizona and the company was formed by Lee and Ruby Dominguez. Who also owned Arizona Music Center in Glendale, Arizona. They were a pretty well made amps for the time and I had mine for quite a few years. Never had a lick of problems with it ever. In fact the only problems I had were in my back from hauling it around because it weighed a ton.

Collene- You do some fantastic work. I'm so impressed and I like your Fanny poster.

I have an Australian built Maton valve amp and it's almost identical to this layout. It's amazing how clean your old amp is inside.

Great seeing you back! Another great, informative video. I enjoy watching you work as well as your explanations, Colleen. Please keep the great videos coming!

Love your Repair Videos! I like the way you point out bad components and the way you explain why you replace parts! 👍🏽👍🏽😉

That's a wild amp! Excited to see it come to life 🤘

I wish these clips were 30 minutes long or if there was a photo book of the repairs. Amazing stuff.

Hey, my grandparents had that clock! Then again, maybe half the country did 60 years ago. Nice video.

Great video Colleen. You are like the Queen of valve amp ASMR, whereas Uncle Doug is more like the grandfather with the great jokes. Love both of you for all that you share. Thanks and greetings from Australia

Happy New Year, Colleen! I am completely anxious to hear how this 50 year-old amplifier sounds. Resurrecting these vintage machines is part and parcel of the electronic tech's expertise. It is an affirmation that you possess the knowledge of circuit designs from the past. What impresses me most is how your aim with the reverb is to reconnect the return wire. Practically every other tech with an amp repair channel writes off the component as unrepairable. I await part 2 with great eagerness. Well done!

I just found your channel today and I love the way you take the time to explain things. You're a great teacher and I really hope to see more!

Nice to see you back on YT! Looking forward to part 2.

What a wonderful video. Colleen... you're simply amazing❤

😲Boy, that's a " HONKIN' " amp!! It's gonna be fun watching you bringing it back to life!! Love from Tennessee.

It looks like a well made amp. Looking forward to hearing it.

Great start to the new year! I had an AIMS ECLIPSOR head with the 4-12 cabinet. Wish I never let it go... Great amp that ROCKS.

Awesome, I'm waiting for part two patiently ☺️👍

All the best Colleen!

I’m waiting to see the next part of it! God bless you!

Looking forward to part two. Cheers!

Nice work!

Nicely built amp, looks pretty solid.

Very cool! I had an AIMS 2x12 (basically this same amp but in a 2x12 cabinet). The inside was TOTALLY different. It was a super cheap PCB construction that vibed more like a home stereo from that era. Extremely difficult to work on. This one, with the turret board, looks way more robust. I won't immediately dismiss these amps anymore. Cheers!

WOW!!! Never seen one of those. Thank you Colleen.

I’ve not heard of this amp , it’s a a reel beast of an amplifier, nice job

Love your vids, always learning the easy way. Now I can build my own Tube amp and your videos about safety are great!! Greetings From Argentina

Wow, kind of an amp geek here, never heard of AIMS. Crazy layout inside and out, cool to see something that doesn't look like a clone of anything I've seen before, really looking forward to hearing this one (love me some 4x10 goodness)

Cool amp! I love these oddballs.

never heard of this amp but it's got a lovely understated 70s look

Buongiorno signora. Complimenti. Altro bel video. Un saluto dall' Italia

Well it looks killer. I hope it sounds as good. Can't wait for the next vid. Thanks for sharing.

The most beautiful repair lady ever!

What a cool old amp! I have never seen one like it before, we have a bit different supply of old amps over here in Europe I guess. Can't wait to hear the fixed amp :D

Thanks for sharing. Cool looking amp. Can't wait to hear it. Your narration style is perfect. You convey the information you want to share, but not in a "Niagara of Words". Many folks on RU-vid struggle with that...;)

Really clean old amp, cool.

I’ll be waiting for part 2… Thank you…

Yay! Colleen's posted another video!

Kool amp! 😎👍

The valve tremolo. Tried to get my head around the ways to do that (bias swing?). I've been carting large black boxes from one domicile to another. (R'n'R is 95% carting black boxes from one side of town to the other, etc.). Will endeavour to do some vidwork on those! Ace run through this amp. Learning a lot from your talk through. Clear benefits to having a good teacher and lots of experience.

I really love those old school design philosophies, not only is it clearly laid out, but it looks like a prop from Space Odyssey or something.

Be careful with the rest of the jewelry too. I have a burn scar behind my ear, got to close to the chassis of a transmitter with metal frame glasses. Was trying to see where there was an arc, found it with my glasses, learned the hard way to wear plastic frames when working on high voltage.

Great video.

Awesome amp !!! Thank you so very much !!!

Cool sweater! Semiconductors reminding

Very cool amp!

Loud Amps Saves Lives

Pure beauty!

those holding knobs are beautiful.

I had the 6x10 version of this several years ago. I recapped it, put on a bar and casters on the back, and then unfortunately had to sell it. Still regret that! They are handsome as hell! Shrill, but handsome and loud!

As I recall, these tended to stay very clean, not much crunch so maybe you're right: a more general purpose amp.

Thank you for sharing! ☘️

Super cleanly built and laid out. Ginormous also lol.

Really enjoy your videos. You are easy to listen to (easy on the eyes too), very informative. Hope you continue sharing with us your skills and knowledge.

They appear to be well made amps. Everything seems very neat inside.

Sick amp, also thanks for inspiring me to work on my (Nace) amp...been lazy.

Clean layout

Just stumbled into your channel! Very cool!!!!

Can't wait!

Love the old tube amps, each one has there own character, and each individual note played through have there own character also. You just can't get that with transistors.

0:31 that's what she said! No, just kiddin! Nice amp!

Wahoo a new Faz video 🤗🥰🫶

Thats Amp is cool as hell!!!

I had an AIMS Dual Twelve combo. Well made amp with really high quality components but it was built/put together in a very strange way. I found it in dead mint condition, all it needed was a basic recap and I sent it on its way, although I kept the vintage Telefunken power amp tubes it had and put in new tubes and biased it. I basically sold the entire amp for what the Telefunkens are worth by themselves so I made out quite nicely. EDIT: I saw you trying to take the chassis out and was like “those damn front screws”😂 I struggled with it also.

This is one of my favorite channels and I don't really care about electronics all that much.

SWEET SHIRT!!

I have zero clue about the technical side of things, but that was interesting nonetheless. What a beautiful piece.

Ah- I love a new Fazio video. Just wish they came out more often-- still, always a treat

100 watt tube nice & vintage.

Also, those silver eminence speakers sound great, especially in a fender style circuit.

I'm a small engine tech and for me i wear rings like you! But i don't wear them myself at work for being safe! And yes for you its a good idea for you play it safe! Good call

OMG I used t own an AIMS 6 x 10 in the early 80's it was a beast to haul around. I wish I still had it.

🔥🔥🔥

Reminds me of an old Traynor. Awesome

That amp is a beast. Hubbell style attachable plugs are dependable, they can hog a power strip though.

Tubes are love, tubes are life

My dad has an Aims tele from the seventies. It was the first electric that I started playing on with a Randal 6 speaker cab stack.

That's a beast of a guitar sund system.

If your AC plug on the power cord is a bad type, I won't dispute it but if you're saying that the separate ones are by their nature unreliable, I don't think that's correct. A Leviton engineer told me some years ago that the proper way to make an extension cord is to buy good connectors and the required length of cable and then assemble it. They had just discontinued their "normal" molded extension cords because it's an inherently poor product. The ultimate AC plug type is Hospital Grade and would be attached to a power cord by the end user or their officially appointed plug person. So there you are. 😉

0:50 I know you are not fond of "repair" plugs like that, but if it s "Hubbel" or "Leviton" brand, definitely save it for either a temp repair to get something working, or to make your own power cord, as those are high quality and very durable plugs. My job (Telephone Cable Splicing Technician) required me to either reach into bundles of telephone cable wiring, sometimes with missing insulation, and later, I graduated to DC power systems, sometimes fused, but also sometimes NOT fused with direct bus connections to battery banks, and I made it a point to not wear rings or a metal watch/band so, yes, its a good idea to de-ring yourself.

Those blue speakers look like the Eminence Blue Alnicos that originally came in the first version of Fender’s ‘59 Bassman RI. Supposedly their cones are the same as on the old Jensen P-10 Rs.

Lovely video. I would be more worried about eye protection than the rings. I've broken my glasses twice now in the shop. One time just from leaning in to get a better look.

Glad to see you taking off the rings. A friends brother was wearing his gold wedding ring and got tangled up in a power supply feed and it literally melted the ring on his finger. Not a good thing.

Nice vintage sweat from EveAnna & co. ! #TubesRule

I have a vintage Vox Berkeley II that'd be fun to look at! I wish I had the roller cart it came with way back, but I never had it.

One is either preparing to ROCK, just got done ROCKING or is still ROCKING at this moment...one surefire way to maximize the shred without interruption is to have Colleen work on your amps.

Most techs are always complaining and bitter at life. Refreshing to watch a tech that chill and knowledgeable

Thank you for not being TOO chaotic ~ 7:00 :)

thats a crazy amp

That amp appears to be AIMS’ take on a 100-watt Fender Quad Reverb, and which runs a pair of 6550A tubes instead of four 6L6GCs. Turret board construction is cool.

Good times!

Shes so beautiful oml

LOL that's a half stack combo right there!

That PARALLEL speaker connection is interesting... also that COIL REVERB... that tremolo can kinda "emulate" a "chorus ISH" effect, can't it ? I'll be looking forward for seeing the PART 2

I was wearing my Fazio red & white baseball hat when your vid popped up ... Is that Karma or what 🤣😅😂 Good vid Coleen and awaiting Part 2 ... Thx ...

Just discovered your channel. Could have used a tech like you in my shop many years ago. I find it very interesting that there seems to be more tube techs now than there were when we could still get US tubes and caps. Keeping analog alive one tube at a time. Good job. Out of curiosity, do you have a tube checker?

Hi, I don't like to tell anyone how to do anything unless they ask, but since you moved so far away...I've watched a lot of your videos and never heard you mention anything about power on voltage slam. Working on tube amps, especially older ones, you should look into a variac transformer. It will allow you to bring up the voltage slower and not slam those old caps with high voltage. I know you are going to change them anyway, but the possibility of one literally blowing out is quite possible, and you weren't wearing safety glasses. I hope you take this comment as me trying to be helpful and not condemning. I do love your videos!!

the blue speakers are Eminence Alnico from the'90's..used in Bassman RI,vibro king etc...20 watts each. 7 oz magnet.

Cool looking amp! Really want to know what was on the velco spot.