After watching many of your videos I took on my 70s champ cleaned the board reflowed new solder never sounded better next my 70s deluxe reverb thanks for the education
Great video on a common problem that is usually ignored! I live in Florida where high humidity is constant. Many gigs are played on patio stages. The boards are screwed directly to the steel chassis. The fiber boards absorb moisture and warp so badly that they sometimes break components. I build my boards out of fiberglass and mount them on standoffs. Not only does this solve the moisture issue, it allows neater lead dress by routing wires under the board.
i have seen many amp repair restoration videos and i have not seen anyone do what you do your commitment to repair and cleaning and removal of noise is second to none i have to say Lyle when i first started watching your channel i didn't like you. sounded arrogant as time went by i realized this guy really knows what he is doing i look forward to your videos every day funny how shit works out like that
Um, thanks? I keed. I'm aware that saying "here is the right way to do this" can come across as arrogance. I mean that objectively - not because I'm the one doing that. I do it because I've tried all the other ways. And I see amps come in with bad previous repairs. Again and again. I'm not the only tech doing things at a high level - far from it. But I am in the minority. That's just the way of the world.
Another great bit of info. Thanks for taking the time to share this and all the other valuable information you provide. You a truly a gem in this world.
Empirical knowledge is those old Fender cellulose and glue fiber eyelet boards become conductive over time and thus they are notoriously leaky. IPA careful scrubbing and a hot air rework tool will usually sort them out.
Is a Super Six heavier or lighter than the quad reverb? ;-) I noticed a little scrachinees on my 69 super - Maybe I will have a look and see if it has trouble with voltages roaming around the board.
No, you couldn't run a tube screamer off that. A throwaway comment I know, but as we also know voltage isn't the same as power. Good instructional video all the same. Maybe Fender boards could be future-proofed by applying a wax in a volatile solvent
@@roberthurless4615 G-10 is replaced by FR-4 because it has flame-retardant properties. FR-5 is even better, with higher tensile strength and rated for higher temps.
@@PsionicAudio Great. I did see it when you cleaned the bias board in one video. Is it the same with all the electronics in place? Just brush Isopronol on and maybe use an airdryer afterward?
From Leo" I am old enough to have built Ham radio gear with terminal strips. I would think a couple of long terminal strips strips would be bulletproof and service would be a breeze.
Hey Lyle, are there any boutique builders out there you’d recommend that do quality work? I think you mentioned Suhr before but what about Little Walter, Tyler, etc….? Thanks in advance!
Little Walter and Tyler are some of the worst ever. Tyler sells both badly made Weber kits and rebadged Ceriatones that they sell as "made in the USA."
@@PsionicAudio I appreciate the input Lyle and am glad I asked cuz I was looking into these. I’m looking for an alternative to my 65 DRRI cuz it’s just not “wowing” me (believe it or not). I actually prefer the tone of my little Vox AC10 but need something a little bigger for live stuff. I was looking for something hand wired as well.
@@PsionicAudio just rewatched some of your DRRI vids and decided to try the bright cap removal and speaker upgrade you recommended first. I really appreciate your videos!
Not really. Phenolic boards on those. I've had it once in one spot. But it takes a lot of heat for that to happen, and there aren't any components that get hot on a JMI board. Marshall boards can sometimes do this, usually near the 10K droppers. But it's usual for Fender boards.
what would cause DC on a Marshall/Bassman style presence pot? When I hear the noise , I turn the pot all the way up and it goes quiet again ( its a build)
Marshall/5F6As built with 5K presence pots have DC on that pot. Notice the later amps use a 4.7K resistor and a 22K pot just for the call cap. Keeps DC off the pot.
Like Eric said, it usually takes many years to build back up. It took decades to get this bad to begin with. I'm not just doing a surface cleaning - I soak the board with isopropyl. That displaces any moisture that was in the board.
I've discovered this on my own old silverfaced Fenders. Is there any chance that cleaning the board without removing everything would correct it? Otherwise on a Twin Reverb it's a monster job.
So, every time I see your videos with DC leakage on these old Fender amp boards - I think that if I had one I’d replace the “vintage” board with the fiberglass post type you use on your Excaliburs and be rid of this awful way to connect things - plus I like the way you can float the resistors and caps off the board - physically for heat dissipation. These are one of the things I sincerely hate about vintage religions. Sure - there are things that are precious - but Jesus it’s an amp!
Replacing the original eyelet board with a fiberglass board with turrets is not something that should be done to a vintage amp like this, unless the customer specifically request it. While it is a functional upgrade, it devalues the amp in terms of authenticity. If a vintage amp has such a modification, the owner has a moral and ethical obligation to disclose that information if they sell it in the future.
@@retread1083 in any mod I have ever done - I keep the old parts and document their removal. In my case I’ve never sold an amp I own. Edit: I forgot to mention a Fender Blues Deluxe I sold in 96. No mod, however could improve that pos. I’m honest, and have been all my life. If I were to decide to sell such a thing, I’d probably return the item to its poorly engineered unaltered state, if I felt I needed to obtain maximum financial return from it. Otherwise, I’d simply include the original parts. These items are not religious artifacts.
Leo was cheap. Seems like if you're rebuilding today a turret board would be a better choice. Yes, it's not "authentic," but who cares? These are for playing amps, not trailer queens. Also looking at labor costs of cleaning vs. starting fresh... Feels like the debate over not adding a 3 prong cord and eliminating the death cap... but great results from a lot of elbow grease!
