Giant Table 'o' Contents: 0:00 Open Box 1:05 Examine 6G15 2:48 Open gifts with Mitzy the Shop Cat 4:38 Resume Examination of 6G15 15:10 Read Owner's Letter 17:20 Begin Disassembly 27:08 Schematic Review 36:50 Begin to Replace & Conceal Filter Caps 39:40 Test Tank Transducer Continuity 44:05 Resume Filter Cap Replacement 49:20 Test Reverb Driver Transformer 52:15 Test all Tubes 55:25 Test Reverb Cables 59:20 Install 3-Wire Power Cord and Rectifier Diodes 1:02:12 Test Original Gibbs Tank vs New MOD Tank 1:07:42 Mitzy Seeks Attention (You know how girls are ;) 1:08:30 Transplant New Transducers 1:18:20 Test Repaired Gibbs Tank (6K6 vs 6V6) 1:22:54 Final Audio Demo 1:35:03 Farewell Messages
Another charming, delightful video, thanks Doug. Did you find the fault that stopped the reverberations reverberating or was the old tank just unsatisfactory?
Love the high-tech glue applicator - remember, there is no such thing as a free lunch (or in this case a free steak dinner) 😂😂. I was surprised you didn’t change the cardboard electrolytics in the main circuit. I assume they were ok?
I am a retired electonics teacher and have been working on tube amps and building Fender copied reverb units for ever, I have learned so much from you. You are a very good teacher. Thanks so much for all the lessons you have created. Boy, would I like to find a 1966 reverb in that condition!😃
@@UncleDoug well, I've always been on a different wavelength than most. Keeps the world interesting. And thank you for all your content. Your teaching is top notch (are you still teaching or retired?) as is your wit and wry humor. Plus your big 'Ole heart for the animals. Rusty lives on in your older vids while Jack and Ollie continue on the fine musical performances, and it'll be interesting to see how Mitzie (I did hear her name right, didn't i?) contributes ro the demonstrations other than checking out the bench. I come from a long line of teachers, and I can tell that your students were lucky to have you. Thanks again.
@@TheTrueVoiceOfReason Thanks so much for your kind words TV. While teaching, I always encouraged original thinking. Let's face it, conventional wisdom never invented much of anything :)
Seeing the date on the note you put on the re-stuffed caps shows when you did this video and the time taken since to edit and produce it for airing on RU-vid. Clearly this takes time, effort and dedication to your viewers and that sir is much appreciated.
It never hurts to include the test and troubleshooting. It keeps it fresh in our minds. Keep up the good work and I hope you and your family stay healthy and safe!
Beautiful reverb unit. Sounds great with either tube but the 6V6 does inspire waxing up the old surfboard. Thank you for taking time to record the process.
Thank you for being our Uncle, Doug. Way beyond the merely educational, your videos and projects are always fun, interesting, and full of warmth and good humor. And cats.
Great hearing reverb on Jack & Ollie's demo - most of their post-repair demonstrations are clean and with vibrato. I use reverb on my Fender amps about 85% of the time and vibrato only about 5%, so this was definitely a rare treat. Eedee says hello to the kitties!🐾
Beautiful example of a vintage tank! Immaculate! Perfect explanation of the circuit and how it works. I remember watching the videos on your 6G15 build a few years ago and the video on El Paso Tube Amps. Mitzi is such a cutie! She’s probably the sweetest feral I’ve ever seen. My feral is a sweet boy to me and only me when we’re inside the house. All bets are off when he’s outside!
Outstanding! I guess the mystery of what happened to Lupe's missing can of tuna fish that she brought in to work for lunch has finally been solved. Thank you, UD, for everything!
Uncle Doug you are a legend and still so humble. I can't believe you would clean your fingerprints off the metalwork. A hundred years from now when these fully restored Jewels are opened up by enthusiasts like you, they will be combing the chassis for evidence that Uncle Doug may once have graced these shores, just as you look for traces of a bygone era. Please leave at least one fingerprint. You too are a treasure according to at least 128000 people.
Wow, thanks so much, Adam. We are blushing :) Although I don't sign my repair work, I do provide confirmation of origin on each of my handbuilt amps. God willing, maybe some day it will be noticed by a future generation.
Great video as always. I’m always struck by how simple design can work really well. The bent sheet metal, the rough foam. There is a lot of beauty in simple, straight forward design. Also becomes easy to fix.
Still the undisputed,,,at least by me,,,king of vintage amp repair,,,You are the GOLD standard in my book Uncle Doug,,,,,Love the shop kitty !!!! God Bless you and yours !!!!
Tom, I’m with you. If I need any of my amps worked on, they’ll go to Uncle Doug. I’ve watched him work on amps and such for years. He knows his electronics, he’s real, makes sense and down to earth. Thanks 🙏🏻Uncle Doug!
Hey Doug! I Did it! I Done A TAD-Vibroverb Kit with a DIY Speaker Cap. Without you this would not be happend. Your Speaker-Cap Sieries inspiered me to do it. Its working and Sounds great. In this Forum is a Report and Pictures! Thank you for your Help! Your Biasing Videos are great. Greatings from Germany
Very nice as always, and as usual I learned something new. I really enjoy the level of detail you add to your repairs and wish I had thought of drilling through the end caps when I performed a cap job on my 65 Pro Reverb. Thank you again.
Up here in Michigan it was our Cunningham’s Drug Stores with those giant tube tester consoles in their vestibule. I was mighty young but it seems to me those consoles were about as big as a compact car. Maybe it was my single digit age that made them look so huge.
This hits right in my formative years. I was surrounded by tubes with my father and my uncle into ham radio and tube electronics. I learned so much through osmosis back then. Lol
Thank you, Uncle Doug! I always watch and never comment, for quite a few years now. Your videos are deliciously entertaining, informative, educational, personable, and funny. Thanks!
Cosmic timing Uncle Doug! I am just starting a Mojotone kit build of the 6G15. Nice to be able to have an Uncle Doug tour of a mint specimen. Thanks a bunch! Regarding the C.S.A. Test label on the power amp, this is likely to be a Canadian Standards Association test mark. This is not the common label used though, which is a large C with stylized S and A inscribed inside of the C.
It’s good to have our Uncle back ! This amp is sounding glorious 😎. Tubewise, I tend to prefer the 6K6. Less power but more definition and clarity in the reverb sound. But it’s all personal preference. Did you restuff the cathode bypass caps on the board ? Very informative and interesting as always. It seems to me that the cats playing skills have made a step up ! I hope my english did too 😉. Take care UD
I had one of these in the early 70’s. I wish I had kept it…I bought it from a friend for $45.00 It was clean like this one ! Worked great with my brown Princeton that I ran into a 100 watt Vox and into a 2x12 Cerwin Vega G32 cabinet!
Nice reverb unit. Glad you got it going again. Didn't know that Fender made a stand alone reverb unit. Now I want one! W Rusty Lane K9POW in eastern Tennessee
I have one from about the same era and it's fantastic. I could have built my own, but it just wouldn't have been the same. I run it through a home built 59 Bassman clone by way of an FX loop and a Dumblelator, and it's the best sounding reverb unit you could hope to own.
Once again Uncle Doug you done it. What a nice restauration on that very nice original Fender. Clever way to replace those magnets, shame the holders are made of plastic hopefully they will holdup as long as the original magnets. And I like the humor wich you make your videos so lovely to watch. Take care.
@@UncleDoug Yes I guessed that would slow things down a bit. Aren’t you (we) always on the look out for a nice 32 roadster. I hope a good one comes your way in the near future.
For a stray cat like Mitzy I think you have gotten a new best friend. Best time to solder is when she takes a nap BTW. Really nice Fender Reverb unit given the excellent repairs needed to get her up and working like new. Thanks so much for showing how you get it right the first time using logical steps.
very nice Amp impeccable shape!!! very nice repair as always Uncle Doug ,reverb tank stopped working on my Ampeg VT 22V4 100w amp it was completly serviced of any issues10 years ago and was working so probably same problem as here my amp may have 10 hours of use since ,thanks for all of your very valuable videos !!
Just be aware that Ampegs use a capacitor driven circuit for the reverb tank and so the standard tank that works an a Fender won't work in an Ampeg. Somewhere on line you should be able to find a chart that will tell you the numbers for the correct reverb tank to order.
The Gibbs tank provides more of the reverb and tone quality I'm use to hearing from Fender reverbs. I think it adds less depth than the MOD tank, but the Gibbs is the classic Fender sound.
hey uncle doug! i beileive csa test stands for canadian standards association test transformer...watching you for couple years now! you got me building my own amps!!
Hey Uncle Doug! You must have spent some time practicing because I noticed your chops are greatly improved. Thanks for the in depth education on the inner workings of Fender reverb units. I had one back in the late 1960s that was tan and orange colored, that came with the tweed Tremolux my mom bought for me. It stopped reverbing, too, so I asked my friend to look at it and see if he could fix it, but never saw it again (sigh). After that, I traded the Tremolux in on a Gibson solid state 100W head. If only I'd known then what I know now.
All praise goes to Ollie & Jack, Maurice. So glad the videos are helpful. We've all made mistakes with vintage gear......but the two you mentioned might be near the top of the list ;)
It's always a happy day when you upload. The Uncle Doug amp with that reverb unit is a match made in heaven, what a creamy sound! I really want that amp now. Also, really tasteful and pleasant guitar playing. Thank you
Thank you, sir. Another interesting, thoughtful video. I was really surprised how different the two tanks sounded. I wouldn't have thought there would be that much difference. Fascinating stuff as usual.
Well, it's a comparison between a brand new tank and a 56 year old tank. Magnets can degrade over time. The old tank probably sounded a whole lot better when new than it does now.
Really cool! The Ao35 sounds great,too! I built an 18 watt lite out of one with all new components and even a new output transformer but there are still more tonal similarities between the two than one would expect.
Rebuilding the filter caps with a note included, gluing down the last nibble of the tube chart, cats are happy, everybody wins! Fav sound 6K6 with all controls 12 o'clock. Very Nice.
Smashing vid with great Canadian content !! I was recently given and repaired a Hot Cabs PA head that had been dropped. The reverb tank came free from the springs, and two of the input circuit boards disconnected. Now I just need some speakers.
Hi Doug, I had a spring reverb in my workshop recently with extremely low output and I couldn't find anything wrong with DC continuity of the input or output circuits or mechanical construction of the unit, apart from noticing both springs looked a little dusty. After removing the spring and carefully soaking in general washing up liquid and allowing to air dry, the reverb "sprang" into life. Never seen this before and one for the old grey matter.
Another great video! On the issue of the 6K6 vs 6V6, I would lean towards the original 6K6; the extra gain afforded by the 6V6 gave the sound an almost slightly over-driven quality that is not as pleasing to the ears. I wonder what the 6V6 configuration would sound like if fed the output of a hot single coil or humbucker? Perhaps not as pleasing and "Fendery" as us ancient tone hounds would come to expect. All in all, thanks again for a great video and learning experience.
Wow that reverb unit is stunning, museum quality! The last Fender valve amp across by bench for repair was a 1978 twin reverb. It was the polar opposite! Some rotten wood, rusty chassis, damp board which was conducting, all pots seized, all sockets rusty and knackered, two tubes had broken centre pins, all pre amp tubes are a little soft then the usual service items with several carbon resistors failed, new power caps needed etc. It wasn’t worth fixing! A shame but I did get the old enclosure and chassis to build a highly modded deluxe reverb.
I can't believe you don't have a set of dental picks in your toolbox, Uncle.They're great for things like those little springs in the tank. Another great video, thanks! Also - the 6V6 output is too hot.
6G-15's just what I need , my variable AFU-69's never locked in place correctly . Looks like Mitzy has good timing , she might handle the percussion end of things . TVM UD , A joy as always .
Great to see another Uncle Doug video! With respect to the transformer codes, 606 is the EIA code for Woodward-Schumacher, and 5 - 13 would indicate the 13th week of 1965.
Hello Uncle Doug! I love your videos. I used your princeton video where you add a bias pot and did it myself on my amp, I even add the metal bracket =) Thanks a lot!
Hey Doug, About the phase: Fender obviously went for a cathode follower in the dry-path to keep the input-phase matched to the output-phase. The phase during the wet-chain is irrelevant, as it also depends on the way, the transformer is connected. Also the reverb tank will pretty much mess up the phase in the wet-path. About re-stuffing caps: I was just about to mention here, that you should leave a sticker inside the doghouse, to prevent the next technician from instantly removing those restuffed caps again - and booom - you did 👍 I absolutely like the way, you restuffed the hall-tank, and preserved, what could be preserved from the original hammond-unit. By the way: I never expected the difference being so massive, due to the weakening of the alnicos inside the reverb-transducers! That is really important knowledge, and I will doublecheck the sound of those halltanks the next time, I will service old fender reverb amps! Thanks for all your help, out here in youtube-land!!
CSA Group’s experienced team is known across North America and internationally for testing a broad spectrum of transformers. In business since about 1919.
Excellent video ....I prefer 6V6 although the 6K6 was great .The 6V6 was like that extra dash of hot sauce just to spice it up ! Thanks for the continuing education. 👍👍👍🎸🎸🎸
That's absolutely true. During this unfortunate covid time I have built and modded several spring reverb featured vintage and modern amps and compared several vintage and modern reverb tanks and as well compared them all with all sorts of digital effects and computer plug-ins. Vintage amps and reverb tanks still are the best and most natural choice IMHO. I don't know how long, but for example a real tube amp always sounds like a tube amp because it, bloody hell, is a f-ing tube amp and not an emulator, if it is even close to decent condition. And a spring reverb tank in good condition usually always sounds like a spring reverb tank because it is a reverb tank, not a plug-in.
@@jutukka Yes. And the thing that's difficult to explain to non players or players who have little or no experience with tubes and springs is the "feel" or "responsiveness." If you go purely by the sound in a mix, you might be tricked, but sometimes the most important thing about a real analogue is how it responds to your playing, how it responds to being played soft or loud, or with a quick attack, or with single-coils vs. humbuckers. A good player can learn to control the amount of distortion or "boing" by how hard he plays, or which pickup he selects, or the volume control on his guitar. Some true spring reverb tanks can be overdriven just like the front end of a tube amp and a good player can learn how to "play" those things in real time. That feel, responsiveness, and feedback still can't be emulated very well. I'm talking about the communication you're getting from the amp, not the "howling" feedback, although that's important too.
@@jutukka Looks like from another comment washing old springs in a bit of dish wash liquid gets off dust (and greases from atmosphere) which allows the metal to move again with less hindrance and become tighter
Uncle Doug, you do amazing work. I personally prefer the 6k6 as the reverb driver. It has a more laid back tone where the 6v6 seems more aggressive. I’m a trem hound, but prefer a lighter touch on reverb. Watching your channel has inspired me to build my own amplifier from an old worn out chassis. I will have to send you info when I get it finished because I’d love your input. That being said, how were the cathode bypass caps in this beautiful tank? I don’t recall you stuffing them in the video.
@@mattrogers1946 The owner received back both his original 6K6 and an NOS 6V6 so he can experiment and pick the one he prefers. With tubes, the exchange is as easy as it gets :)
Wow, fascinating video. The mod tank sounds like every modern reissue fender reverb, that is not very springy or vintage sounding. The vintage tank sounds 100% better imo, exactly how the spring tank should sound. Bright, clangy.... surfy 🏄♂
Uncle Doug, I am wondering exactly how much you had to pay the owner to repair this amp! 🙂 You clearly were having a really good time both teaching us so well, as you always do, but you also really went over the top on keeping this particular jewel looking as original as possible while replacing bad components! I have a soft spot for old blues, so I think I personally prefer the 6K6 v 6V6, but as they say, de gustibus non est disputandum. I almost always watch your videos the day they arrive, but yesterday, alas, I was unable to tear myself from a livestream trial that had a somewhat significant impact on my kids while they were in high school back in 2008 that finally concluded late yesterday afternoon. Finally, when you first alluded to 1965 being only 45 years ago, I thought "Wow! I'm only in my fifties!" Nope, but thanks for the momentary euphoria!
