As I've watched, I think 20 Berkshire video's, they never get bored! Even if it's over an hour of playtime! Keep it up Stuart! I'm learning so so much from this. Thank you!
The 500pF domino cap looked like a mica version which are normally very stable. I would not change it without being sure there was an issue: it was probably there for a reason.
If you met somebody who had a 55 Chevy, and they insisted on original tires, battery, brake linings, plugs and wires, and even the original oil in the engine, you'd think this person has lost his mind. Sure, it's a nice 55 Chevy, but are you going on a road trip with this nut? Probably not. The logic seems obvious, but apparently there are still some seats available at the Mad Hatter's tea party.
Exactly it is a Fender Tremolux Model (tweed) Construction year: 1959 or 1960. Type: 5E9, 5E9 A. I have checked by serial number. You have done a great job Stuart.
Hey Stuart, nice relic and great service and repair with tips and info..Learning loads still, thanks for a great video and sharing your knowledge..Ed..uk..😀
This amp is a second generation Tremolux. They changed to fixed bias in 1959, and later the inverter was charged to the long tail pair. These are a bit louder and have more punch on the front of the note. They sound amazing, but they're quite different from the first generation. Mine is from October 1955, and it has the cathode bias and paraphrase inverter. It gives less volume and more sag than this one. Mine is probably closer to the 5E3 Deluxe. Leo was constantly pushing in the direction of country clean, and more of a hi-fi kind of sound, and these changes were made in that interest. You can't go wrong with any Tweed that's in good working order, they're all awesome.
Quite an epic, Stuart. Length considered, there is a great matter of enjoyment watching the installment of components, and the technique of stripping a mains cable. Although I understand the owner's desire to keep the tweed esthetic original, but that amp was filthy. You should charge a fee for an amp that dirties your shop, and bench with their dead skin cells, and mites. Please enjoy the weekend, and remain safe. If my daughter's holiday schedule allows it, I may be in the U.K. in September. It has been decades since I toured there. Perhaps I may pop-in to say hello, or we can raise pints at you favorite pub. Cheers!
Another excellent video! Also, I learned to strip S.O. cable jacketing, the exact same way you have shown here, from a Navy electrician many years ago when I was just an apprentice.
I use cutters and nip the cable a bit at the time so that you don't go directly through with one bite (and into the wires). Works perfectly especially with thicker wires.
If that selenium bias rectifier fails, not only will it stink so bad it'll drive people out of the room, but it'll blow the output tubes and possibly a transformer or two. Ditto for a shorted filter cap. When you're dealing with a classic old amp like this one, if a customer can't afford to or can't see fit to have those critical parts replaced, he should sell the amp to someone with sufficient funds and the will to have it done right. This amp is a piece of history, and highly desirable. It should *not* be played in the original condition, it should be left on a shelf as a museum piece. If the owner is going to play it, then he should have it thoroughly refurbished before using it on jams or gigs.
Yes. A partial solution is to add a modern rectifier diode in series with the selenium rectifier. It of course causes extra voltage drop, does not prevent from magic selenium odour if selenium diode shorts and it doesn't help at all if selenium rectifier goes totally open or weak. So as you said, best way is to disconnect the selenium diode, and leave it in its place if you think it looks cool, and install a modern rectifier diode which is physically very unnoticeable.
Everything you described happened to me in September 2005. The repair bill was $480. I started learning to do this work immediately after, and also how to troubleshoot and do preventative maintenance. That effort has served me well ever since.
Water based impact adhesive does work. It's used to stick down EPDM rubber sheet on roofs. Just that being water based it needs a bit of heat to evaporate the water! If you don't evaporate the water out then the next time it gets warm the water turns to vapour and on rubber sheet you get a load of bubbles under the rubber....
At 12:10, you measured 640 volts AC, because you ignored the centertap of the HT winding, which is tied to ground. Had you measured from each of the red HT wires to the chassis, you would have measured 320 VAC, which when rectified to DC by the 5U4 would likely give you somewhere around 350 to 370 volts DC, depending on biasing and how much current the output tubes draw. Except that the 5U4 looks like it has lost its vacuum....
perhaps you've sussed already but a 5U4G recto is a 'directly heated' valve which explains the instant voltage ........the GZ34 / 5y3 / 5V4 are indirectly heated / soft start type and don't strictly need a standby switch
It's interesting to see the difference in power cables in Britain. I wire these in the U.S. several times a week. We often install a GFI in line or on the breaker. Seeing this older amp being upgraded is fascinating. Thank you for taking the time to discuss some of the small things. Some of the things you do are quite helpful like the use of a cable tie to hold the cable in the transformer. It's a great idea to change a few caps at a time as well. How long did it take you to do this job?
I just took my 1980 pro reverb to a local electronics guy and I'm leary because before I gave it to himi opened it up and saw that it had the original electrolytic caps from 1980. The silver Mallory kind. He told me that those last forever. It was suppose to produce 70 watts but the speakers were in parallel an it was only making 40 watts. It took him a week to test everything so he did good there but I'm worried about his reasoning on the electrolytic caps.
You destroyed the value of this amp by gutting every original cap in it. Change the electrolytics and leave all the tone caps as long as it’s working and sounding good.
Hi Valden,. Uhh, no you're wrong there. First off I only do what the customer wants. He wanted it. Second if you watch the vid in full you'll see most of those tone caps were leaking, so useless in other words! No choice but to change. I agree with you IF all the caps are good - no point in changing them then.
I agree Stuart. Leaky caps like that can( and do) lead to “ red plating of precious output valves, or even destruction of an even more precious output transformer! If that happens and the xfmr has to be replaced then the amp won’t be original either. The “ tone” you refer to is a result of DC getting to where it shouldn’t be, and certainly wasn’t when the amp was new. Replacing the caps will actually make the amp sound as it was designed.
As I've watched, I think 20 Berkshire video's, they never get bored! Even if it's over an hour of playtime! Keep it up Stuart! I'm learning so so much from this. Thank you!
Thanks Arie!
The 500pF domino cap looked like a mica version which are normally very stable. I would not change it without being sure there was an issue: it was probably there for a reason.
Thanks, another good video! As a giging guitarist I never understand people who want old components in an amp! 😃
it's only collectors that want old parts in an amp. All of us gigging musicians want reliability. Nothing worse than an amp going tits up mid gig.
@@rgbplumbinghilton yes you are right my friend!
Exactly!
Yes I'm with you on that one.
If you met somebody who had a 55 Chevy, and they insisted on original tires, battery, brake linings, plugs and wires, and even the original oil in the engine, you'd think this person has lost his mind. Sure, it's a nice 55 Chevy, but are you going on a road trip with this nut? Probably not. The logic seems obvious, but apparently there are still some seats available at the Mad Hatter's tea party.
Exactly it is a Fender Tremolux Model (tweed)
Construction year: 1959 or 1960. Type: 5E9, 5E9 A. I have checked by serial number.
You have done a great job Stuart.
Thanks Suso.
you're welcome
Great video stewart!! As always. Thank you.
Many thanks.
Good video Stuart. I really enjoy these. I'm a guitar player. And I love seeing amps get repaired. And I love learning about how to repair them.
Thanks again Zack.
Hey Stuart, nice relic and great service and repair with tips and info..Learning loads still, thanks for a great video and sharing your knowledge..Ed..uk..😀
Cheers Ed!
Hey Stuart. Looking well, I enjoyed that. Another amp I wasn't aware of before, which is a bonus, as well as you fixing them.
Yes I hadn;t done one before either.
Great video! I enjoy the long video's. Especially on an amp that needs lot's done to it.
More to come!
@@stuartukguitarampguy5830 oh good!
Hope to see more vids soon ! Love the channel !
Working on it!
Another great video enjoyed it
Glad you enjoyed it Bob.
This amp is a second generation Tremolux. They changed to fixed bias in 1959, and later the inverter was charged to the long tail pair. These are a bit louder and have more punch on the front of the note. They sound amazing, but they're quite different from the first generation. Mine is from October 1955, and it has the cathode bias and paraphrase inverter. It gives less volume and more sag than this one. Mine is probably closer to the 5E3 Deluxe.
Leo was constantly pushing in the direction of country clean, and more of a hi-fi kind of sound, and these changes were made in that interest. You can't go wrong with any Tweed that's in good working order, they're all awesome.
Ok useful info thanks
Quite an epic, Stuart. Length considered, there is a great matter of enjoyment watching the installment of components, and the technique of stripping a mains cable. Although I understand the owner's desire to keep the tweed esthetic original, but that amp was filthy. You should charge a fee for an amp that dirties your shop, and bench with their dead skin cells, and mites. Please enjoy the weekend, and remain safe. If my daughter's holiday schedule allows it, I may be in the U.K. in September. It has been decades since I toured there. Perhaps I may pop-in to say hello, or we can raise pints at you favorite pub. Cheers!
Hi Alex You're always welcome if you are passing.
What a lovely survivor amp!
Yes, nice isn;t it?
Nice one Young Stuart!
Thank you kindly, you can call me that anytime!
Stuart Great job ‼️‼️
Many thanks.
Another excellent video! Also, I learned to strip S.O. cable jacketing, the exact same way you have shown here, from a Navy electrician many years ago when I was just an apprentice.
Ah interesting. I can't recall where I learned that,.
I use cutters and nip the cable a bit at the time so that you don't go directly through with one bite (and into the wires). Works perfectly especially with thicker wires.
If that selenium bias rectifier fails, not only will it stink so bad it'll drive people out of the room, but it'll blow the output tubes and possibly a transformer or two. Ditto for a shorted filter cap. When you're dealing with a classic old amp like this one, if a customer can't afford to or can't see fit to have those critical parts replaced, he should sell the amp to someone with sufficient funds and the will to have it done right. This amp is a piece of history, and highly desirable. It should *not* be played in the original condition, it should be left on a shelf as a museum piece. If the owner is going to play it, then he should have it thoroughly refurbished before using it on jams or gigs.
Yes. A partial solution is to add a modern rectifier diode in series with the selenium rectifier. It of course causes extra voltage drop, does not prevent from magic selenium odour if selenium diode shorts and it doesn't help at all if selenium rectifier goes totally open or weak. So as you said, best way is to disconnect the selenium diode, and leave it in its place if you think it looks cool, and install a modern rectifier diode which is physically very unnoticeable.
Everything you described happened to me in September 2005. The repair bill was $480. I started learning to do this work immediately after, and also how to troubleshoot and do preventative maintenance. That effort has served me well ever since.
Water based impact adhesive does work. It's used to stick down EPDM rubber sheet on roofs.
Just that being water based it needs a bit of heat to evaporate the water!
If you don't evaporate the water out then the next time it gets warm the water turns to vapour and on rubber sheet you get a load of bubbles under the rubber....
Ok useful info thanks.
At 12:10, you measured 640 volts AC, because you ignored the centertap of the HT winding, which is tied to ground. Had you measured from each of the red HT wires to the chassis, you would have measured 320 VAC, which when rectified to DC by the 5U4 would likely give you somewhere around 350 to 370 volts DC, depending on biasing and how much current the output tubes draw. Except that the 5U4 looks like it has lost its vacuum....
oh yes, of course!
perhaps you've sussed already but a 5U4G recto is a 'directly heated' valve which explains the instant voltage ........the GZ34 / 5y3 / 5V4 are indirectly heated / soft start type and don't strictly need a standby switch
Ok I wasn't aware of that. What do you mean 'directly heated'?
It's interesting to see the difference in power cables in Britain. I wire these in the U.S. several times a week. We often install a GFI in line or on the breaker. Seeing this older amp being upgraded is fascinating. Thank you for taking the time to discuss some of the small things. Some of the things you do are quite helpful like the use of a cable tie to hold the cable in the transformer. It's a great idea to change a few caps at a time as well. How long did it take you to do this job?
Thanks Michael.
I think it a smart idea to fuse the ac plug.
Hi Monty I'm pretty sure it would have gone out with a new plug, fused.
Which model tester do you use to test for leaky capacitors? very cool.
Hi Mine's a bit old npow but you can buy any 'insultion tester' on eBay. They out out about 500V DC and then mesure the tiny leakage current (if any).
@@stuartukguitarampguy5830 insultion tester are to test shorts on compressors
I just took my 1980 pro reverb to a local electronics guy and I'm leary because before I gave it to himi opened it up and saw that it had the original electrolytic caps from 1980. The silver Mallory kind. He told me that those last forever.
It was suppose to produce 70 watts but the speakers were in parallel an it was only making 40 watts.
It took him a week to test everything so he did good there but I'm worried about his reasoning on the electrolytic caps.
Well they do lasty a long time. It depends how 'gig critical' the amp is.
Why not keeping the good audio caps?
I thunk there were only 3 and how much life would they have left? I certainly would never put these into another amp.
Hi Stuart. Thatas quite an expensive amp
Very!
Hundreds of dollars to re cap ? Amps vary but never costs me that kind of money to recap any amp
I've told you a million times I never exaggerate!
You destroyed the value of this amp by gutting every original cap in it. Change the electrolytics and leave all the tone caps as long as it’s working and sounding good.
Hi Valden,. Uhh, no you're wrong there. First off I only do what the customer wants. He wanted it. Second if you watch the vid in full you'll see most of those tone caps were leaking, so useless in other words! No choice but to change. I agree with you IF all the caps are good - no point in changing them then.
I agree Stuart. Leaky caps like that can( and do) lead to “ red plating of precious output valves, or even destruction of an even more precious output transformer! If that happens and the xfmr has to be replaced then the amp won’t be original either.
The “ tone” you refer to is a result of DC getting to where it shouldn’t be, and certainly wasn’t when the amp was new. Replacing the caps will actually make the amp sound as it was designed.
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