John will show us how to make this vintage amp safe to play by adding a ground wire replacement to circumvent the death cap thus making this amp safe to play.
When I first ran across this video, I almost freaked. But my DR is a re-issue made in 1997 and it has the 3-prong power cord and NO death cap in the circuit (according to the schematic, anyway). Next time I open it up I'll confirm that, but I think it's gonna be fine. Thanks for doing this important video for anyone who has the original models of these great Fender amps. BTW, yours is a beauty!
Great video! A couple of things to consider. I went to a store that sells stuff for detailing cars and they have this spray stuff and a brush that fits on a drill. It's awesome for cleaning the Tolex. Also, I am an engineer and I deal with a lot of electrical stuff. I would suggest that you don't connect the ground to something that would disrupt the ground path if removed. (i.e. the transformer bolts.) This is an element of the NEC (NEC doesn't apply to guitar amps, but the concept does). I have also seen some troubleshooting videos where that turned out to be the culprit. Thanks for the great video!!
prior to doing this, are there any safety precautions that need to be taken, like discharging caps? I feel comfortable enough doing this job w/o touching the electrolytic capacitors...I'll leave that part to a professional.
For goodness sake, don’t call it a death cap. No one has ever died from one of those innocent little things. It will NEVER short out. It is the ground capacitor, and is very necessary if you find yourself in a place that only has a two prong outlet. If you want to replace the power cord with a modern grounded, three conductor cord, that’s perfectly fine, but leave the grounding capacitor in place for those occasions when you only have a two prong outlet to plug into. I repeat - No One Has Ever Died From A Grounding Capacitor !
Death Cap for Cutie….. sorry couldn’t resist 😁 very informative video as always guys 💪
hahahaha we love it!
When I first ran across this video, I almost freaked. But my DR is a re-issue made in 1997 and it has the 3-prong power cord and NO death cap in the circuit (according to the schematic, anyway). Next time I open it up I'll confirm that, but I think it's gonna be fine. Thanks for doing this important video for anyone who has the original models of these great Fender amps. BTW, yours is a beauty!
3 prong reissues don’t have this problem! But thank you so much for watching! We really really appreciate it!
Great video! A couple of things to consider. I went to a store that sells stuff for detailing cars and they have this spray stuff and a brush that fits on a drill. It's awesome for cleaning the Tolex. Also, I am an engineer and I deal with a lot of electrical stuff. I would suggest that you don't connect the ground to something that would disrupt the ground path if removed. (i.e. the transformer bolts.) This is an element of the NEC (NEC doesn't apply to guitar amps, but the concept does). I have also seen some troubleshooting videos where that turned out to be the culprit. Thanks for the great video!!
you're welcome!!! thanks for watching!
Your vid does not mention rewiring of the fuse/holder. Other vids on 3-prong conversion show rewiring the fuse as a necessary step. What say you?
Must be the nicest tech guy in the world. :)
prior to doing this, are there any safety precautions that need to be taken, like discharging caps? I feel comfortable enough doing this job w/o touching the electrolytic capacitors...I'll leave that part to a professional.
Sweet amp
thanks jay!!!
Until what year is this a concern with Fender amps? Thanks!
Early 1970’s
Caps going bad is ESR, bad caps take out tubes , Transformers, even the audio transformer . Basically really bad news all around.
Uhhg...Here come's the old man in the comment section...remove metal jewelry before working on electronics. Good video otherwise.
Great point! I will be sure to let Pitts know!
For goodness sake, don’t call it a death cap. No one has ever died from one of those innocent little things. It will NEVER short out. It is the ground capacitor, and is very necessary if you find yourself in a place that only has a two prong outlet. If you want to replace the power cord with a modern grounded, three conductor cord, that’s perfectly fine, but leave the grounding capacitor in place for those occasions when you only have a two prong outlet to plug into. I repeat - No One Has Ever Died From A Grounding Capacitor !