Some time ago I had posted the results of Fender amplifier rebuilds I had done for Steve Hurt and Ned Ward. I was then PM'd by a number of people who requested work done as well. I didn't post those results for that reason. I don't make my living rebuilding these vintage amps, I don't advertise, and I'm selective in what I will and will not restore. Many of the requests were turned down due to time constraints or amplifier type, but one request couldn't be passed up.
I received a PM from Deryl Voutila telling me about a 1966 Fender Deluxe Reverb that he had which was in need of an overhaul. To me the Deluxe IS the definitive small club / studio amp. 22 watts of whoop ass oozing classic rock mojo, sparkling cleans and the perfect grind at just the right volume. Used by countless "A" list artists in the studio (Stones anyone?) it's a sound that can be copied but not replicated. Perhaps my favorite amp (I own a pair) when running properly and taken care of, nothing else comes close.
I had decided that I had posted enough about Fender rebuilds and restoration but changed my mind after receiving this amp. I do promise though that this is the last post on the subject and will call this the final chapter, rebuilding a Deluxe.
I received the amp, got it up on the bench. opened it up and found to my surprise that the amp was almost a virgin. The only parts ever touched was the reverb tank and cables. It turned out later in the build that these were both bad.
Let's start by saying that regradless of desire there is no way to have a usable and stock 55 year old amplifier. Aging components have to be replaced, and that's an excepted fact in the amplifier world. The value of the amp is depreciated a bit, but it's quite uncommen to find an amplifier with stock components that works AND sounds good.
The biggest problem with older amplifiers is capacitors that have failed or are failing, and resistors that have failed or are well out of spec. In Deryls case all of the electrolytics were far gone, most coupling caps were allowing back voltage, and most of the resistors had drifted up to 30% out of tolorence.
Now would be a good time to tell you why I'm selective with my repairs and rebuilds. Simply because it takes me longer to do the job, and my time is limited. I don't just change a few components. I test every component and replace every out of spec and failing component using the best parts I can buy, and they're almost all made in the USA. I don't want an amp coming back to me for something I should have found to begin with, and I want every amp to sound better than it did when it came off of Leo's line. I can't catch everything. for instance Ned had a tube fail after he got his amp back, but I'm sending him a new matched set and that will fix that. It also takes longer to tune the amp. every amp is tone checked over and over again, and components replaced, changed and the circuit tweeked until the old ear says the amp is good to go. This is a long process that drives my wife out of her mind, so if you see an upcharge of "WBMB" (wife broke my balls) that's why.
The rebuild;
I always start with the power supply, and in this case I made no exceptions and found what I expected to find, capacitors that needed replacing. A quick look at the ends always tells the story here, and most of the electrolytics had bubbled, a reaction to the 55 year old construction of the cap. I replaced all of the PS caps and checked voltages. The final output voltages were about 30-40 volts low, but I reserved my opinion for later, until after I had worked on other parts of the circuit and performed additional testing.
The stock circuit was tested and I found more than a volt passing back through every cap I tested. I made the decision to stop testing and just replace all of the caps. More testing and the voltages had gone up where I expected them to go up, but other test points where just wrong. From that point I started my testing of every resistor on the board. Most were well out of spec, and every out of spec resistor was changed and replaced with a new carbon comp resistor per the AB763 schematic. I should also say that certain component values on the schematics found today are wrong. I know what they are, but thats part of my secret sauce, so please don't ask because I don't tell.
It was also apparent that this amp had not been used much if at all in a long time. The caps alone would cause problems, but the build up of mold on the inside was a tell tale sign of an amp that had sat for some time. I cleaned all of the mold with bleach, a secret mix of detergent, and an old tooth brush. The chassis was flush with circuit board cleaner and then left to sit over night.
After the cleaning I got down to business, finished the circuit, and found that the low voltage was due to the power transformer, and that the reverb tank, which had been replaced, was causing problems as well. I spoke to deryl, ordered a replacement set of transformers from Magnetic components, and a new Accutronics (Hammond) tank for the reverb.
I replaced the transformers and tank today, made my final changes to the tone circuits and finished the amp. Tomorrow I'll put 2-3 hours on the amp with the band, make any final changes I think the amp needs, and get it out for shippment next week.
In the end this "basic" rebuild required all new caps, resistors, tubes, transformers, grill cloth, reverb tank and bag, reverb cables, full cleaning and some TLC.
The amp sounds as good as my own and as good as any Deluxe I have ever heard. Good luck with the amp Deryl.
I hope you've all enjoyed the rebuild series and I want to thank Ned, Steve and Deryl for allowing me the privilage of restoring and rebuilding their Fender Bandmaster, Showman, Vibrolux, Pro, and Deluxe Reverb amplifiers. Thanks guys, you've made an old guy very tone happy one amp at a time.
BL
New power supply caps to replace the 55 year old bubbling caps.
