My 1953 Fender Champ
OK so I actually posted a few weeks ago but on the back of that thread it went pretty much straight to
@ICBM for make safe alterations. He then pretended to break his arm and proceeded to lock himself in a room and play this till he could afford no more time off work
I jest of course and big shout out to
@ICBM for the stellar work he has done he went the extra mile to make sure the amp was safe but also kept 100% original but for the change required to remove the risk of death... a minor flaw. A pleasure to meet and his enthusiasm not only for the amp but to give advice was very much appreciated.
Amazing vintage tones from this little Icon, absolutely delighted with it.
Comments
It was a real surprise to find that the amp was not only 100% original as far as I can tell - valves aside, and even then they're old - but also didn't need any work other than the new earthed mains cable and removal of the 'death cap'. (And replacing the pilot lamp bulb which was blown.)
I would normally want to change the filter caps as a matter of course on an amp this old, but given the originality and condition I took a deep breath and tested it as-is, and they're fine for now. They won't last forever but that bridge can be crossed when it has to be.
I even found a vintage GE pilot bulb in my box of old spares, so it seemed appropriate that this amp got it...
It's interesting to compare it to the '59 5F1 I once had - I thought that the older one would be even more boxy and 'radio-like', but it's not - it has nowhere near the gain and snarl of the 5F1, and isn't as loud or overdriven when cranked up, but actually has a fuller and nicer clean tone.
Very nice indeed. And it smells wonderful too!
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
All OK in theory, but if the capacitor fails to a short circuit - which they can - then the chassis, and hence the guitars strings because the guitar's ground is connected to the amp's ground - will be directly connected to either the neutral or... the live. Which you can probably now guess is why it's known as the 'death cap'!
Modern US supplies do have an earth with a 3-pin plug, as they do in most other developed countries (excluding Japan, I think - and maybe a few others near there who adopted the same system), so you can replace the 2-wire cable with a modern 3-wire one which means the chassis can be earthed, and the 'death cap' removed.
Basically, if you buy an old American amp and it has a 2-prong mains plug, it *must* be properly converted with a 3-wire cable, and used with a step-down transformer with an earth connection. If you buy one where this has been done already it would still be wise to check... recently I came across one - done by a supposedly reputable tech - where the 3-wire cable had been fitted but the death cap was still in place. OK, if the cap had failed then the live would short to earth and blow the fuse, but don't count on that happening fast enough to stop you getting a shock.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein