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Ampeg V4 head from the 70's what to do with it?????


lesterpaul

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i bought an ampeg v4 setup new in the early 70's, used it a bit sold off the speaker cab then put the head away, it sat in a garage untouched for the past 40 years or so (dam that was a while ago!!!) so a month ago i cleaned the mouse crap out of it, connected a small 8" speaker to it and plugged it in and hit the switch then stepped back...all the lights fire up, tubes all look lit up but all i get is a huge loud buzz that i cant control with any of the knobs,

 

i am asuming it needs a complete tube job maybe. i dont know if i want to spend the $200-$300 to retube it or just sell it outright as-is, it weighs 85 lbs so i dont want to ship it and dont want 20 clowns coming over to check it out either.

 

should i spend the cash then sell it as working or just cut and run, i dont need the monster any longer as i just started playing again for the hell of it and just use a small practice amp, i would like to find a small tube amp and dont need this monster....your ideas would be appreciated and can you reccommend a small all tube amp

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It's likely just a filter capacitor. (AKA the death cap!) Big electrolytic capacitors are filled with fluid that hardens in time. I was told once it's like Karo Syrup & you should run an amp at least an hour a year. If yours sat for 40 years it's a real possibility the cap is the issue. It should be a lot cheaper than replacing tubes & it's even cheaper if you do it yourself.............. Good Luck :-k

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It's likely just a filter capacitor. (AKA the death cap!) Big electrolytic capacitors are filled with fluid that hardens in time.

 

thanks for that info, i just started some research and found a few places to get parts, tubes and caps n stuff, but the one thing i didnt like to read was the shocking the crap out of myself from messin with electronics that i have no clue about....i might spend a few bucks on the caps and try not to fry myself in the process, will let you know thanks again

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I miss my old V4. If your looking to sell it as-is, let me know!

 

sure thing but i am going to do a bit more research until i decide. i recently found a 91 firebird to replace the 72 medallion series i sold off 35 yrs ago since i needed the cash back then so i dont want to make the mistake with the v4, dont need the cash now but want a good tube amp, just to practice might be overkill but i loved playing that combo years back....

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It's likely just a filter capacitor.

...

Extremely likely. There are ten of these - see below.

 

...i might spend a few bucks on the caps and try not to fry myself in the process, will let you know thanks again

Be very careful - the internal operating voltages are around 400 VAC and 545 VDC.

 

The circuit diagram shows ten filter capacitors, consisting of two triple caps, one double cap, and two single caps. Among them is the filter capacitor for the grid bias, -52 V for this amp, which is crucial, too. A bad one might kill the power tubes.

 

It is likely the tubes are still fine. I suggest pulling them off and cleaning all the contacts with a good contact cleaner.

 

Just for clarification, my forum nickname is not about capacitors, not even any kind of caps, but an entirely different story. However, the "-master" part has to do with audio mastering.

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Be very careful - the internal operating voltages are around 400 VAC and 545 VDC.

 

thanks for the info cap, i am leaning towards finding a tech to do this, just didnt want to get hosed financially but dont want to get fried on my own either!!

 

on a scale of 1 to 10 how difficult could this be???

 

i still need to do more research and am ok with a soldering pen, i have ripped alot of guitars apart over the years and i am overly confident of my mechanical skills and do ok repairing lots of items, the internet has made it waaay easier to do that than just winging it with a screw driver and pliers but i know my limits and there is always the aggravation factor......i could save a few bucks and change my own oil but over the years you find sometimes its better to pay people to do certain things that just not are worth your time and effort anymore....

 

any suggestions?

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