Ancient amp care

[harmonicchaos]

Like I mentioned before, I'm probably going to be getting an old Ampeg v4 soon. It's around 30-40 years old. It looks to be decent shape cosmetically and it worked fine when I played it a little while ago. There was an issue with the power supply but it was sent to the shop recently by the store that's selling it. I'm going to call later today to get an update on it to see if it's okay now etc.

 

So if I do end up getting it what are some tips, tricks etc. for me to do to keep it healthy.

 

Also, what's the typical lifespan of an amp of this age? I don't want to put 600 bucks down on an amp that's only going to last a couple more years. I'd think, with it being an american-made Ampeg, that It'd be pretty indestructible and any problems would be fixable.

 

thanks for any help and suggestions!

[RichCI]

Like with anything else (cars, appliances, etc.), parts get old and fail but there's nothing that can't be replaced, whether it be filter caps, pots and even transformers. With old amps like what you're looking to buy, that's just part of the deal; I have a 1966 Fender Champ that I bought three or four years ago that has developed a buzzing sound and I need to take it to a shop to get looked at. I tried replacing tubes which is all I can do so I'll be paying someone to go under the hood and figure out what's wrong. But, it's a great sounding amp so it's worth it to me.

[brundaddy]

+1

 

Get it! As for tips on how to get the most out of it: turn it up to 10! Ampegs have a good rep for being tough, loud amps. (They're good for jumping off of too) Great find, have a ball with it!

[djroge1]

If the shop you're buying it from hasn't put in new filter caps then it may need to soon. They don't last forever and they are not real expensive for the parts themselves - you may pay $5 for each one. The bench time with the amp tech is what will cost.

 

If it's a good amp then it's worth it to spend a little to keep her running and sounding good.

[djroge1]

So what's the update? Did you call them and find out?

[harmonicchaos]

^^^I called and they said there is a 3 or so week period it takes for them to get amps back from the shop.

 

The guy at the store thinks that someone wasn't careful with the amp and hooked up the wrong ohms or something causing the power supply to have issues. That doesn't quite sound right to me but he did say that it was a guess.

 

The amp, as far as i've been told, is all original. Including the original caps and tubes. So it will be inevitable that the amp will need new caps and tubes eventually.

 

 

 

btw, how much does it cost to have an amp recapped and have new tubes put in?

[harmonicchaos]

+1

 

Get it! As for tips on how to get the most out of it: turn it up to 10! Ampegs have a good rep for being tough' date=' loud amps. (They're good for jumping off of too) Great find, have a ball with it![/quote']

 

thanks. I'm almost positive i will. I'll have to see how everything checks out when it comes back from the shop though.

[djroge1]

^^^I called and they said there is a 3 or so week period it takes for them to get amps back from the shop.

 

The guy at the store thinks that someone wasn't careful with the amp and hooked up the wrong ohms or something causing the power supply to have issues. That doesn't quite sound right to me but he did say that it was a guess.

 

The amp' date=' as far as i've been told, is all original. Including the original caps and tubes. So it will be inevitable that the amp will need new caps and tubes eventually.

 

 

 

btw, how much does it cost to have an amp recapped and have new tubes put in? [/quote']

 

You should be able to replace the tubes yourself. As long as you don't touch any of the guts of the amp you'll be fine changing them.

 

Changing the filter caps depends on how much the shop charges for bench time. The guy I've gone to where I live (Colorado) charges $65 per hour. But most have a set rate they'll give you. In other words they have a pretty good idea how long it should take to swap them out.

 

The filter caps themselves are not a whole lot of money $5-$10 each at most (usually less though). I have no idea how many there are in that amp. Just make sure you don't go poking around in there because those caps are the ones with lethal voltages (they have a + at one end)

[Gitfidl]

Like with anything else (cars' date=' appliances, etc.), parts get old and fail but there's nothing that can't be replaced [/quote']

 

I looked at new amps for a while. There are amp-only stores (Behringer) and guitar center. Most of the sales people cannot even tell you WHY a particular amp is good/better/etc. (only the price). In fact they cannot even turn off the rock-buzz and give you clear channel. They just point to the amp and say "this is a good one."

 

Why do guitar stores hire such ding-a-lings for sales people? Mostly young guys and DUMB as a bag of rocks. I did some on-line searches and was not impressed with ANYTHING I read.

 

I took my Fender 85 (red knob series/fast four era) over the the Fender guy and got all the input jacks replaced and asked him to call if anything else needed fixing. $100/works great does what I do. Since I bought it in 1986 I figure the amp will out-live me (like the guitars) and I have no plans to replace it.