Fender Super Reverb (1965)

Fender Super Reverb (1965)

Problem/symptom: “Reverb sounds bad, amp loses power and makes crackling noises, blows a fuse now and then”.

We plug in, play it, put it on the bench and look, check, sniff, and shake it around a little. We find some loose ground connections. We also find that one of the springs in the reverb pan is broken.

You would also get your pots cleaned, fuse(s) checked, speakers checked, output power checked, bias setting adjusted and/or evaluated and the following information written on your invoice.
Like this:

                      Ep 467v           (Plate voltage)
                  g2 467             (Screen grid voltage)
                  g1 –48             (Control grid bias)
                  Ip .038 / .051A (measured current both power tubes)
                  pD 24 watts     (plate dissipation/highest)

8v ~ 2 ohms @ clip = 32 watts
(output power @ clip into rated load)

Our standard procedure is to look over the entire amp and let you know if anything else needs addressing.

In this case we have a fairly wide-ranging mismatch going on with the output tubes. 24 watts of plate dissipation (representing the higher of the pair) is an acceptable range for the 6L6 output tubes but we should be able to bias a little hotter. When we attempt to adjust bias, the hotter of the pair (.051A) starts to show a hot spot on its plate. The measured output power is also low. So we are definitely going to recommend a new set of matched output tubes. See parts for more info on what we offer, our own matching process, etc.

Did I mention this is a 1965 Super?. Your filter caps are leaky, they are 35 years old! and they gotta’ go.

1965 filter caps (before)

Guess what, two of your preamp tubes are really noisy so we’re going let you know about that too. Thought you were done? one of your input jacks is sprung and needs replacing. The good news: your speakers are fine.

1999 filter caps (after)

Sound like a horror story? It’s not really. It is an older amp. A classic, and worth every ounce of effort and every dollar of expense to put into working order.

Replacing 35 year old cathode bypass (electrolytic) caps

Fender Back Face to Silver Face

A quick word on "silver" to "black" face differences: Some of the silvers are the same amp. Other silvers have minor changes, which are fairly easy to rework back to blackface spec. The changes alone are usually a small handful of parts and minimal time, however as a result of opening up stage impedances and removing hi freq filtering, they sometimes bust an oscillation on you. This may require re-routing leads and/or using shielded cables for certain runs. Also worth mentioning is the master pull/boost volume (which barely boosts anything) on certain silver faces. We can make that work much better if you'd like.

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