No output from 1964 Deluxe Reverb - Help!

[The Dude]

Another often seen problem with the old fenders is that sometimes a ground wire can come loose from the brass grounding plate by the potentiometers. Make sure no wires have cracked loose there. This can cause the problem you are having.

[J M Fahey]

Didnīt want to write this but what I hear is an amp overdriving a lot already on volume 4 and the very low volume, lower than ownerīs conversation level voice, what makes me *fear* a shorted output, in this probability order:
* speaker plugged into extension speaker jack
* shorted OT
* speaker
* speaker cable
* broken (as in stepped upon or similar damage) speaker plug

If not, Iīd explore power tubes losing screen voltage or bad bias circuit, supplying full attenuated voltage (easily -70V) which would practically turn power tubes off.

Or a dead/unpowered PI or open couping cap leading to it, so only crosstalk reaches power tubes.

[Josephcarassojunior]

Any good techs in Toronto that would respect the originality? Have friends going there who can take the amp.....

[g1]

When I worked on amps in Toronto, the Fender national service center for Canada was run by Buzzy Burak. He is still running a Fender service station and has been working on them for a long time. His company is called sound-fx
I suggest you try to contact him before sending the amp, (or contact whoever you choose to do the repair before sending).

Professional Amp Repair by Sound FX | amps, pedals | City of Toronto | Kijiji

[J M Fahey]

Itīs your amp and your decision, of course, but personally Iīd open it and check a couple test points before sending 25 kilos worth of amp (plus packaging) around the World, both ways.

I bet freight alone (or excess air baggage cost) would be murderous.

Let alone package handling and bumping along the way.

[Josephcarassojunior]

Hola, yes agreed. I saw your other mssg. I have created a work bench, w a line signal and testing speaker so will try and get the measurements for the tubes, per your suggestion. Do you have an email i can use to clarify a few questions on how to do it? Txs!

[Josephcarassojunior]

Hola, agreed. I have improvised a work bench w line signal and testing speaker so will take the measurements as per your previous mssg. Can you pls share your email so that i can clarify a few questions on how to? Txs!

[Richard]

@ joseph carasso: to be certain we all talk about the same, please confirm whether this layout does or does not match your amplifier.
from: 1963-1967 "Black Face" Deluxe Reverb



you might have this slightly different version:


You will have to pull the chassis out of the cabinet, put it on a table using either a couple thick books under the transformers or a *chassis cradle* (which you can improvise easily because you do not need it to be adjustable) , so tubes do not touch the table surface at all:


mine is a fixed simple U shaped thing made out of chipboard , glue, and a couple nails, just build one for your particular amp and thatīs it.

Then make a 2 or 3 meter cable so the chassis can be plugged into the speaker, remember to use the main speaker out, not the extension out.

You DO need a plug into it to open the output shorting jack.

after you confirm which one you have and have the chassis safely upside down onn a table, with good illumunation and space for your tools, we can suggest some checks and measurements.

Só por curiosidade: o senhor é Brasileiro?
Pegou o ampli no Brasil ou comprou nos USA?
Usa ele hoje com transformador 220/110?
Obrigado.

I usually just lay the cabinet face down and set the chassis on the strips near the rear of the sides. Be careful not to smack a tube on the back of the speaker though.

[J M Fahey]

No problem but itīs better to continue here, on the open Forum.

"4 eyes see more than two " and what one misses other will see.
It also stays in a public/free access page which may help others in the future.

Start by printing the layout, you might blow it up 2X so it fits on 2 sheets which you tape/glue together for better visibility and compare it to what you have inside.
If itīs an original '64 (which I understand it is) instead of a reedition it must match closely.
A PCB reedition , not so much.

Once you confirm this, so we know we are all in the same page, we will start by turning amp on, connected to a speaker, all knobs on 0, and start taking some voltage readings.

Are you using it with a 220/110V transformer or you have the export version, with the large red rotary knob to select voltage?
A couple well illuminated sharp pictures showing the inside can also help.
A full view one, and 2 closeups, right and left.

Besides having a multimeter, I suggest you download a continuous tone MP3 , 400 or 440 Hz is fine because even general purpose multimeters read it well, so we trace signalevel at different points along the amp.

Yet we will start with DC voltage readings.

Try to find a place (not always possible) where you can leave the open amp undisturbed for a couple days, untilitīs fully repaired.

If kids/pets are nearby, always unplug the amp and coover it with a blanket or something, so curious fingers or paws donīt touch inside.

Feel confident this amp is repairable and will work as new.

Absolutely WORST possibility is that it has a bad OT, which can be ordered , there are many good ones available, and will definitely cost less in freight, one way, and be safer.

Just out of curiosity I had checked Toronto to Dar Es Salaam freight, by air or sea, and it was 350U$ one way

[bob p]

those freight charges tell us that in his area, a good tech is definitely worth what it costs for him to do the work.

[J M Fahey]

those freight charges tell us that in his area, a good tech is definitely worth what it costs for him to do the work.

Oh, Techs are valuable *anywhere*
Just checked Toronto to Glasgow and it quoted U$279, go figure.
http://www.a1freightforwarding.com
Couldnīt simulate Toronto to Lansing, just in case a Canadian wanted the real Enzo whack applied to his amp.

What I donīt get is how Chinese can ship from Hong Kong or Shanghai to USA, with free freight.

There is something VERY fishy about that.

[Josephcarassojunior]

JM, so lets do it! My amp is an original 1964. And has the export rotary voltage knob. I have many pictures, not sure how to post them here. Need very specific guidance on how to take the dc measurements... Ready for the next steps.

Rgds, Joe

[Josephcarassojunior]

JM, some pictures...

[Enzo]

What I donīt get is how Chinese can ship from Hong Kong or Shanghai to USA, with free freight.

There is something VERY fishy about that.

I can imagine companies putting together container loads. Container comes over and is broken apart on this end. A container full of 5000 packages is a lot cheaper per package than 5000 packages all racing across the pond individually.

On the other hand I may just be naive about it.

[J M Fahey]

I can imagine companies putting together container loads. Container comes over and is broken apart on this end. A container full of 5000 packages is a lot cheaper per package than 5000 packages all racing across the pond individually.

On the other hand I may just be naive about it.

No, you are right, thatīs exactly how itīs done, itīs called "cargo consolidation" , somebody fills a container to the brim, and pays some U$3500 to U$7000 for the full container, delivered practically anywhere in the World.

Since a typical 40' container can carry 61000 lbs, raw freight cost amounts to some 10 cents a pound if you fill it up wisely.

Handling and paperwork costs add up to way more than that , plus products *are* shipped by mail or other means inside USA to customerīs door, all that adds real cost, which I think can no longer be despised as insignificant, and *somebody* must pay for it.

My "fishy" label applies to Chinese being able not to pay cheap freight, but being able to offer *Free Delivery* .

Free as in free/nothing/zilch , and on products which often are NOT volume efficient, say a cloth teddy bear inside a bubble plastic and cardboard package , or a baseball cap which does not come flattened inside an envelope but with normal shape inside a cardboard box, both way too bulky relative to actual weight.
Containers have a maximum weight I mentioned above, but are also limited in internal volume, a 40' one is 67.7 m3 or 2,389 cu ft .

Numbers simply do not add up