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Topic: Fender Tremolo... |
Brian LeBlanc
From:
Falls Church, Virginia, USA
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Posted 12 Sep 2008 10:28 am |
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- the Tremolo on that Super Reverb (Cosmetics...)
is almost non-existant
suggestions on what to look at?
- disconnected the foot switch...
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'Frenchy' LeBlanc...
ShoBud & Twins |
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John Billings
From:
Ohio, USA
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Posted 12 Sep 2008 11:13 am
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| Maybe the "Roach" is dead! |
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Brian LeBlanc
From:
Falls Church, Virginia, USA
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Posted 12 Sep 2008 11:26 am Roach
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I got plenty of them.
where do ya stick it?
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'Frenchy' LeBlanc...
ShoBud & Twins |
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John Billings
From:
Ohio, USA
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Posted 12 Sep 2008 11:40 am
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| Where the dead one is! |
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Brian LeBlanc
From:
Falls Church, Virginia, USA
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Posted 12 Sep 2008 11:55 am refry my memory
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which tube is it?
...& a good replacement
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'Frenchy' LeBlanc...
ShoBud & Twins |
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John Billings
From:
Ohio, USA
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Posted 12 Sep 2008 12:02 pm
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It's not a tube. You have to remove the chassis to get at it. It sorta looks like a black plastic little tubular deal. It has a lightbulb and a photo-voltaic(?) resistor inside the little package, about the size of a roach. The resistor reacts to the bulb going on and off. I believe the tech name is "an opto-isolator." If you don't know how to bleed the caps, and make the amp safe to work on, don't attempt it. Better for you to live than die like the roach!
Brad, or someone will jump on soon. I'm not even sure that's what's wrong. They may be able to tell you what to look for, and how to test. I've had the "Roach" go bad on a few Fenders though, so that was my first guess.
Last edited by John Billings on 12 Sep 2008 12:17 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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John Billings
From:
Ohio, USA
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Brian LeBlanc
From:
Falls Church, Virginia, USA
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Posted 12 Sep 2008 12:55 pm where do you stick your finger again?
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where do you stick your finger again?
to bleed the caps
(ie, instructions ...)
_________________
'Frenchy' LeBlanc...
ShoBud & Twins |
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John Billings
From:
Ohio, USA
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Posted 12 Sep 2008 12:59 pm
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| Hook a wire from your wrist to a cold water pipe, lick your finger, and start pokin' around! NOT! Do a search online. You'll find good instructions. But I don't think a tech would charge much to do this job. The plus side is, you get to live! |
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Brian LeBlanc
From:
Falls Church, Virginia, USA
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Posted 12 Sep 2008 1:06 pm Method 2
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1) fill bath tub
2) take out chasis
3) turn on
4) stand in tub with chasis
5) wiggle parts until tremolo starts to work
...or
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'Frenchy' LeBlanc...
ShoBud & Twins |
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John Billings
From:
Ohio, USA
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Jim Sliff
From:
Lawndale California, USA
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Posted 13 Sep 2008 8:05 am
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Brian, if you disconnected the footswitch the trem will not work. You have to have a connection at the footswitch jack (either using the switch or something like a small alligator clip to connect the "hot" and "ground" sides of the footswitch jack) for it to work.
If it was not working WITH the footswitch, it's often a bad switch, cable or jack connection. Use the alligator-clip method to short the jack, and if the trem starts working then it's a switch issue. You do not want to keep a clip on and just turn the controls up and down when you need trem, as the trem circuit reduces the amp's gain and negatively affects the tone...so you only want that section of the amp running (even with the controls on zero) when you need it. So if the switch is faulty have it fixed or buy a new one.
If it's not the switch, then first try replacing the 5th preamp tube, a 12AX7. You can pull the first tube out of its socket (it's for the "normal" channel and the amp will run fine without it) and put it in the #5 socket - if you then get trem (again, with the jack shorted) then it's the tube and you've solved the problem.
If it's not that, then it could be the "roach".
But as suggested, if you do not know much about electronics DO NOT work on it yourself - you can kill yourself with the amp unplugged. Find a tech to fix it if the switch or tube are not the problems.
_________________
No chops, but great tone
1930's/40's Rickenbacher/Rickenbacker 6&8 string lap steels
1921 Weissenborn Style 2; Hilo&Schireson hollownecks
Appalachian, Regal & Dobro squarenecks
1959 Fender 400 9+2 B6;1960's Fender 800 3+3+2; 1948 Fender Dual-8 Professional |
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John Billings
From:
Ohio, USA
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Posted 13 Sep 2008 8:08 am
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| Finally! Someone who knows what they're talkin' 'bout. Thanks Jim(SF)! |
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Jerry Erickson
From:
Atlanta,IL 61723
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Posted 13 Sep 2008 9:17 am
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| That string of 4 brown ceramic capacitors to the right of the "roach" are also very highly suspect for failure in the trem circuit. |
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Brian LeBlanc
From:
Falls Church, Virginia, USA
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Posted 14 Sep 2008 6:25 pm Amp 101
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thanks for suggestions
is Weber's book best one to start with on amp self-help?
or better one?
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'Frenchy' LeBlanc...
ShoBud & Twins |
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Jim Sliff
From:
Lawndale California, USA
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Posted 14 Sep 2008 9:36 pm
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Don't EVEN get into Weber's or anyone else's amp book if you didn't already know how to bleed caps. All these books assume at least some basic knowledge.
You need some Electronics 101 before you kill your amp, yourself, or someone else. Get a basic electronics book from the library and study it for a month...or 6. I'm very serious. If you do not know the basics of how circuits work or what the parts are you are going to get into trouble and have NO way out. Either learn basic electronics or find a god tech.
There are no shortcuts. There's to much at risk.
_________________
No chops, but great tone
1930's/40's Rickenbacher/Rickenbacker 6&8 string lap steels
1921 Weissenborn Style 2; Hilo&Schireson hollownecks
Appalachian, Regal & Dobro squarenecks
1959 Fender 400 9+2 B6;1960's Fender 800 3+3+2; 1948 Fender Dual-8 Professional |
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Brian LeBlanc
From:
Falls Church, Virginia, USA
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Posted 15 Sep 2008 7:40 am thanks for watchen out for me!
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I'll skip the bath tub test
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'Frenchy' LeBlanc...
ShoBud & Twins |
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