Fender blackface Vibrolux

[laurie]

So everything works now?

The amp is still in pieces on the bench, but so far everything works now.

This one had faults everywhere:

• The power amp stage - sockets and resistors

• The power supply - out of spec dropper resistors

• Vibrato (tremolo) - bad capacitor and failed opto coupler

• Reverb - bad tubes, out of spec resistor, and broken suspension in the tank

Plus the replacement rectifier tube I bought immediately started arcing over and blowing fuses

I swear this is the last vintage Fender that I'm going to tackle. No. Really

[laurie]

1964 vibrolux in pieces.jpg (331.26 KiB) Viewed 21256 times

[Pepe]

"failed opto coupler" - did you have to search for a replacement part, or was it something around the opto coupler so that it worked again in the end (like it was the case in my KORG V-C-F)?

[laurie]

"failed opto coupler" - did you have to search for a replacement part, or was it something around the opto coupler so that it worked again in the end (like it was the case in my KORG V-C-F)?

It was either the neon or the LDR in the coupler - I didn't try to find out, just installed a new one.

I had a spare. They are readily available:
https://www.cedist.com/products/switch- ... ender-amps

Cost is about $10 to $20 depending on supplier.

In the past I've made these using a white LED and an LDR inside a tube of heatshrink. That works too, and it fixes the "pop" that some old Fender amps get.

[laurie]

Finished.
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1964 vibrolux finished2.jpg (315.78 KiB) Viewed 21153 times

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1964 vibrolux finished1.jpg (205.24 KiB) Viewed 21153 times

[laurie]

1964 vibrolux finished3.jpg (441.54 KiB) Viewed 21153 times

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1964 vibrolux finished4.jpg (342.68 KiB) Viewed 21153 times

[Pepe]

Beautiful!

[laurie]

Beautiful!

Thanks! I was extremely lucky to get such a clean amp. Once in a lifetime.

[bigtone23]

Wow!
Looks great! Now sounds and works great for the next couple decades!

[The_Doc]

That really is a good one now. Are you keeping it?