Capacitors and the value of an amp....

jmv

jmv

New member
Well, i got my '66 bassman back from the shop, a guy who came highly recommended Biased it and gave it a once over. He said everything looked pretty good, but it looked like nobody had been in there in quite some time. He also informed me that only one capacitor in the amp has been replaced. I was under the impression that it had had a cap job before i received it, but the guy i bought it from must've just been talking about the one cap.

The repair guy said that they should probably be replaced soon, because it seemed like they were beginning to go bad, however i'm just curious... what happens to the value of an amp with original caps vs. with replacements?? It seems hard to imagine that there are just a ton of vintage amps out there with original, great condition caps, since they appear to be a 'wear part'.

If i was going to replace them, should i ask for a specific type of cap to replace them with??
 
Re: Capacitors and the value of an amp....

Plus, I hear when caps fail they can take out tubes and transformers.
 
Re: Capacitors and the value of an amp....

yes...replace them if the guy said so.

i think there is a bit too much hype around the type of cap....


illinois caps should work?

wait for others as well
 
Re: Capacitors and the value of an amp....

Replacing caps are just part of normal maintenance and it shouldn't negatively effect the amps value. I would be hesitant to buy a 30+ year old amp that hasn't had them replaced.
 
Re: Capacitors and the value of an amp....

yeah. The tech said he would probably replace them 'not too far down the road', but didn't make it seem like it was in dire need of it.

It was my understanding when i bought it that it had already been recapped, but there was a lapse in communication somewhere in the line.
 
Re: Capacitors and the value of an amp....

It's like restoring an old car. Sometimes you have to put a new coat of paint on her, but you can count on the fact that the tires were changed a time or two since she rolled off the line.

Think of the big e-caps as tires. If you look at them and the ends are bubbling, they're bad. If you're going to play this amp a lot, then replace them. If you're keeping it for collector reasons, then leave it alone and stare at it.

:)

I'd hesitate to change out anything but the electrolytics unless you can see that they're crumbling or something. That very well could affect the tone.
 
Re: Capacitors and the value of an amp....

idsnowdog said:
Replacing caps are just part of normal maintenance and it shouldn't negatively effect the amps value. I would be hesitant to buy a 30+ year old amp that hasn't had them replaced.
Click to expand...
I wouldn't. But I would replace the filter caps and other electrolytic caps if they were thirty years old...and right away. LOL! Lew
 
Re: Capacitors and the value of an amp....

This amp may not be played a ton, but it definitely isn't there just to look pretty.

I just want to try and retain all the value from it that i can when i make decisions on it. Just in case i end up selling it eventually.

Thanks for the info guys!
 
Re: Capacitors and the value of an amp....

Lewguitar said:
I wouldn't. But I would replace the filter caps and other electrolytic caps if they were thirty years old...and right away. LOL! Lew
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For the record, I was only speaking of the filter caps. I think any other capacitors should be left stock if they are within operating tolerances.
 
Re: Capacitors and the value of an amp....

jmv said:
This amp may not be played a ton, but it definitely isn't there just to look pretty.

I just want to try and retain all the value from it that i can when i make decisions on it. Just in case i end up selling it eventually.

Thanks for the info guys!
Click to expand...

Definitely get the filter caps replaced. You'd be putting your amp at an unnecessary risk if you didn't. The other electrolytics are debatable...though I'd suggest swapping those out too, from personal experience.

I re-capped my 68 showman reverb in several steps...first the filter caps (which made for a huge improvement in clarity and noise reduction), and then the rest of the electrolytics. The change after swapping out those wasn't quite as dramatic, but it was still noticeable.
 
Re: Capacitors and the value of an amp....

on a different note.... i just realized that the guy, Bill Webb, who biased the amp and told me about the capacitors has built a signature amp for Eric Johnson.... wow.
 
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