4:50 in defense of the repairs, 30 years ago, when most of the "repairs" were performed, I doubt that the amp shop, or even the customer, were thinking about future value. They were thinking at the time that the parts they had available would return the amp to a serviceable condition and the owner could get back to playing. As far as Sharpie on the inside, I don't think it would take a whole lot to remove it. A little acetone and it's gone.

@godbyone

2 жыл бұрын

100 percent nobody thought they would be worth big money nobody , had a early gold top the neck was round sold it for same price I got it and fender Amps nobody really cared back then a lot of people didn’t want the same amp as their friend had just to be different we all changed stuff. Etc we thought the would be worth less as it got older

Sharpie marker can be removed from non porous surfaces with rubbing alcohol. Try a little solvent (brake cleaner, acetone, lacquer thinner) if alcohol doesn't work.

@acoustic61

2 жыл бұрын

Agreed. I would even use Barkeepers Friend, afterward, to remove any residual ink which may be embedded in the grain of the steel.

@rayvoorhies7180

2 жыл бұрын

Acetone (fingernail polish remover) will remove marker ink from metal.

@robertseely3286

2 жыл бұрын

I have had some success with Clorox sanitizing wipes.

@timmooney7528

2 жыл бұрын

Standard practice for most techs is if considerable effort is put into a task, it will end up on the bill. Terry has enough happening to this amp without adding un-necessary labor. I imagine cleaning up the marker would be more than a 5 minute job. Why charge the customer for something they could safely do themselves?

@yorktown7395

2 жыл бұрын

@@timmooney7528 Some of that marker is under the hood near the eyelet board so easier for a tech to access. Then again it all lives in a case so the writing isn’t that big of a deal to me and acetone or isopropyl alcohol should nuke it pretty easily.

Those sockets are fine. I've used many. Sharpie isn't permanent. Take a rag with rubbing alcohol and wipe it off.

@kapioskapiopoylos7338

2 жыл бұрын

exactly, worst case scenario put some light solvant on a que tip and it will make it easy in minutes everything will be fine. as for the transformer it is also probably fine, if the VA power is the same or higher and the voltages are correct there is absolutely no reason to overpay for the "original". as for the sockets, imo these ceramics are even better than original, i use them a lot and i even have them on my own high-fi for about a decade, clean as new and they can also help the power tubes cool off a bit. maybe he has seen some which would be 100pcs for 5$ free shipping, but normaly they are great.

I'd say that back when the guy did that work, no one was collecting these 'old' amps ...I got my 2 70s era Fender Deluxe Reverb & Twin Reverb for near nothing back in '95. The guy I got them off of was getting rid of his junk to make way for something that was relevant in '95 ...I can't remember what the amp was, lol ...but I'm a happy camper for sure!

I got this Amp in 85. The other guitar player in my band hated the amp I had and cut me a deal. It was a used amp and a tool. This amp was with me in LA in the late 80s. It was gigged by me and borrowed by roommates and friends and gigged by them. In the early 90s it toured the US.. I sold it after that to a friend with the caveat if I ever wanted it back I could have it back. I had quit playing guitar by that time. He'd let it go for awhile and it passed through a couple different owners. He got it back in the early 2ks. He resold it and I got it back a couple years ago. All the mods were done in that in between time. As far as the graffiti it doesn't bother me. Also I know that one of the names in there was a past owner. D-LAB offered to clean it and I said spend the time making it great sounding. The amp has no collectable value because it's not for sale and never will be. I told D-LAB do what you need to make it a great sounding Fender Deluxe. I'm thrilled that D-LAB is able to take this project on and a Final Note I would be honored to have Terry's name in my amp.

@elvissuperkarate3893

2 жыл бұрын

One more comment D-LAB offered wise counsel with this statement, "usually the best way to get these amps sounding great again, is by taking them back to spec."

@SurfGreenTelecaster

2 жыл бұрын

Great story! I wouldn’t care about the sharpie myself…even if I was buying the amp. It’s inside, mostly hidden, nobody looks at the chassis on a regular basis, and it’s just a unique part of its history. 🎸👌

The chances are slim that invoices and other paperwork will be saved and conveyed to the new owners every time the amp is sold. When I worked as a mechanic, I appreciated getting information about previous service from the techs who did the work. Most owners never save receipts, and if they do those receipts will almost certainly be crumpled in a pile somewhere. Far better to have concise service notes written directly on the components than to have to hunt through a messy glovebox hoping to find previous documentation.

I dunno. I personally wouldn't mind getting an amp with tech signatures and details of what work has been done over the years. That's part of its history and could be useful info to have.

OMG, there are so many products out there that will remove the magic marker without messing with the electrical part inside. It's not like the person that did that stamped it into the metal.

Where's the Cobbler? Definitely thought he would make an appearance around this amp. Thanks, Terry!

These are wonderful amplifiers. Perhaps the most articulate amp Fender ever made. As a player of 60 years ... I recommend a FULL RESTORATION! I WILL also recommend that all amp techs TYPE a list of what they do to an amp, thus ensuring that people can read it, and not have to struggle to read their poor, hurried handwriting!

@jenniferwhitewolf3784

2 жыл бұрын

I own a 1966 Vibrolux Reverb, have since 1968. This series of amps IS the best there was.... indeed worthy of proper restoration.

“Permanent” marker isn’t really permanent on hard surfaces like metal. Acetone usually will remove it. Lacquer thinner definitely will remove it.

Heck .. Half the fun of tube amps is modifying them :-) The problem with "collecting" is that it removes the most desirable equipment from circulation and out of the hands of musicians :-)

I got one of these in the shop about four months ago. It needed a cap job in the worst way. I replaced only the filter caps and nothing else, and it sounded absolutely beautiful.

I wish I had taken better care of my 72 Dodge Challenger that I bought in 79 as a senior in high school for $1600. Who knew?

Sharpie marker can be removed with isopropyl alcohol or denatured alcohol which wouldn't hurt the chassis at all.

Old Sharpie marker writing usually can be removed with IPA ( 91 % isopropyl alcohol) or Acetone ( don't use it on plastics). It isn't permanent as it claims. Horrible soldering job with cheap components. Hacked and wacked.

I feel your pain. That was definitely an extreme case, but I’ve seen a lot of ugly fixes and mods. My thought with something like that is whether the transformers really needed to be changed or was it a shotgun fix... or someone thinking they were going to “improve” something. I’m sure you’ll come to a reasonable balance between the owners desire and making it right.

I agree with Scott below. I have cleaned all sorts of Sharpie love notes off, on equipment with either Isopropyl or Acetone. I agree with Terry 100%, write the love notes on your invoice. Chicken writing on the chassis looks very unprofessional and sub-highschoolish. . I do use small labels with a label maker for denoting tube ID's on a chassis as did the OEM. Black on Clear, looks very professional and helps. I do this to keep me straight while I'm working. They can be easily removed but for future service the tube labels are helpful.

Love all your videos! Do you have any opinions on the quality and reliability of the new handwired 64 Custom Deluxe Reverb? Are there any problems from the factory or any modifications that need to be done to make them bulletproof? Thanks.

love your vids( so ya know) … as a repair tech myself ( moderate level); mek will remove any felt pen . and surprisingly, the deluxe rev/6v6 twin does not sound that good… based on the * few i have repaired… even new ones . what type socket would you suggest? i thought ceramic or mycylex would be better than bakelite . the princeton (imo) is better than the dlx and the 5e3 is better for a 6v6 rig. … all subjective of course. what cap brand/s do you suggest for an open check book restoration?

It boils down to whether you want it to be the working tool it was always intended to be, or an instrument of financial speculation.

Hey Terry, I'm anxious to hear this one. Any updates?

I personally use a labeler to document repairs and affix the stickers to the inside of the equipment on a panel or cover, where it is out of sight and also removable.

Hey bro, to get that sharpy off the chassis, give a blast of caig d5, rub off with a microfiber. If that doesnt do it, repeat with denatured alcohol. That will remove it, but can wipe off some of the patina so work quick. Its worked for me. Cool vid!

I have a 1959 Princeton that looks like it has the original tubes and it looks like it has never been touched and I don’t want it destroy the value but the owner before me did remove the tweed and did a sorry job of black tolex I guess on it and the fuse holder is broken and it still has the “death “ circuit in it . I just want to use it and I don’t know what to do with it to keep any collector value if it has any . I am located in Charlotte NC and I was wondering if you have any suggestions on who I could call to help on this project

Terry, lacquer thinner will take off the permanent marker, it might take a couple tries. Use in a well ventilated area! Blue paper shop towels work well with the thinner!

That sharpie would wipe off with some Flux-off and a rag...

Totally agree with you, and that doesn't just apply to amps, with that said, it is there now and it should be dealt with. Could you not buff all that crap off with a wire brush wheel, I know the process will bring it back down to the steel, however, the underside is starting to rust out, might be worth the investment in time to completely strip it out, take care of those scribbles and get the rust under control, put quality components back in it, so it can shine like a gem for another 50 years.

Great video, but I can see the concern in your face about the defacing of such a precious amp..! I suppose back then, the amp wouldn't have be considered to be sought after in the future. Great lesson from master Terry, don't draw on legends..😥 Cool Vid..Ed..UK..😁

Great Video Terry, you can often remove permanent marker with methylated spirit. Hope it works on this.

IMO, the collectible value basically went out the window as soon as the original transformers were changed and tube sockets removed. The chassis has a significant amount of corrosion. It must have been stored in a damp environment. A phosphoric acid based rust converter would at least neutralize the rust and give it some protection. I would only recommend spot treatment since it can damage the plating. The only real way to bring the chassis back is to have it replated.There are still a few places around that do cadmium plating but I would imagine that that process would be cost prohibitive. You may be able to use solvents such as xylene or MEK to remove that nasty black marker. I wonder what Tony thinks of it.

@victorayotte5351

2 жыл бұрын

WD40 for magic marker. Works for when the nasties get written on your hard hat.

I’ve had a couple doozies 20 years ago. One was a BF Showman with an incorrect output transformer (gray Triad; wrong impedence). Another was a hacked BF Bassman that had a “nuke a Marshall” mod with high gain.

Can you use whiteboard markers to rub out the permanent marker?

Hazards off history. Totally agree with you Terry. Mechanics still do this today with cars writing directly on engines... even if you don't like to use the receipt, what's wrong with a small label put on a corner which can be easily removed without damages and put all your notes onto it?

Acetone and a rag might get that ink off, just don't get it on plastic or paint.

Vintage Ceramic sockets are supposed to tolerate heat better than bakelite. I upgraded a lot of output tube sockets in the 1980's. It's a shame people are selling cheap ceramic sockets today.

Thanks Terry. Sad the amp has been that modified.

Modding and playing with cap values and stuff can me fun and educational. When it's my am I do what I want.

I bet rubbing alcohol will take that sharpie market off the chassis.

A rag soaked in some mineral turpentine should be able to get the permanent marker writing off of the chassis.

Lacquer thinner will remove the sharpie "artwork". That said, it's not the worst thing in the world to have historical tech service written on chassis. It can save lots of time for future repairs.

Well your owner said "make it work" not "make it right". Prior repair shops probably had the same orders. The current value of a future "antique" vs what someone who needed their amp working for their next job could spend is a big factor some times. As for the markings, sometimes the "next guy" likes to know what was done and what they may need to look out for. For the modified circuits that is important as someone may not notice the change. In a given area there are a limited number of guys who work on amps, they often know one another and how they do things. Being able to pick up the phone and ask the prior tech what the story of the amp is, was a real thing.

I’m pretty sure LACQUER THINNER would remove the permanent marker ink.

Magic Erasers remove Sharpie from almost everything.

D-Lab very kindly says this amp was modified. I would say molested. I look forward to seeing this transformed back into something Leo would recognize.

Acetone will take off all of those crappy sharpie messages.

Too sad the way it is, it needs a complete overhaul. Hope the owner comes to their senses and gives it the respect it needs.

Hi any advice on NEW socket production... ? sooner or later the NOS sockets will run out

@d-labelectronics

2 жыл бұрын

Hello, I use Belton Micalex series

@Marwatt

2 жыл бұрын

@@d-labelectronics thank you

I have a mid 70's silver face. i would love to have it alive again. I have never soldered in it. It has some busted knob holders on the pots. I took the reverb unit out but those are plug and play. I gave it to my band mate that relied on it. I used a an effectron. for verb and slap back delay.I'm sure it needs cleaned well and new tubes and a new spring reverb unit. How much to fix it for me? I can just send you the actual amp. i can put a reverb in it. they are about 26 bucks. Best amp ever and i can't believe how much they cost today. It does light up. It works and buzzes a bit. It has the old 2 prong power cord on it. There is a power tube missing. It once again has never been worked on. Just used a lot.

Furthermore, the NEW 9 pin sockets used in current production Fender amps (like Princeton) are inexcusably poor quality. So you need to come up with an alternative before you trash everything that is available....it's simple: we don't have any really good sockets anywhere; if we did we would use them !

That black “permanent” marker is EASY to remove. I know it sounds crazy but if you color over it with a dry erase marker and just erase the dry erase marker the “permanent” marker will come right off.

OFF Mosquito repellant will remove sharpie like magic.

I think the transformer on my G100B-212 had been replaced at some time, it doesn't look original. I may remove the chassis again to show you in a video on my channel. There's a couple small hack jobs from a service at some point I'm hoping to fix.

What was that thing worth in 1994 with 2 blown transmissions?

What a tragedy. Good luck Terry.

Don’t mean to go off topic…. But I would love to see the build of the D-LAB dummy head box! I think it would be a cool project… I’ve scanned most of your videos and have yet to come across it till now…. Thanks for all the education!

@GUNFREAK2000

2 жыл бұрын

I found it!! Thanks

That marker pen should come off real easy with a bit of acetone

Tony plays a good cello!

Say, do you have the time to fix my amp? I think I have a bad switch. Here is a demonstration of how I turn my amp on these days: kzread.info/dash/bejne/mG2F27Gslcq8eaw.html kzread.info/dash/bejne/dYyJrc5pdNjMlto.html

Some of that Sharpie marking may come off with alcohol. I’ve always got some alcohol preps ready for small cleaning jobs.

This is what happens when you let a hack work on valuable sought after vintage gear. Thank god its not a blonde twin or a brown deluxe or worse yet a tweed deluxe or bassman, it was still a great amp at one time. The Deluxe is one of Leos best designs and one of the amps least changed by the CBS bean counters when they decided that it could be done better and cheaper ! To restore that amp back to former glory would cost more than its worth. to replace the transformers and choke with original schumacher's would cost you a fortune if you can source them at all. Add on the blue molded caps original C12 Jensen or even the crappy Utah speaker and Allan Bradley CC resistors all hard to come by. When you then figure in the labor of a competent tech like Terry that amp becomes a ridiculously expensive proposition even if you found someone who felt bad for you and wanted a real challenge. The cost of parts alone would be unrealistic. I bet Terry gets that amp sounding great though and with little more than he has to work with now. Those ceramic tube sockets have to go even the cheap brown micalex sockets would out live those and never fall apart like those chinese ceramic ones do, those are 100 % pure crap. Just an FYI... I have some of the NOS parts to bring that back amp to life if the owner opts for a full electronic restoration, so if you find yourself in need Terry please feel free to contact me. 👍🤘👌

I always thought those ceramic valve uses were excellent, so there ya go, we never know

Oh the humanity of 50 years of hack repairs on a classic! Luckily it’s at D-Lab for healing!

Good advice thank you Uncle Doug! I thought ceramic sockets would be good?

@YeeThirty

2 жыл бұрын

Depends on the socket manufacturer. I have some vintage ceramic amphenol* octal sockets that are 1 peice and very high quality.

@d-labelectronics

2 жыл бұрын

These are low quality overseas 2 piece construction

@DainisKaulenas

2 жыл бұрын

Uncle Doug?

@YeeThirty

2 жыл бұрын

@@DainisKaulenas i purposely chose to ignore that lol i was confused also

Hi Terry ,You should be able to remove the graffiti with nail polish remover ,it's worked for me . Or good old fashioned paint thinner . Good luck on trying to get good money on this one. Maybe Id be willing to pay about $700 but with all the changes done to it maybe less . It's a shame the idiots decided to tell a story about all they did to it . Keep those videos coming , I love em .

CSA = Canadian Standards Association I feel if youre gonna sign and date it do it under the chassis where its not visible unless youre a technician. Sucks most of the components were changed!

even in something like a guitar there's usually writing in the pickup cavity and neck pocket from the factory. It not something I would do but writing inside devices and such really isn't, or wasn't, all that uncommon. when I used to work on computers in the early 90s you'd see names and dates inside the BAT files or inside the chassis as well.

This comment by the amp owner is key IMO: "The amp has no collectable value because it's not for sale and never will be. I told D-LAB do what you need to make it a great sounding Fender Deluxe." I find it frustrating that people get so damn fixated on the collectible value of amps. Its a musical instrument! Fix what it takes to make it sound great again. That can be done and I'm sure that is what D-Lab will do. I find it amusing that it is considered acceptable to change parts in a vintage Fender guitar and not in amps. I've had people tell me that they will not change filter caps in an old Fender as it hurts the value - BS. And don't get me started on "reliced" guitars - dumbest trend ever; old amps are supposed to look brand new and guitars are supposed to look like they were trashed by a drunken gorilla in a smoky barroom. Five years from now Fender may be producing amps with torn tweed, cigarette burns, and scribbles on the chassis for all we know. And, hey you kids, get off my lawn!

@bart99gt

2 жыл бұрын

If a potential customer were to come to me with an amp in need of work telling me they didn't want old electrolytics and paper capactors replaced (or worse yet, wanted me to restuff them) I'd just send them elsewhere. I don't want to be the last one to have touched something, and be the one that gets blamed, when some old electrolytic cap bites the dust and takes out an expensive power transformer. Complete BS when someone claims that installing new (quality) parts destroys the tone of the amp. An amp's tone is determined by its design, an old paper cap doesn't sound any better than a modern film one, even when the cap was new.

With the replacement transformer and the unfortunate orange cap replacements, you don't have to worry about it being a collectable anymore. Restore it electronically and let her rip for another 40 years.

Use nitro acid to remove marker a use that or aceton is also good .

What a shame.. if anyone can get it back, DLAB can.... that DummyHead worked great :) The Cobbler strikes again.... Good lessons here Terry, thank you

I hope the owner goes for full restoration.

Interesting, I would assume ceramic sockets would be the best!

@daveanderson5680

2 жыл бұрын

For stationary electronics quality ceramic sockets are supposed to be the best. However, in electronics subjected to being hauled, bumped, shaken, or vibrated around the MICANOL sockets are preferred. Ceramic sockets are thermally better but ceramic is hard & brittle which doesn’t play out well with much vibration. That’s why Leo and USAF and NASA use military grade plastic sockets like “Cinch” sockets

Ouch 🤕

probably can use paint thinner to rid the graffiti on it.

Lacquer thinner might remove the sharpie notes.

Sarkets?

I gotta look at the ceramic socket video...but i have one burning question in that regard. I repaired and restored old organs for about ten years... And every part i could salvage, i saved...so i have quite a few old phenolic sockets- I was under the impression that they were inferior technology, but i know that made in USA ANYTHING is better than the new imported stuff. These have been pissed on by rats, and all kinds of nightmare situations...barn finds, etc..so its NOT N.O.S., but after seeing this im thinking i should definitely clean them up and use them in something else. And all that graffitti can be removed with solvents...xylene maybe...acetone, or laquer thinner... Something similar...just do it outside...and dont smoke. 'Permanent' isnt always true...that stuff rubs off on contact a lot of times... Either way youve got a LOT of work to do.

Sharpie comes off with acetone

Aqua Net hairspray will remove Permanent Marker

Terry! My heart is broken!!! So very sad to see the vandalism done to that wonderful amp! If it were mine, I would at the very least insist on a new board to replace the moldy old one and recap it, etc. You may have saved me from a sad fate as well...those ceramic tube sockets...are they made in China? Is the reason/source of the corrosion known? I thought being ceramic that there would be higher quality and had planned to purchase some in the future. Are there good ceramic sockets?

@timmooney7528

2 жыл бұрын

In the early days of PC gamers water cooling their cpus, the combination of copper fittings and aluminum heatsinks and water would cause pathways in the heatsinks to fill up with oxidized crystals. Not sure if galvanic effect is the right term, but in a way it was like long term anodizing. The ceramic parts by themselves are ok. It's the metal pin retainers in the Chinese sockets that are made with a dissimilar metal or plating is what's causing the problem.

The sharpie all over it really sucks. The rest is remove and replace. Alcohol and acetone will clean up most sharpie, as almost everyone else is mentioning.

I think they went overboard and ugly with the notes here, but I'd much rather the history as part of the amp than on an invoice that inevitably gets lost. Personally, I've have tried to secure a note in the cabinet or something.

That’s why they sell new ones. Don’t get so attached to material things. It had a good life. A new improved model awaits adoption.

That makes me sad, to see some hack got a hold of that amp. What a tragedy

If you restore it one would think that you would clean the chassis so just wipe the permanent marker of with acetone. alternatively strip it down completely and re anodise the chassis and transformer cases no big deal. I suppose someone out there would say that if you re anodise it it would change the sound.🤪

Magic eraser to take off

At the time of repair these amps wern't valuble.

Hoppes #9 gun cleaner will remove that, Dab a little on a cloth and it should rub right out.

A little nail polish remover will remove the writing!

Sharpie on the inside where you do not see it right off. Modified is kind . Molested come to mind .

ps: im guilty of marking tubes and chassis for ref so same tube goes in same location.no history though LOL

I thought that IC stood for Illegitimate Capacitors...!!

Well at least they didn’t use black spray paint on a blonde 63 Bassman! Why would anyone want blonde tolex to have black crap all over it? The sharpie can definitely be removed and I would enjoy erasing that graffiti from that chassis. Still why would someone start their personal diary on an old vintage chassis?

Too many people think that they know better than Leo.

Grey scotchbrite pad and rubbing alcohol.

That amp is totally trashed. That's too bad I guess I'll have to take it to the dump for you...

FYI- Electric Shave on a rag will remove permanent marker with no problem. Your welcome.

Poor amp. You make it sound like it's garbage. The worst thing that could happen to this amp IS that a collector got a hold of it. Never to be played again. That would be a shame. BTW, permanent marker can easily be removed from the chassis. It's not going to degrade it. I would be more concerned with the rust I see on the inside of the chassis.

Mr T. 🙂