1965 Fender Bandmaster issue

[morrisbbbmb]

Had a question or two about the 1965 bandmaster I purchased. One the main channel the volume dial has static when I turn the dial. Is there any easy way to solve that issue without taking it to a repair guy. The guy I bought if from told me a cleaner might work, but I can't remember the name of it. Also, is there a special way to take the dials off.

Qest. 2: when I turn the vibrato channel on there is a quite sound of a hissing and
clicking. As I turn up the intensity the hissing and clicking increases in rate. I can't hear it when I play. So, to me it's not that big of a deal. Is that normal with this type of amp.

Ques 3: Also, what is the best product to shine up the tolex on the amp?

I would appriciate some suggestions on how to go about this. I like the sound out of the amp. It's not as powerful as my 1968 bassman, but I do like the vibrato and the sound of the amp in general.

Thanks

[zook]

Originally Posted by morrisbbbmb

Had a question or two about the 1965 bandmaster I purchased. One the main channel the volume dial has static when I turn the dial. Is there any easy way to solve that issue without taking it to a repair guy. The guy I bought if from told me a cleaner might work, but I can't remember the name of it.

I use DeOxit. Spray it into the opening on the pot and turn the dial back and forth a number of times.

Also, is there a special way to take the dials off.

The knobs have a set screw in them

Qest. 2: when I turn the vibrato channel on there is a quite sound of a hissing and clicking. As I turn up the intensity the hissing and clicking increases in rate. I can't hear it when I play. So, to me it's not that big of a deal. Is that normal with this type of amp.

There's a fix described in the tech column in the March 2008 issue of Guitar player (the one with John Fogerty on the cover)

Ques 3: Also, what is the best product to shine up the tolex on the amp?

I use Armour All

I would appriciate some suggestions on how to go about this. I like the sound out of the amp. It's not as powerful as my 1968 bassman, but I do like the vibrato and the sound of the amp in general.

Thanks

You're welcome.

Winnie

[milocj]

I think some Guitar Centers and Radio Shacks sell the Deoxit (or maybe a good music store). It's supposed to be the best.

I don't like to use Armor All or anything like that on my amps because they leave a little bit of a residue that seems to attract dust even worse than normal. I just use a tiny bit of dish soap in water (or something like Fantastik or diluted Simple Green) and I use it sparingly with a toothbrush to clean the tolex and get into the texture. I try not to get the amp too wet, doing small sections at a time) and I pat it dry with a nappy towel that will get soak the dirt out of those little grooves. I just leave it "as is" once it's clean.

If you really want to put something on it to shine it up and protect it I've found that 303 protectant seems to leave less residue and has less of a tendency to attract dirt.

[eugenedunn]

+1 on the Armor All or other types of protectant. I think the residue thing is negligible. Easy to wipe off dust. The restoration of the Tolex plastic is really key on the older amps. Armor All seems to prevent further cracking or deterioration.

Besides, once your amp is bright and shiny, you'll tend to it more often and the dust thing will take care of itself.

[Bluesbob]

All .02 of it: take it to a tech. The advice here is good, providing you know your way around the insides of a tube amp. You have to remove the chassis to lube the pots. Lethal voltage may be present, even when unplugged. If you have to ask how to remove the knobs, you might want to consider taking it to somebody who knows what they're doing. If the caps haven't been replaced, they should be, without a doubt. If it still has the 2-prong power cord, that should be up-graded as well. Either that or start reading up on repairing guitar amps so you can do it yourself.
I have a '64 Bandmaster and it has never sounded better with new caps, new 3-prong power cord, new tubes and bias, and a whole bunch of other stuff. It's 40 watts of clean, but I don't notice much of a difference in volume between it and my (also fully serviced) 50 watt '68 Bassman, plugged into the same 2X12 cab. More bass from the Bassman, but that is to be expected. There, that's more than .02 worth. Pass it along.