Musicmaster Bass Amp (MMB) - questions...

[benhenny]

I finally found a local unit it good shape, and now I have some questions about it. First off, I'm worried about safety. Do these have the "Death Cap"?

Also, I didn't see a fuse anywhere, so I assume that it has none. Here's the AC coming into the unit:



No fuse, although I don't know what the blue doohicky is - I assume it's a capacitor, because other caps look like this one.

Here's the main board. Some (PeeVee) have suggested shorting the capacitor for a bit more bite:



So the question I have - should I put a 1amp fuse between the wall and the first contact point in the amp? Keeping in mind that I don't know a capacitor from a resistor. Or should I worry at all? As an added bonus, some smart guy has cut off the ground prong from the red, 3-prong plug.

And do I have the right capacitor to short, as PeeVee has suggested?

The cosmetics are great on the rest of it, except for the non-original grille cover - I need to find a cheap replacement. Everything appears to be original. I know that Rob DiStefano recommends a different speaker, as do many others, but for now, I'd like to make it 1) safe to use, and 2) better if it's easy to mod.

Thank you!

[Brick]

If you don't know a cap from a resistor, don't mess with the innards of any tube amp. There are caps in there that can kill you with the amp turned off and unplugged. Have a tech check it out. A new speaker is a must for these amps. A fuse wouldn't hurt. Fun little amps.

[zook]

Replacing that input cap with a piece of wire will work fine. I would suggest either replacing your AC cord or at least putting a new plug on the existing cord.

I have noticed the variation on those amps regarding fuses, and the lack thereof. Here's the way to wire it in. Just remove the blue cab entirely from the AC circuit.

Winnie

[Rob DiStefano]

mmb's are a fun and way underrated fender amp, for sure. if you know too little about tube amps, don't think any further and get that chassis sent to a good amp tech pronto for a complete health check. 3 prong power cord (MUST have), definitely add a fuse socket, shield the signal lead to the preamp, maybe think about adding/converting a standby, new tubes and a righteous hefty ceramic 12" speaker (this is a MUST) - plug in, turn on, tune up, enjoy.