Silvertone: Fix problem or overhaul?

[scrapyardblue]

45 year old Silvertone 1484 crackles loudly when bumped or when vibrating at higher volumes. Crackle comes with a hint of reverb, although reverb not working. That model's reverb supposedly doesn't sound so good anyway, so unless it is the problem, I don't intend to fix it.

One tech says if I intend to play out or record, it'd be best to give it a thorough going over, replacing caps and other items. He says it could be anything. Another tech thinks he can fix the problem and isn't recommending an overhaul. Neither have actually seen the amp.

The amp is a gem and could become my number 1, if reliable. Any downside to an overhaul, other than what could be several hundred dollars in cost? On the other hand, I could probably fix the crackle for a fraction of that cost and take my chances. I did reseat the tubes and that didn't help. Any other ideas?

[Groovey Records]

Suggestion

Go with the guy who only want to repair what is necessary.

I'm thinking he should be able to isolate each component from the circuit and measure to see if its drifted to far out of spec.

Might take longer and cost more money this way,

But it will still have the Mojo.


I remember Skip Simmons specilizes in this type of repair.

Not just Remove and Replace swaptronics

http://www.skipsimmonsamps.com/

[muchxs]

Originally Posted by scrapyardblue

One tech says if I intend to play out or record, it'd be best to give it a thorough going over, replacing caps and other items. He says it could be anything. Another tech thinks he can fix the problem and isn't recommending an overhaul. Neither have actually seen the amp.

That's the "shotgun" approach. Fix "everything" and hope you get the problem while you're at it. I love it when I get work from guys like that, they show up with a haunted look and tell me, "I tried everything!!"

Even if parts are drifted it helps to know which way they drifted. You could for instance replace old CC plate resistors that are 40% over spec with reliable metal films at the drifted value. Drifted cathode caps sometimes result in some very interesting voicings.

Fresh filter caps never hurt anyone.

[jhundt]

I seem to remember that some old Silvertones were wired TRUE point-to-point... unlike Fenders.

Many people refer to old Fender amps as PTP, but in fact Fender used a circuit board. Not a printed circuit board , but a circuit board nonetheless.

My point is this: true PTP wiring is a mess! If you give an unscrupulous tech the order to "overhaul" your amp there is no telling what he will do and how much he will charge!

I don't know which of the two guys you spoke to is better. The guy who suggested "an overhaul" is a tiny bit suspicious, but to be fair - he doesn't reallyhave any idea what your problem is at this point. The guy who said "I will fix the problem" sounds more user-friendly, but that is also an easy promise to make.

BUT---- until you take the amp in for these guys to see it, you are just working on suppositions. I think you have to take the amp down to the shop and try to get a first-hand estimate from both of them.

[muchxs]

Originally Posted by scrapyardblue

45 year old Silvertone 1484 crackles loudly when bumped or when vibrating at higher volumes. Crackle comes with a hint of reverb, although reverb not working. That model's reverb supposedly doesn't sound so good anyway, so unless it is the problem, I don't intend to fix it.

Let's go with a hunch here: Disconnect the cables to and from the reverb "tank". Just yank the tank and play without it. See if your crackle goes away.

[scrapyardblue]

I think they're both decent techs, but I'd have to agree the guy suggesting the overhaul is shooting in the dark, and as such that drove his recommendation, whereas the other tech had a couple things in mind as possible causes.

Thanks to the link to Skip Simmons. He surely doesn't advocate the shotgun approach.

Good comments all and I don't think I've got anything to lose by disconnecting the reverb tank.