Replacing electrolytic capacitors ??

tele-martini · July 2nd, 2007, 12:04 PM

Having finally decided to upgrade spk. & tubes and do a couple simple mods to my Champ 12 a question comes to mind. I keep reading how electrolytic capacitors dry up after 10 yrs. affecting the amps sound (muddy bass etc.)My question is should I replace caps before putting it back together and firing it up or shpuld I try it with the upgrades and see how it sounds. although this amp has very low hrs. of use it is in fact 20yrs. old. I hate to upgrade and overlook an obvious maintenance issue.Seems like the trickiest part of this job was removing the pcb board from chassis so if this is a no brainer I'd rather tackle it now. Thanks,
martini

JohnnyCrash · July 2nd, 2007, 01:11 PM

If she's already open, might as well do it.

Some very very old amps actually fire up and work fine, but its always good to freshen up the electrolytic caps as the fluid can dry.

If an old cap fails...

Silverface · July 2nd, 2007, 01:24 PM

What Johnny said...

Plus, what's not often mentioned is that little-used amps are the ones most likely to have an electrolytic blow. Non-use causes the electrolyte to dry up. Knowledgeable amp collectors do not let their amps sit - they take them out and turn them on in a rotating sequence so they do not go unused for more than 3-4 months or so.

On this one, do the cap job now. It's overdue and in the high-risk category.

July 2nd, 2007, 12:04 PM	#1 (permalink)
tele-martini Tele-Holic Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Hilton, NY Age: 49 Posts: 900 11 Photos	Replacing electrolytic capacitors ?? Having finally decided to upgrade spk. & tubes and do a couple simple mods to my Champ 12 a question comes to mind. I keep reading how electrolytic capacitors dry up after 10 yrs. affecting the amps sound (muddy bass etc.)My question is should I replace caps before putting it back together and firing it up or shpuld I try it with the upgrades and see how it sounds. although this amp has very low hrs. of use it is in fact 20yrs. old. I hate to upgrade and overlook an obvious maintenance issue.Seems like the trickiest part of this job was removing the pcb board from chassis so if this is a no brainer I'd rather tackle it now. Thanks, martini __________________ Nothing is more beautiful than a guitar, except, possibly, two. ...Frederic Chopin

July 2nd, 2007, 01:24 PM	#3 (permalink)
Silverface Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Hermosa Beach CA Age: 56 Posts: 1,877	What Johnny said... Plus, what's not often mentioned is that little-used amps are the ones most likely to have an electrolytic blow. Non-use causes the electrolyte to dry up. Knowledgeable amp collectors do not let their amps sit - they take them out and turn them on in a rotating sequence so they do not go unused for more than 3-4 months or so. On this one, do the cap job now. It's overdue and in the high-risk category. __________________ “No Chops – Great Tone” ©

July 2nd, 2007, 01:11 PM	#2 (permalink)
JohnnyCrash Poster Extraordinaire Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Lost Angeles and Orange County Posts: 7,128	If she's already open, might as well do it. Some very very old amps actually fire up and work fine, but its always good to freshen up the electrolytic caps as the fluid can dry. If an old cap fails...