2002? DRRI Newly Acquired.. Look inside and tell me what I got myself into.. Pic Heavy

[pippoman]

Normally it's very hard to tell anything from photos, but when there's a burnt spot on the board, something is very wrong. Even if no components are damaged (yet!), you absolutely must scrape the black carbonized portion of the board clean. Carbon is conductive. View attachment 978807

Sea Devil? How about SD Hawkeye? You earned it.

 

[giogolf]

Sea Devil? How about SD Hawkeye? You earned it.

Id buy all the thread contributors a round

 

[pippoman]

Id buy all the thread contributors a round

I no longer own a DR, but this thread has me itching for one! Have you seen the prices even on the old 70s Silverfaced DRs? They’re great amps, but no thanks. Supply and demand maybe?

 

[Ten Over]

Every source I've ever read says that turning off the standby absolutely will not drain the filter caps, though. Turning off the power will, and unplugging it with both switches on may too. Our own Rob Robinette describes the process here: https://robrobinette.com/Tube_Amp_Safety.htm

Stating that the standby switch is on or off is ambiguous. Is the play mode on or is the standby mode on when someone says the standby switch is on? That's why I said the standby switch is closed and added "play mode" instead of just saying off or on.

Rob describes the state of the standby switch as being in the "play" position to drain the caps. He also says, "..will drain their filter capacitors if you leave the standby switch on (playing mode) and turn the amp power switch off." This is exactly what I said.

 

[schmee]

The Gibbs tank was not in any Vintage Fender amps I've had. Almost always an Accutronics and they have a goldish color to the metal. Gibbs are good tanks though. Does it have any code numbers on it to find it the specs are correct? I wonder if that's the reason for the humming...?

 

[Sea Devil]

Ten Over, the way you put it makes it much less clear:
"Closing the standby switch (play mode) will drain the caps with or without the tubes."
The Up position is clearly labeled On. So if Standby is off, it's in the On position? If it's on, it's off?

To me, "play mode" read as '"power on," and "closed" read as down.

One way to be unmistakably clear is to say "On position" or "Standby position." The other is to say "in standby mode" or "not in standby mode." But everyone says, "Standby switch on" to mean just that, so "Standby switch off" means the other position. English people "close" lights rather than turning them off...

"What we have here is a failure to communicate."

 

[Ten Over]

The Gibbs tank was not in any Vintage Fender amps I've had. Almost always an Accutronics and they have a goldish color to the metal. Gibbs are good tanks though. Does it have any code numbers on it to find it the specs are correct? I wonder if that's the reason for the humming...?

I've never had a Fender with a Gibbs tank, either, but I have seen pictures of them in vintage Fenders.

The Gibbs tank usually had either a "C" of an "F" ink stamped somewhere around the input jack. The "C" tank had a high impedance input and an "F" tank had a low impedance input. I have heard that "C" stood for capacitor driven and "F" stood for Fender type. Maybe, maybe not.

 

[Sea Devil]

I once lost a storyboard client because he referred to the passenger side of a car facing the viewer as the "left side." A pointless dispute ensued (stage right/stage left, left/right of frame, viewer's left/right, etc.). By the time I said, "Do you mean the passenger side or the driver's side?" his patience was exhausted.

 

[giogolf]

The Gibbs tank was not in any Vintage Fender amps I've had. Almost always an Accutronics and they have a goldish color to the metal. Gibbs are good tanks though. Does it have any code numbers on it to find it the specs are correct? I wonder if that's the reason for the humming...?

Other than 64063 stamped in the metal I just see patent numbers on the label

 

[giogolf]

I no longer own a DR, but this thread has me itching for one! Have you seen the prices even on the old 70s Silverfaced DRs? They’re great amps, but no thanks. Supply and demand maybe?

Well I think I got a good deal on it.. Paid $650 and bundled in a Danelecteo Pedal and a SD 59 nickel cover neck pickup to try in my Les Paul.

Now keep in mind this particular amp was well used, but I spoke with the seller at length and he said it had a full service 6 months ago. He got it off someone else who presumably was the giging muscian whonput the love into it.. The guy I got it from was a home player like me.

Being that these are selling for $900 on Market Place in my area in mint considition and $1100-1300 used at GC in my area, I think I got a pretty good deal.. But I defer to the more knowledgeable on this thread

 

[InstantCoffeeBlue]

Well I think I got a good deal on it.. Paid $650 and bundled in a Danelecteo Pedal and a SD 59 nickel cover neck pickup to try in my Les Paul.

Now keep in mind this particular amp was well used, but I spoke with the seller at length and he said it had a full service 6 months ago. He got it off someone else who presumably was the giging muscian whonput the love into it.. The guy I got it from was a home player like me.

Being that these are selling for $900 on Market Place in my area in mint considition and $1100-1300 used at GC in my area, I think I got a pretty good deal.. But I defer to the more knowledgeable on this thread

$650 is a good deal.

 

[pippoman]

Well I think I got a good deal on it.. Paid $650 and bundled in a Danelecteo Pedal and a SD 59 nickel cover neck pickup to try in my Les Paul.

Now keep in mind this particular amp was well used, but I spoke with the seller at length and he said it had a full service 6 months ago. He got it off someone else who presumably was the giging muscian whonput the love into it.. The guy I got it from was a home player like me.

Being that these are selling for $900 on Market Place in my area in mint considition and $1100-1300 used at GC in my area, I think I got a pretty good deal.. But I defer to the more knowledgeable on this thread

Yes, you got a good deal.

 

[Arfage]

More Pics

My favorite speaker for DR is Celestion G12H 30 watt, I tried a 100 wat speaker in one once and squeezed a little more volume out but the 30 watt sounded better and more dynamic, responsive to fingers and volume control. But I'd most likely leave that amp just like it is. Also JJ tubes won't let you down.

 

[giogolf]

My favorite speaker for DR is Celestion G12H 30 watt, I tried a 100 wat speaker in one once and squeezed a little more volume out but the 30 watt sounded better and more dynamic, responsive to fingers and volume control. But I'd most likely leave that amp just like it is. Also JJ tubes won't let you down.

Yeah the WGS British Lead sounds pretty sweet, so far the amp isnt exsibiting any of the icepick sounds others complain about. The !2AX7 and the 12AT7s are kinda mixed in this amp.. I believe 2 12AX7 are TUNG Sol, 2 ECC81/12AT7 are JJs and the 2 other 12AX7 are Sovtek.. The 6v6 are magnovox and the Rectifier is a Ruby..

 

[Wally]

That black wire in the area of that arcing residue is a ground at CP13. The bias circuit attaches to this ground as do the filter caps. Imho, a tech should be checking this amp out.

 

[Sea Devil]

Wally, it took the OP a long time to get around to saying so, but he states in post #50 that it was serviced six months ago. Or at least that the seller claimed that it was...

I think finding out who did the work and asking them about that issue would be enough to put my mind at ease.

 

[Wally]

Wally, it took the OP a long time to get around to saying so, but he states in post #50 that it was serviced six months ago. Or at least that the seller claimed that it was...

I think finding out who did the work and asking them about that issue would be enough to put my mind at ease.

imho, if that amp was se4viced AFTER that arcing, the; the service was not very well done. That carbonization needs to be removed because in itself it can create a path for voltage.
I also never accept ‘it has been serviced’ when acquiring a used amp. I want to KNOW what it is Inhave bought. In fact, I would have seen that circuit board before laying out money; and Improbably would not have given $650 for this amp Because of what there was to be seen. Ommv.

 

[Sea Devil]

I trust Wally's judgment, even when he makes a lot of typos, lol. That was my initial reaction, after all.
Soooo... since it's bought and paid for, and the OP has a multimeter, I'll go back to my initial advice and say it should be scraped sooner rather than later.

 

[Ten Over]

imho, if that amp was se4viced AFTER that arcing, the; the service was not very well done.

Only replacing two out of the five doghouse capacitors supports the assertion that the service was not done very well.

 

[Sea Devil]

Agreed. Those caps are cheap, and there's no reason not to replace 'em all.