Advice on purchasing a Used Amp

[JeffBro]

I plan to look at a used amp being sold locally and was wondering if you guys had any advice on what to look for; or signs an amp is having trouble or needs repairs.

It's a Fender Reissue 65, they're not sure how old and are the 2nd owner.

 

[teletail]

I’d play it for more than a few minutes. Turn it up loud for long enough to make sure the speakers are OK. Make sure all of the knobs work, listen for scratchy pots, bring a foot pedal to try the tremolo, look at general condition; if it looks in good condition, it likely is, although there are no guarantees.

Most importantly, trust your gut!

 

[CCK1]

If the amp has features that can only be activated via a foot switch, and the foot switch is not present, I have to assume that something may be wrong, simply because I can’t verify their operation. I adjust my offer to account for having to spend money on repairs, or at the very least the cost of a footswitch and cable. I got a great deal on a Super-Sonic 22 combo because the store had misplaced the footswitch and cable.
After buying both, and they ain’t cheap, it turns out everything worked as it should.

 

[58Bassman]

Make sure to leave it powered on for a long enough time to allow everything to reach normal operating temperature- if it has thermal problems, you'll never see or hear them until the amp is hot (assuming it actually gets hot, like a tube amp). Not that solid state amps are always cold to the touch, but they're generally cool unless played hard.

Because it often shows or stops problems, thumping the cabinet with a fist is a good test, too- I have worked in audio/video and musical instruments/amplification for over fifty years and can say that this works- I do it frequently and after a customer's AV receiver stopped producing audio, it returned after I thumped it- has worked fin since then. Did it with just about every guitar amp I have owned and it helps when looking for bad connections & solder joints.

 

[Keithr41]

65-What?-reissue? Twin, Deluxe Reverb? Princeton? The model makes a difference

 

[schmee]

Yeah, what amp? Tube amp?
But mainly,
-play it a while, let it get good and hot. Listen for popping or crackling. This can be just a tube, but they also can be other things that are very difficult to sort out sometimes.
-Does the amp have metal input jacks or black plastic? If plastic... wiggle the guitar cord just a little at the jack, make sure it makes no noises.
-Check out all the effects making sure they work.
-If the amp hums some it may just be the room, a fader switch or flourescent lighting.
- A hard thump barre chord in the E to A zone will test the speaker.

 

[Dacious]

Look for noise with nothing connected. That is the sign of something wrong and possibly expensive like worn out power tubes. When you plug in, turn every knob and check both channels. Check that reverb works, and tremolo.

Check the smp doesn't make strange noises other than single coil buzz with a guitar plugged in, which should attenuate with a hand on the strings or with volume turned down.. Check it at volume and play every note in the scale. Any tube microphony or ringing on certain notes will be apparent. That's usually a bung tube but can be other things too.

 

[JeffBro]

65-What?-reissue? Twin, Deluxe Reverb? Princeton? The model makes a difference

Fender Super Reverb Amp, I believe it's a reissue 65. I was going to buy it here locally in Los Angeles for about $800