Complete Fender Hot Rod Deluxe Amplifier Repair : From Filter Caps to Circuit Board Restoration
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- Опубліковано 12 січ 2025
- Join me on a comprehensive journey as I breathe new life into a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe amplifier. In this video, I will take you through the entire repair process, covering everything from replacing the main HT filter caps to meticulously restoring a burnt and damaged printed circuit board. To enhance reliability and prevent future issues, we'll also swap out the low-voltage dropper resistors with efficient metal-clad resistors, redirecting heat away from the circuit board and into the metal chassis. Additionally, I also walk through essential test procedures to ensure the amplifier is in top-notch condition. Ward Guitar & Electronic Services September 2023
Disclaimer : The following video depicts a repair carried out by an individual with specialized knowledge and qualifications in the field. It is important to note that this video is intended for informational and entertainment purposes only. This video is NOT an instructional guide for the unqualified or inexperienced individuals. Repairing electronic, mechanical, or any other systems can be complex and potentially dangerous if not done correctly. It may involve working with hazardous materials, tools, and equipment that require specific expertise and safety precautions. If you are not qualified or experienced in the relevant field, attempting to replicate the actions shown in this video could result in injury, damage to property, or further complications to the item being repaired. We strongly advise that any repair work be undertaken by professionals or individuals with the necessary qualifications and experience. Always consult with experts and follow manufacturer guidelines and safety protocols when working on any repair project. The creator of this video and anyone associated with it shall not be held responsible for any harm, damage, or consequences resulting from the misuse of the information presented in this video. By choosing to watch and/or follow the content in this video, you acknowledge and accept the risks associated with attempting repairs without proper qualifications and experience. If you have any doubts or concerns about a repair, seek professional assistance. Please use this video responsibly, and prioritize safety above all else.
This video is fantastic! I really appreciate the in depth repair process. Thank you so much for sharing.
Glad it was helpful! Thank you for the feedback.
Very nice work. 😎👍 The 1st thing I did after purchasing my Blues Deluxe was to install a small quiet cooling fan. I've done that on class A guitar amps as well. Really drops the temps inside the cabinet.
AMAZING VIDEO! I loved you actually recorded all the process!
Thank you. I repair a lot of these amps and I thought it would be a good idea to share some of the techniques.
Thank you really enjoyed your video
Thank you, I really appreciate you taking time to comment.
Thank you sir for great video helpful 👍
Thank you. I see lots of these amps in my workshop. Unfortunately they all have these common faults. The removal of the PCB is always fraught with the undesirable snapping off of the valve sub board ribbon cables. This can be somewhat mitigated by heating all the wiring with a hairdryer. I have an understanding Wife!
The best Hot Rod upgrade I have seen. Thanks. I have a new MK IV so when I decide to do some preemptive work, I will do what you have shown here.
Thank you for your comment. I really appreciate the feedback. I have been working on a hot rod deville this morning same issues.
@@stevewardguitars1661 As much as I like the hot rod, I have finally given up on trying to use the drive channels, so I just bought a Mesa Boogie Fillmore 25. So I no longer need to keep searching for way to improve the hot rod.
That is some very nice work! I like the heat gun on the ribbons. Great idea. And those pins, I haven't seen those before.
HI Thank you for the comments. I agree with everything you said in you first post. Honestly fender dont care and just want to sell new product. Over the past few years I have contacted fender many times for support and parts. This has always been a very disappointing and disillusioning experience. You cant buy a multi switch stereo plastic block jack specific to the fender Elite series active 5 string Bass. This is a switching jack with two individual sets of switch contacts for an 18 volt split rail(two battery) type preamp. This part is warranty period only! They are just not available from any of the normal suppliers. I built a micro solid state relay switch circuit to use a standard switch craft stereo jack. I published the circuit and a video on this subject. The flagship Fender deluxe reverb reissue mains transform is also warranty period only. This is not like the original deluxe reverb.Its a lay down transformer and the Hammond type just wont fit. The Amp has a fusible resistor in the bias circuit!! Why? I have seen two of these amps where the fuse has blown leaving no bias. There is no ht fuse and the valves run red hot. Then the transformer overheats and the sealed internal non reset-able thermal fuse blows and that's curtains for the amp. When asked for a spare the response was warranty period only. I sourced a similar but not identical transformer from TAD, however the voltages were different and some mods were needed for the bias circuit.
I work on lots of amps but much prefer the old marshal's and fenders.
The Vero pins are freely available from many suppliers. Originally designed for the vero strip board they come in usefull for repairing damaged track holes on pcb. The quality varies and some cheap variants have a smooth shank which wont grip in the board. The best ones albeit more expensive are the original vero make. Have a look at the link below.
Regards Steve
uk.rs-online.com/web/p/terminal-posts/6319574
www.wardguitars.co.uk/
facebook.com/stevewardguitars
@stevewardguitars1661 Yeah, I agree it's all about the money. I sold a Mesa dc3 a few years back and bought a hand wired 70s traynor with eyelet board , full of mustard caps and mullard tubes for 530 bucks. I've never been interested in modern amps since. A year ago, I started building amps , the ones I could never afford to buy. I'm about to start my 8th build soon.
I think the best value in new amps is Ceriatone! Reasonably priced hand wired.
I don't do any service work as of yet. But I will definitely remember those pins !
Excellent workshop. Warmest regards to master! Very helpful
Thank you for you kind comments
I have a Deville 60 watt 2x12. Too powerful for my neighbors for sure. But my son played his eight string metal style through it. Dang. It handled it well…
Next day after we got out of jail…
Lovely job,so nice to so proper work and not someone tack soldering resisters or components,and make the excuse "just saving the customer money BS" Subbed to your channel Steve.
Thank you for the comments. It makes taking time to produce a albeit amateur video worthwhile.
thanx for the vid/infos...
pretty bad , they sell a product with that sound design flaws under the name fender.
(the hot rod is a good amp though, with some mods and soldering)
Sensacional
Thank you
One question though, why did you replace those 1000uf caps with 2200uf?
Basically because that's what I had to hand in my spares. They may even reduce the residual hum on the low voltage supply.
@@stevewardguitars1661I was gonna ask about that hum/buzz that comes on around that area when I flick the switch from standby to on. Is that perfectly normal?
Hello I am watching your video and I regret buy this fender hot rod I I get very upset with it I can’t control the volume it’s like the amp is directly connected and it’s to too high pitched
I can't stand when I come across voltage drop resistors used as a "quick, cheap fix" to circuit design. As a car mechanic myself, it's akin to the "engineers vs mechanics" scenario. The engineer designs something that fails in such a way that the mechanic finds it extremely difficult to fix. Or they design something that is known to fail after a certain period, and you're the one who has to fix it (*cough* EGR valves *cough*).
In this case, it's electronics engineers designing something that fails after a while due to heat damage, then you have to deal with the issues after the fact. Rather than using a multi-tap transformer for multiple voltages, they decide to use drop resistors instead. Then again, it's cheaper and nobody realises the issue until it's out of warranty! Win for them, I guess...
Thank you for your comments. I completely agree with your assessment of the cheap design. A basic three-leg 7815 voltage regulator and a heatsink would be much more satisfactory. Mounting inverted valves and valve bases directly on the circuit board, allowing heat to degrade the tracks, is also far from ideal. The hard-wired ribbon cable links between the main PCB and valve board make servicing likely to break a few links, leading to another hour or two of remedial repair. These amps are built to a budget to maximize profit and reduce skilled labor costs in production.
The circuit board started as a single board with perforations to split it into two sections. All the parts were fitted with auto-insert machinery. During assembly, the operative only needs to fit spade connectors to the appropriate links, requiring virtually no soldering or technical skill. Despite these issues, this amp is one of the better modern amps. At the bottom of the heap is the Fender Bassbreaker, which I refuse to work on.
The Bassbreaker has four boards that started as one and were then snapped into four sections with wire links. The entire assembly is folded into a cube and pushed into the chassis, making any form of repair impossible. There is no way to open the boards and power the amp to take measurements for fault finding. Built-in obsolescence is key to this business model, as there is no profit for companies in repairing and maintaining old products.
I convert these hot rod and blues fenders to handwired bassmans, plexis, and jcm800 . I quite enjoy tearing out those poorly made pcb .. it's such a shame that Fender has been producing such a pathetic product for 30 years. Laughing all the way to the bank each and every time.
They should have thicker traces, and thru hole , double-sided would be ideal. Diodes and ceramic resistors should be well off the board, and those ribbon cables should be more robust. The pits and jacks mounted to the pcb are not the best idea either .
People buy these up like mad, so I guess Fender doesn't bother improving them. And yes, I suppose it would drive the price up a bit to build them properly.
But , damn, there is no way they are worth anything near what they charge.
If anyone out there is considering one of these , do yourself a favor and price a couple ceriatone amps.
if they did all that they would want $2000 for the amp
Enjoyed the video but was, as usual, highly disappointed with the way Fender are building amplifiers these days. I’m lucky to own several guitars amplifiers built back in the pre-printed circuit board days. These old amplifiers were well built with quality components and are very easy to service unlike today’s amplifiers that seem to be built down to a price .
I thank you for your comments. I totally agree the modern amps are becoming unserviceable beyond a certain point. Fender will not supply spare parts out of warrantee period.