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Restoring a '57 Fender Deluxe Amp
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Restoring a '57 Fender Deluxe Amp
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by Shane Nicholas
from Fender Frontline players guide, vol.24, Summer 98 |
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More often than not, however, I run across amps which have been "boogered" by well-meaning folks who have triedto fix or customise what wasn't broken. It is all too common, for instance, to find an old 4-10 Bassman which long ago lost its speakers and has been chopped down into a head. Grille cloth is also widely "customised" - paint, leopard skin, tie-dye, you name it.
Battered old amps are often great deals - you can turn them into something you're proud to carry to rehearsals or gigs. Al you need is TLC and a few Fender parts.
Our Sweet Little '57
To illustrate how easy it is to restore a vintage Fender, I went out looking for a beaten old amp. In no time, I located a '57 Deluxe, a true classic tube amp and the perfect guinea pig for my restoration project
The '57 was sitting in a used gear shop and suffered from several ailments. Almost all of the original tweed had been torn off the cabinet. The wood was cracked in many spots, and several holes had been drilled in the sides. The original handle was gone and had been replaced with a strip of hard rubber. The original speaker, unfortunately, was also gone. Preamp tube shields were missing, too.
Despite its cosmetic defects, the amp worked and actually sounded OK. Since it was working pretty well, I felt good about doing the work myself. If the amp exhibited unacceptable hum or other problems, I would have taken it to a qualified technician.
Restoration Time
With just a few Fender parts and a little care, our old Deluxe turned into a great-looking, sweet-sounding amp. Here's how it happened:
| 1 First, I rounded up the appropriate parts: a Fender Deluxe replacement cabinet, tubes, tube shields and an alnico-magnet replacement speaker. The speaker is the voice of an amp and is at least as important as any other component in your signal chain |  |
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2 Don't forget the proper tools: a drill, soldering iron, screwdrivers, a few wrenches and so on |
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3
Making sure the tubes were cool,
I removed them. The chassis bolts were removed ans the wholechassis was lifted out, with my fingers carefully touching the sides and not the electronics |
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4 I cleaned the control panel with a cloth and baking soda and water (or toothpaste). A light touch is necessary to keep from rubbing off the old painted lettering |
| 5 I wanted to transfer the old logo nameplate to the new cabinet, so I measured the location of the plate on the old cabinet, then marked nail hole spots on the new cabinet |  |
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6 The nameplate was removed gently with a pocketknife. By lining it up and tapping in the nails with a hammer, the plate was transferred to the new cabinet |
| 7 To prepare for the installation of the new speaker, it was necessary to solder the speaker wire to the terminals on the new speaker. Remember to observe the same polarity - black is negative (-), white or yellow is positive (+) - and wear safety goggles and long pants to protect yourself from splattered solder |  |
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8 After the speaker is installed in the cabinet, it's a good idea to tighten all four bolts slightly at first, then more firmly in an alternating 1-3-2-4 pattern, to avoid bending the frame |
| 9 To allow for variations, cabinets aren't shipped with bolt holes, so I measured their placement on my chassis, then marked the new cabinet |  |
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10 Once the bolt holes were drilled, the chassis was placed in the new cabinet, and the bolts were installed |
| 11 I was almost done now. The back panels were screwed on to the cabinet, and the new tubes and tube sheilds were put in place |  |
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12 Be sure to install new tubes. Re-tubing the used amp you just restored is like restringing a used guitar before you play it - essential. |
| 13 ...and that's it! In less than an afternoon, and with a minimal investment, our sweet little '57 is back in action, looking and sounding as good as she did the day she rolled out of the Fender factory 41 years ago! | |
| 14 When I tested the amp out with a Relic Nocaster, it looked and sounded fantastic! The great thing about restoring a vintage amp is that you've turned an old eyesore into an amp that you can proudly play at your next gig or rehearsal. | 15 Be sure to hold on to your old cabinet to preserve the serial number and provide the historical credentials you might need if you ever decide to sell your reconditioned vintage amp. |
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