Is it okay to just turn an amp on after years of letting it sit?
Iām a big fan of PG and I very much enjoy reading your column. Iām in need of a little advice. About six or seven years ago I purchased a Fender Hot Rod Deville 2x12. I played this amp, on and off, for maybe a year, bought a new house and packed the amp away. I have not used this amp in four or five years and now want to use it again.
Iāve spoken to some friends and have been told I shouldnāt just āturn it on,ā but that there is a procedure I should follow. So Iām writing this letterāand feeling quite stupidāto ask exactly how should I approach turning this amp on. Please bear in mind Iām not a technical person at all, so I ask you to explain this as if you were speaking to a four-year-old.
As stupid as this question may seem, I thank you for shedding any light you can on my dilemma.
Thanks,
Mike R.
Hi Mike,
Thanks for reading and for writing. As I tell everyone, there are no stupid questions, so I thank you for asking yours. Let me see if I can shed a little light on this while trying to remain as non-technical as possible.
The reason that your friends told you not to just turn the amp on after it has been in storage so long has to do with the condition of the electrolytic capacitors in the power supply circuit of the amplifier. I know that may already be sounding complex, but I will do my best to explain it as simply as possible.
The power supply in the amplifier converts AC voltage from the wall (120VAC in the US) to higher DC voltages which are needed to power the internal circuitry of the amp. The capacitors in the power supply are needed to āsmooth outā these voltages. The āsmootherā the voltages, the quieter the operation of the amplifier (know that this is over-simplified, as there are many other factors that determine the noise level of an amplifier). If these electrolytic capacitors sit dormant for too long, the insulation between the internal components can become minimized and the capacitor can begin to draw a considerable amount of current. The result can manifest itself in a couple of different ways.
The first, and I must say the less spectacular, would be that they would cause the fuse to blow. If you install a new fuse and try again, youāll get the same result. This would more than likely cause you to either take the amp to an experienced amp tech in your area, or to put it back in the closet for another four or five years, realizing that you didnāt really need it anyway! The other and more colorful result would be to turn the amp on, turn the standby onā¦crack, hiss, smoke! This is because the capacitors, because of excessive current draw, overheated and āvented.ā Most capacitors nowadays are manufactured with a āventā allowing them to discharge the internal pressure. If there was no vent, you would simply substitute the ācrackā with a āboom.ā
Anyway, this is what can theoretically happen when old, inactive capacitors are not properly re-formed. The truth is though, Iāve seen many newer amps that sat unused for quite a few years be plugged in and turned on with no adverse effects. That said, if youāre still looking to play it safe I will give you a better way to go about it, should you have the ability to so.
Obtain (beg, borrow, or buy) a piece of equipment known as a Variac (also known as a variable transformer or an autotransformer). This is a variable transformer that plugs into a wall outlet and will allow you to slowly increase the AC line voltage applied to your amplifier. [Ed. note: If you are not qualified to work on amps, be sure to seek the supervision of a trained electricianāthere are lethal voltages involved here.] Start by removing all the tubes in your amplifier (mark them so you can reinstall them in the proper locations). Plug the Variac into the wall outlet and plug your amplifier into the outlet on the Variac. Set the Variac to zero volts. Turn on the Variac, as well as the power and standby switches on your amplifier. Raise the knob on the Variac to approximately 10 volts. Wait 10 minutes and raise it another 10 volts. Do this every 10-15 minutes or so until you reach approximately 100 volts (note: you may not see the pilot lamp begin to illuminate until you reach the 50-60 volt range).
Once you reach 100 volts for 10 minutes, return the Variac to zero volts and turn it off. After a few minutes, unplug the amplifier from the Variac and turn the power and standby switches off. If during this procedure the fuse has not blown, your amp is more than likely fine. Reinstall the tubes, plug it in, turn the power switch on, wait a minute or so, turn the standby on and you should be good to go.
Good luck. Hopefully that will keep you from having a Hot Rod Destruct.
Jeff Bober, one of the godfathers of the low-wattage amp revolution, co-founded and was the principal designer for Budda Amplification. Jeff has just launched EAST Amplification. He can be reached at pgampman@gmail.com
PG contributor Tom Butwin profiles three versatile - and affordable - acoustic guitars from Cort, Epiphone, and Gold Tone. These classic designs and appointments offer pro-level sound for an accessible price.
Cort Essence Series ES-GA4 Grand Auditorium Cutaway Acoustic Electric Guitar, Natural Semi Gloss (GA4NSG)
Epiphone Slash J-45 Acoustic Guitar - November Burst
The classic J-45 has been the choice of legendary musicians ever since it was first introduced in 1942. Known as The Workhorse, it is Gibson's most famous and most popular acoustic guitar model. Now Epiphone has released a new Inspired by Gibson"' J-45"' with all of the features players want, including all solid wood construction, a comfortable rounded C neck profile, 20 medium jumbo frets, the 60s style Kalamazoo headstock shape and a gorgeous Aged Vintage Sunburst finish. The FishmanĀ® Sonicore under-saddle pickup and Sonitone preamp make this Workhorse stage-ready too. Optional hardshell or Epilite"' case available separately. A battery is not included. To power your pickup, you will need a 9-volt battery.
Gold Tone The Bell Acoustic-electric Guitar - Natural
Gold Toneās Festival Series: The Bell stands out by blending classic craftsmanship with stage-ready versatility. Its all-solid wood constructionāfeaturing a Sitka spruce top and mahogany back and sidesāproduces a rich, balanced tone that shines in any setting. The slope-shoulder design offers both comfort and clarity, perfect for fingerstyle or strumming. With a slim "D" neck, Fishman electronics, Grover tuners, and DāAddario strings, The Bell is crafted for players who demand tone, playability, and reliable performanceāon stage or in the studio.
A beautifully realized mashup of two iconic guitars.
Reader: Ward Powell
Hometown: Ontario, Canada
Guitar: ES-339 Junior
Iāve always liked unusual guitars. I think it started when I got my first guitar way back in 1976. I bought a '73 Telecaster Deluxe for $200 with money I saved from delivering newspapers.
I really got serious about playing in 1978, the same year the first Van Halen album was released. Eddie Van Halen was a huge influence on me, including how he built and modded guitars. Inspired by Eddie, I basically butchered that Tele. But keep in mind, there was once a time when every vintage guitar was just a used guitarāI still have that Tele, by the way.
I never lost that spirit of wanting guitars that were unique, and have built and modded a few dozen guitars since. When I started G.A.S.-ing simultaneously for a Les Paul Junior and a Casino, I came up with this concept. I found an Epiphone ES-339 locally at a great price. It already had upgraded CTS pots, Kluson tuners, and the frets had been PLEKād. It even came with a hardshell case. It was cheap because it was a right-handed guitar that had been converted to left handed and all the controls had been moved to the opposite side, so it had five additional holes in the top.
Fortunately, I found a Duesenberg wraparound bridge that used the same post spacing as a Tune-o-matic. I used plug cutters to cut plugs out of baltic birch plywood to fill the 12 holes in the laminated top. I also reshaped the old-style Epiphone headstock. Then, I sanded off the original finish, taped the fretboard, and sprayed the finish using cans of nitro lacquer from Oxford Guitar Supply. Lots of wet sanding and buffing later, the finish was done.
I installed threaded insert bushings for the bridge, so it will never pull out. The pickup is a Mojotone Quiet Coil P-90 and I fabricated a shim from a DIY mold and tinted epoxy to raise the P-90 up closer to the strings. The shim also covers the original humbucker opening. I cut a pickguard out of a blank and heated it slightly to bend it to follow the curvature of the top.
All in all, I'm pretty happy how it turned out! It plays great and sounds even better. And I have something that is unique: an ES-339 Junior.
The Gibson EH-185, introduced in 1939, was one of the companyās first electric guitars.
Before the Les Pauls and SGs, this aluminum-reinforced instrument was one of the famous brandās first electric guitars.
Itās hard to overstate the importance of electric guitar in shaping American popular music over the last half-century. Its introduction was a revolution, changing the course of modern musical styles. Today, when we think of the guitars that started the revolution, we think of the Stratocaster and the Les Paul, guitars held against the body and fretted with the fingertips. But the real spark of this musical mutiny was the lap-steel guitar.
In the early 20th century, guitar music was moving out of the parlors of homes and into public spaces where folks could gather together and dance. Guitarists needed to project their sound far beyond where their wimpy little acoustic instruments could reach. Instrument manufacturers began experimenting with larger body sizes, metal construction, and resonators to increase volume.
Around this time, George Beauchamp began experimenting with electric guitar amplification. He settled on a design using two U-shaped magnets and a single coil of wire. Beauchamp was in business with Adolph Rickenbacker, and they decided to stick this new invention into a lap steel.
If we put on our 1930s glasses, this decision makes perfect sense. The most popular music at the time was a blend of Hawaiian and jazz styles made famous by virtuosos like Solomon āSolā HoŹ»opiŹ»i. Photos of HoŹ»opiŹ»i with a metal-body resonator aboundāone can imagine his relief at being handed an instrument that projected sound toward the audience via an amplifier, rather than back at his own head via resonator cones. Beauchamp and Rickenbacker were simply following the market.
As it turned out, the popularity of Hawaiian music gave way to swing, and electric lap steels didnāt exactly take the world by storm. But Beauchamp and Rickenbacker had proven the viability of this new technology, and other manufacturers followed suit. In 1937, Gibson created a pickup with magnets under the strings, rather than above like Beauchampās.
āWhen I plugged in the EH-185 I expected to hear something reminiscent of Charlie Christianās smooth, clean tone. But what I got was meatierācloser to what I associate with P-90s: warm and midrange-y.ā
The first page of Gibsonās āElectrical Instrumentsā section in the 1939 catalog features a glowing, full-page write-up of their top-of-the-line lap steel: the EH-185. āEverything about this new electric Hawaiian Guitar smacks of good showmanship,ā effuses the copy. āIt has smoothness, great sustaining power, and an easy flow of tone that builds up strongly and does not die out.ā
Picking up the 1940 EH-185 at Fannyās House of Music is about as close as one can get to traveling back in time to try a new one. It is just so clean, with barely any dings or even finish checking. Overall, this is a 9/10 piece, and itās a joy to behold. Speaking of picking it up, the first thing you notice when you lift the EH-185 out of the case is its weight. This is a much heavier instrument than other similar-sized lap steels, owing to a length of thick metal between the body and the fretboard. The catalog calls it āHyblum metal,ā which may be a flowery trade name for an early aluminum alloy.
This 1940 EH-185 is heavier than other lap steels in its class, thanks to a length of metal between its fretboard and body.
Photo by Madison Thorn
There are numerous other fancy appointments on the EH-185 that Gibson didnāt offer on their lesser models. Itās made of highly figured maple, with diamond-shaped decorations on the back of the body and neck. The double binding is nearly a centimeter thick and gives the instrument a luxurious, expensive look.
Behind all these high-end attributes is a great-sounding guitar, thanks to that old pickup. Itās got three blades protruding through the bobbin for the unwound strings and one longer blade for the wound strings. When I plugged in the EH-185 I expected to hear something reminiscent of Charlie Christianās smooth, clean tone. But what I got was meatierācloser to what I associate with P-90s: warm and midrange-y. It was just crying out for a little crunch and a bluesy touch. Itās kind of cool how such a pristine, high-end vintage instrument can be so well-suited for a sound thatās rough around the edges.
As far as electric guitars go, it doesnāt get much more vintage than this 1940 Gibson EH-185 Lap Steel. It reminds us of where the story of the electric guitar truly began. This EH-185 isnāt just a relicāitās a testament to when the future of music was unfolding in real time. Plug it in, and you become part of the revolution.
Sources: Smithsonian, Vintage Guitar, Mozart Project, Gibson Pre-War, WIRED, Steel Guitar Forum, Vintaxe
J Mascis is well known for his legendary feats of volume.
J Mascis is well known for his legendary feats of volume. Just check out a photo of his rig to see an intimidating wall of amps pointed directly at the Dinosaur Jr. leaderās head. And though his loudness permeates all that he does and has helped cement his reputation, thereās a lot more to his playing.
On this episode of 100 Guitarists, weāre looking at each phase of the trioās long career. How many pedals does J use to get his sound? Whatās his best documented use of a flanger? How does his version of āMaggot Brainā (recorded with bassist Mike Watt) compare to Eddie Hazelās? And were you as surprised as we were when Fender released a J Mascis signature Tele?