# Tremolo problem on my Supro amp



## stoptail (Sep 22, 2009)

I have a 57 Supro Golden Holiday amplifier , and when I turn the Tremolo on I can just hear the Trem starting and it fades out right away and disappears , I can get it to do this over and over if I just keep switching the tremolo on but it fades out and is gone , I had the same problem with a late 50s Gibson combo accordian amp that had four 8 inch gold back speakers years back ( cant remember the model) and never figured it out either . Any ideas will be much appreciated .


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## Wild Bill (May 3, 2006)

stoptail said:


> I have a 57 Supro Golden Holiday amplifier , and when I turn the Tremolo on I can just hear the Trem starting and it fades out right away and disappears , I can get it to do this over and over if I just keep switching the tremolo on but it fades out and is gone , I had the same problem with a late 50s Gibson combo accordian amp that had four 8 inch gold back speakers years back ( cant remember the model) and never figured it out either . Any ideas will be much appreciated .


I'm not sure why it happens but most of the time I fix this problem by replacing the caps in the tremolo circuit. These caps have to be reasonably true to their marked value and I guess the old ones are prone to drift over the years. You don't need anything fancy since this is not a circuit that couples audio signal. I usually just use those generic yellow film ones or any mylar film from my local electronics store. Modern caps are so much better in materials and tolerance that you don't need anything expensive.

:food-smiley-004:


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## stoptail (Sep 22, 2009)

Hey thanks a bunch Wild Bill , 
I will check my cap values actual compared to their original manufactured rating and go from there .


thanks again for the advice
Stoptail


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## Wild Bill (May 3, 2006)

stoptail said:


> Hey thanks a bunch Wild Bill ,
> I will check my cap values actual compared to their original manufactured rating and go from there .
> 
> 
> ...


I'm not sure if it's just the value, ST. Some old-fashioned coupling caps DO have materials that will deteriorate over decades! This can increase what is known as ESR, or Equivalent Series Resistance. In effect, instead of acting like a pure capacitor the cap becomes a resistor in series with a capacitance.

I've never seen this problem with any amp built from the mid 60's onward, BTW. Amps from the late 50's and early 60's do it all the time!

So simply putting your meter on the caps might not prove anything.

These caps are cheap! It might be faster to change them than to measure them!

It's sorta like measuring the pad left on 50 year old brake shoes. Why bother? You're gonna replace them anyhow!:smile:

:food-smiley-004:


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## stoptail (Sep 22, 2009)

Ok I see what you mean , you got me at brake pads , ( I happen to be a ticketed Auto/Heavy duty mechanic . I will go ahead and change them out . Thanks for the extra info .

Stoptail


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