# Becoming moderately competent at amp repair ... question



## bluehugh2 (Mar 10, 2006)

So this is a question for those of you who consider yourselves competent amp/electronics techs...
I would like to transition out of my job... I’m 63 and don’t have years to become competent in another field... and, I only need a very moderate amount of incoming cash to pay a few bills.
I’m really interested in guitar and amp electronics and love to fix and mod guitars.
I know how to solder, and, as mentioned, love doing guitar electronics/wiring - but have little electronics knowledge.
So... the plan was maybe to study electronics online - since I am fascinated - and to somehow acquire some nuts and bolts tube amp repair skills - in my area it would be primarily mid-level Fender stuff that’s gone down. Are my goals are realistic?...
So questions... where (online) could I acquire a basic knowledge of electronics? Is it realistic to think I could do simple amp repairs within 6 months or so? Where would I acquire those skills? I saw Gerald Weber’s course but saw warnings that he’s a crook and not the guy to learn from, anyway... maybe build and sell a few kit amps? If so who makes killer kits? I’d prefer to do this from home.
Thanks in advance for your ideas and input. I will be acting on your suggestions!!!


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## bluehugh2 (Mar 10, 2006)

And one last question... venting my bench... can I just run a normal stove hood fan outside or do I need something specific? Thanks again!


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

Following with much interest. 

All the best with your studies and setting up a dedicated electronics bench with all the test & measurement equipment, etc.

Purely out of curiosity, do you have an oscilloscope and are you reasonably proficient at using it? 

I have heard good comments about Trinity kits in Brighton, ON.


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## bluehugh2 (Mar 10, 2006)

All I have right now is a soldering station and a multimeter... but I am prepared to invest...


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## Frenchy99 (Oct 15, 2016)

To learn on your own, its a lengthy process...

Been learning on my own for the last 2 years, doing fine with cap jobs and fixing minor issues. Larger problems take me hrs and hrs to figure out. These are my amps so not a problem but if it was a customer, would not be cost efficient.

I have all the videos from Gerald Weber. Only good for beginner's, will not tackle the why`s and were...

If I was seriously looking to make money from this, I would inquire in electronic courses. 

Thats just my opinion from a novice with about 20 or so full cap job and repairs.


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

bluehugh2 said:


> All I have right now is a soldering station and a multimeter... but I am prepared to invest...


I only asked as I had a old scope from an estate sale and enjoyed doing basic (low voltage) electronics experiments with it in combination with a function generator and frequency counter.

I would consider an initial basic project of building a durable resistor circuit to use to drain caps. 

I bought quite a few books and then read, read, read. I preferred the books over the screen...just a personal thing.

IMO building a kit is an excellent idea. I tried to source all the parts for a Champ style amp and became totally frustrated...along with the fact that shipping costs add up in a hurry.

Asking questions here in the GC forum was one of the best and most enjoyable resources.

I built a fume extractor with a foot switch using an old 110 VAC (about 5" x 5") computer fan and a piece of filtering material. To be honest, I often forget to use it.
Did you see these?
soldering fume extractor - Google Search


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## tonewoody (Mar 29, 2017)

Mr Obvious here.... Safety, safety, safety. 
If you haven't already, find a mentor to teach you basic hands on (or hands off....) safety procedures. 

Not much more "pro" amp advice to add, I am more of a 9v DC guy. 
People often recommend the online NASA electronics training materials.


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## DavidP (Mar 7, 2006)

You really need to read this -- IMHO its a classic rite of passage for amp repair; available as a PDF here: https://trinityamps.com/ForumGaller...R-uK8zEQQSpXffu_0pDI-hU6AoKRqkcWZHK9IkoSSWr4s


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## bluehugh2 (Mar 10, 2006)

And read it, I will! Thanks!


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

Being the dummy that I am, this was very helpful to me...

https://www.n5dux.com/ham/files/pdf/Electronics for Dummies.pdf


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## Jimmy_D (Jul 4, 2009)

Hmmm... 3 easy steps to building your own amp (excluding the tools)

1. find up some old text books and start reading
2. watch all this guy's videos uncle doug
3.for Fender amps read this guy's entire site Rob Robinette


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## knight_yyz (Mar 14, 2015)

Thats how JHS got into pedal building. Read a ton of books, learned how to read a schematic. Started modding pedals, then decided t make his own.


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## Jim DaddyO (Mar 20, 2009)

With the high voltages involved in tube amp, wouldn't being moderately competent at it be akin to being moderately competent with explosives?

I admire the sentiment though.


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## RBlakeney (Mar 12, 2017)

i would grab a kit and build one. I have little to no electronics experience And found when you fuck it up, you’ll learn the most.


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

RBlakeney said:


> i would grab a kit and build one. I have little to no electronics experience And found when you fuck it up, you’ll learn the most.


Yes! While also trying to apply electronics theory and schematic reading skills as you are going along. Building an amp by using the "paint by numbers" concept only misses many great opportunities.


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## Lincoln (Jun 2, 2008)

Yup. Uncle Doug Watch his videos on the basics and his repairs. He's very easy to understand, and leaves out the BS.

Read and watch everything you can find on amps and amp repair, guitars and guitar repair.


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## Distortion (Sep 16, 2015)

forget about it at 63. The easy stuff you can fix but those guy's that do it for a living no how to trouble shoot something broke with no visual burns. No how to isolate and use their scopes. You can't f around with someones amp or electronic's for a couple weeks and hand it back to them and say sorry I can't find the problem. You got to hand it back fixed and get paid.


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## knight_yyz (Mar 14, 2015)

Know how.


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## bluehugh2 (Mar 10, 2006)

Thanks guys! Good input.


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

bluehugh2 said:


> Thanks guys! Good input.


As a way of getting started into the hobby to see if it appeals to you, are you thinking of going the direction of building a tube amp from a kit? Just curious as to where you are with all the info and suggestions in this thread.

Please keeps us updated.


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## bluehugh2 (Mar 10, 2006)

I will keep you all in the loop... considering an electronics course, a kit, and absorbing Jack Darr’s book as a starting point...


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

bluehugh2 said:


> I will keep you all in the loop... considering an electronics course, a kit, and absorbing Jack Darr’s book as a starting point...


Thanks and ENJOY!


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## Lincoln (Jun 2, 2008)

This raises a good question. If a person were to go to school right now and do an electronics course, what would they be taught? I'm thinking certainly nothing about tubes and tube amps. The basics of electricity are only going to take you so far. What happens when all the "old guys" are gone? Does anyone know of an amp tech that's under 40? under 50? under 60?
I don't. 

Like the automotive mechanics these days. If a vehicle doesn't have a place where they can plug in a scanner, they are lost. Diagnostic skills? What's that mean? Show them an engine with a carburetor and a distributor, and they are lost. They can't even comprehend how the engine could even be running without a computer controlling everything.


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## keto (May 23, 2006)

bluehugh2 said:


> All I have right now is a soldering station and a multimeter... but I am prepared to invest...


Well, you'll be many many dollars down before you are a dollar up, if your experience is like mine. I built and sold pedals, then figgered I had enough XP to build an amp. Did a couple kits (Trinity), then did a 'parts list' non-kit small build. I have thousands of dollars of pedal parts and hundreds of amp parts downstairs gathering dust.




Distortion said:


> forget about it at 63. The easy stuff you can fix but those guy's that do it for a living no how to trouble shoot something broke with no visual burns. No how to isolate and use their scopes. You can't f around with someones amp or electronic's for a couple weeks and hand it back to them and say sorry I can't find the problem. You got to hand it back fixed and get paid.


At some point, I thought maybe I had enough knowledge to work on a friend's old Traynor. Dug into it, spent a bit of my own dough on parts. Posted pics here and there looking for hints which way to go. Never got it fixed, it went back to him not working, a couple months later. LOL. That ended my dreams in this direction.


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

Pretty sure my amp tech is south of 50 but not 100% sure.

I bet people said the same thing when society transitioned from horse and buggy to cars, except there's way more drivers than tube amp owners.


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## Lincoln (Jun 2, 2008)

@keto speaks the truth. 
There's a huge difference between doing something as a hobby, apposed to actually making any money at it. I've been learning everything I can on tube amps, and building tube amps for over 10 years now. I am still not at the point I would take on a repair job. With the help of the techs here, I am just now starting to be able to trouble shoot and repair the amps I've built. Investment to this point? Probably somewhere between $5K and $10K


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## Michael Baker (Jan 23, 2019)

Mostly I think it really depends on what you feel you can do. I'd purchase one or two "dead" amps from an online dealer like Reverb and see if I could get them to work. Or buy a kit and build it - a "classic" fender tweed Deluxe has a handful of parts. See Robinet's pages on the circuit. Most tube amps have fewer parts than solid-state and are easier to fix. The "Trinity" amp manual, as well as the one from Torres guitars, plus the "Tube Works" online chapters give enough circuit discussion to understand why something in a tube amp doesn't work.
If there is a local shop that sells guitars and amps, see if they might give you some work, initially for free, to help out. Most small/local shops use a list of local techs to works on contract.
Unless you have built several kit or other circuitboard amps - my learning came from Heathkit and SWTPC - modern amps with circuit boards, channel switching, solid-state, are hard to "pick-up." 
I started by doing some free work for a local shop - actually hi-fi work. Because I only charge for labor and parts, I get several referrals a year to do restorations. I enjoy the rebuilding process, profit is not the main thing, and I am happy to help a working musician get a classic amp up and running.
Mind you, I have almost 50 years of working on classic Fender and other US tube amps, with a lot of "oh sh*t" learning moments. The money I make basically keeps me in the loop.
Mike


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## bluehugh2 (Mar 10, 2006)

Thanks Mike! Great ideas and approach! For me it would only be a “business” in quotation marks... as my accountant says: a business with no profit is called a hobby!


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## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)

keto said:


> At some point, I thought maybe I had enough knowledge to work on a friend's old Traynor. Dug into it, spent a bit of my own dough on parts. Posted pics here and there looking for hints which way to go. Never got it fixed, it went back to him not working, a couple months later. LOL. That ended my dreams in this direction.


I did that with my friend's Fender Hotrod Deluxe. I messed around with it, then when I gave up I took it to an amp repair guy, paid him $125 and gave it back to my buddy working. I was out about $150 plus all the driving but my buddy is happy.


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## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)

I have asked a few repair guys over the years how they got into it and suprisingly enough most of them went to university and got their engineering degrees. The guy that fixes my appliances, a few amp guys... mHammer has some degrees but he wandered a bit.


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## loudtubeamps (Feb 2, 2012)

I am self taught, began repairing and modding in the mid 80's, designing and building in the early 2000's.
These are full of useful info...good schematics and tips/tricks..would highly recommend in this order.
Ken Fischer has some valuable input in this edition:
A Desktop Reference of Hip Vintage Guitar Amps: Weber, Gerald: 0073999302257: Books - Amazon.ca









The Tube Amp Book: Pittman, Aspen: 9780879307677: Books - Amazon.ca


The Tube Amp Book: Pittman, Aspen: 9780879307677: Books - Amazon.ca



www.amazon.ca











Dave Funk's Tube Amp Workbook: Complete Guide to Vintage Tube Amplifiers Volume 1 - Fender: Funk, Mr Dave: 9781500115180: Books - Amazon.ca


Dave Funk's Tube Amp Workbook: Complete Guide to Vintage Tube Amplifiers Volume 1 - Fender: Funk, Mr Dave: 9781500115180: Books - Amazon.ca



www.amazon.ca





Never too late to learn...have at it!


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## TBayLefty (Jul 21, 2020)

I'm an electronics tech, tech school in the 90s when they still had repairable boards, 20 years in the business. Nothing, and I mean nothing, can make up for experience in this field. A halfwit with 10 years will outdo the newbie genius every time, especially with amplifier circuits. You really have to start out with understanding the components, and then how they interact to amplify a signal. And when a circuit blows up in your face, which I assure you it will, you will think twice about if this is the game for you.


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## loudtubeamps (Feb 2, 2012)

One of the primary tools you should have on your bench to save time and money is one of these.


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## DaddyDog (Apr 21, 2017)

I've enjoyed listening to the podcast 'Truth about Vintage Amps'. The guy behind Fretboard Journal hosts calls with Skip Simmons, a 60 yr old veteran of amp repair. I highly recommend it. But he often makes this point: he *repairs* amps. He does not design them. He started knowing nothing about electrical engineering.

That may help you in deciding what kind of education to pursue. Enjoy! I'd love to be able to work on the insides of my amps. I bought the Jack Darr book but it's beyond me.


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## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

Didn't some amp builder offer a weekend course where you built an amp of his and got to talk to the builder about how it all worked? That might be as close as you get to an electronics course in tubes nowadays. The tech is so old and the market so small, I imagine it would take a decade to get enough interest to run one course.

I took electronics in the early 80s and they didn't delve into tube tech then - it was something I had to go back to for my own interest. But with the electronic tools I had, at least it wasn't that hard (for the most part, very simple circuits with only a few different components).

If you want to make some money, you may be better off learning to change iPhone screens. No troubleshooting, and once you learn the technique you can repeat it over and over again. Not to mention a fairly sizable market. Just not nearly as fun or interesting.


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