Scratchy Knobs? How To Clean Amplifier Pots with Contact Cleaner Video ✔
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ธ.ค. 2013
- I got an old Yamaha G100-410 100 watt 4x10 guitar amp that had some scratchy pots. I took apart the amp and used contact cleaner to spray the dirt and crud from the pot's. If you don't know "pots" is short for "potentiometer", they are basically the knobs that control volume, bass, treble, distortion, etc. This technique works on pots on guitars or other gear as well.
- วิทยาศาสตร์และเทคโนโลยี
My life changed when I discovered contact cleaner. I thought all my stuff was malfunctioning, but it was just dirty as hell. A couple of squirts and all my pedals, guitars, basses, preamps, compressor, came to life again. It was exciting to actually hear my oldest instruments sounding again as if they were new.
Dude same, I was about to get rid of my 350watt amp head because the volume knob wasn't doing jack shit unless I turned it up more than half way(which will rupture ears with 350watts of sound.) Turns out it was just dirty ass hell.
I had the same experience nice to bring back old gear!
Literally found the same exact amp someone put at the end of their driveway with a sign that said "free, works, pots need to be cleaned" great score for me especially now that I know how to fix it! Thank you
Didn't know Jeff Davis played guitar. Must've learned while held as a POW at Fort Monroe after the Civil War(?).
i fixed my input selector with a quick and easy fix...i took the straw for my canned air and crushed it in a vice. This allowed me the clearance needed to get in those spaces behind the knobs and dials without opening up the unit. I just sprayed it in there while turning the knob a few times. Spray from different angles so you crosss-spray the potentiometer. Good Luck. Worked great for me.
Thank you for this! I am not a tech guy. But following these steps I was able to resurrect my 20 year old SWR workingman combo. I now have a functioning bass amp again. Cheers, man!
This is all well and good, but contact cleaner will also clean off the lubrication, leaving the pots dry and more prone to scratchiness, so unless the contact cleaner also contains lube, it's a short-term fix which will be damaging in the long-term. Important to subsequently spray with an appropriate lubricant, ie. Deoxit F5 or F100.
My choice of cleaner is DeOxit 5. Spray as you did and rotate the shafts 6-7 times. Then spray the pots with a good contact cleaner to flush the gunk the DeOxit just loosend up. Finally use a can of compressed air to blast any residual spray(s). This method never fails for me on amps, guitars, cars, anything that has a pot or rheostat.
And, yep, definitely a mouse nest. Removing that stuff by hand using rubber gloves would be my choice. Then use a Dust Buster with a long nozzle to pull up the mouse crap. THEN soak a paper towel with Lysol germ killing spray and let it soak over the area for about (5) minutes that was the nest to kill whatever was left over from the nest. That's all I got.
I've just got to say that my Fender Eighty Five had this problem, and so I tried this out after watching this video and it sounds WAAAY better. Works like a charm now. Thanks for the great video!
It's a mouse nest! Some mouse spent a cold winter in there, and probably reared some baby mice.
PontifGrinder omg I have never seen such a thing in something like this, what a trip
Those mice would have certainly met their demise had they come into contact with one of those large electrolytic capacitors. Nothing like the smell of fried rat while your jamming.
🧀🐀😄🙂
fried rat!!! That sounds like a hell of a name for a band.@@jrbird7571
Saved up, moved out west just surf n chill to this day..........
One of the VERY best solid state amps out there... was the one that Mike Stern used for many years! Love these amps!
Thank you for this Alex. My rhythm guitarist sent me here because a Fender amp he tried to use had so much scratchiness it needed an overhaul! God bless.
Thank you! Not only I enjoyed the video but also was really useful. I did everything as mentioned and was able to recover the pots on my Digitech RP3 that had been malfunctioning since 2005.
7:27 That first chord instantly transported me way back in time to the days of Floyd. Amp sounds beautiful.
Thanks for the vid. I was able to save a mid-90's Mirage subwoofer that had some scratchy knobs for years but eventually decided they wanted to screech non-stop last week. Subs ought to make bass, but this was midrange and howling. I was able to remove the amplifier from the enclosure and spray the crossover and volume pots with contact cleaner. Works just like new now.
Alex, my trusty pre-CBS Fender Bassman head had terribly noisy and scratchy pots, and I just couldn't afford to have it all redone; besides, I like doing things myself. I watched your video and the next day, I bought some contact cleaner and did the ol' Bassman myself. It sounds great, and I am very grateful to you! Thank you for posting this informative and encouraging video.
And how does it work today. I have an old amp that need some lovin. thins looked like a great idea. But then reading some negative coments on here I got a bit worried. Does your amp still work well?
Can I do the same thing with an old car amp that has knobs and switches (the switches need to be hit for it to work often). Are switches also connected to pots?
I'm so glad I came across your video. I have a yamaha G50 410 as well as a G50 112 of the same kind you have in this video! I thought my 150 was dust from the noise...but I'll try to revive it following your video. These are great warm sounding SS amps! The cleans are awesome.
Just want to say thanks! I bought an old used combo amp on eBay and had no idea how to bring it back to life. Found your video, used some contact cleaner on the pots like you showed and the thing works like new! I had no idea you could do that. Thanks for the tip!
Hey, thanks for the video. I have a 1975 Yamaha G100 412 . I thought the the bass pot was broken or shorted out because the sound would have this loud "crack" and then no sound at all. I contemplated replacing the pot but it was an integrated style of pot and I had never done that style before. So I wired two of the speakers in parallel and the other two in series and used it as a 4 or 16 ohm ext. cabinet. I gotta say I really like the sound of the vintage speakers. Then I saw your video and your Yamaha was doing basically the same thing. Long story short, I cleaned all the pots like you did and wow I now have a great sounding vintage SS amp. The brand I used was MG Chemical "Electrosolve Contact Cleaner"...made in Canada. One suggestion..wear safety glasses...Thanks again.
Thank you so much for this video. I resurrected a couple of very scratchy amps from the early 90’s
Spot on!
Tried this on my Crate amp and all the noise went away. Thanks for the video
Great video. Thx.
Just picked up and D&C'd (Deoxit) a (circa 1960 + or -) Wharfedale super 60
out of a now defunct movie house.
I could not be happier with the final result my friend !
[the mid range and treble knobs where completely glued in never never land]
Thanks for the walk-through, very helpful! I may be paranoid but I hook a meter up and measure and discharge caps before going in the chassis, but I've also been bit before ;)
I'm gonna give it a try. Thanks for posting this clip. I'm a total novice to the guitar world. Bought an acoustic and bass. Wish me well. It's time to pop my guitar cherry
Old video but thanks for the info! Came across an old 80s Roland JC 77 not powering. I took it apart and found the lead power switch, got twisted off by the last user going to the fuse. Apparently they twisted it too much putting a new fuse in, and the outside housing split it off. So it got tossed out! Well I soldered it back, and now the amp is back. But it has a lot of fussy/scratchy pots on it. However the inside was very clean though, and used at a University. Luckily the pots are more accessible than this and no need to take the front off. They are exposed with no circuit board on top.
With the warnings you gave, I plan to unplug it for a weekend, take the fuse out. Then let it sit and then get to work! Thanks again for the walkthrough. I prob would have freaked out the solution dripping on the board! I’ve only fixed mixers with other non spray cleaners for contacts. The Digi002 back in the day was one of those every year power harness cleans.
This will help me with old school CB base station dials. Thanks for posting!
Nice. Didn't think it was that simple. Great video as usual bro!
I would HIGHLY recommend you follow up with an electronics lube!That spray will clean but leave the pot contact surfaces completely dry,and will erode/wear the carbon VERY quickly!
Would using deoxit 5 be fine for overall clean and lube?
@@BRIANACASHMUSIC no, you need deoxit fader lube or something similar
Thanks yeah took it all apart and fixed it with deoxit5 several months go. 😎 Thanks
Deoxit 5 contains lube. The f version contains more of the lube
Thanks, that helped me clean my police/ambulance old scanner! It doesn't blare anymore.👍
Mouse nest!! I had one in my clutch. 1996 Ford F150. Made 4th gear slip.. None in my amp tho.. :-)
Nice vid, yup, a rodent's nest is what that was. I would also recommend testing the pots before completely re-installing them as some times they are too far gone and have to be replaced. One thing, capacitors store energy, not current. Current is how the energy is released.
It's not a Spyder amp so had to be a mouse nest. Informative video, saves paying more than $50 to get it professionally cleaned! This video is timeless! Thanks for sharing!
Great job, man! Good instruction and safety tips about the power board.
Cool Vid. You just saved me an amp. I was about to ditch a vintage 260 watt Peavy Amp head because all of the pots are terrible and I didnt know what to do. Thanks so much for this. Cant wait to get it done.
super ! thx
Worked perfectly on my Marshall amp. Thanks for the video
Great video, really helpful - that nest was gnarly.
Got an old amp off of Ebay for a good price and found noisy pots ....thanks for the great vid .... ROck on
thanks man! really informative, now to go and clean the pots on my Bandit 65...
Thank you for the video. I've used 91% alcohol in the past, but it seems to only work for a few days. Contact cleaner always seemed too strong but from your video I've decided to give it a shot on my 6505.
Nice job, thanks for the vid. Don't forget the safety glasses with the cleaner spraying around...
Thanks for the video. Very clear and helpful. I'll give my amps a try. They both scratch.
thanks. Very useful. I had the same problem on my hi-fi amplifier. I used an electronics contact cleaner with silicon from mg chemicals. great success!
Thanks for this! I was able to fix our old electric organ in about 10seconds after I’d kind of given up on diagnosing it.
Thanks for this, man. Was worried about the hazards of cleaning amps vs cleaning a guitar.
Good job! Sounds amazing after.
As a pro-tech I can tell you, use spray cleaner with no lube to clean it, then follow with Radio shack cleaner with lube for it to last.
I have a old Marshall Lead 12 that the Gain pot needed contact cleaner to remove the annoying crackle-static sound. My amp was bought in 1986 and still sounds great. They don't make them like that anymore.
awesome dude! i did my 2 amps, a GK and an Acoustic and both sound brand new!
the knobs spin like butter. someone with ocd could probably get off sliding them all back and forth between full off and full open with one hand motion. :D
thanks!
Yeah Buddy, thanks for this one. That really helped me out with my old Technics Amp SU-8055. Its a vintage Amp and now it sounds clear and powerfull again;-)
Good video. I was looking for exactly where to spray on or in the pots. Trying to get an old Peavey TKO 65 bass amp that I scored from a local pawn shop working good.
Wow that amp sounds really good! Good repair video!
In a world of over-production and an unlimited supply of underrated gear, 1st generation Yamaha amps are absolutely #1 on my list for getting ten times more than you pay for. It's saving grace is that only a few 'well known' players used them back in the day thus they're off the radar of the mindless, following hordes of gear buyers who would otherwise drive their price through the roof so thank god SRV didn't play on one but seriously, as an objectively assessed piece of kit, these are as good as any amp you're going to buy in any price range. Over the years I've acquired 3 so I'm kinda stuffed to the gills on them but this will make someone happy.
great video. you explained things so well. can't believe that bird nest you have. that's just crazy. many thanks for your very informative video...youre the best...bob
Very helpful really appreciate the post. Very effective way to access and clean pots. Nice to see how amp disassembles. I tried on my ‘80s Peavy Session 500 and it worked great.
Also just working the knobs back and forth 100x helps. Nice vid bro.
Good video. Thanks I have to this to my early 90s uk made laney bass amp. Thanks
Alex! You are awesome! I tinker with many things I now have a Peavey 600B I use for my daughter's guitar and some Karaoke/party music. I got it for some computer parts anyway the thing was buzzing loudly when i got it. I paid someone $60.00 and a few trips but got it working beautifly. Well the buzzing started again so I am going to try as you did in the video. Thank you for posting!
when I clean my pots I lay the amp on it's back,remove all the knobs and squirt the cleaner on the spindle ,it runs down the spindle. into the pot ,put knobs back on an d twist them a few times,it works try it, saves a lot of time Roy
Really very helpful, thanks for posting.
Wow! a very detailed explanation video I like it !
Great video. Thanks. One can drain the remaining voltage from the transformer and capacitors. I recommend it.
Just bought a 1980's Peavey Bandit 65 for £20 !..Pots need cleaning..thanx for the help! :)
2020 here, thanks a lot, i dot the same process, it work very well, big hugs from Colombia
THANK YOU. I want to take the solder off etc. one day but I really really needed to know how to make a significant difference without disassembing the board and pots!! I have an old Marshall Studio 15 dual tube amp. A misunderstood little thing of actual super-rareness. I'd part with it for $400 as is clean working w/diry pots to get a ham radio hehe...anyway thank you
Thanks for your expertise!
Excellent tutorial! Thank you!
Thanks for the tutorial, been meaning to clean mine for aaaaages!
Nicely done! Thank you!
Need some help! Watched your video and felt confident enough to get my old combo amp apart and clean the pots and inputs etc. I had to work the black plastic knobs away from the metal "posts" (I don't know what to call them) with a screwdriver. This went fairly well except when I got to my Clipping knob, the metal post came out of the amp along with the black plastic knob. I think if I can get that metal piece out of the plastic knob and back in the amp, I can fix this. Any advice on getting the metal piece out of the plastic knob without breaking the knob to bits?
many thanks , I have a g100-2121ii that needs the same treatment
Dude, you are the Man! Much appreciated!
That doesn’t surprise me , on my old car air cleaner I had carb issues till I look into it .. bird nest was harping my performance. I clean it up and turned top of air cleaner upside down , issue fix . Good vid 🤘
Very good video. I have a bassman ten, old good fender amp. Good to know how to clean. Thanks
Tips:
- don't spill contact cleaner on vulnerable surfaces, so better put a cloth under it.
- most contact cleaners should be flushed after some time, to get rid of the acid which can damage anything in the long run.
- after flushing the contact cleaner a special contact lubricant should be used to prevent fast wear.
I you don't do this the crackling will return soon.
Some 3-in-1 contact cleaners have less agressive/effective oxide-removing effect but are (more) safe to use without flushing.
thanks for this, really easy and simple
Great video......Just discovered it and I scored because I have a Yamaha Fifty-112 that was in storage and the design is identical. No huge mouse nests like this one though. Yikes. Thank you!!!!
I know this is an old video but that is one of THE BEST clean sounding amps every made. The reverb and trem are great. I've tried the later, prettier versions and they do not sound as good. Even the one that Mike Stern uses doesn't sound as good as what you have right there.
just got on fixing my OLD Crate Take TX30 (USAWOOD) The knobs (pods?) scratch bad...I'll try doing what you so graciously offered in your GREAT video. I'm mrbumusician. Thanks
Cool video. Thanks!
Thanks man, you saved me a lot of money.
Hey Alex, I just saw some other videos showing how to do this. The contact cleaner with lubricant was recommended in those. Just an idea.
I have purchased a vintage ( 1960,s) Regentone record player, with a Collaro. Turntable,One of the potentiometers ‘ I think it’s the tone ,is not working,but I can’t see any markings on it! Are they almost the same value? What would I have to purchase to replace it,the other two are “scratchy” but I’ll try cleaning them with contact spray.Any advise would be appreciated,Not much chance of getting a spare off eBay,I’ve tried.Thanks
I like your style, man! good job anyway!
hi how are you? how'd you like that contact cleaner you use? do you recommend it? thanks! hoping for your feedback!
My pastor keeps suggesting possibly changing out a pot on his Roland JC77. I'm comfortable with changing one out, but I absolutely want to try this first before I do further depth work on gear that doesn't belong to me.
Great vid, thanks.
Thanks Sir, this has been most helpful
excellent video. that contact cleaner is my next purchase
Great info.
Haha, cleaned the pots but gave you heaps of feedback! Man that was bug city living right there.
Cool vid vato thanks for sharing
I just did an old cheap clockrbdio I've had for 20 years with WD40 and it worked fine, but for gear like amps, etc, use the right stuff!
That fuzzy stuff in the amp is a mouse nest. Mice can squeeze into tight places that seem physically impossible to fit through . They will also chew wires and can cause damage to electronics
Thanks for demo Bro..
Hey man. Pretty cool. I just bought a used Mesa Boogie DC-5. I wanna to open her up and give good cleaning. So, holding the power sections from the bottom of the board is ok? Just not the inside parts.
Also, Would you not be worried about getting that cleaner all over the circuit board and tolex? I don't want to mess anything up.
Thanks!
Very informative thank you👍
My first amp was an old Yamaha B212 hundred. It had the same cosmetics as this one. It had a killer clean sound but the distortion was a bit shitty. And yes all it's pots cracled and popped like rice crispies!
Kontakt 60, then Kontakt WL/IPA to wash away the contact cleaner that will eat you contacts and finsh wit a bit of kontakt 61 for lubrication and protection. The best way is to open it and clean it, but some pots are difficult to open, ultrasonic clean is alright to.
Contact cleaner is a mess it eats your contacts and circuit boards, a good all in one solution is Tuner 600.
thanks buddy. very helpful.
Thanks for the great video! Nice mouse nest. LOL.
Thanx man, now I know how to fix my SWR
Finding this vid was a happy accident. I have the Yamaha Hundred115, which is really similar to yours, only with one 15" speaker -- the head looks identical (minus the rodent nest). The volume pot is totally shot. I thought it was too far gone and would have to be replaced but yours sounded kinda the same too, so I'll be giving this a shot.
Yamaha makes some of the best music equipment and also mouse nests.