REPAIR & MOD of a RARE 1966 VOX Berkeley Super Reverb Twin V8 VALVE AMP!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 30 ก.ย. 2024
- In this video, we'll repair what might be the CLEANEST vintage valve amp I've ever had on my bench. This is a 1966 Vox Berkeley Super Reverb, which is a rare Thomas Organ built TUBE AMP! Vox amps made by Thomas Organ in California USA are more associated with the later Solid State offerings like the Super Beatle, but this one, which was made for about one year, had EL84 output tubes was based on the valve AC-15 by JMI in Britain. It is the brother to the Cambridge, which was the combo version of this amp head. We will track down some issues with the amp, including possible live high voltage on the input and a broken Gibbs reverb tank. We'll also look at one fast, EASY MOD which will give the player an option of having a stock circuit or a GAIN BOOST! I'll show exactly where to place the mod by walking it through with a schematic. At the end of the video, we'll demonstrate is with my new Zio Brad Linzy Signature Model Meteorite!
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Also special thanks to VoxShowroom.com and Duncan's Tone Stack Calculator!
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Thanks!
No sir, thank YOU! I sure appreciate the support.
@@TheGuitologist 0
I learned something about reverb tanks in this video! If you dug the demo portion and want your own Zio Brad Linzy Signature Model Meteorite, you can order one here:
www.zioguitars.com/shop/brad-linzy-the-guitologist-signature-meteorite
I did too! You and UD have WAY more patience than I would in that situation,lol. I’d have ordered an MOD tank and been done with it! 😂
I’ve done the Pathfinder 10 Mod changing the red LEDs to different colors (different forward voltage) and taking out C12. Once you take out C12 is gives it a significant volume increase like you got with this one. Keep the repair videos coming sir.👍🏽
Sweet. I might try that if I get one of those.
I used to have a Pathfinder 15R and gave it to a girlfriend (ex) like an idiot. Those are cool little amps
Man, that amp sounds awesome, and so does your signiture guitar! You aren't a half-bad player either, I really enjoy hearing you play. Most people I usually don't want to hear them play, but I look forward to your playing!
That's really kind of you to say. Thanks for watching!
I'm still thinking about your endorsement model guitar. I've told several people about the PRails and 3 way switch pickup rings.
On your bench.... it says: "arrest Fauci". ( Yeah, that would be nice. Along with all the rest of them who are involved. )
New here. Subscribed and shared this to my tube amp group and your Sovtek Big Muff video to my pedal group. I'm not an electrician but I love amps and other guitar equipment and this is an absolutely intriguing, informative, and fun channel. Also, I appreciate your playing. If this was my amp and I saw this video while waiting its return I would be thrilled!
Wow, that amp really has come alive after you worked on it, Brad, it's a sweet-sounding amp.
Wow, Brad. Thanks for the show with your new signature guitar. It looks good on you. That gain boost sounds fantastic. Nice work!!
Thank you, Chris. I really dig everything about this guitar. I'm in love.
@@TheGuitologist it sounds absolutely amazing. Pretty versatile guitar with all the pickup variations.
It really sounded great through that Vox.
There is more dust on my wife,,,, and she has been locked in a cupboard for 3 years....
I can't even put my finger on the tone. Sometimes it seems Marshally sometimes Fendery. Love your new guitar dude. Pretty jealous. It's so cool!
Glad you like it! I sure do.
Sweet sounding amp. Great restoration video ss per usual Brad. Good to see you pounding the new guitar. , and getting some "achilles last heel" and "physical graffiti tones"
Hey Brad! Hope you're doing great! As I commented before, I Had the AC-50 for years, used to play bass on it (huge speaker!). I traded it for my actual amp, an 'acoustic' wood combo (the 165 tube/fet combo), which I use since 1988... These old Vox's are sweet sounding!
WOWZERS brad, you are tapping into whole bag of tones,,never before
known to earthlings, with that amp and your new instrument its so
versatile you must do a full demo video just comparing the pick up
selections, that said ,,your effort and diligence on the amp and reverb
tank is way above and beyond !!there should be more souls with that
duty of care,,and the owner has an awesome bit of kit now too,
loved the whole show ! 👍👍😎
Yeah, my sig guitar brings the versatility, for sure. And if I had it to do over, I could fix that tank now that I know exactly how it was constructed.
Brad that guitar is SEXY! I love it! I was thinking my Vox that melted down was like this one but I was big-time mistaken. Great video Brad! Thanks Brother!
Back in the 70's I repaired a lot of reverb tanks. In those days , it was possible to buy the transformers for replacement and I replaced many of them. One other problem was that the wires coming from the transformers would break from transporting the amps. Some of those, I was able to re-attach. When replacing or after fixing I added a dab of silicone sealant to the transformers to stabilize the wires going into the transformer. This provided strain relief and I never had to repair that reverb tank again.
Whole Lotta Love was recorded with a Super Beetle I’m pretty sure. This valve suer reverb twin is a gem ,tho!
Pretty sure that was a UL730 actually!
That's right! Page did use a Super Beatle solid state amp! Not sure which tracks he used it on.
@@TheGuitologist There's pictures of the Vox head sitting on top of the Rickenbacker transonic amp speaker cabinets, btw, Brad have you ever work on those Rickenbacker Transonic Amps?
I always thought that Jimmy Page used a Supro amp on all the tracks on Led Zeppelin I
@@simonkormendy849 Most of 2 was written on the road and he wound up using the vox because it just happened to be available. Page started using Marshall’s shortly thereafter because parts were more readily available and they were easier to repair. He said he recorded Whole Lotta with the vox and Heartbreaker might’ve been a Marshall.
What a nice piece of history! Wonderful amp - thanks for sharing this with us.
The 3.3 Meg resistors with lowish capacitance are the series "Dry" bypass for the reverb which functions in parallel to the reverb circuit. You will find reverb send before that resistor and reverb return after that resistor. The puny capacitance is there to get back the treble loss you have on the dry signal when dealing with high resistor values which build a HPF with the capacitance of the following stage.
Sorry if you have coverd that in the video, im just half way through here.
As for switches like that i would always try to either modify the NFB by adding some low end or - what also works great is to modify the cathode bypass cap value of the first stage all channels have in common. This way you can modify bassresponse aswell. Brightness should not be a problem with all these amps :)
Great vid!
Jesus German Shepherd SHIT that thing is incredible! Outstanding work and Outstanding playing as well Brad, Thanks for posting dude, this one is a real tone boner.
That guitar is legit! Sounds wonderful!
Funny story I had a vox I think thirty watt and a guy wanted badly to buy it from me I told him I had occasional problem and the day he came over to buy I was playing my buddies 12 string thru it sounded great and he checked it out said it was great don’t think he had it two weeks before it died
If there was ever a guitar perfect for you, this is it!
Fukingruvin!!!
Yep! All those tones in ONE guitar. Seriously, a guy who does amp demos for a living needs a guitar exactly like this one.
That gain boost sounds great. It was like an instant Ritchie Blackmore tone.
Definitely shocked it to life, didn't it!
The Zio Meteorite is killer! The amp sounds great too.
The Telegram guy is a scammer. Pretending to be Brad.
i love you why? you got it. i love tubes amps. i love ever one of them. thanks!!!
in high school circa 1980, we had something like this in our band room. the head was the same shape, and it had a huge cabinet. it was a great amp. it looked kind of geeky, but after playing through it, we (all guitarists in stage band/jazz lab) were impressed.
That was probably a Vox Super Beatle
3 years at a big name shop for a cap can, a bad jack and a cleaning. Hmmmmmm.
I would turn the switch into an Ab-Normal switch. 🙂
Born in April '66... wish I was still in this good a shape.
Thats 480 degrees C . Maie it a Foot Switch Mod . Love this vid, takes me away from my Mark 2C+ Colosseum monstrosity . But its fun and i got it cheap 🤘😀🤘
Yep. My bad. 480F isn't that hot, is it.
the death cap bleeds RFI to ground and stops hum
if you wire in a permanent 3 prong and eliminate polarity switch you should leave it
and give the user a lecture on line voltage polarity and sell him a polarity tester theyre on ebay for 10 bux
musicians play in rigged up bars etc they need to check the outlets to prevent a SHOCKING PERFORMANCE
The fact that it now has a ground attached on the plug should eliminate all issues, provided the wiring is up to code in the venue. These days, that's a near certainty. A commercial building stands a pretty good chance of being up to code unless it's just in a speakeasy in a total slum. Maybe the lecture should be about not playing venues in slums. ;)
Zio kinda nailed the Brad guitar.......seems to match his personality 👏
Hope all is well. another awesome video from the amp repair wizard. Thank you
Definitely wouldn’t put an NFB in a vox amp.
One thing I will say is that on the voxshowroom page, if you turn off javascript you can download the images like normal. Like idk man thanks for the information but why can't I just download a jpeg of a vox tone bender man come on
That's what screen shots are for.
I’ll have one of these sweethearts if it kills me.
How do you keep from breaking your right hand fingernails when you work on this stuff.😊
They break often
Sweet video Brad. Love me some Vox tones.
I don't think I would have the "best" educated guess to suggest the best use of the switch,
but I'll review the vid again and tell you what I would use it for, okay.
That being said, I think that amp is beautiful. So clean/pristine.
Unbelievable indeed! What a jewel that is... Incredible shape.
Looks aside, sounds just as good! 👍
Gotta love the SD triple shot p'up rings.. I've had a set on my '04 Korean made Epi Dot Deluxe for some time now, paired up with some SD Pearly Gates.. A match made in heaven! I should seriously reconsider trying those P-rails sometime though.. Those sound phenomenal! 😎 Great video and good to see some amps back on the bench. ✌️
Or…you could just order my Signature model! ;)
What a find. So glad you were able to bring it back so it can enjoy a long and useful life!
I have a Marshall JTM30 combo amp with the matching 1x12 cabinet that is basically brand new. It is 20 years younger than that VOX though. The tubes are stock and test as new on a tester. I bought it from a women at our church, whose husband bought it brand new and never learned to play. He kept it in case he decided to try later in life, but died several years later. It was put in a closet in their home for over 30 years, still in the original boxes. I sent photos/info to Marshall, & they offered to buy it for their museum. I said no, but they told me if I ever decided to sell to give them a shot at it.
The jtm30 isn't exactly a vintage amp that's hard to find today. Marshall made them from 1997-2003 at least when they changed the jtm60 to the jcm600 head, which I have one and have seen a couple show up on Craigslist locally. The jtm30 is a cool amp, don't get me wrong but Marshall wanting to buy yours just sound weird since they already have jtm30 combo in the Marshall museum.
Mmmm...
Love that third input...
I think that, after all these years, it's the first time i've seen you playing with a pick!
Vintage sucks new all the way
I watched the video a couple of times. Did I miss how to hook up the switch for the mod?
I did not show that in detail. use the existing switch, which is a straight single pole, single throw switch, and place it in the bypass line for that section of the circuit.
Whew that thing sounds great! Brad, how did you develop your really staccato style of playing?
Did a lot of acoustic fingerpicking stuff in high school. Developed carpel tunnel in my wrist later on and that affected my picking some. Hard to say how or why you play like you do. Fun to think about though.
Ps...its really cool watching you work on this Vox head. And I know very little about anything technical, but I am really surprised to see a Vox product built in the U.S. Glad to see you isolate and kill that buzz (you buzz-killer!) because that was making me crazy! My first guitar player back in High School (1968) had a Vox Buckingham combo, and it was the envy of every kid we knew. Also it darn near took our arms off to pick it up. That guy sacked me out if my own band for not playing an instrument..in my next band I played circles around him on guitar and he became the sound man in that band. That was well over 55 years ago and he hates me to this day. He went in to form a company that did calibration contracting for Texas Instruments. You cant make this stuff up. Or if you can you got a better imagination than I have.
Well you cured what was ailing it ... Nice fix you and your fancy signature guitar 😂😅🤣 Thx for sharing Brad ...
Diggin the sig! heck yeah.
Oh my gosh! You end up bringing in a microscope for repairing the reverb tank!!!! You're my kind of electronic tech!!
I got hold of one of those Ex-Hammond reverb tanks with the piggy-back board a couple of years ago and turned it into a stand-alone reverb. Had to add an extra gain stage on the input as it expects to see a higher signal level from an organ than that produced by a guitar
As far as the switch goes, I'd add a top boost/treble booster switch to it personally to make it even more vox like.
i have seen but 1in 30 years, pretty rare, Thomas made pretty good quality .....looks new ........
I don't know enough about amps to suggest a switch option... But I am commenting for the google overlords. Great video!
Awesome to see it get all tweaked up ..... love the mask sign .
A 1965 Vox Berkeley Super Reverb with a Brad Linzy mod . Could be the beginning of a trend here . Great video .
Everyone with this amp or the Vox Cambridge equivalent should definitely do this mod.
And then you come up witb a replacement from the proper era!!! Oh no!!!! Buy this man a drink!!
Brilliant, completely brilliant.
I'm shocked at how much tasty gain was hidden away by that little R/C filter network. The manufacturers still thought distortion was a bad thing back then.
I'd probably do the switchable NFB. Can't go wrong with that mod.
Def was my first thought. In this case, it had no NFB from factory, so any NFB mod would be cleaning the amp up instead of adding overdrive like I'd hoped.
Most amps from that era have at least burns from cigs, or dirt jeez my 60s amp are clean, but that looks new. I just built a vox clone with el84 tubes with super expensive transformer I got from a fisher amp. It has that brit grit.
Disconnect the switch, and leave well enough alone. DO NOT GILD THE LILY. NO BELLS AND WHISTLES!!!
I’d label that switch you removed either “mystery switch” or “void mode” and have it not hooked up to anything lol
What mind of guitar is that? It looks like a Hagstrom. Good save on the reverb!!
For the algorithm!
Took a used original blues jr. to my "amp guy " just yesterday. With Brad in mind I asked if ever thought about filming his shop, he actual Luthier, for youtube channel?....... got the immediate " fuck that shit"........ lol.....he old, tired, beat up and grumpy like me! He has great mad scientist shop though!
Maybe it's fewer views 'cause you aren't posting these repair vids as often as before (?)
Also there's a few more techs online... back 'when' it wuz only you, Uncle Doug and Terry...
Hope you're well... Cheerios (but not the cereal)
I have a mint condition 1964/65 Fender blackface vibro champ that I'll be interested in doing some Trading it's appraised at $5,000
Love the older Vox Valvetronix hybrids Amps with the 12Ax7 Tubes in them..absolutely incredible I have a 2007 and 2009 never part with them..
All the pots and jacks are trash on them and they tend to hiss a lot, but that amp was my first decent sounding amp.
That new Zio sounds so friggin good dood. Well worth watching til the end.
Yeah baby! The sig sounds sick.
My understanding is that this particular amplifier best represents what a PAF sounds like
How hard was it for you to give back that amp? That thing sounds great. BTW, nice guitar.
it's likely the reverb tank transducer has oxidized inside around the output wire, so the signal doesnt pass anymore. had the same happen to a reverb tank of mine from the 70s, not fixable with my current skills. you'd have to solder the thin enamel wire to your out/input wires and hope they dont break, or rewind the coil entirely if it does.
Isnt that gain boost mod all the evh plexi "jose mod" all that really was? everyone said it was just a "stock" marshall plexi which it kinda is but by just by passing that little cirquit the same "gain boost" mod Brad did is all the "jose mod" really was?
I'd want the switch to be a midrange boost.
Basically it now boosts ALL frequencies.
Caught your confessional, did you then pull it? Maybe I don’t know where to look, do what is best for you, Brad, but I bet I can speak for your long time subscribers, we value your contribution to our lives, i for one always wish the best for you, and although I disagree with some of your other takes on things, I applaud your willingness to say what’s on your mind, defend and discuss it. Don’t let the crazies get you down.🙂
Hope the hydrodynamic fluvial capacitor was biased with the stator magneto. If not the flux apex relay will have a pressure variant that can’t be welded. Going to have to align the deflector AC relay coil.
I have a 1966 Vox Essex. Thomas Organ as well. Great find
Dude, that's a head that should be cloned! And with your mod! The only tweaks I would make is maybe a little more bite and sizzle on the boost to cut through the mix and the tremolo didn't grab me, maybe it was the settings. Also reverse the control panel to the front. What were they smokin' back then?
I have this same amp and getting crazy hum only when I turn the reverb volume knob up and it gets louder the more I turn. I have replaced most of the capacitors and some crazy drifting resistors. New tubes and the reverb tank checks out fine. Any other ideas? Also I have toe same exact varian but how did you get the meter on top? What all does it show and do you have any idea where I can get that and was it hard to install if you did it yourself which I assume you did. Thanks man. Also that other fuckhead who's talking shit on you well I sent him a not so fukkin nice message, surely hope its the right dude who I heard mouthing you off in his vids and there's not more than one. Keep rocking man also we need shit post Fridays but hell shit posts everyday in this world now under these idiots. I surely hope someone good in any party comes forward and runs that is sensible. I had to leave my party it got way to crazy and I'm an independent now but still hoping we can get some unity and start having these parties work together as we look like assholes all over the world! Great vids as always brad!
Interesting but i got a question can you play an amp head normal bed volume in any way in the future i decided to buy an used marshall head but dont know is worth it a already made my family crazy with my digital amp 😅😂
Big fan from Bosnia and Hercegovina
Yup was a bumper
Seriously and I've always told you this how is it that you can't make it as ripping guitar player is beyond me.
I vote the switch to be a switchable electric shock for the guitar players fingers.
The Telegram guy is a scammer. Pretending to be Brad.
Ok, so now he’s acting as Fivewatt.
Awesome Brad
nice amp, nice job sorting it!
Brad! I recently worked on one of these here in central Oklahoma. Killer amp!!!
I have never come across any of those that did not zap me. I know where there is a bunch of those that need fixing.
Vox amps are great amps and I'm lucky to own a vintage 1960s AC30 that I bought for £400 in 1990 and its a fantastic sounding amp! It's been serviced 3 times since I've owned it as I gigged with it for years but it's so heavy to lump around now! Last service was 2 years ago and it needed lots of work including a re cone of the speakers! It's in my living room now mostly as decoration and plug in now and then because they sound so much better loud! I've never seen that model ever and didn't even know it existed.
What a great score! Yeah, if you live in a typical British house, cranking an amp like that to the sweet spot requires the approval of neighbors.
I got one question' why do you always say "this thing" can you say look at this sexy amp or check out this spider 🕷 pusher' ect'😆
Brad, I have a Superman hat to go with your shirt that you are wearing. How can I send it to you.
Rudy from Tennessee
I wouldn't wanna send it back . Great tone in that head . I wonder what a tube screamer would do to it ? Thanks for all your videos I learn alot from them cheers 👍👍👍
I see now that this all happened a while back. I still want to send you $20.
Where's your whammy bar ? Need that whammy man🎸NICE Guitar.
That is a sweet sounding amp, excellent vid
Is the VOX USA located in what became Sound City Studios?
Damn that thing sounds WOW!!! Like, Holy Shit Wow!
brite switch
These amps don’t sound anything like an AC model at all. Totally American tone down to the bone!
Man, that guitar is out of this world!