used fender tube amps
Do I need to discharge caps in a solid state guitar amp?
I have a Fender Stage 160 that has reverb that doesn’t work. I am used to working on old tube amps, and I always discharge the caps first. This one belongs to a friend of mine and he asked to get the reverb working again – if I can – so do I need to discharge the caps in a solid state guitar amp to safely work on it? Is there a procedure? All the connections are on the back side of the board.
Sorry about the avatar – I usually ask questions in the politics section.
The main capacitors in that amp have +/- 45 volts on them, which is enough to give you a nip under the right conditions. One little slip and you’ll be replacing parts that weren’t originally bad. You’ll want the amp powered up while signal tracing, and off with the caps discharged if you are unsoldering or removing anything on the circuit board. Check the reverb pan first. I’ve seen many with broken or disconnected springs. Also check for continuity on the drive and pickup coils. I’ve included a few links to the schematic below.
Don
Blue For You – SUNNYROSE – FENDER Telecaster Guitar Tube Amp Sound Santana
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