Having a friend gift me this amp back in March was a once in a lifetime event that I will not forget but finding Colleen, who has the passion and skill to breathe life back into what might otherwise be a cool old doorstop, is equally special. I am very grateful to have had the pleasure. She is a rock star.
Alan- thank you for taking the time to write such a nice comment. It was a pleasure meeting you, and bringing this amp back to life was such a rare and exciting opportunity! Enjoy :)
if you can keep this in a case or at least a cover and protect from humidity and such will preserve this pristine condition for decades to come.. this one may be museum bound, no kidding... the speaker bolt heads... back when manufacturing and craftsmanship had pride at all levels, dressed bolt heads, now that's pride! beautiful amp BTW, you're lucky to have an example in such pristine condition, not only looks fantastic but sounds fantastic as well, I'll say you have some friend with confidence... man .. props on ya both! and the tech!
Such a nice back and forth. We get a little history on the amp… And get to watch the service. Then we get to see correspondence between the owner and tech. Such a wonderful amp and video. Well done to both of you. Good stuff.🎸👍🥃😊 Edit… Love the amp but that is the ugliest layout I’ve ever seen in an amplifier. Obviously it’s early amplifier technology… But good god that’s a jungle inside the chassis.🙄🤨🤣👍
Beautiful old EH-185, Colleen......you did an excellent job with both the repair and the video. I'm glad to see your subscriber count is rising faster than gas prices :)
That is undoubtedly the cleanest EH-185 on the planet. That 80 year old amp literally looks better than many 5 year old amps do. I was hoping you’d pull an Uncle Doug and hide the new electrolytics inside the old cardboard originals. You still did a nice clean job.
y'know, that schtick needs to go away: fetishizing old just cuz old encourages valuing functional objects for nostalgia stupid reasons. (& it introduces a possibility for error & makes visual inspections for leaks impossible).
Yeah might as well replace every component and tear off the tweed covering & install new Tolex. Let’s also trash the old speaker and put in a brand new one. Old stuff sucks. Actually let’s re-house the chassis in a NEW apple crate. We don’t want people to “fetishize”over something that’s an 80 year old museum piece since you seem to think people jack off on minty vintage amps. I hope you play a solid state crate and not an old tube amp- otherwise someone might fetishize all over it, and then you’d have to pay some tech to chisel the dried up jizz off of it. Might as well burn down your house while you’re at it- someone might admire it from afar, or even in a RUclips comment section and you definitely wouldn’t want that. You can then build yourself a new ugly cinder block house that won’t be fetishized over. And if someone does happen to “fetishize” on it you can just spray it off with a garden hose.
Beautiful amp! That's covered with a linen tweed luggage fabric with a clear lacquer coating. Tolex is a cloth-backed vinyl that came a few years later.
Way COOL ! I grew up in Kalamzoo Michigan. I lived 4 streets away from the Gibson factory in Kalamzoo. Every time I saw a historical piece from the factory it makes me proud to have been there in the heyday of the Gibson Guitar empire. Watching you restore a part of history is breath taking. YOU GO GIRL.
Hello, I love you ... I'm just a stranger on the internet but your energy strikes me to the core... and an amp tech? Wow!... anyways that is all, have a beautiful day!
After living in Toronto for a decade, I always notice hands that are used for more than lifting Starbucks cups and swiping right. Great hands. Take good care of them, and keep the content coming. Being inspired by your vids, I was able to repair an old Ampeg bass amp already (it was hardly broken), and now I've got a fantastic Electrohome P2-4526 radio to bring back to life. It hasn't been powered in a few decades, but last known it wasn't working. I'll at least try to make sure it doesn't release the magic smoke when I plug it in for the first time. I need to learn more about testing components and tubes (without a tube tester).
It's uncommon but really nice to see women doing this type of work. I love to see old pieces coming back to life by the hands of skilled people. And OMG! Your voice is so relaxing! 🙂 Already subscribed!
I enjoyed watching your direct diagnostics of the problem with out the rants and raves that other electronic techs do on there channels. Great Job, Looking for more vids from you.
Hello Martin,. It's good to see new techs to this old technology stuff... fault finding is indeed a skill that takes many year to perfect...the only time my trusty scope is in use it to do final checks on signal traces.. ather 30 plus yrs in audio, tv repairs .. I'd say good luck with her journey.
@@waynewayne3709 Because of our declining education system in this country, fewer and fewer youngsters are being introduced into mechanical training and finding their aptitude for skills.. We can look for a crises in our country with fewer people to maintain the infrastructure. (planes, trucks, trains buildings, and bridges.) College is no longer an investment to learning a vocation one can get a job and earn a good living. You can watch the future and see what I am saying, come true. God help us.
Man, you're telling me. One of the latest vids at one channel was directly about how pissed off he got over a non-issue. Smh. That guy needs a chill pill. Big time. Personally, I don't see why anyone would even want to publish a vid that ends up only making themselves look like a dufus.
Don’t fetishize it Matthew! Old amps are not to be admired. :) You might get scolded by the know it all who informed me he thinks people have sexual relations with vintage amplifiers.
My kid and I are restoring an old family heirloom 1964 Fisher 500C. A lot of this is similar though and we love watching these videos of yours, they’re informative and inspiring!
This amplifier is in a very good aspect, considering the age. I'm surprised to see a dynamic speaker on it. It needs a DC source to create the fixed magnetic field. My grandfather had a Brunswick radio made at 20's that used this type of speaker,. The sound after the repair is amazing. Very nice amp and a good repair job! Congrats!
had my guy totally redo a 1938 Ric M12 this reminds me of that. I know nothing but he knows it all. Appreciate maintaining originllity Did upgrade to a grounded plug though
Very Nice playing Connie ,I have a 1948 Gibson Br9 all original ,it works but going to service it soon ,That amp is alot nicer than mine I would love to have it ,have to look around ,nice repair !!!
I just realized what a geek I am watching her change the caps in this amp all anxious to hear what this amp sounds like after all the work was completed LOL.
Wow; those are rare! Charlie Christian used one after his EH-150. I have a 1940 EH-150 that looks as good as that one; with typed instruction manual. 😉 Cabinets by Geib, which was also a case manufacturer that made the matching tweed cases for the EH-150 lapsteels and ES-150 guitars (I own those too). They are so nicely made. Love your repair work; it’s flawless.
Interesting on Geib....is the covering a woven fabric like luggage linen or textured printed paper type with a thin fabric backing?...I'll never get a chance to see one of these close up!
@@vayabroder729 Much appreciate the reply!😎....I'm looking at doing some retro cabinets and trying to find out all I can!.....some like the old Premiers seem to have a thin covering like bookbinders cloth...this looked so glossy I was wondering if it was actual weave....you have some classy equipment!
@@robbergin9586 thank you sir; I’ve been playing and wheeling and dealing for over 40 years. The hardest part is making justice to your equipment with your playing.
I fully understand the art of preservation of the blue moulded caps such as on the fenders. However anything that old with old paper caps personally i would replace them all leaking or not. Any left in the circuit are just a ticking time bomb in my opinion. I have actually gutted them before and hidden new caps inside the old casings for picky customers. Very time consuming. Also as you probably know the high value resistors tend to drift alot with age as well. I would check all there values. Every amp has a different approach. That one is a fine piece. You did a very good job here BTW. Just my observations
Wow is pretty much all I can think of!! Just discovered your videos and been watching for hours now! You are Awesome Collen! Thanks for sharing these great videos! You make the old broken down amps sound amazing again! Can not believe the Speaker still works and is still intact on this one! Hard to believe how such an old amp as this one sounds so sweet after repairs! Very cool! I am learning a lot from these videos. Very nice guitar playing also Collen!
Look at that condition! The control panel looks brand new, the hardware is gorgeous & even the leaky caps have an abstract beauty to them. Thanks for sharing! 🤘🏼
Great sound to that thing! I love seeing skilled repairs, saving things from the trash heap and breathing new life into otherwise perfectly usable equipment. I'm so happy I found this channel.
Near the end with the sound of this 80 yr old amp, you were channeling Hendrix! What a Great restore. Love your playing, too. Why not show you in the shots of testing so we can all see you playing? Thanks again! What a beautiful amp. Organic sound reminds me of some 60s Rock band sounds. Love your videos and how you break down your repair methods. 👍😊
That's a very sweet sounding amp. Would be perfect for jazz. I appreciate you showing this video. I find those tightly-packed and closely-wired amps to be intimidating. Thanks for showing how it is done.
Interesting how the layout design amounted to using the tube socket lugs as the only anchor points for all other components. Almost like the original assembly worker just connected everything per a schematic then shoved everything in the chassis. It seems amazing it lived for 81 years without incurring a massive, potential lethal short somewhere. Very methodical, logical work.
And I guarantee it was done by a woman, as women were thought to not only have more dexterity when doing this kind of intricate work... but it was thought women also had more patience. That's why the tag in your vintage Marshall are all signed by women.
It's called point-to-point wiring, which was then superseded by turret boards, eyelet boards etc, before finally switching to PCBs. For high voltage stuff, point-to-point is one of the better methods for construction, as it uses air as the isolating medium, so you have very little issue with PCBs or turret boards becoming conductive with time, and they're infinitely repairable, as you can just swap out standard components, compared to custom ICs and PCBs that quickly become unobtanium. It however looks quite messy, and takes a lot of assembly time, which is why manufacturers switched to turret boards, as then instead of one tech building the whole circuit one tech could assemble turret boards all day long, while another wires them into the amps, effectively cutting training time in half per tech, with less chance for mistakes.
@@sstorholm Yeah, what I just said. Women were used almost exclusively for these assembly tasks as they have both the dexterity... and most importantly... the patience to do this rather tedious yet vital part of the amps construction. I used to read the inspection tag on my old JMP Marshalls and wonder if "Stacy" or "Nancy" etc. who built my amp were hot 🤣
She's honored to work on the amp, she says. This is exactly what every owner of vintage equipment wants to hear when they entrust it to a tech for repair. She's an old soul and she's tuned into the ghosts of the past who built and played through the amp. She gets it. Colleen, you're inspiring to us all. Even us old cats.
This was truly awesome! I love watching you work! Wow what amazing tones! I love this amp! I think I need one even in beat up condition as long as it sounds this good!
So cool to see this. I've been hearing this amp for years on early T-Bone Walker recordings. As well as other swing and jump blues heroes from the era.
What a gem! Excelent work of yours. I liked how you found that the dc component were not being blocked by the capacitor. Sounds really amazing in the end!
Great video! I'm amazed at how knowledgeable you are electronically at such a young age! You have the skills of a much older tech! I have a feeling that you're going to be known worldwide in very short order. Kudos! 👍👍
Wow, when I first started watching this I paused it to go look at my amp. From the outside it looks nearly identical to mine. Once you opened it though it was obviously different. Mine has separate Treble and Bass controls, there's an "echo speaker" jack on the left, the fuse is on the back of the cabinet, also the Logo, jewel indicator, and serial number are in the center of the front panel. My amp also uses 6J7 preamp tubes with Anode cables. Very nice, thanks for posting this video.
Torgo, one small correction: the top-cap connection to the 6J7 is for the audio signal to the grid, and not the anode (plate) connection. The tube was designed this way in order to have minimal hum, which is why the 6J7 ( and its lower-noise compatible cousin, the 1620) were often used for mic preamps.
@@goodun2974 Yeah, you're right, I forgot about that. BTW there's an even nicer version of this amp at the gibson-prewar website on the page gibson-1940-eh-185-amplifier
love your channel! I wish I could do that beautiful job for a living, I tried but couldn´t get my head around it!! you are very lucky to have had your uncle and other ppl you mentioned to get you into it at an early age. Just so you feel graceful and thankful!!!! You are a role model for many many women also, which kicks ass :) Love from Argentina. Santi.
Wow! Super cool amp, and very nice approach at breathing life back into it. That first shot of the innards was pretty scary with those leaky 80 year old caps. It's wonderful that those parts could be replaced with physically much smaller, modern parts. It gave you a little room in an extremely confined space to work. I also like how you kept the restoration to what was truly needed. Great job!
If it's her actually playing.....dont you think she would reveal that on the video? I dont think it's her. Not because I doubt she has the skill & talent; but because I suspect she would show herself actually playing the guitar on the video if it was.
@@frankferriolo9212 Well maybe she cares more about showing the amp than showing off her playing. I think you're wrapped up in your own thinking too much
Strange how the filter caps are sequenced (from HV to preamp plate resistors): 20uF, 10uF, 20uf, 10uf. Every amp I've seen, the value decreases as you move away from HV.
I was given one of these in 1966. I moved out and left it in the attic with amp removed. My mom thought the amp was an old radio and threw it out. I wanted to cry lol. I’ve still got the speaker and cabinet. I’m going to make a place for a quilter head In there to keep it lightweight. My back is killing me. I use a Boogie made when he was first starting the company and it’s hard for me to carry as I get older. It sure sounds good though.
Why did you use carbon film resistors to replace the old carbon comp resistors? When it comes to vintage amps and guitars I replace worn out and faulty components with as close to the original type as possible. I'm not trying to troll, just asking. Good video gave it a thumbs up.
hi ! i really appreciate you documenting this repair. I love these amps and, Im tempted to purchase one. Is it safe to assume that when I find one, it will probably need a full servicing as seen here? Thank You for your time and talent!
![FendiDa Rappa - Clock Dat ft. Shamar Marco [Official Music Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/3NBU8KHdxYY/mqdefault.jpg)
Having a friend gift me this amp back in March was a once in a lifetime event that I will not forget but finding Colleen, who has the passion and skill to breathe life back into what might otherwise be a cool old doorstop, is equally special. I am very grateful to have had the pleasure. She is a rock star.
Alan- thank you for taking the time to write such a nice comment. It was a pleasure meeting you, and bringing this amp back to life was such a rare and exciting opportunity! Enjoy :)
@@FazioElectric You may want to pin his comment. Great work on a lovely vintage amp. I hope I'm able to find a treasure like this!
if you can keep this in a case or at least a cover and protect from humidity and such will preserve this pristine condition for decades to come.. this one may be museum bound, no kidding...
the speaker bolt heads... back when manufacturing and craftsmanship had pride at all levels, dressed bolt heads, now that's pride!
beautiful amp BTW, you're lucky to have an example in such pristine condition, not only looks fantastic but sounds fantastic as well, I'll say you have some friend with confidence... man .. props on ya both! and the tech!
Such a nice back and forth.
We get a little history on the amp…
And get to watch the service.
Then we get to see correspondence between the owner and tech.
Such a wonderful amp and video.
Well done to both of you.
Good stuff.🎸👍🥃😊
Edit… Love the amp but that is the ugliest layout I’ve ever seen in an amplifier.
Obviously it’s early amplifier technology…
But good god that’s a jungle inside the chassis.🙄🤨🤣👍
Beautiful
"Just to 'recap' what I've done here." Haha, good one.
Damn - you beat me to it!
Resistance is futile ...
Beautiful old EH-185, Colleen......you did an excellent job with both the repair and the video. I'm glad to see your subscriber count is rising faster than gas prices :)
Nice seeing you here UD! It's always amazing to see an amp from the '40s in one piece, let alone in great shape. Cheers!
uncle doug
Who's uncle Doug?
@@chrislambden2689 the Lemmy of amp repair
@@harrysachs2274 dig then👍
All that point to point wiring is a work of art.
80% electronic, 20% sculpture. Enjoyed the vid!
That is undoubtedly the cleanest EH-185 on the planet. That 80 year old amp literally looks better than many 5 year old amps do. I was hoping you’d pull an Uncle Doug and hide the new electrolytics inside the old cardboard originals. You still did a nice clean job.
y'know, that schtick needs to go away: fetishizing old just cuz old encourages valuing functional objects for nostalgia stupid reasons. (& it introduces a possibility for error & makes visual inspections for leaks impossible).
@@RichardMcLamore Agree, take some pictures, put the old bits in a bag and use the amp.
Yeah might as well replace every component and tear off the tweed covering & install new Tolex. Let’s also trash the old speaker and put in a brand new one. Old stuff sucks. Actually let’s re-house the chassis in a NEW apple crate. We don’t want people to “fetishize”over something that’s an 80 year old museum piece since you seem to think people jack off on minty vintage amps. I hope you play a solid state crate and not an old tube amp- otherwise someone might fetishize all over it, and then you’d have to pay some tech to chisel the dried up jizz off of it. Might as well burn down your house while you’re at it- someone might admire it from afar, or even in a RUclips comment section and you definitely wouldn’t want that. You can then build yourself a new ugly cinder block house that won’t be fetishized over. And if someone does happen to “fetishize” on it you can just spray it off with a garden hose.
I have one that is almost as clean
....wonderful amp
@@vadenk4433 exactly.. shouldnt replace the power cord either. if you cant figure out how to use a 2 prong plug you should just take up golf.
I swear I never thought amp repair videos could be so relaxing, its almost like an asmr channel
I agree.
Her voice is laid back, smooth and relaxing.
And you get to learn a boatload about amp repair and technique to boot.
Good stuff.👍🥃🎸
Beautiful amp! That's covered with a linen tweed luggage fabric with a clear lacquer coating. Tolex is a cloth-backed vinyl that came a few years later.
Way COOL ! I grew up in Kalamzoo Michigan. I lived 4 streets away from the Gibson factory in Kalamzoo. Every time I saw a historical piece from the factory it makes me proud to have been there in the heyday of the Gibson Guitar empire. Watching you restore a part of history is breath taking. YOU GO GIRL.
Thank you for sharing this story- you were truly in the presence of magic!
Amp sounds amazing!
I was surprised by how clean it sounded.
Bob?
come on, man. you're here?! fark, i don't like your channel.
Didn't expect to see you here!
Spoiler alert!
Not just an amp. A work of art. You are in the business of art restoration!
This has quickly become one of my favorite channels! My soldering has improved massively since watching. Thanks!
The Wizard of Oz is a beautiful film - great reference, Colleen! Love your work!!! Love your vids!!!!
I look at the size of those components from that time period, and I imagine a Mesa road King the size of a refrigerator!
Nice work. You did what was necessary, but you respectful of the history. Also, love the size of those old 6L6Gs. Humongous!
Hello, I love you ... I'm just a stranger on the internet but your energy strikes me to the core... and an amp tech? Wow!... anyways that is all, have a beautiful day!
After living in Toronto for a decade, I always notice hands that are used for more than lifting Starbucks cups and swiping right. Great hands. Take good care of them, and keep the content coming.
Being inspired by your vids, I was able to repair an old Ampeg bass amp already (it was hardly broken), and now I've got a fantastic Electrohome P2-4526 radio to bring back to life. It hasn't been powered in a few decades, but last known it wasn't working. I'll at least try to make sure it doesn't release the magic smoke when I plug it in for the first time. I need to learn more about testing components and tubes (without a tube tester).
It's uncommon but really nice to see women doing this type of work. I love to see old pieces coming back to life by the hands of skilled people.
And OMG! Your voice is so relaxing! 🙂
Already subscribed!
It's a spiritual experience listening to your voice and watching the amp repair:)
I don't know anything about amps but I do love your videos.
I enjoyed watching your direct diagnostics of the problem with out the rants and raves that other electronic techs do on there channels. Great Job, Looking for more vids from you.
Lol great comment. Why are they all so bitter? It's not pleasant to listen to
Hello Martin,. It's good to see new techs to this old technology stuff... fault finding is indeed a skill that takes many year to perfect...the only time my trusty scope is in use it to do final checks on signal traces.. ather 30 plus yrs in audio, tv repairs .. I'd say good luck with her journey.
@@waynewayne3709 Because of our declining education system in this country, fewer and fewer youngsters are being introduced into mechanical training and finding their aptitude for skills..
We can look for a crises in our country with fewer people to maintain the infrastructure. (planes, trucks, trains buildings, and bridges.) College is no longer an investment to learning a vocation one can get a job and earn a good living. You can watch the future and see what I am saying, come true. God help us.
Man, you're telling me. One of the latest vids at one channel was directly about how pissed off he got over a non-issue. Smh. That guy needs a chill pill. Big time. Personally, I don't see why anyone would even want to publish a vid that ends up only making themselves look like a dufus.
@@JC-11111 What are you talking about? Your comment makes no sense.
Very cool old amp! ✌🏻👍🏻
You’re here
thanks for checkin it out :)
Don’t fetishize it Matthew! Old amps are not to be admired. :) You might get scolded by the know it all who informed me he thinks people have sexual relations with vintage amplifiers.
@@vadenk4433 nah the input Jack holes are too small
Oh man, even Matthew Scott is here! Sup man
I was having a rough morning but that bit of voodoo child at the end made me grin wildly. Cool sound and great playing!
My kid and I are restoring an old family heirloom 1964 Fisher 500C. A lot of this is similar though and we love watching these videos of yours, they’re informative and inspiring!
Incredible condition!
Mic channel licks are sweet.
This amplifier is in a very good aspect, considering the age. I'm surprised to see a dynamic speaker on it. It needs a DC source to create the fixed magnetic field. My grandfather had a Brunswick radio made at 20's that used this type of speaker,.
The sound after the repair is amazing. Very nice amp and a good repair job!
Congrats!
Love those old Gibson amps.
They sound amazing and the repair was verry professional,and the tunes,quite bluesy.
had my guy totally redo a 1938 Ric M12 this reminds me of that. I know nothing but he knows it all. Appreciate maintaining originllity Did upgrade to a grounded plug though
Very Nice playing Connie ,I have a 1948 Gibson Br9 all original ,it works but going to service it soon ,That amp is alot nicer than mine I would love to have it ,have to look around ,nice repair !!!
Very nice. I'm enjoying your commentary and explanations as you film the repairs. Keep it up.
Love old amps. Good job.
I hope that you use an isolation transformer to power these old amps. Great job, lady.
The condition of the control panel is literally stunning.
I just realized what a geek I am watching her change the caps in this amp all anxious to hear what this amp sounds like after all the work was completed LOL.
Lifting up the cover and seeing that immaculate faceplate for the first time must of been a moment of bliss!
Awesome & extremely impressive !, lucky That it was only the caps !, Nice Job Done ✅!!.
Great work. I've been binge watching your repair videos. One thing, I noticed that the Helix has a model of this amp. I will have to check it out.
Lovely choice of Naima!
I hope to look as well when I’m 81. I have 26 years to go. Lol nice amp. Now it has 81 more years to rock
Great repair 👍🤘
Geeez Louise! It's like looking at a time capsule. Absolutely amazing how they took care of it.
Breathing "Naima" for it's first breath of new life, what could possibly be more auspicious? Wonderful work.
Love everything about this video. The amp, your restoration work, and your playing at the end. Absolutely slaying it.
Wow; those are rare! Charlie Christian used one after his EH-150. I have a 1940 EH-150 that looks as good as that one; with typed instruction manual. 😉 Cabinets by Geib, which was also a case manufacturer that made the matching tweed cases for the EH-150 lapsteels and ES-150 guitars (I own those too). They are so nicely made.
Love your repair work; it’s flawless.
Interesting on Geib....is the covering a woven fabric like luggage linen or textured printed paper type with a thin fabric backing?...I'll never get a chance to see one of these close up!
@@robbergin9586 it’s lacquered tweed fabric, like old Fender amps, as was used on old luggage.
@@vayabroder729 Much appreciate the reply!😎....I'm looking at doing some retro cabinets and trying to find out all I can!.....some like the old Premiers seem to have a thin covering like bookbinders cloth...this looked so glossy I was wondering if it was actual weave....you have some classy equipment!
@@robbergin9586 thank you sir; I’ve been playing and wheeling and dealing for over 40 years. The hardest part is making justice to your equipment with your playing.
I fully understand the art of preservation of the blue moulded caps such as on the fenders. However anything that old with old paper caps personally i would replace them all leaking or not. Any left in the circuit are just a ticking time bomb in my opinion. I have actually gutted them before and hidden new caps inside the old casings for picky customers. Very time consuming. Also as you probably know the high value resistors tend to drift alot with age as well. I would check all there values. Every amp has a different approach. That one is a fine piece. You did a very good job here BTW. Just my observations
Wow is pretty much all I can think of!! Just discovered your videos and been watching for hours now! You are Awesome Collen! Thanks for sharing these great videos! You make the old broken down amps sound amazing again! Can not believe the Speaker still works and is still intact on this one! Hard to believe how such an old amp as this one sounds so sweet after repairs! Very cool! I am learning a lot from these videos. Very nice guitar playing also Collen!
Wow, what difference after the cap replacements. Nice clear and crisp sound with zero noise. Good job.
This is awesome, What a beautiful amp! The relaxed, positive attitude you show in your videos comes through in your work as well.
The guy responsible for the "thumbs down," I wish that he had the guts to say why!
it's the Guitalogist.
@@brickbreaker8148 why you think he’s sour grapes bout sumtin?
Look at that condition! The control panel looks brand new, the hardware is gorgeous & even the leaky caps have an abstract beauty to them.
Thanks for sharing! 🤘🏼
Great sound to that thing! I love seeing skilled repairs, saving things from the trash heap and breathing new life into otherwise perfectly usable equipment. I'm so happy I found this channel.
Very cool old amp. Thanks for showing us your repair work. Subbed.
I love how clean you made this little gem sound. Btw Naima was a treat, thank you!
Excellent repair to this prewar Gibson guitar amp Colleen. Testing with a few tunes makes it much more fun to watch and it sounds fantastic.
Near the end with the sound of this 80 yr old amp, you were channeling Hendrix! What a Great restore. Love your playing, too. Why not show you in the shots of testing so we can all see you playing? Thanks again! What a beautiful amp. Organic sound reminds me of some 60s Rock band sounds. Love your videos and how you break down your repair methods. 👍😊
That's a very sweet sounding amp. Would be perfect for jazz. I appreciate you showing this video. I find those tightly-packed and closely-wired amps to be intimidating. Thanks for showing how it is done.
Thats Beautiful! And the amps nice looking too!
Interesting how the layout design amounted to using the tube socket lugs as the only anchor points for all other components. Almost like the original assembly worker just connected everything per a schematic then shoved everything in the chassis. It seems amazing it lived for 81 years without incurring a massive, potential lethal short somewhere. Very methodical, logical work.
And I guarantee it was done by a woman, as women were thought to not only have more dexterity when doing this kind of intricate work... but it was thought women also had more patience. That's why the tag in your vintage Marshall are all signed by women.
I’ll have to start making some videos of the stuff I have, including a 1935 Dobro amplifier
It's called point-to-point wiring, which was then superseded by turret boards, eyelet boards etc, before finally switching to PCBs. For high voltage stuff, point-to-point is one of the better methods for construction, as it uses air as the isolating medium, so you have very little issue with PCBs or turret boards becoming conductive with time, and they're infinitely repairable, as you can just swap out standard components, compared to custom ICs and PCBs that quickly become unobtanium. It however looks quite messy, and takes a lot of assembly time, which is why manufacturers switched to turret boards, as then instead of one tech building the whole circuit one tech could assemble turret boards all day long, while another wires them into the amps, effectively cutting training time in half per tech, with less chance for mistakes.
@@sstorholm Yeah, what I just said. Women were used almost exclusively for these assembly tasks as they have both the dexterity... and most importantly... the patience to do this rather tedious yet vital part of the amps construction. I used to read the inspection tag on my old JMP Marshalls and wonder if "Stacy" or "Nancy" etc. who built my amp were hot 🤣
@@sstorholm in the world of tube amps using PCB are fairly “new”. 🤣
All my amps are mid/late 60’s and earlier all are point- to-point wired.
Great video.I loved the clean channel after you repaired it. Fantastic condition.Thanks for bringing it back to life.Good to see you back.Nice chops.
i like the way you explain things .great job. very informative.
She's honored to work on the amp, she says. This is exactly what every owner of vintage equipment wants to hear when they entrust it to a tech for repair. She's an old soul and she's tuned into the ghosts of the past who built and played through the amp. She gets it. Colleen, you're inspiring to us all. Even us old cats.
This was truly awesome! I love watching you work!
Wow what amazing tones! I love this amp! I think I need one even in beat up condition as long as it sounds this good!
So cool to see this. I've been hearing this amp for years on early T-Bone Walker recordings. As well as other swing and jump blues heroes from the era.
What a gem! Excelent work of yours. I liked how you found that the dc component were not being blocked by the capacitor. Sounds really amazing in the end!
Awesome job. Loves me some Tweed Gibson
Great repair. Sounds great.
Great video! I'm amazed at how knowledgeable you are electronically at such a young age! You have the skills of a much older tech! I have a feeling that you're going to be known worldwide in very short order. Kudos! 👍👍
Wow, when I first started watching this I paused it to go look at my amp. From the outside it looks nearly identical to mine. Once you opened it though it was obviously different. Mine has separate Treble and Bass controls, there's an "echo speaker" jack on the left, the fuse is on the back of the cabinet, also the Logo, jewel indicator, and serial number are in the center of the front panel. My amp also uses 6J7 preamp tubes with Anode cables. Very nice, thanks for posting this video.
Torgo, one small correction: the top-cap connection to the 6J7 is for the audio signal to the grid, and not the anode (plate) connection. The tube was designed this way in order to have minimal hum, which is why the 6J7 ( and its lower-noise compatible cousin, the 1620) were often used for mic preamps.
@@goodun2974 Yeah, you're right, I forgot about that. BTW there's an even nicer version of this amp at the gibson-prewar website on the page gibson-1940-eh-185-amplifier
Not only is she a master amp repairer, she has sweet guitar skills and she matches the style of the amp she's working on. Really cool.
Coltrane!!!! Heck yeah!!! You rock!
love your channel! I wish I could do that beautiful job for a living, I tried but couldn´t get my head around it!! you are very lucky to have had your uncle and other ppl you mentioned to get you into it at an early age.
Just so you feel graceful and thankful!!!! You are a role model for many many women also, which kicks ass :)
Love from Argentina. Santi.
Cleanest Gibson amp from that era I've ever seen! Thanks for sharing! and great playing at the end
ALL those old caps need to be replaced!
Wow! Super cool amp, and very nice approach at breathing life back into it. That first shot of the innards was pretty scary with those leaky 80 year old caps. It's wonderful that those parts could be replaced with physically much smaller, modern parts. It gave you a little room in an extremely confined space to work. I also like how you kept the restoration to what was truly needed. Great job!
instrumental tone sounds like what they used for mr. rogers neighborhood background music 😎
The condition of that amp is astounding! And now it sound good to match.
OMG
Dat soldering skills !
very nice
Beautifull Amp for Jazz and Blues
Love the Sound of it.
leaky caps, explained good in 14:08. like the vid
wow what a cool amp
Lovely work and playing, Voodoo chile.
You have to respect a woman who fixes an 80 year old amp and then plays Voodoo Chile.
I don't think she's playing on the video though
@@hashdealer8822 I think she is.
If it's her actually playing.....dont you think she would reveal that on the video?
I dont think it's her. Not because I doubt she has the skill & talent; but because I suspect she would show herself actually playing the guitar on the video if it was.
@@frankferriolo9212 Well maybe she wants the amp repair to be the main thing.
@@frankferriolo9212 Well maybe she cares more about showing the amp than showing off her playing. I think you're wrapped up in your own thinking too much
Oh my goodness that’s so clean and well preserved…thanks for doing these videos
4:02 looks like an actual nightmare! 😳
More combos should be built like this imo. Where the amp itself can be dropped out and used as a head.
OMG that mic channel sounds like a blast. Great job chasing down the issues on a super good looking, but waxy cappy nightmare.
aw man that sounds awesome
This is such a cool amp! It sounded so beautiful at the end, and it was cool getting to hear you play! Love your channel ❤️
I'm absolutely amazed by your videos. New subscriber. 👍🏻
Lovely old relic Gibson..Nice fix and info..keep those videos coming..Awesome..Ed..uk..😀
Strange how the filter caps are sequenced (from HV to preamp plate resistors): 20uF, 10uF, 20uf, 10uf. Every amp I've seen, the value decreases as you move away from HV.
I was given one of these in 1966.
I moved out and left it in the attic with amp removed. My mom thought the amp was an old radio and threw it out. I wanted to cry lol.
I’ve still got the speaker and cabinet.
I’m going to make a place for a quilter head
In there to keep it lightweight.
My back is killing me. I use a Boogie made when he was first starting the company and it’s hard for me to carry as I get older. It sure sounds good though.
That is a beautifully nasty tone on that amp's Mic input. It's funny/neat to think that almost 80 years ago, it was an "ugly" sound for everyone
Why did you use carbon film resistors to replace the old carbon comp resistors? When it comes to vintage amps and guitars I replace worn out and faulty components with as close to the original type as possible. I'm not trying to troll, just asking. Good video gave it a thumbs up.
What a nice job, and what a nice amp, I wonder 🤔 about the sound with a Gibson LP Guitar......mmmhhh
Very cool indeed! I like that you share your thought processes along the way. Great channel!
Great job on this repair and this video. A very interesting look back in time, Thanks Colleen.
What a pretty sounding amp!
Thank you for your channel, Colleen. Very informative. I also work on amps and build my own. Thanks again, keep them coming!
Can't imagine where Swart got their amp design idea.
hi ! i really appreciate you documenting this repair. I love these amps and, Im tempted to purchase one. Is it safe to assume that when I find one, it will probably need a full servicing as seen here? Thank You for your time and talent!