cap job on a vibrolux

How much should I expect to pay for a cap job on a fender Vibrolux narrow panel. I don't want to send it to someone, and pay too much for a shoddy job. Another question is: Can I do this myself? I have basic knowlege of electronic components and know the dangers and risks involved. The schematic on the amp doesn't look too complex, and from looking at the guts of the amp I think I could handle it. But is there anything I need to know before proceeding. Part of me would rather let a professional do it, but the DIYer part of me wants to heat up the soldering iron and go to town. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

It pretty easy to do...The most important things are probably to make sure that they are discharged before you start playing around and.... pay CLOSE attention to the polarity of EACH cap...cause sometimes they try and trick you to see if you were paying attention.

The one to watch out for is the bias supply cap - it's connected positive to ground(the other end is the negative bias supply).

Anyone familiar with the vibrolux? I asked the local amp guy here in Baton Rouge and he said 100 bucks would do it. Is that reasonable?

Another question regarding bringing up the amp: I've read about people hooking up the amp to a variac, running a current through the amp and increasing voltage steadily. Is this necessary after installing new capacitors? I've only read a little on it and would definitely read more if I decide to take on the task of refurbing this amp.

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Originally Posted by sigandstrat

How much should I expect to pay for a cap job on a fender Vibrolux

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I have the same question. It was never answered. How much did it cost you?

$150 for a comprehensive cap job on a vintage Fender amp is not out of line. By 'comprehensive' I'm referring to the filter array and bias cap in the power supply plus the cathode-bypass caps on the main board.

One variable that can affect the cost of a cap job is the brand of caps used. If you go to the cap set page on a site like Antique Electronics Supply, you will see a significant variation between the cost of the "premium" caps and the "basic" MOD caps. On the first 2 amps I recapped, I went with the premium F&T caps, but switched to MOD caps on the next 2 amps.

About 2 hours labor seems about right for a professional amp tech to do a cap job, including checking and replacing any out of spec resistors, cleaning all pots and jack sockets, tightening all hardware. I replace the carbon comp resistors in the "doghouse" with metal film or oxide resistors. On the last amp I worked on, I also replaced the diode and resistor (along with the cap) in the bias supply, just because the parts are cheap and it's easy to do when replacing the cap.

It takes me longer than 2 hours, because I am a hobbyist, and in no hurry. I bought a second inexpensive digital multimeter, which makes setting the bias quicker on a push-pull circuit.