[bomp] Re: Fender amps

[Sknoof@xxxxxxx]

<< For crying out loud why doesn't someone get the schematic for old Fender
amps and set up shop in china and make them affordable.  that way we can all
have good tone and not worry about bringing a $2,000 amp to a sketchy part of
town in some bar. >>

It's not as easy as it sounds.  You can build an amplifier that's
part-by-part and piece-by-piece identical to an old Fender/Vox/Marshall/name
it, and it
might sound completely different.  That's because you're stuck with having to
use modern components.

Don't get me wrong, a modern circuit-copy of a vintage Super Reverb or
Bassman is going to sound way better than most modern amplifiers.  But the
fact is
that almost ALL the circuit components are way different nowadays than the
ones
you would have used in 1958.

Paper and mylar capacitors, for a start.  WAY different now.  The old ones
used an oily wax as a sealant (and sometimes even as part of the dielectric --
the non-conductive portion of the "sandwich") and that's why you're sometimes
treated to the unfortunate spectacle of seeing them appear "melted" -- the wax
has partially broken-down and oozed out.  Modern capacitors are built to last,
but in an audio circuit they perform slightly differently than the old oily
ones did.  In a circuit containing several of them, the difference can
multiply
logarithmically.

Ceramic (disc) capacitors: same deal.  The materials they use now are
different.  Less brittle, less prone to decompose.

Tubes?  Don't even get me started.  New-old-stock is the only thing you
should EVER use in a vintage amplifier.

Why don't they just make 'em the OLD way?  Well -- partly because, like I
said before, nowadays they're built to last.  And remember the demand for
free-standing capacitors and resistors is shrinking all the time, as more and
more
electronic circuits are boiled down into "chips."

The other reason is:  the manufacturing process of older components would
never pass muster under modern environmental regulations.  Especially tubes.
You
wouldn't believe the amount of horrific poisons that are produced by tube
manufacture.  Percentage-wise, the environmental impact of tube manufacture is
actually worse than the environmental impact of chemical pesticide
manufacture.
Which doesn't even address the impact of disposal of spent tubes, which are
loaded with mercury and lead, among several other delightful dessert
toppings.

Another factor:  a cherry-condition Fender amplifier from the early 1960s may
very well actually sound BETTER now than it did when Uncle Phil put it in the
closet in '64 and never took it out again.  That's because all of the
aforementioned components change their electrical characteristics with age.
This can
make an amplifier sound "warmer."  It can also screw the sound up noticeably,
especially when a repairman replaces a couple of highly-aged components with
brand-spankin'-new plastic ones.

So, finally, in terms of the manufacture: yeah, there are trade-offs that can
be made, and you can get pretty close to what you're looking for.  But the
price goes way up, for two reasons:

1) Partly because Rich People Will Pay It;

2) But also because several mfgrs of these "boutique" amplifiers are
themselves paying through the nose for "boutique capacitors" and other parts.
Especially tubes.

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