Fender Amplifier repair

[dsfbrit]

I need to get my Fender amp repaired. I went into the music shop near Tesco Lotus on the Sukhumvit, but no luck.

It is only 25 watts and nothing special no valves or anything.

Does anyone know where I could take it?

 

Thanks for your help.

[tonray]

What specific model is your amp ?

 

and what is the specific problem ?

Edited June 21, 2020 by tonray

[lopburi3]

I would try an old school TV repair shop (shop with piles of CRT TV sets on sidewalk).  

[tonray]

9 minutes ago, lopburi3 said:

I would try an old school TV repair shop (shop with piles of CRT TV sets on sidewalk).  

That's your best bet if it's an older amp. All the solid state stuff coming out in the last few years...the only thing that can be fixed are switches or POTS (Volume/Tone/etc)...everything else is sometimes only a single DSP and support chips...not repairable outside of swapping in a new board from the factory.

[NanLaew]

Yup... not an EL34, KT67 or 6L6 in sight.

 

[dsfbrit]

Tonray, thanks for the reply. It is a 16 year old Fender Frontman 25R. It is not worth a lot of money, but I know all its little quirks and I have several 16 year old effects boxes as well that I know how to use with this amp. I only use it for home use.

 

The problem is that it turns on and appears to work, but there is no 'hum' - so all the lights are on, but no sound at all. I tried cleaning (spraying) the pots and checking for any fuse and speaker connection issues, but nothing simple. I can get most electrical stuff like a/c units and water pumps working by changing out capacitors etc..and PC's working as well.

 

However, with radio electronics etc... I am screwed.

[dsfbrit]

Lopburi3, thanks for the reply. I thought that as well.

I was wondering if their knowledge would be good enough for a Fender amp. To be honest, I cannot think of any good reason why the IC board and components on a non-intelligent piece of hardware from a non PC embedded era, would be any different to fixing a TV.

 

It is just an amplifier after all.

 

I wonder if you or anyone knows a good TV engineer in Pattaya?

 

 

[dsfbrit]

7 hours ago, tonray said:

That's your best bet if it's an older amp. All the solid state stuff coming out in the last few years...the only thing that can be fixed are switches or POTS (Volume/Tone/etc)...everything else is sometimes only a single DSP and support chips...not repairable outside of swapping in a new board from the factory.

Tonray, this amp is very old school just transistors, condensers etc.. and a very easy to access circuit board. A good TV repair man does seem the best way to go. I need to find a good one now. Any recommendations ?

[dsfbrit]

NanLaew, thanks for the reply. I did actually look at the schematic for the Frontman 25R online before I posted here. It made as little sense to me as this schematic I am sad to say.

 

I have a soldering iron that I have used to make up PC cables in the past, but as soon it gets into analogue electronics on radios etc, then I am screwed. If it were more than a dry joint I would be totally screwed and even I could identify a faulty component, I would not know where to buy a new component.

 

No... I will leave this repair to a professional. I need to find a decent one - any ideas??

 

 

 

 

[petermik]

I have recommended this guy on 3rd road often.,he,s honest and cheap...directly opposite Steak Kai Roi on the corner of soi 14 is his TV repair shop just before Jasmine Coffee going towards Klang...if he cannot repair it he will say so.

[dsfbrit]

Petermik, thanks for the reply.

 

I will take my amp down there on Monday and see what he can do.

 

Thanks again

 

 

 

 

 

 

[petermik]

1 hour ago, dsfbrit said:

Petermik, thanks for the reply.

 

I will take my amp down there on Monday and see what he can do.

 

Thanks again

 

 

 

 

 

 

Walk past the junk into the shop and he will be there... don't be alarmed as he is an invalid..no legs..young pleasant chap with good English and very helpful..if he cannot do it he tell you who can ????

[tonray]

13 hours ago, dsfbrit said:

Tonray, this amp is very old school just transistors, condensers etc.. and a very easy to access circuit board. A good TV repair man does seem the best way to go. I need to find a good one now. Any recommendations ?

Only know a couple of places in Bangkok..none in Pattaya. But if you ever get to Bangkok, there's a TV/electronics repair shop near the Suttishan MRT station on Suttishan/Winitchai road...you can't miss it...the only place with a window display of what looks like a 1960s consumer electronics lineup. 

[smedly]

was this a sudden failure or did you notice some issues before it stopped working - important info

 

My guess would be

- power supply - you have lost one of the output voltages

- Amp output stage if speaker is totally silent 

- the speaker itself - if 2x speakers then unlikely

 

Just like all amps you have a pre amp stage then power output stage - pre amp fault you will hear something from the speaker usually

 

should be fairly simple to fix if the parts are available 

 

 

 

bad caps also as you mentioned - easy to spot as they swell but go gradually 

 

https://badcaps.net/forum/showthread.php?t=32277

 

 

There is an electronic supply store on Threpasit road where I get all my parts

Edited June 23, 2020 by smedly

[dsfbrit]

Smedly, TonRay and Petermik, thanks for the replies.

 

Tonray, thanks but the amp is quite heavy for a 'small' amp and carrying it around to take to BKK is no fun at all.:)

 

Smedly, it indeed was a speaker problem and a circuit board problem. I took it to the place recommended by PeterMik.

 

Petermik, thanks for the recommendation and the very good directions.

 

I took the amp to him on Tuesday and he said he could fix it by Friday and on Thursday morning he called me to say it would cost 900 baht if I wanted it repaired. I picked it up on Thursday afternoon.

 

I got it home and it works great.

 

Thanks again to everybody for their help and advice.

 

 

 

 

[properperson]

 

Talking of guitars - i've had to sack my cleaner, kept messing with my guitars.......

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=roVjljnwqy4