Home » VintageKustom.com » Repairing Kustom Amps » 745 PA amp (crackling sound)
Re: 745 PA amp [message #21606 is a reply to message #21561] Thu, 02 October 2014 06:30 Go to previous messageGo to next message
stevem is currently offline  stevem
Messages: 4728
Registered: June 2004
Location: NY
Senior Member
What the hell light are we talking about here ?

There are two ways I clean the shorting contacts in the input jacks.

1) Get a sheet of 800 grit wet or dry sand paper, cut it into a strip that is both thin enough to get into the switch section of the jack and long enough to fold over and have it be 3 inches long.
load it into the contact section of the jack and wet it with the Deoxit and the scrub it back and forth a few times.

2) the other way I have cleaned them is just with a flat wood coffee stirring stick.
Where do live? I got to move near to you as in the last two months I could have made a nice living off of tech repairs just on your stuff! lol!
Re: 745 PA amp [message #21617 is a reply to message #21561] Thu, 02 October 2014 20:29 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Iowa Boy is currently offline  Iowa Boy
Messages: 767
Registered: June 2014
Senior Member
I have no clue what light your talking about......whatever you do, don't go towards it. lol

Well, I just followed the directions on the can. Apparently it left a film on the contacts that blocked the signal. Now I know how to clean the other amp jacks. ....thank you.

I live in Marshalltown, come on over........you'll save me a bunch on shipping charges. Smile Just think how boring your life has been up until I joined this site. At least I keep you on your toes with my daily inquiries. Just think, maybe someday I'll know just as much as you do about this stuff.......doubtful, but I do have an inquisitive mind. Wait until we start in on that 400 stereo amp that doesn't work. Then we'll see just how good you are........

All kidding aside, you and the rest of the guys on this site are the best in my book. I appreciate all the help that I have gotten. Without it, I probably wouldn't have gotten into Kustom equipment like I now have. I know that no matter what problem I run into, that you, Pleat, ChicagoBill and the rest will walk me thru it. I trust what you guys tell me to be right. And to think that I was strongly considering going the Vox route instead of Kustom. I know that I have made the right choice..........THANK YOU ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Re: 745 PA amp [message #21633 is a reply to message #21561] Fri, 03 October 2014 15:51 Go to previous messageGo to next message
chicagobill
Messages: 2005
Registered: April 2003
Senior Member
Well if you are talking about the Thomas Organ Vox amps from the 60s, then I can understand your dilemma. The Kustoms are better made, but I still love that Vox grill cloth.
Re: 745 PA amp [message #21642 is a reply to message #21561] Fri, 03 October 2014 21:15 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Iowa Boy is currently offline  Iowa Boy
Messages: 767
Registered: June 2014
Senior Member
I'm talking about the original "British Invasion" Vox amps. The chrome dollies, which you absolutely had to have to move those damned heavy speaker cabinets around. The built in tuner was a great idea. Surprised others didn't include that as well. Sound quality, I think they handled the lower frequencies better than what I'm hearing with my Kustoms, but then again that was 40 plus years ago too. Don't see may of those on the market anymore and when you do, my God, they cost an arm and a leg! Remember that Paul Revere and the Raiders had a special convertible built by Vox that had amp jacks all over the car and they played on a lot of tv shows back in the 60's with it. Remember as a youngster seeing Iron Butterfly perform and they were using the Vox Super Beatles........very memorable still. Vox makes a really cool modeling amp series that has some very impressive sounds that brought back memories of the late 60's. But I'm hooked on Kustom now.......running out of room for all the stuff I am collecting. As long as the money holds out and you guys keep walking me thru how to keep this stuff running, I'll keep getting more.
Re: 745 PA amp [message #21644 is a reply to message #21642] Fri, 03 October 2014 21:51 Go to previous messageGo to next message
chicagobill
Messages: 2005
Registered: April 2003
Senior Member
Ah yes, the Voxmobile. George Barris designed it and built it I think. Vox would send the car around to different car and teen shows and Paul Revere used it a lot on the Where the action is show. I think that some guy in Colorado owns it now.

I own a couple of the smaller ones. They all need the filter and electrolytic caps replaced. They are a nightmare of wires inside the preamp boxes. But they do sound good. Most of the cabinets were made from particle board and didn't hold up very well. They did use a lot of Celestion speakers in the early big amps. Those speakers alone are worth a lot of money.

I remember seeing Iron Butterfly open for Jefferson Airplane back in the day. All Super Beatle amps and a Vox Continental organ too. Jorma K from Airplane used a Beatle amp as well.
Re: 745 PA amp [message #21645 is a reply to message #21561] Fri, 03 October 2014 22:00 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Iowa Boy is currently offline  Iowa Boy
Messages: 767
Registered: June 2014
Senior Member
Particle board!!!!!! Well no wonder you don't see many around any more. Wonder who the genius was that came up with that idea. Just a little moisture turns that crap into goo. I definitely missed my true calling....and others should have been flipping burgers at Micky D's. Smile
Re: 745 PA amp [message #21646 is a reply to message #21561] Sat, 04 October 2014 07:10 Go to previous messageGo to next message
stevem is currently offline  stevem
Messages: 4728
Registered: June 2004
Location: NY
Senior Member
I have a. 1966 Vox twin reverb with 2 10" Celestions that has the covers and dolly and is near mint!

Like Bill posted you had the luck of good judgement to not get into the early SS Thomas Vox stuff as the preamp boards and there wiring are a nightmare and you would have very likely given up on fixing one yourself!

Thomas / Vox gave themselves a lot of built in failures in the big multi speaker Beatle amps by running them at 2 ohms to be able the make claim to the first 120 watt SS guitar amp back in 65 and they where already having a lot of failures just due to the germanium transistors they where using in the other smaller amps!

For the two years that the Beatles toured with those amps the had two spares with them besides the three that they needed and they called upon to use them many times and there long time roadie was given a training session on how to replace the output transistors while on the road. !!

When Vox in England came out with the hybrid 7 series amps with 4 KT88 output tubes they sounded much better than the Beatle amps, but all that added output tube heat made for a lot of failures in the SS section of those amps too and not many of those amps are around today due to so few being made!

Just last year I converted a fellows Vox over to silicon outputs and added more heat sink area and with some small signal cap changes to get the amps preamp section to work better for his main guitar he gigs with it near every week end now and loves it!

Re: 745 PA amp [message #21649 is a reply to message #21561] Sat, 04 October 2014 09:17 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Iowa Boy is currently offline  Iowa Boy
Messages: 767
Registered: June 2014
Senior Member
Our bass player in high school had the big Vox bass amp and your right about all the problems. Seemed his amp was always in the shop and that was 120 miles away. Guess old Ross was on to something when he came out with the Kustom idea.

Thanks for the history lesson Stevem.........I had forgotten about all the problems they had had in the past, only remembered the nice sound and cool look they had. Your right about all the headaches. Aren't YOU glad I didn't go that route, you'd never get any rest. lol. At least now if I ever come across one dirt cheap, I know who to call.

Thanks guys for sharing the memories and the nightmares.
Re: 745 PA amp [message #21653 is a reply to message #21561] Sat, 04 October 2014 19:29 Go to previous messageGo to next message
stevem is currently offline  stevem
Messages: 4728
Registered: June 2004
Location: NY
Senior Member
I guess we are revealing our age here a bit going back to the Vox amp era ! Lol

I fellow coworker at the music store who is my age has a great bumper sticker that says " I may be old but I got to see all the great classic rock bands when there players where alive and young". Lol!

Re: 745 PA amp [message #21655 is a reply to message #21561] Sun, 05 October 2014 13:07 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Iowa Boy is currently offline  Iowa Boy
Messages: 767
Registered: June 2014
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Hey at least we still can remember.......and at this age, that's a plus to say the least. Half the time I can't remember where I set my cell phone or car keys at!
Re: 745 PA amp [message #21656 is a reply to message #21655] Sun, 05 October 2014 15:26 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Kustom_Bart is currently offline  Kustom_Bart
Messages: 601
Registered: October 2010
Location: Greenville, MichiGUN
Senior Member
They are always in the last place I look! LOL!
Re: 745 PA amp [message #21658 is a reply to message #21561] Sun, 05 October 2014 17:56 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Iowa Boy is currently offline  Iowa Boy
Messages: 767
Registered: June 2014
Senior Member
Wrong.....they are always in the place that you don't remember every even being there. Think there is mischief afoot. Smile
Re: 745 PA amp [message #21660 is a reply to message #21561] Mon, 06 October 2014 06:29 Go to previous message
stevem is currently offline  stevem
Messages: 4728
Registered: June 2004
Location: NY
Senior Member
The 7 year old son of a friend of mine would get driven to school due to his dad driving right by the location on his way to work and the fact that his son was the first one picked up if he took the bus and as such would have to get up one half hour earlier, so this was a win win as Mom, Dad and son could grab a extra half hours sack time!
Like all seven year old`s Jack did not really like going to school and soon figured out that if he mis placed his dads car keys he would spend an average of another 10 minutes at home while his Dad went nuts looking for the keys! LoL!!!
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