peacemaker Posted March 10, 2010 Posted March 10, 2010 I bought this amp several years ago as a practice amp for my strat. The tone really surprised me at the shop, so I took it home and it's really served me well. I plugged in my new 575 and the reverb is gone. It never really had enough for my taste anyway, but now it's just completely gone. Anybody know a quick fix for this? It's way past factory warranty, so I'm not afraid of opening it up myself if it's something I could fix simply. (btw, it died a few days before I plugged in the 575, so I know it has nothing to do with that)
212Mavguy Posted March 10, 2010 Posted March 10, 2010 On two separate occasions I have been successful at fixing a dead reverb...in both cases I took down notes as to which cable went where on the tank, removed the tank, turned it over and found a broken wire or wires at a soldered terminal. So in both cases I used some solder removal braid and a hot soldering iron to remove the old solder from the terminal, exposing the previously solder-filled hole, stripped a short 1/4 inch section of wire, tinned the wire, then resoldered. In both cases result was perfect.
peacemaker Posted March 11, 2010 Author Posted March 11, 2010 Sounds like a tube amp you were working on? This one is solid state. Encouraging results though! I may crack it open and see what I see...of course, if it's all PCB in there like I'm afraid it is, I won't have the skills to do anything...
Rude Dog Posted March 11, 2010 Posted March 11, 2010 Does it have spring reverb or digital? This one? http://www.dcmusicstore.com/Fender-Frontman-15R-Amplifier If no quick fix, I'd just buy a new one if I really liked it.
212Mavguy Posted March 13, 2010 Posted March 13, 2010 Sounds like a tube amp you were working on? This one is solid state. Encouraging results though! I may crack it open and see what I see...of course, if it's all PCB in there like I'm afraid it is, I won't have the skills to do anything... Yes, this was a tube amp with a spring reverb in it. The problem was in the spring reverb tank.
DC Ron Posted March 14, 2010 Posted March 14, 2010 I have a Frontman 25R and it has an actual spring reverb built into the board. If yours is like mine, think you only have to remove 4 screws to drop the amp section and give it a look. Possible that you could see the problem, but...maybe not. If it's another Frontman model (and there have been quite a few) it could still be solid state and a reverb tank. If so, they are pretty simply built and easy to repair as 212MavGuy notes. If all else fails, you could get a HolyGrail reverb pedal, but a new 25R would be about the same price. If you can post picture of the front/back/innards of your amp I might be able to think of something else. Good luck!
peacemaker Posted March 14, 2010 Author Posted March 14, 2010 It's a 25R. The older model with the ugly black metal fishnet grill and dinky knobs. Sounds pretty good for what it is with my strat. Doesn't do my 575 justice though. Ron, I'll check it out and post a pic if I need some help. Thanks!
pushover Posted March 14, 2010 Posted March 14, 2010 I have a 25R for which I changed the speaker in it and it made it sound a lot better (especially on the clean side). It's really not a bad sounding little amp for what it is. Surprisingly loud. I kind of view it as disposable item though. I'm pretty sure I'm not up to diagnosing and fixing any problems with it myself (other than loose wires), and to have a tech take a look at it will cost as much as it costs to replace it. I often see them on criagslist for between $35-60. Honestly my advice is to buy a separate reverb pedal that you could use on any occasion, or just buy another one.
peacemaker Posted March 14, 2010 Author Posted March 14, 2010 Push, it's kind of fun to see if maybe I can pull this off . . . who knows? So, I cracked it open and yes, it is all pcb in there as I expected. But, there's an actual spring reverb unit! Here's a pic: The front of the amp is to the left. The cardboard rectangle in the upper right houses the spring reverb. I suppose that since I'm well past the factory warranty and it isn't working anyway, there's no harm in cutting it open to see what I see inside. I checked the connections of the red/black and green/black wires and they're fine. More later I guess . . .
pushover Posted March 14, 2010 Posted March 14, 2010 Push, it's kind of fun to see if maybe I can pull this off . . . who knows? So, I cracked it open and yes, it is all pcb in there as I expected. But, there's an actual spring reverb unit! Here's a pic: The front of the amp is to the left. The cardboard rectangle in the upper right houses the spring reverb. I suppose that since I'm well past the factory warranty and it isn't working anyway, there's no harm in cutting it open to see what I see inside. I checked the connections of the red/black and green/black wires and they're fine. More later I guess . . . Ahhhh.. it's the CHALLENGE that has got you.. I certainly know that one.. Every now and then I get a bug up my @#^^ and just gotta figure stuff out. It's always really rewarding when a DIY job works out. I've also had a few that did NOT work out well, so now I try and pick my battles. In this case I don't think you have too much to lose, so enjoy and best of luck in fixing the problem., Once you're done, start auditioning some speakers. If you play the amp all of the time, it's really the most obvious thing you can change that you will notice and appreciate (with the exception of course of buying another Heritage..).
DC Ron Posted March 15, 2010 Posted March 15, 2010 Hmmm, VERY interesting. Your older generation 25R is different. Mine has a 2-spring reverb soldered into the board and fully visible. This one will require a bit of, um. surgery. I agree about the challenge...I'm the kind of guy that if the toilet overflows, spills an inch of liquid waste on the bathroom floor and then explodes in a powdery ceramic mist, rubs his chin thoughtfully and thinks, "I can fix that..." with a determined smile...
212Mavguy Posted March 16, 2010 Posted March 16, 2010 Hmmm, VERY interesting. Your older generation 25R is different. Mine has a 2-spring reverb soldered into the board and fully visible. This one will require a bit of, um. surgery. I agree about the challenge...I'm the kind of guy that if the toilet overflows, spills an inch of liquid waste on the bathroom floor and then explodes in a powdery ceramic mist, rubs his chin thoughtfully and thinks, "I can fix that..." with a determined smile... Well, S__t really does happen huh?
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