Mike's Amp's LLC
Vintage Fender Guitar Amplifier Service and Repairs
Amplifier Service, Maintenance
and Restorations.
About Morningwood Amps
Focused and Dedicated
Dedicated to restoring, maintaining and repairing Fender and other vintage guitar amplifiers from the 1940's through the early 1970's.
If your amp is made in China, Malaysia, Vietnam (you get the idea) I'm not your guy.
If your amp is made after 1975, I'm not your guy.
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Amplifier Repair, Maintenance
Maintenance
Most of the amplifiers that come in with a problem only require cleaning (jacks, pots, sockets...) and general, inexpensive maintenance. Many key components have a life span and will slowly fail over time. The decay in sound quality may not be noticeable over time until they fail. If your amp is more than 10 years old and has not been in for maintenance, send me a note and let's discuss your needs.
Inspection, Restorations
Inspection, documentation and restoration of vintage Fender amplifiers. Every component is inspected, measured and documented against the original schematics. No parts are replaced without specific authorization from the owner.
Vintage Amplifier Restoration
1962 Fender Brown Super
Amps from the late '40s-early 50's get special care, maintaining the aesthetics of the era while updating to modern safety standards.
1964 Fender Showman
I complete a detailed review of the circuit compared to the schematic (when available), comparing all component values to print and mapping out any previous modifications. Restoring the circuit to original brings out the incredible tone and character of these amplifiers.
1965 Vibrochamp
Looking for help with your vintage amp? Contact me to start the discussion.
1965 Fender Champ
Vintage amplifiers need special care, starting with a careful cleaning and a thorough inspection of all components. This amp only needed the filter cap can replaced, three cathode caps, one resistor that had changed in value excessively over the years, affecting performance and a new 3-prong 120v supply cord.
1965 Fender Champ
Very minor maintenance needed. New 3-prong cord added. Sounds like it did when it was new.
Trust and Confidence
Trust your vintage amp to a technician that loves your amp as much (or more) than you do, who will sit with you and explain ever detail and option available to keep your amp running like new, preserving the originality and character of your amp
Oh No! An Extra Knob??
Another repeat customer, with a mid-60's Blackface Bandmaster that was modified many years ago. A failed attempt at a Master Volume. First step is to track down a replacement faceplate, then dig inside to see what's going on. The amp has been in storage for 20+ years.
Bandmaster Restoration, continued.....
Surprisingly unmolested, except for the Master Volume fiasco. The bias supply board was knocked out of location to fit the pot. The circuit board was warped enough to dislodge the PI tail resistor. All the blue blobs of joy check good, as expected. All of the cathode caps get changed (new Sprague's), as well as the original filter caps (new F&T caps, always), power dropping resistors, power tube screen and grid resistors, bias supply dropping resistor and capacitor, new PI tail resistor, new 3-prong cord, complete cleaning and a bias adjustment and we're back in business.
Back in business, ready to gig!
An amazing amplifier, sounds as good as it looks and will serve the owner faithfully and reliably for many years to come.
Back in business, ready to gig!
An amazing amplifier, sounds as good as it looks and will serve the owner faithfully and reliably for many years to come.
Vintage Amplifier Blueprinting and Maintenance
1966 Fender Super Reverb
Near-mint condition Super Reverb from 1966, in for general inspection, blueprinting and maintenance.
This process begins with measuring and evaluating every component and documenting the values on copies of the original schematics, which are later provided to the customer. Then each sub-system (bias supply, main filtering, filament supply, reverb and tremolo circuits, as examples) and tested and evaluated. Decisions made from this information are made by the customer and each customer is different. Some customers value originality over reliability, some want reliability with no loss of tone while trying to maintain the original appearance. In this case, the customer prefers reliably over originality.
Handled with care and respect and sounding glorious, this amplifier should be maintenance free for years to come.
Early 1960's Magnatone
A complete analysis if the circuit compared to the original drawing, recording all values of components, documenting any previous service / modifications with marked-up drawings and photographs, carefully reviewing any requirements and options with the owner. Continual updates during the process by phone, email and personal visits when possible. After the evaluation, no work is done on the amp without prior authorization from the owner, with a clear understanding of the work being performed, the components being used and the expectation of performance, reliability and effect to future value / collectability.
1962 Champ
Third vintage amplifier from the same owner. I work very hard to establish confidence with my owners by making the process easy, transparent, predictable and reliable.
Fender 1964 Showman
Another repeat customer, servicing and maintaining his collection if incredible amplifiers. Gentle and responsible maintenance, recapped, blueprinted and documented. New tubes, rebiased, all voltage readings documented. Museum quality amplifier treated with respect.
1951 Oahu Tonemaster
A great find by a local performing harp player. Lot's of cleanup inside and out, recapping, some new power dropping resistors, new speaker. Incredible tone, looks and runs great for a 70 year old.
Another Fabulous 1966 Super Reverb
Just some maintenance, cleaning, a few minor touch ups inside to get a little slower tremolo, chase down some older failed components. What an excellent example of a really nice amplifier.
Traynor YGM-3 Guitar Mate
Just some maintenance, cleaning, a few minor touch ups inside to get a little more reverb, chase down some older failed components. What an excellent example of a really nice amplifier.
Find an Amp Tech you can Trust
Home players (like me) and professionals alike need an amp tech they can trust. More than that, a tech who will take the time and explain exactly what's going on inside your amp, how it works, how to do simple maintenance, what tubes to use, how to swap speakers, what "biasing" means and how it affects your tone and more.
Contact me to make arrangements to have your amp serviced and a casual conversation about your amplifier.
1971 Traynor YBA-1 Bass Master
Completely original an unmolested example of a great amplifier. Some thought it was a "poor Man's Marshall" but I disagree. Built like a tank, powerful, reliable and serviceable. Peter Traynor knew what he was doing. One of the loudest, most powerful 50 watt amplifiers ever built.
50 Years in the Dark
Completely original from 1971, this could be the first time the chassis has been out of the amp. The amp had been pushed hard, signs of heat stress and a 25-amp fuse in the holder instead of a 5-amp.
Once the evaluation is complete, including marked-up schematics with actual readings and values, the owner is brought back in to review the findings, discuss each component in question, the proposed replacement parts and methods before proceeding.
Updates include the mandatory 3-prong cord, replacing all of the main filter caps, including gently digging out the excessive solder holding the filter cap cans in place, bias supply caps, balancing resistors, power dropping resistors and the common screen resistor, improving the bias adjustment, cleaning up some of the wire dress, cleaning everything and not touching any of the tone caps, as they checked good. Diligently keeping to the original design, although later versions had some revisions, we agreed that two of the cathode caps would be replaced with more guitar-friendly values, as the customer planned to use this amp for guitar, not bass as originally designed.
Find an Amp Tech you can Trust
Home noodlers (like me) and professionals alike need an amp tech they can trust. More than that, a tech who will take the time and explain exactly what's going on inside your amp, how it works, how to do simple maintenance, what tubes to use, how to swap speakers, what "biasing" means and how it affects your tone and more.
Contact me to make arrangements to have your amp serviced and a casual conversation about your amplifier.
From the Owner:
"I contacted Mike about an old Traynor YBA-1 amp head that needed some work. We discussed what would be needed to get the amp up and running and how I'd be using the amp. After benching the head, I was promptly given an estimate and a detailed explanation of what will be done. I am extremely happy with the quality of work and would recommend him to anybody looking to have their amp serviced. "