JohnHHorvath Posted July 7, 2002 Share Posted July 7, 2002 After a recent job, some "helpers" who were moving our equipment had an accident, and my 1965 Fender Vibrolux ended up in the deep end of the swimming pool! I've disassembled it and put it in the sun for about a day, and I've had fans blowing on it. When will it be safe to put together, plug in, and test? Is there any likelihood this thing will ever work again? Anybody had any similar experiences? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stanner Posted July 8, 2002 Share Posted July 8, 2002 wow thats a new one to me. you should try the guitar forum. its probably not a new one to someone there. s :cool: AMPSSOUNDBETTERLOUDER Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bvdd Posted July 8, 2002 Share Posted July 8, 2002 John, When my 12" combo got soaked for 3 hours in a downpour, I baked it in my oven (200 degrees) for 8 hours. The low, dry, constant heat did the trick. The speaker was gone but the amp is fine today. Good luck Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tedster Posted July 8, 2002 Share Posted July 8, 2002 How'd you get the goldfish out of the tubes? C'mon, now...we know you were [i]really[/i] trying to get a new "wetter reverb" sound. :D :D :D Seriously, though, I hope it works fine. If it does, it'd make a great ad for Fender. "Cisco Kid, was a friend of mine" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wewus432 Posted July 8, 2002 Share Posted July 8, 2002 I once made a casserole from an old Vox AC 30 and some eggplant I had on hand. It was a little crunchy but delicious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnHHorvath Posted July 8, 2002 Author Share Posted July 8, 2002 When my 12" combo got soaked for 3 hours in a downpour, I baked it in my oven (200 degrees) for 8 hours. The low, dry, constant heat did the trick. The speaker was gone but the amp is fine today. Good luck Bill[/QB][/QUOTE]Bill: Was this a tube amp? How long ago did you bake it? I'm just wondering (amopng other things) that if this amp of mine comes back to life, will it be a short, painful life? BTW, it's one weird site to gaze into a swimming pool and see your amplifier sitting at the bottom -- someday I may even laugh -- but not yet... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tedster Posted July 8, 2002 Share Posted July 8, 2002 [quote]Originally posted by TheWewus: [b]I once made a casserole from an old Vox AC 30 and some eggplant I had on hand. It was a little crunchy but delicious.[/b][/quote]Okay, Wewus, I spewed my coffee on this one... :D "Cisco Kid, was a friend of mine" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bvdd Posted July 8, 2002 Share Posted July 8, 2002 "Was this a tube amp? How long ago did you bake it?" Yep .. a tube amp, back in 1994. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
not coaster MODERATOR Posted July 8, 2002 Share Posted July 8, 2002 aye matey...to Davey Jones locker ye go (as he pushes Fender amp into the drink) did ya make it walk the diving board...didja poke it with yer sabre ? Didja steal the vacuum valves and gold fillings? come on ye bloody landlubber gives the lot of old rum-soaked pirates all the gory details. aye Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
where02190 Posted July 8, 2002 Share Posted July 8, 2002 Inpect all the tubes for any damage, cracks, mosture inside, etc. Make sure the interior of the amp is completely dry. toss the speakers, they're history. Let it sit in the sun for several hours, that should do the trick. Once you have confirmed there is no more water or moisture inside, give it a shot. Unless you have done physical damage to the amp it woudl be fine once dried out, except for the speakers. Hope this is helpful. Hope this is helpful. NP Recording Studios Analog approach to digital recording. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC Posted July 8, 2002 Share Posted July 8, 2002 Man that's a horrorshow story! I think most of it should dry out okay, but you'll have to be really concerned about rust on metal. I'd think about putting a light coating of machine oil on any metal part. Chances are you'll need a speaker recone. I'd hit it with a hair dryer for awhile before putting it back together. Once it's completely dry you'll have to plug it up and troubleshoot. -David http://www.garageband.com/artist/MichaelangelosMuse Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnHHorvath Posted July 9, 2002 Author Share Posted July 9, 2002 EPILOGUE: Let's just cut to the chase: My 1965 Vibrolux Reverb Amp WORKS!! Not only that, but the speakers appear to be unfazed by their adventure in the deep! I don't freakin' believe it myself, but I've given the thing a hard workout for more than an hour now, and it just plain works and sounds like a million bucks! Of course, it's got to make it through Friday and Saturday, when we go for five hours each night, but I've got the feeling that I'm in the clear. I want to thank all those who helped buoy my spirits during these dark hours. I had a hunch I might be okay, but I also had this horrifying feeling that the amp that's seen me through almost 25 years of gigging may have met its end. And a damn good amp it's been, too! This whole episode was a nightmare for me, and probably seems like an outright fabrication to someone reading this, but -- all I can say is, damn! Those Fenders were built tough! Two Decembers ago, I had the misfortune to play a job for a radio station (M-105) here in Cleveland, Ohio, out on Public Square, about a week before Christmas. A snowstorm blew in off the lake, and the wonderful promoters and producers -- who in the past had a semi-roofed mobile satge in place with space heaters -- had no shelter for us AT ALL! We stood on a stage facing north, with the wind coming in at about 25-30 mph, laced with big wet snowflakes. I took a big blanket out of my car's trunk and covered the amp for that job, shaking off the snow after every third song. I remember how freakin' cold we were, and how we felt we had put our equipment through just about as much hell as we could ever face. (Let's give a nod to Gibson here, too, because that guitar did what no guitar should ever be asked to do.) But fishing the amp out of the deep end of a swimming pool -- and then hearing it work just days later -- can never be topped! At least, I hope not. I'm in my late 40s, and any more excitement like this might kill me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gtoledo3 Posted July 9, 2002 Share Posted July 9, 2002 I wish I would have seen this earlier! Of course it works :) Back in the old days, blues guys actually would pour beer on the cones of their speakers for distortion. Yeh, it's amazing how durable fender's can be. Want mix/tracking feedback? Checkout "The Fade"- www.grand-designs.cc/mmforum/index.php The soon-to-be home of the "12 Bar-Blues Project" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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