So I'm doing some amp repair this week and...

[OffYourFace]

HOLY SHIT Sprague Atoms are f#@king expensive right now. What a rip-off.

I haven't used those caps in ages but was thinking of giving them a go until I saw the prices.

[i love sharin foo]

Yeah, they're crazy expensive at this point, particularly the higher values and voltages. I've still been using them for small values though where I can afford to. For bigger ones, I've had good luck with Antique Electronics Supply MOD series. Maybe they will need replaced a bit sooner vs Sprague or F&T, but for the price difference, I am okay with that.

[Fiddy]

The Traynor recapping cost me like a buck seventy total i think.. Overpriced is fucking right.

[JSett]

Are F&T's the same? I've been using those the last few years for bigger values and Sprague/Mullard for smaller numbers and they weren't too bad last I checked...but I haven't had to buy any for about a year though.

[OffYourFace]

At AES, Sprague Atom 20uF 500v axial were $18.95 each. EACH! 80uF was $14.95 each
25uF/50v were $3.50 each!

I went with F&T for the power supply caps (it's a '65 bandmaster) and generics for the cathode bypass (25uF). It was around $60 for a full recap kit for two Bandmasters. Not bad.

I've been using F&T for the last 10 years or so in Fenders. They are good caps. I believe Sprague Atoms are made by Illinois caps now (or whoever owns them, the worst caps, high failure rate IME) so it's a bit ridiculous.

[øøøøøøø]

I haven’t used the large blue Atoms in forever.

Just not enough value for money there.

TBH, for many applications I’ve been going with new polymer aluminum electrolytic caps. Better measurable performance and longer lifespans.

If restoring/repairing something ancient and I want caps that are closer to original spec performance, I tend to use the black/green Atoms (100v rating or lower) and F&T or similar for the larger voltage ratings

[OffYourFace]

Here's a pic of the Fender amps I worked on recently. On the Left, '65 Bassman on top of a '66 Bandmaster. On the right, a '64 Bandmaster.

[HNB]

Nice! They remind me of my Showman head I got from Pat.

[46346]

At AES, Sprague Atom 20uF 500v axial were $18.95 each. EACH! 80uF was $14.95 each
25uF/50v were $3.50 each!

I went with F&T for the power supply caps (it's a '65 bandmaster) and generics for the cathode bypass (25uF). It was around $60 for a full recap kit for two Bandmasters. Not bad.

I've been using F&T for the last 10 years or so in Fenders. They are good caps. I believe Sprague Atoms are made by Illinois caps now (or whoever owns them, the worst caps, high failure rate IME) so it's a bit ridiculous.

dang, my heart sank a bit at those prices, as i've been realizing that many of the old amps that my friends and i restored back in the 90's and 00's
are now making noises again...

i've always felt secure with F&T's, those prices look better than i expected.

the MODS are really tempting, as i should be getting into several PS rebuilds later this year and like to do them as a batch, and it all adds up.
but i might sell some of these amps next year, and having F&T's or Atoms is a nice thing to find in an amp for sale.

but i'd like to hear folks' MOD experiences. how long have they been making them?

[øøøøøøø]

Electrolytic cap technology has been getting better and better over time*

If we want to use old electrolytic cap technologies, what we’re saying is that we prefer inferior caps. That isn’t totally irrational for musical instrument applications, as long as we understand what we’re choosing and why.

But usually we don’t, so the preference for Atoms, etc is largely down to superstition. Which is also fine, it’s just not very empirical.

*if it seems like new caps are less-reliable, they might be for a given voltage rating. But I always recommending matching the physical *size* of the old part, not the actual number on the tin.

Better technology has allowed optimizations that probably allows caps to be rated a little closer to the ragged edge, and in any case most part failures are heat related. Larger parts run cooler, and derated-for-voltage also runs cooler.

So that modern 200v part might be the same size as that old 10v part, and will last longer.

[OffYourFace]

F&T was bought out by another company recently... Mersen. Hopefully the quality and prices stay the same.

Those amps above are for my good friend Adam from The War On Drugs. The main Bandmaster (a '64) has everything replaced in it. I mean everything. It's basically a new amp. All the transformers (Mercury PT & choke, I think Heyboer Bassman OT), all the coupling caps (those big gold Alessandro ones). But it's the best Fender amp I've heard in a very long time. It also has Spragues in the dog house....

[Fiddy]

Fuck, my Traynor is acting up. Im thinking is either power tubes or a plate resistor... Leaning more towards a bad plate resistor.

Resistors are cheap at least.

[Fiddy]

Turns out the Traynor is fine. The problem was an MXR clone looper I recently bought. That's the name is not a clone.

It's making crackling noises and overheating and of course its past the return window ..

[Yngwie Springsteen]

Turns out the Traynor is fine. The problem was an MXR clone looper I recently bought. That's the name is not a clone.

It's making crackling noises and overheating and of course its past the return window ..

Yeah dunlop's warrany and repair service sucks....

[hulakatt]

Turns out the Traynor is fine. The problem was an MXR clone looper I recently bought. That's the name is not a clone.

It's making crackling noises and overheating and of course its past the return window ..

Yeah dunlop's warrany and repair service sucks....

Yeah, I'm still waiting to get my dunlop rotovibe back from repair. I sent it in in 2001.