What did I get myself into (at the pawnshop)????

[Piecutter]

I just bought me an amp from the pawnshop today. I don’t know if I got a deal or if I’m going to have to invest more time than what it’s worth to fix. It’s a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe 112. I know new these run around $350. They had it displayed for
$240 and I thought that was an ok deal so I asked to check it out and wow.... roadworn would be saying something nice I’m surprised it turned off but yeah, it played and it was loud. The power light didn’t turn on and one of the input jacks is shot to hell. I’m not sure about the tubes or anything else. He said he could go down to $160 and I said $100. We met at $140 out the door. So yeah, now it’s mine. I don’t know the first thing about restoring amps. How much would an amp doctor charge? Maybe I’ll need new tubes idk. The
Power light doesn’t come on...

Anyways so yeah here are some pics. Tell me what y’all think.

[Psyre]

Looks like shit, you did well!

[Psyre]

It's hard to tell without gut shots, but nothing I see is THAT bad, but I do wonder under what circumstances an amp like this can be in such bad shape. Do you live by the ocean? The only real concern is if that oxidation has made it inside, but it played...and at the price of a pawn shop SS Peavey.

HRD was my first tube amp and I would have been just as well off kepijg it as upgrading to the '68 Bassman, '68 Super was a definite step up, but if I did it all over I'd prb still have the HRD, as I ended up settling on a Peavey Studio Chorus 210.

[Piecutter]

It's hard to tell without gut shots, but nothing I see is THAT bad, but I do wonder under what circumstances an amp like this can be in such bad shape. Do you live by the ocean? The only real concern is if that oxidation has made it inside, but it played...and at the price of a pawn shop SS Peavey.

HRD was my first tube amp and I would have been just as well off kepijg it as upgrading to the '68 Bassman, '68 Super was a definite step up, but if I did it all over I'd prb still have the HRD, as I ended up settling on a Peavey Studio Chorus 210.

I only put it all in that collage because I was having a hard time trying to attach the images. I’ll send a couple more that are more clear. But yeah it looks like shit. I don’t know why someone would treat an amp that way. I live in San Antonio and I’m not by the ocean. I think the guy that had it maybe played a lot of shows or something. But yeah it played. And the pots weren’t scratchy and all the tubes were glowing...

The input jacks look so fucked. Idk I hope $140 wasn’t too much

[Piecutter]

The front looks ok-ish. It’s what initially caught my attention.

[Piecutter]

I don’t know what’s up with the spray paint? It’s a freaking $400 amp!!!
I plan on putting a Swamp thing in place of the fender speaker

[Piecutter]

I’m still amazed at how good it sounds.

[Piecutter]

Tubes

[Piecutter]

Tubes

[Psyre]

Well, what I was referring to was shots of the internal amp circuit, but it's not necesarrily to go disassembling unless something goes wrong and requires it or you want to replace Input 1. Input 2 is better anyway tho, just ask our 'ol pal Aen.
$140 is a great price for a loud working tube amp. Play it for a year and see if anything arises. Oxidation on the control panel like that is the real concern, not that it's on the control panel, but that it could be indicative of oxidation levels underneath. Is that electrical tape on the reverb line? Was it repaired underneath or do you think it was just to stick the line out of the way?

Use it like crazy to determine if it's dependable for a year then decide if it's worth upgrading the tubes. If you decide to invest in better tubes, take the time and do a thorough cleaning of the inside and maybe some contact cleaning on the tube sockets as there is a good chance that they are oxidizing as well.

I've paid more for far worse amps.

[Piecutter]

Well, what I was referring to was shots of the internal amp circuit, but it's not necesarrily to go disassembling unless something goes wrong and requires it or you want to replace Input 1. Input 2 is better anyway tho, just ask our 'ol pal Aen.
$140 is a great price for a loud working tube amp. Play it for a year and see if anything arises. Oxidation on the control panel like that is the real concern, not that it's on the control panel, but that it could be indicative of oxidation levels underneath. Is that electrical tape on the reverb line? Was it repaired underneath or do you think it was just to stick the line out of the way?

Use it like crazy to determine if it's dependable for a year then decide if it's worth upgrading the tubes. If you decide to invest in better tubes, take the time and do a thorough cleaning of the inside and maybe some contact cleaning on the tube sockets as there is a good chance that they are oxidizing as well.

I've paid more for far worse amps.

I was just putting up shots that I had taken when I got home. Tomorrow I’m gonna open her up to take pics of the guts.
I really appreciate your input. This is my first project amp. I needed something to do since I’m not working. I figured when the wife starts driving me crazy I’ll just go in the room and start cleaning her up.

But hell yeah I think that year idea is great. I hooked her up to the Rat and damn...

[Psyre]

Ohhh, plz share when you do, I love rust, but suspect that it won't be too much of an issue inside, just a hunch, hope I'm right. Worst case scenario, it's expedited "mojo".

[oldangelmidnight]

I figured when the wife starts driving me crazy I’ll just go in the room and start cleaning her up.

Does your wife not bathe? Does her smell offend you?
Is "cleaning her up" some kind of euphemism?

[Piecutter]

Haha I guess it does read that way!!

For some reason I always refer to my amps, guitars and Chef knives as being female. My Ampeg V4B”s name is Christine.

Even in a forum about fuzz and amplifier worship the wifey can find a way to make me look like an idiot when I talk about her...

[Bartimaeus]

like psyre, the big concern here is the oxidation on the front panel. sometimes it's just on the surface of the chassis, and you can clean it off without too much trouble. but if some liquid spilled and got inside (maybe through the input jacks) then things could be a lot worse. but still salvageable if it hasn't died yet. also, take care opening it up – touching the circuitry in a tube amp can kill you if you don't' discharge the capacitors properly. so read up on amp safety first, and if you need to poke around for some reason make sure to use a chopstick or something else wooden.