jpp said:
I just picked up a '66 Ampeg Reverberocket II that cleaned up like new, but the tremolo doesn't work; any ideas before I bring it in or what it might cost to repair?
Hi JPP, welcome to LTG, and congratulations on your amp! The pic below is the trem section common to many '60s Ampeg designs. The object in the dotted red box is an opticoupler - 'roach' in Fenderspeak. The contact points are color-coded to show how the device patches the effect into the line.
The cap in the dotted green box is the trem cap; typically the source of problems with weak trem. If you get the coupler replaced, you might as well get this cap replaced too; $1.50 for the part ... adds nothing to the bill. Link to opticouplers on Fliptops; a site for all things Ampeg;
http://www.fliptops.net/catalog/index.php?cPath=25_56
On another BB, one of our BBers reported crappy reliability with these but, if the problem is the coupler, you really have no other choice. Their purpose is to kill the clicks and pops associated with grounding the signal via the footswitch to turn the trem off so this coupler effectively switches the function on and off without the noise ... of course, if the opticoupler doesn't work, there's no noise to worry about anyway .... :evil: :wink: Welcome and good luck with your amp! CJ