Replacing components and clipping old leads.

[alerich]

I saw some work a local shop (new to the area) performed on a vintage Fender blackface amp. From the pictures I saw they replaced the filter caps under the doghouse with new Sprague Atoms and they replaced all the electrolytic bypass caps with Spragues, as well. In each case to remove the old component they clipped the lead for the old component in the middle of the lead (instead of unsoldering the leads and removing the entire component) and then soldered the leads of the new component to the existing portion of the leads from the old component.

I was always taught that this is very poor form. Personally, I think it looks shabby and shade tree even though electrically it may be the same. Does anyone else share my opinion on this? I guess I can see doing it on some cheapo amp repair but not on a vintage amplifier.

[Willabe]

Personally, I think it looks shabby and shade tree even though electrically it may be the same. Does anyone else share my opinion on this?

YES!

And dumb.   


                         Brad     

[sluckey]

Make that a double YES. I saw a lot of that in tv and radio shops during the '60s. Very lazy/shitty workmanship IMO.

Unfortunately, I've also witnessed some of the same during my career with FAA. It's one thing to tack solder components while testing or troubleshooting, but it's just wrong to send out a finished job in that condition. I think that a person's workmanship says a lot about that person in many other ways too. I have no professional respect for someone that will do that kind of work and often have very little respect for them as a person either.

[HotBluePlates]

The only possible exception is for modern carbon comps. Their leads are generally not long enough to reach across the longest spans of a Fender eyelet board. However, I've never had that problem with any caps.