I only offer full overhauls including recapping for vintage tube gear. Capacitors are used at much higher voltages (up to 500V DC) than solid state gear, and this gear is older than solid state gear. Most vintage tube amps used can type capacitors that are several capacitors built into one. I use a company called Hayseed Hamfest that makes replacements for these parts. Another method that some people use is hollowing out the old capacitors and putting new parts inside the can, but this is very labour intensive. I only do this as a last resort.

When restoring tube gear, I always install a three prong power cord as it is important for safety with tube gear due to the high voltages inside. I also replace resistors that have taken a lot of stress. Output tubes are biased.

I’ve received amps for repair where another shop has replaced these capacitors with individual capacitors mounted to strip board. This doesn’t look neat, and the grounding scheme has normally been modified in the process. In these cases I order the correct parts from Hayseed Hamfest and redo the work. This is more work than restoring an untouched unit because I have to figure out how it was wired originally.

Tube amp restorations for late 60s units are often in the 600-700 dollar range. I don’t like doing partial jobs on old equipment. If you want to use the amp and can afford the restoration then do it. If you can’t justify the cost I can’t guarantee a reliable unit for less so I’ll stay out of it. 

Much of the section about home audio tube amps applies to vintage guitar amps as well, though costs vary more. Many newer tube amps used lower quality capacitors and can require recapping as well though not universally. Failing caps are the main cause of hum.  

Don’t plug in an old tube amp that hasn’t been used for a while!! Gear needs to be powered up gradually with something called a variac, which is a variable AC power transformer. Line voltage going to the amp is gradually increased until 120V is reached. Not doing this can cause capacitors to explode, this will be loud! They aren’t happy about seeing a few hundred volts suddenly after being idle for years or even decades.

A word about testing tubes:

Traditional tube testers only tell me if the tube has failed or not. It won’t tell me how much life is left. The sound will degrade as tubes age, this is the main method of determining if replacements are required. Power amp tubes take the most wear, and can need replacing if they have redplated. I often recommend the “Preferred Series” tubes from “TheTubeStore”. They are well built to the TubeStore’s spec and they will cull any subpar tubes during their quality control. However tubesare something it is good to do your own research on as well as it can be a subjective choice.

I do not service tube (or solid state) furniture style consoles. I’m asked about these frequently, but there is no practical way for me to work on them due to the size, and like other tube gear they require a lot of work to make them work reliably and safely. Working on the at your place is impractical, and I don’t have room for you to bring them here. Taking the components out of the cabinet and bringing just them is also impractical. I’m not aware of anyone who does work on these in the Ottawa area either. If I ever come across anyone who does quality work on these, I’ll refer people to them.