daddymack

yeah, there is something hinky in the ownership...a group effort, Sweetwater the more visible...

That's who we've been repelling....

DOH! My bad...'Prepare to accept boarders!'

your supposition is incorrect. I am an unpaid volunteer, as are the rest of the mods here...AFAIK. Since we have no contact with the owners, who would be 'paying us'? And yes, we are of the opinion it is currently Sweetwater. But nothing official was ever given to us. One day, Anderton, Dendy, Phil and the other guys you didn't see, like Loeffler....all logged off. No guidance, no 'here's the key to the admin codes', no in case of emergency contact:www.xxx-X.fu, nope...'hasta la vista, good luck....' well not exactly...but pretty much. But the ship is still afloat, we just can't get to the wheel house to steer it. All we can do is repel boarders and keep the peace. Thankfully it is sllloooooooooooooowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww....

I was certain we were goners after 48 hours down. no, nothing was said to us mods, and we have no direct line to the owners.

for those who have not seen one, it is a nut that allows adjustment through a notch in the pickguard. https://www.stewmac.com/parts-and-hardware/nuts-and-washers/spoke-wheel-truss-rod-nut/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwzqSWBhDPARIsAK38LY8XQ4ZukW_ohQ8ghiskgFh3wsiPb3mouccAg6DDYWk4BgNN86zwU4EaAgWbEALw_wcB Do you have a pic of a heel mounted unit? Seems that would need a routed cavity at the neck joint... I have never seen one used for a set neck, but it does make adjusting faster on bolt-on necks with the pickguard notch.

panel/rack mount gear still has devotees...put it up on Reverb at ~$1750 and see what happens.

I'm sorry you hit a dead end, but the rev. B came from Ampeg...good luck!

lay off CL for a while, m'kay?

probably because it is one.... where have you been hiding?😉

Unfortunately, I can't read most of the nomenclature on your schematic. But your schematic appears to be Revision D, and the one I posted was Revision B.[April 1971]..so there may be a Rev. A or Rev. C schematic out there which might* coincide with your amp. I suggest contacting the nice folks at Ampeg and asking if there is a Rev. A or Rev. C schematic, as I have looked and found nothing else, including your Rev. D version! I also see that the Rev B is 'U.S. patent pending'...and the Rev. D unit is described as 'V2-VT-40...is there anything on your amp that says that? Do you have the serial number? * based on the performance of the amp as you have described it, I still think it has been modified from spec. However, bass amps are typically designed to be low distortion, like the 'flip tops'...and I am not familiar with the VT-40 aside from a quick perusal of the schematic.

of course the black looks better...😉 $700 is way over the line, even in 100% original condition, mint, with a HSC.

OOOPS...they did make at least one ebony...

Ampeg Super Stud GE-500s were built in Japan back around the mid 1970s. They are a bolt-on neck SG style, with a 'German carve' top, with real Bigsby vibratos. How much are they asking? In excellent condition, they typically sell for around $500 To my knowledge, they never finished them in black, so I won't buy it. Tell the seller to put it on Reverb.com...

gotta ask...where did the amp come from, and do you know what year it was built? It sounds like someone did some mods before you got it...It also sounds like the power transformer is a non-spec replacement...and may be mis-wired, which could explain the voltage variants. I'm sure you have this already, but to save time for other respondents, this is Ampeg's VT-40 Schematic: Ampeg VT-40 Schematics.pdf

ummmm... we really are NOT 'your Google'....and telling people off here will get you banned...consider this your free warning.

JJ or TAD first choice for non-NOS there are also solid state versions of the 12AX7, like this

sorry about your dog......sadly he likely will get worse over time, while your dexterity should improve. It comes down to your practice regimen, how you adapt to the physical restrictions the injury has put in place and ...well...time. Slowing down to retrain your fingers is the better course of action rather than demanding three do the work of four....IMHO. Listen to the pain, it is telling you something...but do not give in to it. Work around it, work through it...but work it.

depending on what ksl's budget is, I do know a few who bought this...about half of what Fender asks...yeah, it'll hold six, not just 3...but

Also, some amps are 'self-biasing' [cathode biased] like AC30s, and 5E3 Deluxe...most [not all] amps under ~35 watts are self-biased. When you get into the four power tube zone, then it gets important. I don't know if I would say that it is only for the high gain crowd or tone connoiseurs...anyone who wants their tubes in their 40-100W amp to last more than a few gigs will benefit from understanding the need to bias the power tubes...my Marshall SL 100 was a PITA to get the bias right...and I did fry some EL34 tubes very quickly when I did it too hot...that was the first amp I actually had to bias myself, and it was a learning curve. Back then there was no internet [1977] and few manuals available. I was fortunate that I worked with a lot of techs and engineers [computer/test equipment industry] who were helpful to a point...tube tech was out of vogue, but the basics still applied. I still have one amp, my Vibrolux Reverb, that needs to be biased. The rest of my amps are 20W or lower and self biasing...thankfully.

Interesting...[becuz the 1st thinlines came out in '69 ]... I was wondering how that color will change with age? Will it pale out, or darken...? Paled out, with the maple fretboard would look pretty cool; darkened would get you into the 'butterscotch' zone...good either way.

gardo...I think you made a great change! Especially since you were not happy with the original body, but liked the neck. Also, you are now rid of the noticably large gap between the bridge plate and the pickguard on the original body...

I have not had to deal with this exact situation. I have performed several mods and repairs on the 'big brother' Blues Junior [I own 2] and I suggest that this is not a task to be undertaken unless you are well versed in PCB mounted externals like the jack and pots. Your tech, as bp noted, should have the proper experience and knowledge to make these changes. BTW, they are not 'near impossible to get into', you just have to understand they were designed to be built, not repaired, but if they can build it, it can be dismantled. [If you want an amp that is almost impossible to work on, try some of the Crate tube amps... ]

Rics...when I needed child support money, it was the first to go...

no, mikeo, it is not a Gibson. That was made pretty clear in the OP... the BRAND is FIREBRAND, not the model. I know you just like posting pics of guitars....but you are not adding to the OP's research request.