Fender Zodiac Amps...

[Danley]

So I have a 1969 Fender Libra, and I feel like I have the last unicorn.

(I've since put some black witch hats on it...)



They apparently have a reputation for being nonexistent, sounding horrible, and breaking down within months of their manufacture.

Personally, mine still works, and I think this amp sounds great; has a nice, remarkably spongy timbre, gets loud (back panel reads 105 watts RMS, but the repair guy I just had go through it measured more like 120), stays clean, and has some of the strongest reverb in the land... Takes pedals well, and has awesome alligator tolex

Never got to play it with the stock JBLs, as long ago the amp was stripped of anything of value, including the knobs... But back in the day I'd play it through my singer's Mesa cab, and presently I have it loaded with two Celestion Rocket 50s, which are fine for the bedroom use it's currently put through...

The PC board interior is a monstrous intersection of modern and sixties somehow; love the haphazard, thick traces:



My biggest issue with it currently is fairly weak vibrato, hardly audible below 5 on the knob, and nowhere near as deep as it should be at ten. I suspect the roach is dying... Should a standard roach from any period Fender amp work?



Or otherwise, I'd love to hear anyone's stories/feedback about the Libra, or any of the other Zodiac amps, as I've personally heard very little...

It may not be the holy grail, but it sounds to me a whole lot better than a host of other modern solid state or modeling amps... Definitely better than say, a Frontman if that's the modern equivalent, and I'd out it up against plenty of the more mediocre tube amps I'll buy and horde any I can find.

[Roly]

I suspect the roach is dying

I'm dubious.  Generally these are just a lamp (or LED) and a LDR and seem to go on forever.  Lamp filaments break mainly due to mechanical shock and stop working altogether, but I don't think I've ever seen an LDR fail in this service, and certainly not go "weak".  Is its light-tight covering still intact?  Given its age I'd be more likely to suspect any electrolytic caps on the signal side.

We need a circuit.


There is no accounting for reputation.  I've seen it cut both ways, amps that are real horror shows enjoying good reps, while others seem to be shunned for no good reason at all.

[Enzo]

And to add, sometimes ambient light gets in during service that would not when the chassis is mounted.  Turn the trem all the way up, then cover the chassis with something opaque.  Any change?


Also, bulbs do go black over time, inside the glass.  Look at your bulb and see if this is happening, a new bulb cures that.