The Electrolytic capacitors used to filter the power supply in your amplifier have a limited lifetime.They need to be periodically replaced. When they get very old I have seen them become a short. This is disastrous because it can damage other components in the amplifier. Example: I had an old Sears Silvertone amp in the shop where the power suppy filter choke started to smoke (and was destroyed) because one end of the choke was shorted to ground by an old failed electrolytic cap. Think about it: One end of the choke was at 400V, the other at ground….. Smoked! So, when I go through your amp I am always on the lookout for old electrolytic caps that need to be replaced. Replacing these caps is a normal part of the amplifiers
maintenance cycle and does not change the tone of your amplifier (although
replacing old worn electrlytics can bring the amp to life!). What DOES change
the tone of the amp is changing the coupling caps in the amp. This is something
we will not do unless one of the caps is malfunctioning (Leaking). So, don’t get
nervous if we say you need a cap job!