Get some compressed air and a can of contact cleaner. Use the air to get dust out of hard to reach/delicate spots inside the amp. As for everything else that is accesible, a damp rag will do the trick. Just be careful not to snag it on anything!Remove the knobs/switches/faceplate and apply your contact cleaner to each contact point. Switches, dial stems and anything else. Once you've hit it with the clkeaner, move it through its full range of motion about 30 - 40 times. Feel free to spray it again during this process.That's about it.

1. Restoring Fender Amps

Well, i have this weird stuff on my camo faceplate and fire towers faceplate, that i'm trying to rub, scratch and clean off, but so far isn't working. I'll post pictures later, but for now, anyone got any tips or solutions?

If you have a dusty type of home, wipe it down every few days so that dust isn't gathering.Is the Pioneer 'it' for you? Spend some time living with it but it could probably benefit from a couple of internal upgrades. The capacitors namely.

Restoring Fender Amps

Congrats the 650 is a nice little intro into the Pioneer SX series from the mid to late 70's.Here is something posted over at Audio Karma that I think is a great little how-to on cleaning older gear. The one thing it does not mention is to STAY AWAY from the tuner fins with the DeOxit. The tuner fins are easy to spot once you have the cover off. They are usually in the back near the tuner string when you rotate the tuner knob you will also see the fins rotate.

Also if you can not get DeOxit locally (Guitar Centers usually carry it) then in a pinch you can use QED Electrical Contact cleaner at Lowe's or Home Depot. Avoid the DeOxit sold at Radio Shack as they charge about $20 for a very small can they probably won't even get you through an entire cleaning. If it is really dusty I recommend using some compressed air to blow out as much loose dust as possible before starting to use the cleaner.

You may also want to consider replacing any old fuses just make sure what you put in is the same type as what you took out the fuse specs are usually on the fuse. If you don't know what type of fuse you need DO NOT GUESS!Arkay's 'Idiot's Guide' (because it takes one to know one. ) to a DeOxit job:INTRODUCTION:You don't need to know much about electronics, nor do you need to take much apart, to use DeOxit correctly on 90+ percent of receivers and other vintage gear. Basically, you need to unscrew the top and bottom covers, and PERHAPS (but often not) remove the front faceplate. It's really pretty easy to do, if you can just use a screwdriver to unscrew (and screw back in) a screw, and point a spraycan, turn a knob back-and-forth, and wiggle a little Q-tip or mascara brush!Although all this is a simple enough thing to do in real life, all written out in detail like this it gets a bit long.

You might want to print this out on paper and read it through once or twice before beginning, perhaps even keeping it beside you as you do the work, and checking off the steps as you go.MATERIALS:.A screwdriver or two that will fit the screws holding on the covers.A DeOxit kit, with both spray can (with little red straw) and little bottle of red DeOxit, and the same for the yellowish DeOxit Gold (formerly called ProLube). Either a little mascara brush (or two) or a couple pipe cleaners and/or some Q-tips (the kind that don't come apart easily). If you buy one of the DeOxit kits that comes with some little things like these, then that's all you'll need. You might also want a few paper towels. If it turns out that you need to remove the faceplate (but you may not have to), then you might also need a very small allen wrench or jeweler's screwdriver to remove the tiny set-screws that are sometimes used to secure larger knobs and maybe two rounded-bottomed spoons (regular kitchen spoons) to pry up knobs that are stuck tightly on the shafts, along with some cardboard, cloth or leather scraps to protect the faceplate while doing this.STEPS:Remove Top Cover:1. Remove the screws that are holding on the top cover, and put them safely aside in a small paper cup or dish or something, as you remove them, so they won't be lost.

Label that container ('top cover screws') and set it where you won't spill it or lose it. Lift off the cover and set it aside in a safe place where it is out of your way but you can find it again.Remove Bottom Cover:2. Stand the receiver up vertically, so you can access the bottom of the receiver. You may wish to put down a piece of cardboard or srap of linoleum or something like it underneath the receiver, to protect your table-top from scratches, and to facilitate turning the receiver around sometimes for easier access. Repeat step 1 for the bottom cover. You might need to remove the feet, as well, in order to remove the bottom cover, but sometimes you don't have to. Be sure to put the screws into their own receptable and label it ('bottom cover screws').Only Remove Faceplate if Necessary:3.

Look at the area behind the faceplate. Can you see the potentiometers and switches? Those are the things that the shafts of the knobs and such on the front panel go into. If you can see them, and access them at least with the little red straw tubes that come with DeOxit spray cans, then you don't need to remove the faceplate. This is the case with most receivers.Removing the Faceplate:4. I won't detail the process for removing the faceplate itself on a particular model, but give general instructions, as it will vary from model to model and usually isn't necessary, anyway.If you do have to remove the faceplate, study it carefully first, and take some digital pics and make notes, so that you can replace it properly afterwards.

Click to expand.Removing the faceplate is as obvious as it could be. Remove all the stuff holding it to the chassis, knobs, jack nuts, lamp bezel and bracket, pot nuts. You'll need to have the amp out of the cabinet for this. After all the stuff is off, you'll find it is glued to the chassis. By the time you've done all this you'll probably prefer to buy a new clean replacement panel rather than go through all that work to have the mangled on back on.Expect the chassis itself to be dented in some cases. Amps tend to fall forward on the plug.

Removing the faceplate is as obvious as it could be. Remove all the stuff holding it to the chassis, knobs, jack nuts, lamp bezel and bracket, pot nuts. You'll need to have the amp out of the cabinet for this. After all the stuff is off, you'll find it is glued to the chassis. By the time you've done all this you'll probably prefer to buy a new clean replacement panel rather than go through all that work to have the mangled on back on.Expect the chassis itself to be dented in some cases. Amps tend to fall forward on the plug.

Click to expand.I've never found the faceplate to be stuck on with any adhesive at all, but I understand that many do. Yes it is pretty straightforward as Ronsonic describes above, except for one thing: the jewel housing is a real booger to get the retaining nut off and on where it holds the assembly in against the inside of the chassis. It's all but impossible to get to with any kind of standard tool I know of. First time around I resorted to the ol' screwdriver and hammer thing, then someone here was kind enough to alert me to an inexpensive purpose built tool just for this job sold by Mission Amps. Best 7 bucks I've ever spent!You will likely have a problem finding a replacement faceplate. The supply has all dried up due I suppose to tighter enforcement on Fender's part. As it happens Angela Instruments has a NOS one on ebay right now for $99.00 and if you need one it's as good as you're gonna do I imagine.

I would have bought it myself except I have a couple of old BF Super Reverb repros that would do if I ever needed one.