Caps in my 1963 Gibson ga 8t Discover

Could be. Probably are. Pictures would help make a definite answer.

 

They *look* OK, but looks can be deceiving. Is the amp quiet? Do you get a loud 60hz hum? If the amp is quiet and no low level 60hz hum then these electrolytics are probably fine. FWIW the cap "attached to the volume pot" isn't *really* attached to the pot for any volume-related reason, it's just attached there as a convenient place to solder the ground (-) side of the electrolytic to chassis ground.

Again, FWIW, your Discoverer looks pretty good inside compared to the ones I've worked on (15 or so GA-8T EL-84 Discoverer's at this point).

 

I see a 'bee,and a Black Beauty...

 

This pic is a perfect example of point to point wiring. NO BOARD in the layout.
So many think that any handwired amp is PTP which just isn't so.

 

Hi Scott; yes ... the cap that's 'connected to the volume' is only grounded on the body of the control; it has nothing to do with volume; the cap is the preamp cathode bypass cap around the 1.5K cathode resistor. If you replace the primary filter caps, replace that bypass cap too. John

 

If that was my amp I would replace all the electrolytics. These amps seem to "bloom" after 7 on the volume knob. That's when they thicken up and you get some volume out of them. They can sound thin with low output under 7. Even dimed they aren't overly loud but between 7-10 is where I used to keep mine, and I used it at blues jams and it cut through the mix.

 

If it were mine, I would swap out the 4 Metal caps with FT Brand simply because they are similar in physical size, the have nice long leads, and having used hundreds of them, very reliable.

I would also replace the little black electrolytic bypass cap near the center of the chassis.

I would also get a 3 prong power cord on there.

 

The filter caps were originallly 20-10-10 uF. Three 20s will work fine but The preamp sound more "open" with the 10s. I like Nichicons for their smaller size. The very cheap filters from WeberVST work fine and are very compact.