Let’s have a look shall we? If you’ll recall from my previous post, the rectifying circuit in the GA-5 looks like this :

The death cap, a .022 mF is there to help suppress hum. Have that removed!! It is actually very dangerous, and is no longer allowed in circuit designs (in fact, I think it was outlawed in the mid sixties). I found my first reference to the death cap here and a subsequent conversation with somebody with a lot more experience than I do made the problem clear.

When that cap goes, and it will, it will do one of two things. It will blow open, or it will short. Open is no problem, but shorted means that there is now a direct path from power to ground. Just touching your metal cord shield should be enough to put you in the circuit (I hate metal plug assemblies on cords). If you are touching your strings or metal on the guitar, your odds of being electrocuted are much better.

Remove the death cap and ground your amp with a three prong plug first. More details on the way.