Music Gear Discussion

[Fe 26]

St. George the Knight took his last ride today. Time of death 12:17.

Cheeks or Pa... want to take a crack at it? It is like my Double Death Bastard. Tubes run off wall current. My guy put a transformer in it, and it blows something every time you turn it on. It blew out the power in the whole block where my guy's shop is.

Up for a challenge? It's dead, so I don't give a fuck if you break it more. I have a real attachment to this fucker... I want to play it.

If you can fix it, I'll pay parts and labor. If not, I wanna stick a Champ in the enclosure... Unless you can totally rebuild it? I've no idea what I'm talking about.

I don't know if I'll have time to fix it in the coming months. Its getting to be Job hunting time and graduating time. If you did mail it to me, it could be here for months before I had a long spell of time to work on it.

And it very well might cost 400$ to fix. (200 for a new transformer[if it requires some custom job], 50 for a new can cap if it has it, and 150 for god knows what). I could probably build a champ in it for 200-250. Those parts are dead common and I've already looked at what the transformers costs.

So before we really start to discuss this, are you ok with waiting 6 months to get it back (graduating/job will come before your amp) and the possibility that I need to replace all the expensive parts in the amp?

[Josh]

Well, it needs a lot of parts. I gave my guy the parts he put into it back. He gave me money for them.

It originally didn't have a transformer, and ran off of wall current (like ol Double Death) I've had wall current pass through me multiple times before. My neurologist thinks at my brain got fucked from all the jolts, and thinks it could be the cause of those seizures. He mentioned that if it happened again I would probably have another seizure and die. horribly.

The problem is at the amp is designed to take 120v. I'm past my point of understanding here... The transformer is the issue? It currently doesn't have the pricey caps it needs, the power cord is gone, the transformer has been pulled, and who knows what else.

He had it working using his special power box whatever the fuck a couple times, and it sounds so cool. Then it would blow out mad shit when plugged into the wall. I want it to work, but I don't know how much money I want to sink into a 2 watt amp. I'll ship it to you when you're ready to fuck with it. I can wait.

[Josh]

Or wait. The transformer might still be in there? Don't know.

[Fe 26]

I'm going to take a wild guess and say the magic power box is a variac.

Did it look like this? https://www.google.com/search?q=vari...O8rd0QHL6v3tDQ

What is most likely happening is that this amp was designed to run off of 100,110, or 115. And it sounds good because it is already running hot. And when you plug it into 120, it goes past the tolerances of the parts and burns something out. He is probably using a variac to supply it with some magical ideal voltage from the 1920s bumble fuck.


I don't know if this kind of amp can ever be made to where it can't shock you. It is hard to say (because I don't have it here in front of me) but I think those kinds of amps run the heater current off of 120 vac (it is typically 12 and 6 volts DC on other tube amps). That means there is always some 120vac in each tube and if they break, and the heater part finds a way to touch the part that handles your music, its going to send 120vac through the signal path. You're in the signal path. Your hand and the guitar are the start of it.

Putting a grounded line cord on it would only protect you so long. The first venue you play that isn't grounded right will probably result in you getting shocked if the amp has anything broke in it. It might not even take anything broke in the amp if the venue has one of the prongs switched (neutral is now hot) and the 120 is running up the neutral and/or ground lug through the chassis.

Knowing the nature of old amps, shitty venues, and you, I don't know if their is an ideal solution. Other than maybe covering yourself in rubber.

I'm not trying to be funny. If you really think one more shock could kill you, you might want to consider putting down anything not made by a major manufacture from 1970, back. Or shit, just anything that doesn't meet modern UL approval.

Or at least don't play out using vintage gear on unknown power sources

[Josh]

This is a 2 or 3 watt amp. I'd never play out on it. Only vintage gear that leaves my practice spot are guitars. I've learned my lesson.
The heater business you're mentioning sounds like what my guy was talking about. Part of why after the 4th time, he gave up. Told me I could "probably" not get it working again. It's a variac, but I've not seen it.

This would only be for playing guitar at home. As long as I'm not near a PA I should be ok, probably? I don't know.

[Fe 26]

As long as each tube has a heater that is powered by 120 Vac, no one can promise your safety.

Tube amps have lots of grounds all over the place. 99% of the time, this means that a wire is connected to the metal chassis and a wire is connected to the chassis near the power transformer and ran to the third prong on a power cord to give the whole thing an earth ground.

Each tube that is connected to 120 is an opportunity for something to short 120 to the chassis. The input and output jacks are almost always grounded to the chassis too. That little thin bolt that goes around the input jack and speaker jack? Those are tightly grounding the inputs and outputs to the chassis.

If one of those tubes has an internal failure, they could short 120 to the chassis and the chassis would make a connection with your guitar cord through the input jack and shock you. There is no way to change this and this amp still be what it is. This potential risk of shock is inherent in the design.


In other words, you're asking for someone to cure your pet rattlesnake. I can build a really nice box for him. I can put locks on the door to his room. I can give you a snake handling stick. I can tell you about how deadly is. But he'll probably always want to bite you and if he does, you'll probably die.

EDIT: If you get a chance, tell me what tubes are in it.

[Fe 26]

In other news, I'm planning on building the most mojo amp ever in the history of ever ever.

Power transformer and tubes - from a WW2 tank radio
Output Transformer - USA made in Chicago
Wire - SUPER HOLY FUCKING FANCY cloth covered SUPER HOLY FUCK high fidelity silver plated military radio wire. I cut it out of a vintage aircraft radio wiring harness.

I'm not sure what I'm going to do about the inclosure or parts. Should I just buy new wood and paint it olive drab and call it the M2? Or should I find an old building in MS and steel the wood, so it has that SUPER MOJO blues history?

Should I get new normal caps? pay out the nose for NOS caps? Or get some new LOL cork sniffing oil caps?


The design is based heavily on the first fender champ. The Champion 800.


I'm thinking of charging 599 or 799 for it. I'm not sure. Maybe 299 if it sets around and no one buys it.

It will be all kinds of fancy pants.

[Josh]

Honestly, I'd probably buy it for $299. Provided it wouldn't be a rattlesnake.

[Josh]

EDIT: If you get a chance, tell me what tubes are in it.

Are the tubes labeled, or is the mounting whatever the fuck labeled?

I don't have it here, or I'd take it apart and take a fuckton of pictures for all to see.

I wish I could play this thing. It is the brightest sounding amp I've ever heard.

[Fe 26]

tube names are sometimes on the chassis by the tube socket. They are almost always somewhere on the tube assuming someone hasn't removed them while cleaning,