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#185343 by Lizzy Janes Rescue
Sun Sep 09, 2012 12:14 am
HDriffraff wrote: I took a modded SD1 to Guitar Center yesterday hoping to trade it towards a used BD2 they had. I was expecting to get $20. The guy at the store went nuts over it and said he would be able to sell it for $100 so he gave me a $50 credit which made the trade an even swap. I'm so glad I did too because my Egnator LOVES the BD2. I'm getting the best tone ever out of that amp now. I should have picked one up years ago.


Well 24 hrs later and the BD2 isn't working. :roll: The volume dropped way off like it has a bad connection. I cleaned the jacks and that did nothing. When I opened it up to check it out I discovered that a previous owner had attemped to reflow a few solder joints. I got it to work for about 30 seconds at normal volume and then it would drop off without even being touched. It did this repeatedly. The previous owner obviously had the same issue and then dumped it on GC for a credit. It must have a bad component. I'll take it back Monday and have them put my credit towards a new one.

#185756 by Paleopete
Wed Sep 12, 2012 3:14 am
I got it to work for about 30 seconds at normal volume and then it would drop off without even being touched. It did this repeatedly.


This is what old capacitors can do. Same thing my Super Reverb did when I first got it. I replaced every cap in it because I knew they were almost 40 years old and probably dried out, it started working right when I replaced the last couple of caps. I replaced everything but the ceramic disk caps. I was replacing the "orange drop" capacitors when it started to work right, so this is not limited to electrolytics.

If this unit is very old, try replacing every capacitor in it if possible, especially electrolytics. Electrolytics dry out after a few years, (usually 20 years or so actually) and can't work properly. Some of the other types can grow weak after a few years, especially if the unit sits unused for a while.

Replacements must be as close as possible to the came microfarad value, voltage can be higher but not lower. (A 10 volt 1uF cap must be 1uF but a 16V could be used as a replacement. A 6v would not work.) If the uF value is not possible get as close as you can. This is common, many older values have been changed. 47uF, for example is no longer made, 50uF is the common replacement. The voltage rating is the maximum voltage that cap can handle, not a mandatory voltage value. A 16 volt cap will work great on a 12 volt circuit. But a 6 volt would not handle it. Same for higher voltages. modern 600 volt caps will work fine as replacements for older 450 volt caps. The 450 volt versions are no longer available.

Avoid NOS caps. (New Old Stock) after 30 years or longer they are probably dried out or weak.

I think the reason caps cause the volume drop is the way they work. Caps act similar to batteries, storing voltage until needed by the circuit. If the voltage is not there, the volume drops. When first turned on, it might work fine but after warming up, it no longer works, maybe due to heat expansion making it lose contact. It could also be that the heat causes chemical changes in the dry electrolyte.

Same thing was happening to my Wurlitzer electric piano, same cure. Replaced all the caps. It only lasted a few seconds while the amp would work for 10 minutes or so.

#186220 by Lizzy Janes Rescue
Sat Sep 15, 2012 10:37 am
That was what my thoughts were too after cleaning the jacks and checking the connctions didn't resolve the issue. I thought maybe there is a bad one in this pedal given the symptoms and the fact the problem is repeatable. Every other component in the pedal is either going to work or not. I've done cap jobs on two of my amps and one had all of the classic signs and this kind of reminded me of a fadding out issue I had with one of them. I don't need to bother doing that on this pedal because GC is swapping it with another for me on Monday. Thanks for the tip though.

#187411 by Lizzy Janes Rescue
Tue Sep 25, 2012 8:15 am
So........

I call the guy I spoke with at GC to see if the pedal is in and the story changes. Now he says I have to come in and pay the shipping charges for the replacement in advance. Of coarse he didn't bother to tell me that when we spoke a week earlier; I only find this out the day I was expecting to pick it up. I go back to GC and wait A LONG TIME for someone the take my money and credit me for the bad pedal. They look the pedal up and discover that it was known to be bad and was supposed to go to their repair shop. Someone failed to complete the job and just stuck it in the display case. That is the kind of lottery I always seem to hit. So I ask them to bring in another from a local store. They screw up but I'm paying for their mistake. When I get the replacement I notice someone has changed the LED to bright white. Hoping to see something recognizable under the hood I open it up. A number of diodes have been changed to 2mm red LEDs and at least one cap was replaced. Great, and off the script mod. Again my luck. I actually like the stock version with my Egnater and just wanted that. I guess I will have to put it through a thorough test drive later this week to see if it's usable as is. How do you think I will be treated if I bring it in and tell them I want them to replace it again? This experience is reminding me why I hate doing business with GC.

#187442 by J-HALEY
Tue Sep 25, 2012 5:29 pm
HDriffraff wrote:So........

I call the guy I spoke with at GC to see if the pedal is in and the story changes. Now he says I have to come in and pay the shipping charges for the replacement in advance. Of coarse he didn't bother to tell me that when we spoke a week earlier; I only find this out the day I was expecting to pick it up. I go back to GC and wait A LONG TIME for someone the take my money and credit me for the bad pedal. They look the pedal up and discover that it was known to be bad and was supposed to go to their repair shop. Someone failed to complete the job and just stuck it in the display case. That is the kind of lottery I always seem to hit. So I ask them to bring in another from a local store. They screw up but I'm paying for their mistake. When I get the replacement I notice someone has changed the LED to bright white. Hoping to see something recognizable under the hood I open it up. A number of diodes have been changed to 2mm red LEDs and at least one cap was replaced. Great, and off the script mod. Again my luck. I actually like the stock version with my Egnater and just wanted that. I guess I will have to put it through a thorough test drive later this week to see if it's usable as is. How do you think I will be treated if I bring it in and tell them I want them to replace it again? This experience is reminding me why I hate doing business with GC.


I don't like them either! I just go in that store to get strings and picks! I buy those in large quantities so I only go in the store about twice a year! Last time I was in the store a couple of months ago the person waiting on me said I haven't seen you in here in awhile. To which I replied there is a reason for that LMAO!

#187446 by GuitarMikeB
Tue Sep 25, 2012 5:50 pm
Some GCs are better than others, and some GC employees are better than others. I've got 5 of them within 50 miles (a 6th opening up this coming weekend).

#187730 by Lizzy Janes Rescue
Fri Sep 28, 2012 11:44 pm
It took some time to dial it in but it's usable so I'll stick with it. Once I got everything sounding as it should I swapped th stock tubes in my Egnater with a set of vintage RCAs. A pair of '70s Fender labeled 12AX7s and Silvertone labeled 6V6GTAs.

Image

It's sounding better than ever now. I'm very happy with the results. The little rig sounds really nice.

#187742 by J-HALEY
Sat Sep 29, 2012 2:18 am
HDriffraff wrote:It took some time to dial it in but it's usable so I'll stick with it. Once I got everything sounding as it should I swapped th stock tubes in my Egnater with a set of vintage RCAs. A pair of '70s Fender labeled 12AX7s and Silvertone labeled 6V6GTAs.

Image

It's sounding better than ever now. I'm very happy with the results. The little rig sounds really nice.


video clip? I looked on your channel and its not there :cry:

#187756 by Lizzy Janes Rescue
Sat Sep 29, 2012 10:37 am
I haven't had a chance to do one with this amp yet. I stuck a mic in front of it yesterday and just strummed a few chords while making adjustments but didn't ever get to actually playing anything. The Fender & Vox modes are really nice with a single pole loaded Strat.

#187826 by J-HALEY
Sun Sep 30, 2012 2:12 pm
HDriffraff wrote:Okay, I just posted what I recorded while testing it out. It's got real nice tone.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cl0rVQxGchM


Very NICE indeed! What kind of speakers do you have in that cab? I have a Mesa version of that cab it has vintage 30's and I JUST LOVE THOSE SPEAKERS! It doesn't matter what head I plug into that cab it sounds GREAT! Even my V32 Palamino when I crank it to 4 into that Mesa cab the tone is to DIE for!
I have been very impressed with the tone of those Egnater heads. That is a great clean tone you have there but does it get anymore tube saturation?

#187830 by Starfish Scott
Sun Sep 30, 2012 2:34 pm
Around here if you go to Sam Ash or Guitar Center, you can guarantee that it will be a bad experience.

Let me add any "Dave Phillips Music Store(s)", as the owner is a huge creep.

He sucks as badly as the stores not near Phillipsburg do not have the "DP" name attached to them, as people in this area know what a crook he is.

We all just laugh and only thing we could ever trust to buy from them was "the cheapest set of guitar strings or something you absolutely needed yesterday" else they just hang you out to dry.

I, personally, ordered 2 sets of those plastic roller string guides for a MIJ strat and they scaled down my order.

When I went to go pick them up, they told me "you don't need 2 packs of them" and refunded me for 1 pack and let me have the other.
(They don't need my business ever again)

The bigger the chain for guitar stuff, the harder they suck.

#187839 by gbheil
Sun Sep 30, 2012 4:23 pm
The economy is rough on honest folk as well as creeps.

It's harder and harder to turn a right profit.

So those whom you can find that still have a modicum of decency about them in their business dealings, deserve all the business you can send their way.

#187849 by Lizzy Janes Rescue
Sun Sep 30, 2012 8:00 pm
J-HALEY wrote:Very NICE indeed! What kind of speakers do you have in that cab? I have a Mesa version of that cab it has vintage 30's and I JUST LOVE THOSE SPEAKERS! It doesn't matter what head I plug into that cab it sounds GREAT! Even my V32 Palamino when I crank it to 4 into that Mesa cab the tone is to DIE for!
I have been very impressed with the tone of those Egnater heads. That is a great clean tone you have there but does it get anymore tube saturation?


The speakers are nothing special, just a pair of '74 CTS alnicos that I picked up off Craigslist for projects. I put a third in one of my Silvertones.

Image

My plan is to replace one of them with a greenback and cover the cab to match the head. I think it will make a pretty sweet looking little rig. The amp has a boat load of tube saturation on tap. It's Marshall voice is so convincing I'm selling 2266 Vintage Modern halfstack because this covers that groud fine in a much smaller package. That is what is so cool about these amps. Their Fender & Marshall tones are spot on and the Vox tone screams modern country all day. I couldn't be happier with it. The other cool thing is you can put just about any octal power tube you want in it without rebiasing. People are running them with 6L6s, EL34s, 5881s, even Russian 6P3S tubes. "Tweaker" is quite the fitting name. I'm having a blast with it.

#187872 by J-HALEY
Mon Oct 01, 2012 12:15 pm
HDriffraff wrote:
J-HALEY wrote:Very NICE indeed! What kind of speakers do you have in that cab? I have a Mesa version of that cab it has vintage 30's and I JUST LOVE THOSE SPEAKERS! It doesn't matter what head I plug into that cab it sounds GREAT! Even my V32 Palamino when I crank it to 4 into that Mesa cab the tone is to DIE for!
I have been very impressed with the tone of those Egnater heads. That is a great clean tone you have there but does it get anymore tube saturation?


The speakers are nothing special, just a pair of '74 CTS alnicos that I picked up off Craigslist for projects. I put a third in one of my Silvertones.

Image

My plan is to replace one of them with a greenback and cover the cab to match the head. I think it will make a pretty sweet looking little rig. The amp has a boat load of tube saturation on tap. It's Marshall voice is so convincing I'm selling 2266 Vintage Modern halfstack because this covers that groud fine in a much smaller package. That is what is so cool about these amps. Their Fender & Marshall tones are spot on and the Vox tone screams modern country all day. I couldn't be happier with it. The other cool thing is you can put just about any octal power tube you want in it without rebiasing. People are running them with 6L6s, EL34s, 5881s, even Russian 6P3S tubes. "Tweaker" is quite the fitting name. I'm having a blast with it.


Thanks for the info! Now I'll move to the next step and maybe get one of these bad boys! :wink:

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