Amp techs

[chriswhite]

hey tom, do you know any good amp techs in our area?

or for anyone else

my Dr. Z MAZ 38 had a crackling sound in it and I got some advice at the Z forums and I found the problem. It was coming from the Rectifier tube. However, when I removed the tube to reseat it more than the tube came with it.
http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f101/resister576/Recto1.jpg

I imagine the socket needs to be changed. do you guys think this is something that I can do on my own? I am very tech savvy but I havent ever worked on an amp before.
Dr. Z has been on vacation for a while and they arent messaging me back. I think if I ship it they'll fix it but if I can do it locally or myself it would be much easier.

thanks guys

[tom]

interesting that there doesn't seem to be any solder on the pin that came out. perhaps it's an unused pin?
i'd take a look inside to see if there is a corresponding wire that's not connected to anything. if there's not maybe just replace the tube?
as for local tech's, mccollim eng in newbury park is the only one i know.
bruce may chime in with LA choices.

[chriswhite]

i'd take a look inside to see if there is a corresponding wire that's not connected to anything.
I'll take a look and see if I can see anything.


interesting that there doesn't seem to be any solder on the pin that came out. perhaps it's an unused pin?
i'd take a look inside to see if there is a corresponding wire that's not connected to anything. if there's not maybe just replace the tube?
I imagine even if it was an unused pin it would need some kind of ground or something that at least closes the circuit, then again I dont build amps or tubes.

Ima grab a flashlight and take a look. I'll let ya know

thanks

[bruce]

I was going to say this... BE VERY CAREFUL OPENING AN AMP IF YOU DON'T HAVE EXPERIENCE... AMPS HOLD A CHARGE THAT WILL SHOCK YOU... EVEN WHEN THEY ARE NOT PLUGGED INTO THE WALL.

There is Bob Dixon (AMPHOLE) in Burbank if you want my first and only amp tech reference.

Call Bob @ Amphole... 818-500-1281.. There is a chance Dr. Z may cover this by having Bob do the work instead of shipping to and from to Dr. Z.. worth a call.

[dannopelli]

... There is a chance Dr. Z may cover this by having Bob do the work instead of shipping to and from to Dr. Z.. worth a call.

From what I understand, this is typically what they do for warranty work.

I must say, I've never seen anything like that before.

And BIG +1 on not opening up an amp. The held charge can be enough to kill you if you are not careful.

[tom]

yeah, but those near death experiences are what keeps life interesting. my wife always tells stories of me doing electrical work on a metal ladder in the rain...ok, so that might be true...

[Pietro]

Tom, I have a very funny and yet sad picture in my head now. Thanks for that.

I'm up too late at night watching two football teams duke it out, and one of them has a head coach named "Lovie". Sorry for the non-sequiter, but I don't care who you are, that is pretty funny. I mean, if he was a fashion designer or something... I could see it, but head coach of the Chicago Bears? That's all kinds of wrong.

Be careful opening up that amp.

Electricity = scary.

[chriswhite]

I've had the amp unplugged for a little over a week now, I think/hope thats enough time to discharge the capacitors. I'll be careful nonetheless, altho I think I am just gonna wait and let the professionals do it. I dont wanna make anything worse and if I can get Dr Z to pay Bob at Amphole (thanks for the recommendation, Bruce) and just have them do it I will work it out. In the meantime I am just gonna wait until I hear back from the Dr.

thanks guys for all your advice

[tom]

i would not count on time for a discharge. i've been "surprised" more than once. yes i'm a slow learner, but hey 110 only goes up to the elbow or so:o

[chriswhite]

i would not count on time for a discharge. i've been "surprised" more than once. yes i'm a slow learner, but hey 110 only goes up to the elbow or so:o
I am a tech for Fujifilm and when i repair a film processor there is a little red button in between the 2 capacitors on the PCB. if you forget to hold that red button for 30 sec its about 220vac in each capacitor. its not too bad :eek:

[LearnedHand]

i would not count on time for a discharge. i've been "surprised" more than once. :o

Big +1. Those caps hold their charge for quite a long time. It is better to learn how to properly discharge the caps before doing any work.

[GuitArtMan]

Don "Tone Man" Butler is near you. I'm sure he could fix it for you no problem.

[ConnemaraGuitar]

I agree with Tom: that looks like an unused pin. BTW, unused pin "stubs" do nothing but get in the way when wiring...no grounding or anything. So if you look inside and don't see a flailing wire then it should be ok as is. Replace the tube with a new one...without the stub (duh!).

Regarding voltages inside the amp: one bit of sound advice is to keep one hand in your pocket whenever poking around in an amp. That way you are very unlikely to get zapped unless you're barefoot and standing in a puddle of water. Or outside in the rain.

You can do a quick search of the web and find methods to drain excess charge off of capacitors. It's pretty simple. But keep one hand in your pocket anyway!

In any event, you should follow up with Dr. Z.

[tom]

one hand inside is all it takes to get zapped. trust me, i know.

[chriswhite]

hopefully today I will get time to fiddle with it. I also sent the pics to Dr Z and hope(d) they would message me back, it'd be nice to know if its an unused pin or an actual problem.

[chriswhite]

so I finally got a chance to sit down with it. I didnt remove the amp from the chasis but I did manage to get my head in there far enough to see that all of the pin are in place expect the one thats on the tube and I never saw any loose wires that may have come off of the pin when it came out. Like Tom noted, there's no solder on the pin. I put the tube back and decided to fire it up and hear what it sounds like. The amp sounds great it still has the initial problem with the crackling/static that it had before but it was very faint now. I am headin to the store to go pick up a new rectifier tube and give it a try. I figure about ~50% of the problems with an amp are tube related and this seems to be the case here.

thanks for all your help. I will let you know how it comes out once I get that new tube in place.

[Ray K.]

one hand inside is all it takes to get zapped. trust me, i know.A common occurrence of having your hand in the wrong pocket. :rolleyes:

[bruce egnater]

Sounds like you may have NOT contacted Dr.Z yet? He's not really a doctor but I think he plays one on TV? Contacting the manufacturer is always the first step, not the last. You may be wasting money on tubes that are not the cause of the trouble.

[chriswhite]

Sounds like you may have NOT contacted Dr.Z yet? He's not really a doctor but I think he plays one on TV? Contacting the manufacturer is always the first step, not the last. You may be wasting money on tubes that are not the cause of the trouble.
I tried. I sent them a few emails now but no reply. I havent tried calling yet. I put the tube back in and everything works sounds great with the exception of the crackling but its not as bad as it used to be. Had to order a new tube should get it tomorrow. More details with how I make out then

thanks

[dannopelli]

Chris,

Try joining the Z forum and repost this. I bet you'll get a reply from the Dr himself. He is there a lot.

http://drzamplifiers.proboards.com/

[chriswhite]

i'm on the forums. I've done all the suggestions I've read on other threads but I havent started any of my own (mostly because I thought there was obvious physical damage). I promise I will after I try a new recto tube.

[Dr. Ellwood]

MICHIGAN:

Egnater Custom Amplifiers
3833 W. 12 Mile Road
Berkley, Michigan 48072
Tel: 248-541-9100
Fax: 248-541-9102
info@egnater.com

PENNSYLVANIA:

"Amp" Jeff at;
C&C Music Center
91 South Pine St.
Hazleton, PA 18201
Phone:
(570) 454-6105
Fax:
(570) 454-7669
Email:
studio1@ptd.net

http://candcmusiccenter.com/contact_us.html

CALIFORNIA:

Los Angeles Area - Valley - Glendale - Burbank - Hollywood

Don Butler/Toneman
23040 Hilse Lane
Newhall, Ca. 91321-1009
Don Butler's Website

Phone number: (661) 259 4544 . Please Call ONLY between 10am-6pm Tuesday thruSaturday-Pacfic Time Zone. Please do not
call on Sundays or after hours. My shop is in my home so please respect my privacy during my non-business hours. Thank you!
.Cell Phone: (818) 486-9264. Call ONLY if you do not reach me at the above number during the above hours. Always try calling the
other number first before calling this one. My cell phone reception at home is pretty poor.
Thank you!


Rock N' Roll Doctor - Steve Dikun
.
Burbank / Glendale CA. More at http://www.rockandrolldoctor.com
818-956-5413

Billy Yates - Contact Billy through TrueTone Music at 1-310-393-8232. Amazing guy and he
at http://www.truetonemusic.com

Mark Cameron - trip back to the top of it's tonal history. Mark can be reached at 1-818-500-0286. He is busy, and works very
late hours, so if you don't get an answer, leave a message on the computerized voicemail. Mark can be
reached via email at
cameron_amps@yahoo.com

Jim Wigle - for Jimmy's phone number, please email him first.
amptechs@juno.com
on the GT
website F&R list at http://www.groovetubes.com/f-n-r.cfm

Plexi Palace Vintage Amplifier Service Center
These folks are some of the very best. I cannot say enough about them. Look at the JTM-45 they restored at:
http://www.plexipalace.com/marshall/marshall_jtm45.html and decide for yourself.

Email them at plexi@vintageamps.com
21065 Bear Valley Rd. #2
Apple Valley, CA 92308
760-961-8324
More at http://www.plexipalace.com/service.html

COLORADO:

NBS Electronics - Lord Valve

NBS Electronics
230 South Broadway
Denver CO 80209-1510
303-778-1156
520-752-7807
LORD_VALVE@prodigy.net


TENNESSEE:

Nashville
Nashville Amplifier Service

(615) 591-7556
http://www.amprepair.com


NEW YORK:

Voodoo Amplifiers - Trace

Voodoo Amplification Inc.
210 West State Street, Suite A, Ithaca, New York 14850
Phone: (607) 256-0465
Fax: (607) 330-0272
Hours: Mon-Fri 10AM-7PM EST (NY time)
Website: http://www.voodooamps.com
Email: trace@voodooamps.com

Eric Bradley, New York City
(646) 246-8834
Expert amp repair, mods, etc.. Eric works on amps for all sorts of pros, and is a great guy.


ILLINOIS:
Mark Baier at Victoria Amplifier.
Contact Mark directly at MarkBaier@VictoriaAmp.com

NEW JERSEY:

Dave's Sound Repair
622 State Highway 10 west
Whippany, NJ

Dave Hirsch 973 386 5840

Rich Santucci at
Professional Audio Services
214 Broadway, Point Pleasant, NJ 08742
(732.295.8690)
proaudserv@aol.com

TEXAS:

Austin,Texas
Austin Vintage Guitars
1112 S,Lamar, Austin, Tx 78704
1-512-428-9100
Steve Fulton- Owner
Bill Webb and Jesse Amp Gurus
They've take good care of my old Marshalls and Fenders
Check out their in house Boutique amps Fulton-Webb Amps
They were assisted in the design of the tone by Eric Johnson

South Austin Music
1402 S. Lamar,Austin, Texas 78704
1-512-448-4992
Bill-Owner
I had great work done on my old Fender Twin there-fast turnaround


ALABAMA:


Bailey Brother's Music
Montgomery, Alabama
334-262-7827

[chriswhite]

holy crap! you've done your research. thanks a lot

I ordered a new recto tube from a local music shop 2 weeks ago and it still hasnt shown up. I am just gonna order it from musiciansfriend and call it a day. I am hoping that my problem is just with the tube.

[Dr. Ellwood]

You are welcome Chris, we developed that list on the stringnetwork.com all the places on that list have been used by at least one or more of our members, so it is just not a random list. I thought it might help members on this Forum also.

[chriswhite]

I FINALLY got a new rectifier tube and replaced it and sure enough all my crackling went away. I didnt put back on that pin that was on the old tube. Everything seems to be fine, there is a slight hum but I do have a Power Scaler and a fan installed on it and I think the fan is causing the hum... if I remember correctly I think it was always there. Its so quiet you can barely hear it.

I waited and waited for my local store to get that tube in they told me 2-3 days and it took about 3 weeks. I wound up ordering it from musiciansfriend and the day it arrived to my house the store called me to tell me the tube finally arrived.

Thanks for all your help guys!

[bruce]

I would STILL try and get an answer from Dr. Z. You need to send them that picture at the beginning of this thread. Although if there has been the Power Scaling mod done and a fan, then you may have issues with warranty.

[chriswhite]

I would STILL try and get an answer from Dr. Z. You need to send them that picture at the beginning of this thread. Although if there has been the Power Scaling mod done and a fan, then you may have issues with warranty.
ya I agree. I am concerned about warranty too. I didnt do the mod I bought it used and the previous owner did it.

[bsmith]

If you're having a problem getting tubes check with Terry Kilgore aka "TubeTramp" he is in CA and get you what you need quick. Either NOS or current good production tubes. tkilgore@tubetramp.com

[chriswhite]

If you're having a problem getting tubes check with Terry Kilgore aka "TubeTramp" he is in CA and get you what you need quick. Either NOS or current good production tubes. tkilgore@tubetramp.com
thanks, I will check that out sometime in the future, my tube availability issues were related to the slackers at the store. Once I hit up MF it was here in a couple days.