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Post subject: Re: problems with low frequency distortion on clean channels
Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2013 2:41 pm
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lomitus wrote:
Also I should probably add that this is really the first time in all the years that I've been playing that I've really payed this close attention to my clean sounds.


It's possible that in the case of your Princeton, the amp is in fact developing a problem. Those amps were built solidly back then but yours is getting "long in the tooth" now. And with your newly-hyperized sensitivity to the cleans, whatever may be heading south in it has now come to the forefront.

As for the Bugera, I still suspect it's ready for a re-tube.

Gut it out with the Lab tonight and first thing Monday, find a competent amp tech and let him take a look at both amps. But I will advise you -- if he cannot fix that Princeton for less than a C-note, hook-shot it into a convenient dumpster and find a replacement. They're really only worth about $125 on Ebay, hate to see you "buried" in yours for maintenance/servicing costs that exceed its value.

HTH

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: problems with low frequency distortion on clean channels
Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2013 11:59 pm
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Hey Arjay,
Yea...I know. I actually got the Princeton for $75 from Guitar Center, so no, I'm not going to put a lot into it. That said, I got a guy down in South Amherst who's done some very good work for me before and he's usually between $30 and $50 for most things give or take parts. One of these days I'm going to take my Bandmaster into him for a recap...just not really using that amp at the moment, so no real rush or anything.

BTW...the Lab did good at the show tonight...pain going up and down those stairs, but got some really good sound out of her...still very similar to playing thru a Twin really. Likewise I took the Yellow MIM Squier Series that I've been talking about out for her first show too (first show with me at least)...she did REALLY well. Used her for 2 of the 3 sets then finished out with Blackie. Very happy there :-)

Ok...one more beer to help the ears stop ringing then it's off to bed....
Jim


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Post subject: Re: problems with low frequency distortion on clean channels
Posted: Sun Jan 27, 2013 1:47 am
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I've got a '68 Bandmaster that I reconfigured into a 2 x 10 brownface combo -- it's been a real solid performer while easier to load and transport than the standard piggyback layout. Forty watts is more than sufficient for most of the stage work I'm doing now......

Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY


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Post subject: Re: problems with low frequency distortion on clean channels
Posted: Wed Jan 30, 2013 8:19 am
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Retroverbial wrote:
I suspect a wonky input cable.

Try a new one of premium quality.

Arjay


:mrgreen: Hear hear on that...of course one must ask....does the annoyance follow the guitar? try re-tensioning the output jack on the guitar...also you live in the south (??) humidity... treat all connectors, etc with something like deoixt D or Gold. it almost sounds like the CLASSIC problem these days... CHINESE 1/4" jacks that AREN'T!!...they are typically 1/4+" meaning the freaking ground (sleeve) of the guitar cord's jack is making contact in NEBULOUS ways (all of you, with the guitar in play and amp on...wiggle your cord connectors so they make the cord connector move around a bit in the socket and listen for crunch.. scratching etc)...i have had that happen to me too many times....SO i use switchcraft and pay the dough for the good ones..on all my guitars and amps...where possible.

SO i was tooling around in my local GC store...and found these incredibly neato cords made by Planet Waves...the have on their sleeves a BELLOWS (one model does)...no kidding...and this bellow's SOLE purpose is to provide a GOOD and tight connection to GROUND because the bellows expands to EASILY corral in the WORST 1/4+" jacks (the sleeve or outside portion of you cable's jack)....ground is also nebulous...is it ground (earth), common, isolated......

ME thinks...you have Chinese 1/4" Jacks in your guitar(s)...but WAG from out here in the rainy northwest :cry: :cry: :mrgreen:

BTW the best cable on the planet (except the ones i described above) will have the same issues with the Chinese 1/4" connectors that AREN'T!!! :roll:

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Post subject: Re: problems with low frequency distortion on clean channels
Posted: Wed Jan 30, 2013 8:47 am
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lomitus wrote:
Hey Arjay,
Yea...I know. I actually got the Princeton for $75 from Guitar Center, so no, I'm not going to put a lot into it. That said, I got a guy down in South Amherst who's done some very good work for me before and he's usually between $30 and $50 for most things give or take parts. One of these days I'm going to take my Bandmaster into him for a recap...just not really using that amp at the moment, so no real rush or anything.

BTW...the Lab did good at the show tonight...pain going up and down those stairs, but got some really good sound out of her...still very similar to playing thru a Twin really. Likewise I took the Yellow MIM Squire Series that I've been talking about out for her first show too (first show with me at least)...she did REALLY well. Used her for 2 of the 3 sets then finished out with Blackie. Very happy there :-)

Ok...one more beer to help the ears stop ringing then it's off to bed....
Jim


I had a MIM road worn tele i put in duncan 2/5's a bigsby and ALL NEW ELECTRICAL GUTS... because there is a reason the MIM are less expensive....some of the parts are less expensive also) i do that to all teles i get USA/CS doesn't matter unless equipped with the "goods" the MIM guitars have dubious electrical parts in them...(cost does matter at Fender...i mean Leo/Fullerton or the bean counters wanted a cheaper Tele...thus the Esquire) take a MIM...if you like the pups change out at least the jack or keep it tensioned (a cheesy way of a making a good hot connection but more like to press the sleeve over to make contact with ground...get good jacks ...

Jim...one beer is bad for going to bed...two minimum!!! (PS i'll trade your ringing ears for the earlobes i have that are being treated as food by my puppies)

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Post subject: Re: problems with low frequency distortion on clean channels
Posted: Wed Jan 30, 2013 8:58 am
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+1 on out-of-tolerance chicom-made phone jacks!

I don't have that problem since the input jacks on all of my amps were made in the USA before most of this forum's membership were even born, but I've seen this phenomenon many times with modern, offshore-made amps built with parts of dubious specification. Frankly, I think it'll be another century yet before anybody is eating a moo goo gai pan MRE on the surface of the moon......

:lol:

Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY


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Post subject: Re: problems with low frequency distortion on clean channels
Posted: Wed Jan 30, 2013 8:29 pm
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Well, again I'm absolutely sure that it's not the cables or the connectors on any of the guitars. As I said above there, I think we're actually dealing with two different problems between the two amps. I'm pretty sure the Bugera just needs new tubes...again she's 4 or 5 years in on the factory tubes and I've really been working them lately. I found a couple of vid tuts on how to bias these things, so as soon as I decide between GT's and Teslas, I'm going to retube her...maybe sometime next week or something.

The problem with the Princeton isn't "loose/crackly" sound as you'd get with a cable or a connector...it's distortion, and at this point it's happening pretty much right across the whole volume range. Right now I could do some good AC/DC off that clean channel...I'm sorry guys but even the cheapest cable in the world just doesn't cause THAT kind of distortion...and again I've certainly had my share of them over the years. And for the record, while I'm sure it uses some (many) import parts, that Princeton does say "Made in the USA" on the back (as apposed to the Baja models). Either way, as Arjay said up there, these are generally pretty robust amps...part of why this problem has surprised me so much. It's definitely getting worse though...it was just marginally annoying before but it's at the point that it really sounds like a really crappy distortion pedal plugged into the clean channel. And that I was able to work the Lab all night would suggest that it wasn't the guitars either (although admittedly, I didn't use Blue, the '96 MIM at that last gig).

And rollo...not down south. I'm up here on the North coast in Ohio. Even with the warm snap the past couple of days (actually got into the 50's), it's pretty much dry as a bone down in the studio right now....definitely NOT a humidity problem. The 4 degree weather week before last pretty much took care of the last of the humidity.

I am still going to try and get a recording of it at some point here before I take the Princeton in to my tech, but the Dad situation has gotten very bad this week...they had to stop dialysis again today because his bp dropped to 34/12...even with the dopamine, they're only able to keep his bp at 72/30 and his eyes are pretty much fixed and dilated at this point. My brother and I meet with the hospice people in the morn. Needless to say, the family stuff is taking priority over the amp at the moment.

And with that, gonna call it a night...got a -really- long day ahead of me tomorrow. Along with all the stuff that Dad's going thru, it seems the bonehead never bothered to take Mom off the house or insurance when she died 3 years ago, so I have to get that stuff all straightened out as well.

I'll let ya'll know how it goes with the amp when I have a bit more time...thanks for everyone's input!

Jim


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Post subject: Re: problems with low frequency distortion on clean channels
Posted: Wed Jan 30, 2013 8:49 pm
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TCB, Jim.

The amps can surely wait.

Arjay

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