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Post subject: Can't say goodbye ...
Posted: Sun Jun 23, 2013 6:56 pm
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Aspiring Musician
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Ever since I returned the brand new FSR BJr which went into reverb arrest and died less a month ago (viewtopic.php?f=13&t=86409) I've been looking for a replacement. The consensus of those here who know a lot more about amps than I do, is to get a vintage Fender, or build one myself. As much as I would love to do either or both, neither is likely to happen any time soon so I decided to bite the proverbial bullet (or in this case the cap) and once more pull the trigger on the Limited Edition Blues Junior™ III "Two Tone Green Eagle" with the “Screamin Eagle” speaker. This time around I went with the floor model.

    ... Update: It's been plus 48 hours and all is well.
      ... Stay tuned.
        ...I hope I don't regret this ...

Cheers!
BM

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Post subject: Re: Can't say goodbye ...
Posted: Sun Jun 23, 2013 7:43 pm
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Glad to hear no problems with the new amp


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Post subject: Re: Can't say goodbye ...
Posted: Sun Jun 23, 2013 8:17 pm
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Fingeroonies crossed, BM.

8)

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: Can't say goodbye ...
Posted: Mon Jun 24, 2013 6:19 pm
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Retroverbial wrote:
Fingeroonies crossed, BM. 8) Arjay
ImageImageImageImageImage

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Post subject: Re: Can't say goodbye ...
Posted: Tue Jun 25, 2013 2:12 am
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At least you didn't futilely commit a lot of time and money into straightening out the previous aggravating POS which was likely irreversibly hosed. Prolly built during the televised March Madness games......

:lol:

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: Can't say goodbye ...
Posted: Tue Jun 25, 2013 4:26 am
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:lol:

Wouldn't that be Mayo madness, being soccer?

Same thing though. :lol:

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Post subject: Re: Can't say goodbye ...
Posted: Tue Jun 25, 2013 5:27 am
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Retroverbial wrote:
At least you didn't futilely commit a lot of time and money into straightening out the previous aggravating POS which was likely irreversibly hosed. ...
    The question of reliability has several answers depending on whom you ask.
    • "Yes, there was a problem with [insert amp name] but that was the earlier models. "
    • "I've sold tons of [insert amp name] and I think I've had like one return."
    • "I've had my [insert amp name] for 15 years and never had a problem."
    • "My [insert amp name] started giving me problems as soon as I brought it home."

    It seems to be a case of hit-and-miss.

    If I recall correctly, Shimmilou has had his HRD for close to 15 years and never had a problem. Mine is just over a year old and has been in the shop three times. ... BTW, and at the risk of hijacking my own thread, the channel switching issue is yet to be resolved.

    Cheers!
    BM

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Post subject: Re: Can't say goodbye ...
Posted: Tue Jun 25, 2013 9:09 am
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Bluer Monkey wrote:
If I recall correctly, Shimmilou has had his HRD for close to 15 years and never had a problem. Mine is just over a year old and has been in the shop three times. ... BTW, and at the risk of hijacking my own thread, the channel switching issue is yet to be resolved.


The very essence of the reliability issue.

If you were an infantryman and your HRD was a weapon, would you feel confident betting yerass on it when you went into battle?

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: Can't say goodbye ...
Posted: Tue Jun 25, 2013 9:40 am
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You would be just as screwed using any vintage Fender amp, DR, TR or HRDlx as a weapon in battle. I guess that the DR would be easier to throw at the enemy. :lol:

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Post subject: Re: Can't say goodbye ...
Posted: Tue Jun 25, 2013 10:02 am
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Reliable gigging is where the rubber meets the road and that's where my HRDlx fell flat in only three months. You can keep any amp in your house playing at lower volumes forever and never have a problem.

Gigging in different situations and volume levels is THE real test of a good piece of gear. My 76 Twin went over 30 years with zero problems, My Sunn Scepter was almost the same and was even dropped down some steps. My Egnater has been gigging and rehearsing for close to three years with no problems, my 5e3 clone I built in February has been stellar so far.

Hit and miss is not an option for a gigging musician. :wink:
Get the best gear you can afford that has a good track record and if you need to take more time and save more money, you should. Don't settle on just any gear unless you like to throw good money after bad.

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Post subject: Re: Can't say goodbye ...
Posted: Tue Jun 25, 2013 1:28 pm
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Yep, my HRDlx is more than well traveled. I lugged it around for at least 6 years, in and out of the back seats of cars, the trunks of cars, left overnight at party houses, up and down stairs, banged around plenty of times, it was not babied except to keep the cover on when moving it. Although it certainly wasn't abused, and no amp should be, it hasn't led a cushy home life either.

Since it got heavier over the years, it has been at home most of the time for the last several. During those last several years, it has been a test bed for various tubes, mods and experiments, and has been taken apart more times than I can remember now, but still played regularly. It sounds really sweet with my new '57 HR Strat.......and, this afternoon I just received my new '62 HR Strat and it sounds even sweeter. :D This is at least one time that 63supro and I agree, the HRDlx sounds good.

While I have never been paid for playing my amp, it has been played and has as many miles on it as most any gigging musicians amp. I'm pretty sure that getting paid to play isn't any harder on an amp than not getting paid.

So yes, if you're talking about my particular HRDlx, I'm more than confident in it's performance and reliability. I do have the advantage of US made, pre-RoHS solder, version I. And I got lucky and got one that has the output tube sockets securely mounted to the chassis,.......oh, wait, they all have the output tube sockets mounted to the chassis, exactly the same as an Egnater.

It really seems clear that the version II, post-RoHS solder, from about 2005 to around 2010 was the most troublesome, although the HRd series suffered no more than any other modern amp, IMO anyway. The version III appears to have improved reliability.

@Bluer Monkey,

I am still curious about the solder joints and traces around the +/- 16 volt supply, and I am not sure that anyone has actually removed the circuit board and looked closely. :idea:

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Post subject: Re: Can't say goodbye ...
Posted: Tue Jun 25, 2013 2:07 pm
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Whatever you say Lou :lol: The tube sockets in my Egnater aren't mounted the same was as my HRDlx was. I don't have to have them resoldered because of fractured solder joints. :lol: My 5e3 clone, SF Champ, and the DRRI and other Fender upper end reissues are chassis mounted. We must have different ideas of what chassis mounting is. My Pignose is from 1973 and outdid my HRDlx. Yeah, you got lucky. :wink:

Just for the record, here is a chassis mounted tube socket
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Post subject: Re: Can't say goodbye ...
Posted: Tue Jun 25, 2013 6:53 pm
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Retroverbial wrote:
The very essence of the reliability issue. If you were an infantryman and your HRD was a weapon, would you feel confident betting yerass on it when you went into battle?
    Not if I needed to shoot with the Drive or More Drive channel. In this case I would make sure to bring along a pedal. :lol:

    Cheers!
    BM

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Post subject: Re: Can't say goodbye ...
Posted: Tue Jun 25, 2013 7:09 pm
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shimmilou wrote:
... @Bluer Monkey, I am still curious about the solder joints and traces around the +/- 16 volt supply, and I am not sure that anyone has actually removed the circuit board and looked closely. :idea:
    I don't think so either, shimmilou. As we've discussed on another thread, this type of work is labor intensive and not all amp techs share your work ethic or are as meticulous.

    To give me an idea of the labor involved, how much time would you estimate is required to go through all the boards on a HRD and check for bad joints? Assuming the worst case scenario where many joints are bad, how much time would it take to effect repairs? And since I've already hijacked my own thread I'll go a bit further and ask am I correct to assume that if the technician is told there is a problem with the channel switching he would only need to check specific joints not every joint on the boards?

    Thanks & Cheers!
    BM

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Post subject: Re: Can't say goodbye ...
Posted: Tue Jun 25, 2013 7:20 pm
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Man 63supro, you seemingly get the oddball amps that are different from all of the others. :lol:

My HRDlx has chassis mounted output tube sockets, and so does every HRDlx, BDlx, BDvl, BDRI, that I've ever seen or heard of. My Twkr 40 is exactly the same type of chassis mounted output tube sockets. Both amps have the circuit boards soldered directly to the tube socket's solid leads, only the HRDlx leads are longer (bragging rights :lol: ) Both amps have the preamp tube sockets mounted to the circuit board, not chassis mounted. The circuit boards in the Twkr 40 might be of better construction than the Version I and II HRDlx, as the Twkr boards seem thicker.

It's simple, the output tube sockets are mounted to the chassis, just like in your picture, but instead of using a nut on the other side of the mounting screw, the HRDlx and the Twkr both use threaded shafts, with a circuit board attached to the other end of that threaded shaft. You could cut the shafts off, cut the socket leads, and remove the circuit board and the output tube sockets will still be held firmly to the chassis. I know that you've pointed out before that your Egnater has chassis mounted output tube sockets, and I can see them also, just like the HRDlx. Flying leads are another story, neither the HRDlx nor the Twkr have flying leads, which has nothing to do with the fact that the sockets are chassis mounted in both amps.

HRDlx, chassis mounted tube sockets:

Image
Image

Twkr 40, chassis mounted output tube sockets:

Image

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