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Post subject: Blues Jr. Sound Cutting Out
Posted: Fri Jun 06, 2014 12:01 pm
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Hi Everyone, I have older style American made Blues JR. Most likely ~10 years old. I believe they are now made in Mexico. I recently had a gig, and my sound kept dropping in the middle of songs. To correct this, I had to very slightly touch/wiggle the input cord in the input jack, and sound would come back. I ended up tapping the input cord down to the amp and that seemed to help a little. I tried multiple quarter inch cable of various brands and it's still happening. I feel like vibration has something to do with the problem as it becomes more frequent with a drummer.


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Post subject: Re: Blues Jr. Sound Cutting Out
Posted: Fri Jun 06, 2014 12:20 pm
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It sounds like the input jack requires attention. These are affixed to the printed circuit board (PCB) with metal tabs and soldered in place. Time, heat, and vibration often loosen the electrical contacts between the switch and the traces of the PCB and the plastic sleeve frequently just wears out with use. These jacks are not easy for novices to replace so if you're unfamiliar with modern amp construction and lack the requisite micro-soldering skills, a skilled professional should be handle the repairs.

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: Blues Jr. Sound Cutting Out
Posted: Fri Jun 06, 2014 1:24 pm
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Retroverbial wrote:
It sounds like the input jack requires attention. These are affixed to the printed circuit board (PCB) with metal tabs and soldered in place. Time, heat, and vibration often loosen the electrical contacts between the switch and the traces of the PCB and the plastic sleeve frequently just wears out with use. These jacks are not easy for novices to replace so if you're unfamiliar with modern amp construction and lack the requisite micro-soldering skills, a skilled professional should be handle the repairs.

Arjay



+1


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Post subject: Re: Blues Jr. Sound Cutting Out
Posted: Sun Jun 08, 2014 8:20 pm
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The advice above is the way to go. Make sure the jack is replaced with a quality metal Switchcraft jack that mounts to the panel and is then wired to the pcb, not mounted directly on the pcb like the original plastic unit. You did very well to get 10 years service out of the plastic original.


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Post subject: Re: Blues Jr. Sound Cutting Out
Posted: Sun Jun 08, 2014 9:37 pm
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No457 Snowy wrote:
You did very well to get 10 years service out of the plastic original.


Indeed!

Most of them bite the dust after five or six years at most.

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: Blues Jr. Sound Cutting Out
Posted: Mon Jun 09, 2014 5:54 pm
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No457 Snowy wrote:
The advice above is the way to go. Make sure the jack is replaced with a quality metal Switchcraft jack that mounts to the panel and is then wired to the pcb, not mounted directly on the pcb like the original plastic unit. You did very well to get 10 years service out of the plastic original.
    I assume the reason the input jack is affixed to the PCB and not to the panel is to lower the cost of production but does anyone have an idea as to how much more a panel mounted jack would cost? I'm thinking it can't cost "that" much more but then again I don't know anything about the mass production of amps. :?

    Cheers!
    BM

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Post subject: Re: Blues Jr. Sound Cutting Out
Posted: Mon Jun 09, 2014 6:46 pm
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Bluer Monkey wrote:
No457 Snowy wrote:
The advice above is the way to go. Make sure the jack is replaced with a quality metal Switchcraft jack that mounts to the panel and is then wired to the pcb, not mounted directly on the pcb like the original plastic unit. You did very well to get 10 years service out of the plastic original.
    I assume the reason the input jack is affixed to the PCB and not to the panel is to lower the cost of production but does anyone have an idea as to how much more a panel mounted jack would cost? I'm thinking it can't cost "that" much more but then again I don't know anything about the mass production of amps. :?

    Cheers!
    BM


You can pick up a pre-wired Switchcraft Jack "kit" from Billm for $10, here's the info from his site.

Switchcraft all-metal Input Jack: $10

"You can replace the plastic input jack with an all-metal Switchcraft jack (the industry standard). It comes prewired with Mogami low-noise coaxial cable and includes two Switchcraft isolation washers (one flat, one shoulder washer) to eliminate the possibility of ground loop hum. Requires removing the circuit board and desoldering the old jack with desoldering braid or a solder sucker pump. The green board version bypasses a noise-prone portion of the circuit board."

Here's a link to his order page, you could order the jack (6th item down the page) and get a tech to install for you.
http://billmaudio.com/wp/?page_id=65


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Post subject: Re: Blues Jr. Sound Cutting Out
Posted: Mon Jun 09, 2014 7:12 pm
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No457 Snowy wrote:
You can pick up a pre-wired Switchcraft Jack "kit" from Billm for $10, here's the info from his site.


And well worth a sawbuck IMO.

You'll never have need to replace it again.

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: Blues Jr. Sound Cutting Out
Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2014 4:53 am
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Retroverbial wrote:
And well worth a sawbuck IMO. You'll never have need to replace it again. Arjay
    Agreed. Now if the aftermarket upgrade to the end consumer is approximately $10 it's reasonable to assume that the manufacturer's cost would be significantly less. This begs the question, why not build the amp with the input jack affixed to the panel in the first place? The current advertised price for a BJr. is around $600 and I think most people would gladly pay a couple of bucks more for a better input jack.

    Cheers!
    BM

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Post subject: Re: Blues Jr. Sound Cutting Out
Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2014 5:00 am
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Blues Junior and most of all circuit printed amps are built by robots . They must use printed circuit mount parts .

A quality chasis mount input jack need some people hands , more than $10 each .

Most people are looking for a price not quality .


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Post subject: Re: Blues Jr. Sound Cutting Out
Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2014 6:53 am
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stratele52 wrote:
Blues Junior and most of all circuit printed amps are built by robots . They must use printed circuit mount parts . ...
    Good point, stratele52! It's something I hadn't considered. If the input jack must be inserted by humans then the cost difference is obvious but what about programming the robots to make a hole in the panel? ... :)

    Cheers!
    BM

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Post subject: Re: Blues Jr. Sound Cutting Out
Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2014 7:26 am
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Bluer Monkey wrote:
stratele52 wrote:
but what about programming the robots to make a hole in the panel? ... :)

Cheers!
BM
[/list]



To make a hole + put the jack in the hole + washer + turn / tightened the nut and how to solder loose wires to the printed circuit for a robot ?

Forget that if you want to keep price low.

With printed circuit all is soldered on one board , so easy and fast for a robot . Robot work in one dimension , not 3 dimensions like a jack on panel


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Post subject: Re: Blues Jr. Sound Cutting Out
Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2014 10:17 am
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stratele52 wrote:
Most people are looking for a price not quality .


+1

Companies build and sell crap because ignorant consumers keep on buying it.

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: Blues Jr. Sound Cutting Out
Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2014 12:42 pm
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Retroverbial wrote:


Companies build and sell crap because ignorant consumers keep on buying it.

Arjay


I think a lot of people out of ignorance quite legitimate not realize how much can cost manufacture of an object.

When the price is not there, we must doubt the quality.

Compromise is to be made ​​regarding the durability of the product.


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Post subject: Re: Blues Jr. Sound Cutting Out
Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2014 3:24 pm
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stratele52 wrote:
Compromise is to be made ​​regarding the durability of the product.


I refuse to spend my money on "compromise".

Arjay

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