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Post by walker on Jan 17, 2021 8:50:43 GMT -7
Hello, couple of days ago I stumbled upon this shocking vid on Youtube:
I couldn't believe my eyes, it's maybe the poorest soldering job I ever saw on any amp. Can this be true, or is this done aftermarket? Anyone opened his Jaz and can tell me about his experience?
I will open my own one when I'm back home next week, but for the moment I'm just shocked.
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Post by Righty on Jan 17, 2021 11:05:34 GMT -7
The guy in the video said it was done by "previous techs that tried to improve this amp" that the owner was charged for. This was not how the amp came from the Z shop.
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Post by Jaguarguy (Mike) on Jan 17, 2021 12:02:17 GMT -7
I have "several" Dr. Z amps and can assure you that this is NOT standard Dr. Z wiring! Someone has been in there playing around with it. If you read reviews on Dr. Z amps you will see that they all tend to rave on the construction of Zs. I have unfortunately purchased several amps that someone tried to "improve" on Doc's amps. Luckily I have been able to get them to Doc for repair and they sound like new!
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Post by John on Jan 18, 2021 6:22:19 GMT -7
Even at 1:15...the guy is talking about how others have been in the amp and done a terrible job soldering. At 4:20, he calls them 'hacks'.
I've been inside many Z amps...NONE of them look like this. They all had a high level of quality about them. And from my limited knowledge of electronics, what was done to this amp was not repair work....it was modification. And therefore, no longer a Z amp. And anytime you see a soldering point that doesn't have the red dot on top..means someone has modded/soldered that joint. That's what the red dot is for...it lets you quickly know where someone's been messin' with the amp.
This amp looks like some chimp with a soldering iron got inside. (or me)
Look at the video again. Look at the components on the board that have both ends soldered to a post with a red dot on top. Then look at components that have either one or both ends that are soldered to posts without red-dots. The quality difference is immediately noticeable. I didn't make to the 5 second mark of this video before I saw this. At the 0:05 mark, the two light blue filter caps (along with the smaller black ones next to them) have raggedy twisted leads that are soldered (poorly) to posts without red dots.
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Post by DRZ on Jan 18, 2021 6:50:59 GMT -7
That is a hacked amp chassis, and not representative of what leaves the Z factory period.
Z
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Post by zpilot on Jan 18, 2021 12:38:47 GMT -7
Yes Doc, most of us know that. I'm an amp and guitar tech and almost everything I own has been tweaked to some degree or repaired by me. However I have never felt the need to mess with any of my Z amps. Well there was one exception. I added a minor modification to the tone stack of the MAZ Sr I used to have. But it was one of the mods approved and published by you on this forum. When I opened up that amp I was struck by how clean the workmanship was and realized that (other than that mod) there was nothing I could improve. I have lots of "project" amps. My Z amps I just play as they are.
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Post by helmi on Feb 17, 2021 17:18:05 GMT -7
I’m sorry, but is stuff like this posted just to start $hit? does anybody really think something like this came from a company that has a spotless reputation for over 30 yrs for it’s amp construction and builds?
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Post by Chilly Gibbons (Todd T.) on Feb 18, 2021 7:44:59 GMT -7
Well, and then this tech states “I’m not a huge fan of Dr Z stuff”. Each to his own, but don’t competent techs love to work on Zs? I’d hate to see his reaction upon opening up a modern Mesa... Let’s see him trace and troubleshoot that.
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Post by Hohn on Feb 21, 2021 5:14:47 GMT -7
Uncle Doug has some great videos on amps. He’s a retired high school teacher and very good at teaching.
EDIT to add: this was apparently NOT Uncle Doug. Apologies.
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Post by zpilot on Feb 21, 2021 14:36:19 GMT -7
Yes. He and D-Lab are probably the best. Lots of good info and tips, without annoying commentary. Hey, I just realized that is a lot like this forum.
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Post by Hohn on Feb 23, 2021 14:44:18 GMT -7
Reminds me, IF YOU LIKE TRADITIONAL LEADED SOLDER, BUY A COUPLE POUNDS NOW.
I was looking at the price tag of the Alpha Reliacore I like and it's up to $60/lb now! No wonder everyone uses Kester here. I did find a lb of 0.015 for only $32 shipped, so that will be me "tiny stuff" for life most likely. Mostly using 0.020-0.032. Mostly Alpha, some Kester.
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