Take care of your gear!!!!!

Non-tube amp discussion to discuss music, girls, life, etc.

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Andy Le Blanc
Posts: 2582
Joined: Sat Dec 22, 2007 1:16 am
Location: central Maine

Take care of your gear!!!!!

Post by Andy Le Blanc »

I'm getting caught up on some repairs in the shop, and once again I'm impressed
at the levels of user error and just how some players pound the living crap
out of they're gear and wonder why it don't work no more. The next time
time you bust up your gear at a gig, throw a couple roaches in the back of the
amp. It'll keep the poor SOB that has to pick up after your little boo boo
from thinking your totally full of it.
lazymaryamps
Abstract
Posts: 150
Joined: Wed Apr 23, 2008 1:47 am

Re: Take care of your gear!!!!!

Post by Abstract »

I'm taking notes here...do you mean 'leftovers', or do you mean the little critters that will likely outlive humanity?
drhulsey wrote:There are just too many cool things in this world for one life. Thank God for reincarnation 8)
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briane
Posts: 557
Joined: Wed Mar 28, 2007 8:41 pm
Location: seattle

Re: Take care of your gear!!!!!

Post by briane »

Hey, keep quite. ;-)

Without people beating their gear, then thinking its broken when it just needs a quick fix, where would my good deals come from? Where would the customers that need the fix come from?

I've got a buddy whose stage act includes him dancing on the top of his 2k head....Never ceases to wonder.

Give em a mercedes, let em return a doorstop.
it really is a journey, and you just cant farm out the battle wounds
CaseyJones
Posts: 856
Joined: Fri Mar 17, 2006 1:29 pm

Re: Take care of your gear!!!!!

Post by CaseyJones »

Abstract wrote:I'm taking notes here...do you mean 'leftovers', or do you mean the little critters that will likely outlive humanity?
It's mostly too cold for cockroaches up here but... I had an amp shipped up from down South that was crawlin' wif roaches.

We got a stash of "NOS" Fender amps out of a basement in Georgia, same deal, all roach hotels...

Andy me boy, it's job security. Just tell 'em all yer work is guaranteed forever. When they ask you about the fine print tell 'em, "I guarantee that if you bring me more money I'll fix it again!!" :lol:
I believe in this and it's tested by research...
Andy Le Blanc
Posts: 2582
Joined: Sat Dec 22, 2007 1:16 am
Location: central Maine

Re: Take care of your gear!!!!!

Post by Andy Le Blanc »

That's exactly the way it is, Mr Jones. But, every now and again I just don't know.
Transformers and speakers hanging by a thread (really). The stuff you think no one
could break, jez....... Some times its funny, a friend of mine hit a bad frost heave,
going down a pretty steep hill into town with a stop light at the bottom.
His telecaster got thrown from the back and ran the light, the neck wasn't scratched.
still plays great.

Haven't seen roaches yet, mummified rodents, but no roaches.
lazymaryamps
CaseyJones
Posts: 856
Joined: Fri Mar 17, 2006 1:29 pm

Re: Take care of your gear!!!!!

Post by CaseyJones »

Andy Le Blanc wrote:That's exactly the way it is, Mr Jones. But, every now and again I just don't know.
Transformers and speakers hanging by a thread (really). The stuff you think no one
could break, jez....... Some times its funny, a friend of mine hit a bad frost heave,
going down a pretty steep hill into town with a stop light at the bottom.
His telecaster got thrown from the back and ran the light, the neck wasn't scratched.
still plays great.
I had an epiphany around a year ago... they're the musicians and we're the techs.

I don't know what did me in... tryin' to cop Blackmore's tone? Or was it Page? Anyway, what came out of the speakers no way no how sounded like Blackmore or Page. We'll make it sound like that, then we'll be inspired to play....

"We'll make it sound like that" was for all practical purposes as far as I got. Hell, yeah... I can make it sound like that now! Play like that? Leave that up to the musicians, I'm a tech... :lol:

There are people who are in tune with machines and then mostly those who aren't. Some people who can break an anvil with a rubber hammer. The little antique oil can with a drip comin' outta it lights up on their dashboard... and they ignore it. Only two more exits to go... :twisted: It's not like they'd look under the hood or inside the amp, might get eaten by snakes or sumthin'! If they were in tune wif it they'd notice all that shit danglin'...

Motorcycles get you in tune wif machinery. Run yer tires low on air or ignore that slop in the swingarm, the sumbitch is gonna put you on yer head first chance it gets. Amps don't do that... :lol:
Andy Le Blanc wrote:Haven't seen roaches yet, mummified rodents, but no roaches.
You'll never see rodents and roaches in the same amp. Roaches eat the rodent carcasses, see? :lol: Maybe it's the other way around... :lol:

I have seen a myriad of sins perpetrated by would-be techs, the would be techs if they were techs but they ain't. My current fave is AC mains wired into "boutique" amps using wire nuts, are you kiddin' me?! If it can shake loose it will shake loose. Just 'cuz yer junk ain't UL listed don't mean you should be a complete slob about it...
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Structo
Posts: 15446
Joined: Wed Oct 17, 2007 1:01 am
Location: Oregon

Re: Take care of your gear!!!!!

Post by Structo »

I was going to say, sounds like job security to me.

I think a lot of pro and semi-pro musicians treat their gear like simple tools.
Some abuse them and some don't. Or some roadies abuse them and some don't.

I am amazed at some artists lack of knowledge when it comes to their instruments and amps.
But I think more and more, musicians are taking a more active role in how their gear works.
Tom

Don't let that smoke out!
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