Great job Stuart, another lucky one..Saves the client dosh and just before Xmas...! Like the way you found the fault, always something new to learn from you....Ed..uk..😄
Great result from the most simple testing method. I love it when things zip along. Not only did you correct the issue, you performed preventive maintenance on the second IC. This additional action is not only added value, but is an affirmation of your selfless concern for any future expense to the owner. You are an amazing person, Stuart. I surmise that the units taking up space on the bench will provide ample episodes to come. Well done. Cheers!
Craig Macdonald here great to see you find this fault , can stop following your repairs by the way I changed the two caps on the transistor fender stage 100 , and sorted great deep tone rich and load with no buzzing , thanks to you fixed for £ 14.00 including postage many thanks without your videos I’d never of known how to find it .
Thanks Mr. Stuart. Yeah that's a nice little beater for someone to knock around with. Kind of reminds me of an old Vox Cambridge amp I bought here in the US one time.
Hello Stuart. Nice easy fix on that one. I have had one of the Birch Stolec Vox AX30s in for a quote. Valves but on a PC board and it's been messed about with. It won't be an easy fix. Never seen inside a solid state one before. Take care.
I'm happy to see a ss Vox on your bench. I recently helped a friend with his AC30S1. That amp is a tube amp, but I believe it is also digital as well. Maybe the preamp tubes just sweeten the sound. It does seem that Vox has made many versions of this amp. The one I recently saw was made in China. It did have a good sound but was made with many plastic parts. I don't think I'll be buying one any time soon. Once again, it is good to glean from your expertise.
Congrats, Vox, you've managed to transplant the high noise floor and rushing water sound of an unserviced vintage tube amp into a solid-state circuit! PS, looks like that blue filter cap was previously replaced by someone with lousy soldering skills.....
Well diagnosed and spotted Stuart. I once heard a hi-fi tech describe the issue you found as 'black leg' syndrome. That fairly concurs with what you found . Corrosion in other words. That amp looks very much like Birch-Stolec Industries model from the 1970. The company bought Vox and manufactured them in the Hastings area. Just one of the many owners of this brand you elude too.
@@stuartukguitarampguy5830, There's a book about Vox amps, written by a British guy named Stephan Grosvenor, which goes into the technical aspects, circuitry, repair and mods/upgrades of all Vox amps. It's chock full of his own diagrams and drawings.
@@stuartukguitarampguy5830 Here's a paragraph from the VOX history page ; " Birch-Stolec Industries purchased Vox from Corinthian Securities in 1970 and moved the manufacturing facilities from Erith, Kent to Hastings, East Sussex. The "VSL" name was retained. Birch Stolec owned Lemark Transformers, a major Vox creditor from the VSEL bankruptcy. The V100 head, a 100 watt, all tube, printed circuit amplifier was introduced by Birch-Stolec as were the first printed board versions of the AC-30 and AC-50. They also produced slightly revised versions of the solid state Vox amps introduced by JMI in 1967. Rick Huxley, former bassist for the Dave Clark Five, became sales manager." So it seems that the concept of a solid state VOX AC 30 was a JMI idea from 1967, although I believe that model had the brown grill cloth as per the valve AC-30. The original range of VOX solid state amps were named ; Traveller, Virtuoso, Conqueror & Defiant, Supreme plus a range of bass guitar amps.
If the sockets grip snugly and the legs of the IC's aren't too badly tarnished , the oxidation should wipe off of the pins when you reinsert the device. Still, I usually prefer to pull the chip out and clean the pins manually with a pencil eraser or fiberglas scratch-brush.
Yeah, they’re not a ‘62 AC30 with Celestion Blues,but they’re still cool amps. You can do much worse for a vintage SS amp. Socketed IC’s sure are nice for maintenance, but my god do they cause problems after a few decades. All of the vintage computer channels must go through gallons of DeOxit collectively.
In my 45+ years of electronics repair, I've never had to replace an IC socket on an audio amplifier, FM tuner or the like; it's clear that the problem in this case was the badly oxidized, blackened pins on the IC itself (oxidized silver plating?) Cleaning the pins with a pencil eraser or fiberglas-bristle "scratch brush" is a better remedy than merely spraying with Deoxit, and I would caution against leaving Deoxit residue in the socket. An alcohol flush afterwards is recommended.
Sorry to sneak in on this video but can you tell us about the “frying bacon” sound and how to be rid of it? This on my Fender 75 amp which can play sans bacon and sounds otherwise glorious!
Hi Tom. No worries. The problem is that this canbe caused by quite a few different things. Bad transistor, resistor, capacitor and dry joints. Not an easy one I'm afraid.
@@stuartukguitarampguy5830 OK cool. I’m working on my own amps only. Never for profit.All tubes. I love your troubleshooting sequences.Thanks for making these videos and lifting the veil a bit. Best to you.Shoot on my friend.
Great job Stuart, another lucky one..Saves the client dosh and just before Xmas...! Like the way you found the fault, always something new to learn from you....Ed..uk..😄
Great result from the most simple testing method. I love it when things zip along. Not only did you correct the issue, you performed preventive maintenance on the second IC. This additional action is not only added value, but is an affirmation of your selfless concern for any future expense to the owner. You are an amazing person, Stuart. I surmise that the units taking up space on the bench will provide ample episodes to come. Well done. Cheers!
Cheers Alex you are very kind!
Craig Macdonald here great to see you find this fault , can stop following your repairs by the way I changed the two caps on the transistor fender stage 100 , and sorted great deep tone rich and load with no buzzing , thanks to you fixed for £ 14.00 including postage many thanks without your videos I’d never of known how to find it .
Nice one! Well done.
Sometimes a waggle with an insulated tip is the best diagnostic tool we have. Excellent easy repair…Cheers from the US Stuart..!
Thanks!
Thanks Mr. Stuart. Yeah that's a nice little beater for someone to knock around with.
Kind of reminds me of an old Vox Cambridge amp I bought here in the US one time.
Good one Stuart. Thank you
Cheers Monty.
great show Suart.
Thanks!
Hello Stuart. Nice easy fix on that one. I have had one of the Birch Stolec Vox AX30s in for a quote. Valves but on a PC board and it's been messed about with. It won't be an easy fix. Never seen inside a solid state one before. Take care.
Yes it was a new one for me too. Good luck with yours.
Nice one Young Stuart as always! Yep, a little corrosion and problems follow!
Thanks!
I'm happy to see a ss Vox on your bench. I recently helped a friend with his AC30S1. That amp is a tube amp, but I believe it is also digital as well. Maybe the preamp tubes just sweeten the sound.
It does seem that Vox has made many versions of this amp. The one I recently saw was made in China. It did have a good sound but was made with many plastic parts. I don't think I'll be buying one any time soon.
Once again, it is good to glean from your expertise.
Thanks Michael.
Splendid 🎉
Probably misture being closest to the input jack. Well done
Congrats, Vox, you've managed to transplant the high noise floor and rushing water sound of an unserviced vintage tube amp into a solid-state circuit! PS, looks like that blue filter cap was previously replaced by someone with lousy soldering skills.....
Yes that cap had definitely been 'tacked in'!
Well diagnosed and spotted Stuart. I once heard a hi-fi tech describe the issue you found as 'black leg' syndrome. That fairly concurs with what you found . Corrosion in other words. That amp looks very much like Birch-Stolec Industries model from the 1970. The company bought Vox and manufactured them in the Hastings area. Just one of the many owners of this brand you elude too.
Thanks Pete. You have to really know your VOX history to know that. They've been through SO many iterations.
@@stuartukguitarampguy5830, There's a book about Vox amps, written by a British guy named Stephan Grosvenor, which goes into the technical aspects, circuitry, repair and mods/upgrades of all Vox amps. It's chock full of his own diagrams and drawings.
Thanks. Do you happen to know the name of it?
@@stuartukguitarampguy5830 Here's a paragraph from the VOX history page ; " Birch-Stolec Industries purchased Vox from Corinthian Securities in 1970 and moved the manufacturing facilities from Erith, Kent to Hastings, East Sussex. The "VSL" name was retained. Birch Stolec owned Lemark Transformers, a major Vox creditor from the VSEL bankruptcy. The V100 head, a 100 watt, all tube, printed circuit amplifier was introduced by Birch-Stolec as were the first printed board versions of the AC-30 and AC-50. They also produced slightly revised versions of the solid state Vox amps introduced by JMI in 1967. Rick Huxley, former bassist for the Dave Clark Five, became sales manager." So it seems that the concept of a solid state VOX AC 30 was a JMI idea from 1967, although I believe that model had the brown grill cloth as per the valve AC-30. The original range of VOX solid state amps were named ; Traveller, Virtuoso, Conqueror & Defiant, Supreme plus a range of bass guitar amps.
@@stuartukguitarampguy5830 Possibly thevoxac30guide (site).
What was causing the Transistor Crackling issue? because the IC chips pins and socket needed to be cleaned?
Yes bad contact between some of the IC pins and the socket. It was very corroded.
That's OK, just stick an ART Tube Pre in front of it. 😆
That would work!
I've fixed amps by easing ICs partway out of their socket and pushing them back in.
If the sockets grip snugly and the legs of the IC's aren't too badly tarnished , the oxidation should wipe off of the pins when you reinsert the device. Still, I usually prefer to pull the chip out and clean the pins manually with a pencil eraser or fiberglas scratch-brush.
Probably best to clean properly since you are in there anway.
Yeah, they’re not a ‘62 AC30 with Celestion Blues,but they’re still cool amps. You can do much worse for a vintage SS amp.
Socketed IC’s sure are nice for maintenance, but my god do they cause problems after a few decades. All of the vintage computer channels must go through gallons of DeOxit collectively.
In my 45+ years of electronics repair, I've never had to replace an IC socket on an audio amplifier, FM tuner or the like; it's clear that the problem in this case was the badly oxidized, blackened pins on the IC itself (oxidized silver plating?) Cleaning the pins with a pencil eraser or fiberglas-bristle "scratch brush" is a better remedy than merely spraying with Deoxit, and I would caution against leaving Deoxit residue in the socket. An alcohol flush afterwards is recommended.
Yes that's exactly what I did,
Yep! an alcohol flush always works for me!! HIC!!!!@@goodun2974
Household ammonia is pretty good at cleaning tarnished silver and clearing out the nasal passages should you feel so inclined.
How do you think I get through the day? :)
Sorry to sneak in on this video but can you tell us about the “frying bacon” sound and how to be rid of it? This on my Fender 75 amp which can play sans bacon and sounds otherwise glorious!
probably a dodgy transistor, had this recently in a Crate amp, one of the switching FETs had gone noisy
Hi Tom. No worries. The problem is that this canbe caused by quite a few different things. Bad transistor, resistor, capacitor and dry joints. Not an easy one I'm afraid.
@@stuartukguitarampguy5830 OK cool. I’m working on my own amps only. Never for profit.All tubes. I love your troubleshooting sequences.Thanks for making these videos and lifting the veil a bit. Best to you.Shoot on my friend.
Have you ever had an EVH LBX-S in for repair? 🤟
No I've never had one of those, sorry. I don't see much EVH gear.