Pointing out safety issues, design flaws, ground loops and general poor design is not whining IMO. It is frankly the prerogative of the person doing the work. You are serving the customer, and the general amp-buying universe by offering your unvarnished, real-time opinions. I personally find your commentary humorous, and as a tech it makes me feel saner to hear other techs call out some of the same things that get under my skin. You have a very high bar for design and build quality and you know it when you see it, and also when you don't. I say keep up the honest commentary and let the haters hate if that's what gets them up in the morning.
Agree entirely. I build amps for myself for fun and I appreciate seeing potential pitfalls highlighted so I can try to avoid them in my own stuff. If you see something and your criticism is justified then please do point it out.
@@nunkaval how can you tell? I'm not taking sides here but the one in question here does look quite similar to the few pics I saw on their website and links to rreviews from there too. If you do an image search on Google you will see lots of examples of gutshots that look exactly the same and again, most if not all have a Celestion blue speaker which are rated at 15 watts, fitted into an amp rated at 20 watts...
It is EXACTLY the same as every other photo I've had shared with me by techs all over the world. Misinformation from trolls and covert representatives are quite pathetic. Get a hobby and stop devoting your life to brands, I say to them. But we all know they wont.
This has been one of my favourite video series of yours. Love your humour and honesty. Don’t listen to the fckwitts. If somethings shoddy then it needs to be called out. Looking forward to the next one.
Great series mate, I really enjoyed this. I really enjoyed the commentary too :) Plus your not a winger, you are telling the viewer what you seeing in front of you. I love the honesty. Keep it up.
Hi Brad, thanks for an excellent series of videos on this amp. I hope the manufacturers watch them and take on board your observations and the improvements you made. I learn something new everytime I watch your videos and I really love the way you always do the right thing and make proper long lasting repairs/modifications. btw. keep calling it as you see it, your always spot on and I appreciate that about your videos. If I want someone to perfume the pig I'll watch a resellers marketing video. Keep up the good work mate!
Liked and have been subscribed, so please don't leave anything smelly in my mailbox (or letterbox). Really enjoyed this 4 parter. I don't watch racing to see crashes and I don't watch amp repairs hoping to see bad designs. I definitely appreciate seeing the good with the bad and the ugly. So much great information to absorb in all the videos, even the slang 😁
I think that sounded as good as I’ve ever heard that style of amp sound. Killer mate. There’s not much more that needs to be said. It just sounds fucking great. There’s inspiration in that tone, I’d get so lost in that instantly, and that right there is the goal. Lovely work fella.(side note, Mossy would approve) 😉👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
New sub'r, great fun following this cluster F of an amp. I shake my head at amps like this from guys that think they're the reincarnation of Dumble himself. I anticipated ahead of all of your work and changes, many laughs along the way my friend. In the prior vid where they stupidly bridged the HT filter supply's dropping resistor for the last V1 node - I was yelling "cut the wire, cut the wire" and you did exactly that. :) You are an excellent amp man. FYI - the new TADs should be using 14w Pdiss on 6V6s w/ your measurements - puts your squarely on the mark of Pdiss being at 90%. Spot on...
Brad, g’day from from the sovereign nation of Western Australia. Mate I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your honesty in the smoke and mirrors toe licking world of TH-cam and by providing the single best narration on any TH-cam video ever - “I’m getting comments that I’m whinging, I don’t know what to tell ya? If you don’t like it fuck off”. Epic series this one, Your a deadset fucken legend mate 🤘😂 P.S love the Nigel Tufnel about measuring primary “don’t do this at home, don’t look at your amp don’t even touch it” 🤣🤣🤣
Amp sounded fab on the final demo, very naff before. All decisions made perfect sense. You can't please everyone but the outcome spoke volumes. We're all the final demo settings with channel jumper in place? :) 👍
Brilliant work as always, even that cringey end line was just *chefs kiss*. The annoying thing about these 5E3 style amps is the interaction between the two volume controls, even when plugged into only one input.
@@sharonlee4773 Neil Young also had a contraption made called the whizzer to allow recalling presets on the amps. There’s no reason for the channels to interact and just comes from early designs before there was better knowledge. A simple mod makes the two channels fully independent yet allows the full range of tone to be achieved because now you can do it with a single knob rather than finagling two of them.
@@drgearaustralia Neil's Whizzer actually exploits the channel interaction.I had a real 57 like Neil's and before I sold it,I made a clone of it but kept the channels separated. I preferred it the interactive way!
I watched all the episodes on this amp. Giant transformation into a really exceptional amp! You are are one of the very best amp techs on YT! With all your hard work, I trust will come good fortune!
I have a Tektronix 2235 with cart I got for free that I haven't used on an amp yet, I would love to see a short video on how you use yours to motivate me.
Hi Brad !There is no need to worry about the speaker . New Celestino blue can handle much more then 15 W. The new ones have different cone material in the center. So is more build like for 20-30W
6L6 lots of headroom glassy cleans...i have in my Marshall head 900 dual reverb. 100 watt EL34 in my other Marshall head 50 watt MKIII. Master Volume. A/B One for dirt, one for clean and everything in between. Stereo setup full, rich and sick ! Marshall B cabs i find very full.🎉
Interesting set of vids. Been on stage beside one of these for many gigs and it always sounds great. The thing I liked most was the extra headroom which I assume was from the application of the 6L6’s. At stage volumes, my two 6V6’s tended to hit distortion at a lower volume than the J so I’ve was chasing headroom. I recently got a 57 Super clone which has got me into the J ballpark. I’d be interested to compare a 6V6 loaded Lazy J but that ain’t gonna happen. In the meantime my buddies amp is absolutely one of the best sounding amps I’ve worked with. Cheers.
I don't know if it's mentioned in another comment, but the carling switch between the preamp tubes is a bass cut, where IIRC the coupling caps are reduced in value.
don't believe I've seen a volume pot move on it's own before. I'm so glad I watch your videos. This should be a PSA series! I've been looking for 5e3 for some time and this amp was on the list, but this is a disgusting joke.But man it sounded good when after your changes.
Heya Brad thanks so much for posting the video's - I'm a previous lazy J owner (here in the UK) - not gonna write war & peace - 1) your vids are great totally get the tounge in cheek 2) its 'very worrying' that you would attempt any technical service on an amp (that from the video's) doesnt look that you researched where/how it was made. They originally came with MM transformers, so, seeing that PT as a no name silver one was certainly worrying to see - I wonder if the amp had been worked on some time previously. They were also originally designed to work on 6l6 valves for increased headroom etc.
Thanks for watching, mate. And thanks for appreciating my tongue in cheek humor. It goes over many people's heads, but what can you do, it's the internet, after all! Okay, a few points. I was misinformed about the country of manufacture, as the builder is an American, living in the UK. Hence I was told they were built by an American. The country of manufacture has no bearing over electronic diagnosis. Electrons and electronic circuits have no regional dialects. That's the whole point of universal standardized schematic notation. I don't care where they came from. As for "how" they were built, I have eyes and I use them. They didn't originally come with MM transformers. I have many colleagues in the EU, the UK and the USA who all said the specimens they have repaired and corrected were identical to this one in both the componentry and the construction, as well as the design mistakes and oversights. As for this particular specimen, it was bought new from the licensed dealership in Sydney. And if they were designed for 6L6's, the amp would be able to be biased correctly and the transformers wouldn't melt. This has been confirmed by my colleagues internationally with every one of the specimens they've encountered, also.
Fantastic job Brad. Trying to throw the kitchen sink like reverb, tremolo, variable voltage seeems like a dumb idea given the original layout, chassis size, construction method bla bla bla. I ain’t telling you anything you don’t already know. Sounds like a 5e3 with a Celestion to me. Looking forward to your next video.
Yeah, I don't understand why the builder didn't use the (tube rectified) AB763 design if he wanted reverb and vibrato - he could still have fit it into a tweed chassis from Mojo... they'll even do the 60's Deluxe cab in tweed with an oxblood grille if you want.
Dunno if it helps mate, but in the earlier Lazy j's the switch underneath used to change the preamp supply voltages to give a bit more or bit less voltage to those nodes. Don't know what it was doing in the one you have there, but it may explain that extra 1K5 that was shorted across. All the best mate Shane👍
Was seriously considering pouncing on a used one but after watching these vids its virtually impossible to justify the purchase. Wonder what daniel steinhardt thinks of this analysis!? 😀
Mines been ruining beautifully on 6v6s for 5 years constant gigging,never had a problem- best 2 grand I ever spent and it shits on my original 57 tweed 5e3!
Sounds great now , great job as always👍🏻 curious if you ended up adding a grid stopper to the cathodyne , sounded really good and without that annoying(to me) sound of the cathodyne 🤣
I've been wondering since "Part #1", why would anyone use 6L6 in a little Tweed amp like this? I understand the 6V6 have less power, however part of this amp's original character is because of the 6V6. Just seems like if you wanted more power you'd purchase a different amplifier! What do I know, I'm just a guitar player................................ Again, great content, thank you.
Came here expecting to hear talk of mythical tone difference between tubes. Stayed and listened to Brad explaining exactly why he changed the tubes and exactly why they make a difference to the overall sound and heat issues of the amp. There's so much garbage on YT about "toan" with electric guitars that I almost "kneejerked" when I saw the thumbnail, but the idea of a lower output giving you that bit more break up edge for some cool blues feel makes perfect sense. Been subbed for a while now as have amps I need to find time to repair in the back room, but between my - long lost to a period pf desperate musician poverty - Marshall Bluesbreaker and my current (of all things) Harley Benton Tube15, you just can't beat a simple, old school tube amp. Fair do though. the new non-tube amps are getting close and for recording my ToneX IR Modeller makes life so much easier getting that sound I want. But at 58 and 48 of those years clamped to a 6 string electric, I'm so pleased to be proved wrong and to learn something from a master of the amp repair art. Top work mate. Fascinating stuff.
First - did i hear you right, you said "fuck weed" ? That is some funny shit. Second, these are 3600ish USD from UK to USA after all taxes and shipping
just found ya channel the other day its great. ya should do a shit talking amp show with Brad the guitarologist. both your personalities would be a funny combo i reckon. rock on mate
Jeez, I started off today feeling quite happy but now im crapping myself over my Lazy J J10 in case something serious happens. I love the amp as per Clapton, Bonamassa and the rest of the elite. It sounds great and looks better assembled than this one. Just hope it lasts without burning me up
I feel bad for whoever shelled out for one of these things. Brad are you a Norm Macdonald fan? The "don't count your chickens" reminded me of his uncle Terry story
Sounds like the owner should go for some more highpass filtering with these new 6v6s. I actually think it worked with the 6L6s but after the change it just cant keep up with that low end i guess :) hard to say for sure from just those clips but i think thats what I'm hearing. Very nice series, will return for more kit and banter
Whole lotta stupid baked into that amp but it's interesting to note that simply swapping the 6L6s and 5AR4 for 6V6s and a 5Y3 moves this much closer to sanity. The other changes you made have a lot of value but someone who owns one of these weirdsmobiles can make a huge improvement by just changing some valves. Reducing the 6.3V heater demand from 3.3A to 2.4A might not have been enough to keep the wimpy original PT from melting down, but it wouldn't be as severely flogged, so just maybe. Without a doubt the output stage would have been in a better operating range. Not sure I enjoy the kinder, gentler narrative. This thing was a bloody abortion. But I suppose just noting each design problem it originally had would be enough to lead anyone who knows anything, to that conclusion without saying it out loud.
Bet yer glad thats over mate!! I actually like 6v6s toothy drive & that cleans up nicely from the vol on the guitar... nice job! Eh, apologies for being one of the dicks telling you its a Pommy amp (at least l wasnt the only blowfly!). Luv ya work fella.👍
Great work! I like the methodical way you approach repairs and the way you explain it is very easy to understand. I think if I spent 8k on an amp that sounds like arse I might want to give up playing but not really. Just so sad for this guy.
I think it would be nice to know if this has been modded or “fixed” by someone in the past, or if this is how these things ship from the manufacturer. Seems like a scandal and afaik they have a strong reputation among folks who I think would know (that pedal show)?
One thing that musicians need to understand is that most TH-cam personalities, especially those that demo gear online, are salesmen trying to sell product. Even the most mild-mannered polite and funny personalities are still selling product. And that means that there are certain things that are not looked at in order to not sour relationships with manufacturers who either a) pay to have or reviews made or b) provide gear that allowed content creators to produce content in order to make money (ads, patreon) etc. They want your money, next to nobody is doing anything honest for free (life ain’t cheap) Make of that what you will
It was bone stock. I had one in, exact same everything, including horrible horrible sounds, noisy VVR, thumping trem, humming reverb, and overinflated price tag. And the one on Brad’s bench was practically new.
@@BradsGuitarGarage Nah, just a couple of gear nerds talking about pedals mostly. One of them used to be the editor of Guitarist magazine in the UK and the other is an Aussie who moved over there and started a pedal switcher and board assembly company, so there's a faint whiff of 'cork sniffer' about them, but they're mostly informative and entertaining. Nothing tech-minded though.
Good result, now it sounds like a decent modded 5E3 kit and it's not on the hairy edge of sh**ting itself when you turn up the guitar! 👍 Still doesn't sound any better than the other bazillion boutique 5E3 clones, tho 😆 I kind of get what the builder was trying to do - emulate the sound of a club-sized amp being turned up _way_ past it's rated output, but he basically built the thing to fry itself over the long term. 🤦♂ Lastly, props for the Black Crowes riff used in testing!
You would not believe some of the crazy ---- I've seen in so-called high-end, boutique amps. Just massively unsafe, huge solder blobs, etc. Many guitarists are uninformed about electronics in general, which makes selling hype easier. All it takes is one volumous testimonial and the "holy grailers" are going to pull out their wallets.
@spumpstein9374 Yeah , I guess that's not too hard to believe, haha. I've been building for one year, and I'm on my 8th amp . I've been given some huge and truly unexpected compliments from some established builders regarding my builds looking very clean, pro level, etc.. and I take great pains while soldering. That said, I am in NO WAY and expert, lol. I've got a long damn way to go in regards to theory, troubleshooting, etc. That's why it's so surprising to me when I see a sloppy amp , especially when it's from an established builder . Crazy stuff
Great work. I can't get over this amp: it's disgraceful. Agree regarding the grid stopper on the PI. It makes the volume range useful all the way up. Well, if you like the sound of a collapsing power supply. And sometimes I do. ;-) PS - Not sure it handled Cold Gravy. Needed a bit more headroom, I reckon.
Isnt the whole kick of a 5E3 is that its a minimalist simple amp? Why bugger it up with all these fancy add-ons? $5700 usd? I got my 5e3 clone with all good parts and no issues for $900 usd about 10 years ago...................
Actual Quote I received today, February 28, 2024. Lazy J 20: £1,899 Reverb: £299 Trem: £199 Total: £2,397 or AUD $4,656 Shipping to Australia is roughly AUD $550 Import tax in Aus on a Lazy J J20 is approx. AUD $297. Total in A$5,503 (March 2024)
Their website shows that their amps start in the mid $3,000s US - which is too much for an amp put together like the one you showed. It looks like someone's personal kit amp they bought off StewMac with all the handwritten labeling with silver Sharpie! In fact, I think the StewMac kits are higher quality and they are half the price. There are lots of amps that sound great - but they need to not break within a couple of years of buying them. Who cares how they sound if you can't use them?
Heard about these amps but never had one on the bench before. Now I’m forewarned. Thanks for sharing. Definitely not worth the money. A 5E3 is perfect in its stock form. No need to add all that extra crap to it and double the price.
They're £1800 (3400 AUD) without the trem and reverb,not too much for a handbuilt amp with power scaling and an Alnico speaker! Lazy J can't do much about the shipping and Import Duty!
Funny how much better it sounds when taken back to Fender specs :) The “designer” of this amp seems to have just applied every single mod that was on the 5E3 mods website without regards to engineering practice.
5:15 Whinge? LOL Hey, its your extensive experience and hard "yakka" (I just found this word while searching for "Whingy") that brings me here. Basically, I'm here to learn from an expert the good and bad design/build for different amplifiers. I'm not sure I'd tune-in if you weren't at least a little whingy! Today has been a good day, I've learned two new words as learning I should avoid Lazy J amplifiers.
I'm a bit shocked. You are not the first amp tech showing the rather poor design/built quality of these amps. But these amps are so respected by pro guitar players. I wanted to buy one because of Nalle Colt e.g. I know nothing about electronics but even I see that they compromised there. I have a stock Fender 5E3 reissue that looks way better inside.
Express yourself, mate. Criticism is "not good for your mental health"? Actually, I think it is in this case because you help us avoid paying a fortune for these lame turkeys. I'd feel pretty good about that.
$8000? Even $8000 AUD in genuine Aussie bogan bucks shows I REALLY REALLY need to raise my hand built prices. Keep pooping on it, Brad. It's just begging to be shat upon! I do build split chassis amps (2 cans ala Valco), but the ONLY things in the bottom chassis can is the mains power supply, filtering, the audio output, and the tremolo. I'd NEVER put reverb in the bottom can. Magnatone Estey era did split chassis amps too. Power supply PT filters & OPT ONLY for Maggies. This Wobbly J amp is the crap I might have built when I was 16 or 17 years old and still smoking lots of weed.
This was purchased new from the official dealership in Sydney. Also I have had confirmation with photos from fellow techs worldwide that this is identical to the models they've repaired. Identical even dating back to 2011 models.
Great series Brad, Sounds great now. I happened, by accident, to listen to the 2021 Tone Talk with Dan Steinhardt from TPS . Both he and Dave Freidman love Lazy J amps & talk him(Mr.Lazy) up heaps. I guess there is some magic in an amp destroying it's self. Sounds best 2 minutes before it's death. EVH destroyed a lot of amps to get his sound (apparently). But I think you've saved this one. Where's the "love" button - "like" is just not enough admiration for you "like base life form"(oooo smooooze). But seriously - Top job! & Negativity SSSSHHHHMMegativity. MEH! (where's the T-shirt?)
I've watched the complete series. What I've learned is that the Lazy J J20 isn't worth anywhere near what they charged for it. I don't think there's anything wrong with all with pointing out all its flaws and deficiences.
Ah, eff it.This American loves the potty mouth. Been up past midnight my whole life, talk like a damn sailor myself. I don't even blink. To me, it is authentic. This is how most pro guitarists speak in my experience. @@BradsGuitarGarage
So by the time you've rebuilt the bloody thing it's still worth half of what the lazy A's are asking.As I said last time,some things just have to be said. Democracy tells us we can have an opinion,and I personally agree with most of what you impart, it will be the high dollar snobs defending high dollar frauds. You could hope that this is an isolated occurrence but various comments allude to this being a bit common, regardless of the exact dollar value they ask it's not good enough.
Pointing out safety issues, design flaws, ground loops and general poor design is not whining IMO. It is frankly the prerogative of the person doing the work. You are serving the customer, and the general amp-buying universe by offering your unvarnished, real-time opinions. I personally find your commentary humorous, and as a tech it makes me feel saner to hear other techs call out some of the same things that get under my skin. You have a very high bar for design and build quality and you know it when you see it, and also when you don't. I say keep up the honest commentary and let the haters hate if that's what gets them up in the morning.
Agree entirely. I build amps for myself for fun and I appreciate seeing potential pitfalls highlighted so I can try to avoid them in my own stuff. If you see something and your criticism is justified then please do point it out.
@@nunkaval how can you tell? I'm not taking sides here but the one in question here does look quite similar to the few pics I saw on their website and links to rreviews from there too. If you do an image search on Google you will see lots of examples of gutshots that look exactly the same and again, most if not all have a Celestion blue speaker which are rated at 15 watts, fitted into an amp rated at 20 watts...
It is EXACTLY the same as every other photo I've had shared with me by techs all over the world.
Misinformation from trolls and covert representatives are quite pathetic.
Get a hobby and stop devoting your life to brands, I say to them.
But we all know they wont.
This is by far one of the best channels on youtube. Absolutely. 👍👍🇨🇦✌️
You know it eh! 🇨🇦
That's the best sounding 5E3 I've heard!
I’m gonna miss the premiere but will watch it soon.
Don't sweat the whingers, most of us appreciate your honesty.
Ended up sounding damn good! Thanks for sharing your tribal knowledge.
Love you man. You are so much fun. I thank Lyle for the referral. Cheers.
Great engineering work. Night and day difference in sound.
This has been one of my favourite video series of yours. Love your humour and honesty. Don’t listen to the fckwitts.
If somethings shoddy then it needs to be called out.
Looking forward to the next one.
Great series mate, I really enjoyed this. I really enjoyed the commentary too :) Plus your not a winger, you are telling the viewer what you seeing in front of you. I love the honesty. Keep it up.
Hi Brad, thanks for an excellent series of videos on this amp. I hope the manufacturers watch them and take on board your observations and the improvements you made. I learn something new everytime I watch your videos and I really love the way you always do the right thing and make proper long lasting repairs/modifications. btw. keep calling it as you see it, your always spot on and I appreciate that about your videos. If I want someone to perfume the pig I'll watch a resellers marketing video. Keep up the good work mate!
IMHO you performed a miracle healing here...
Liked and have been subscribed, so please don't leave anything smelly in my mailbox (or letterbox). Really enjoyed this 4 parter. I don't watch racing to see crashes and I don't watch amp repairs hoping to see bad designs. I definitely appreciate seeing the good with the bad and the ugly. So much great information to absorb in all the videos, even the slang 😁
Like night and day. Excellent work!🤟
I think that sounded as good as I’ve ever heard that style of amp sound. Killer mate.
There’s not much more that needs to be said. It just sounds fucking great. There’s inspiration in that tone, I’d get so lost in that instantly, and that right there is the goal. Lovely work fella.(side note, Mossy would approve) 😉👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
New sub'r, great fun following this cluster F of an amp. I shake my head at amps like this from guys that think they're the reincarnation of Dumble himself. I anticipated ahead of all of your work and changes, many laughs along the way my friend. In the prior vid where they stupidly bridged the HT filter supply's dropping resistor for the last V1 node - I was yelling "cut the wire, cut the wire" and you did exactly that. :) You are an excellent amp man. FYI - the new TADs should be using 14w Pdiss on 6V6s w/ your measurements - puts your squarely on the mark of Pdiss being at 90%. Spot on...
Thoroughly enjoyed this series, cheers.
Brad, g’day from from the sovereign nation of Western Australia.
Mate I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your honesty in the smoke and mirrors toe licking world of TH-cam and by providing the single best narration on any TH-cam video ever - “I’m getting comments that I’m whinging, I don’t know what to tell ya? If you don’t like it fuck off”.
Epic series this one,
Your a deadset fucken legend mate 🤘😂
P.S love the Nigel Tufnel about measuring primary “don’t do this at home, don’t look at your amp don’t even touch it” 🤣🤣🤣
Amp sounded fab on the final demo, very naff before. All decisions made perfect sense. You can't please everyone but the outcome spoke volumes. We're all the final demo settings with channel jumper in place? :) 👍
Great video Brad..Love the amp after the corrections..Top man..Ed..uk.😃
I love your commentary. You're a fuckin' legend.
Brilliant work as always, even that cringey end line was just *chefs kiss*. The annoying thing about these 5E3 style amps is the interaction between the two volume controls, even when plugged into only one input.
Neil Young would disagree there!
@@sharonlee4773 Neil Young also had a contraption made called the whizzer to allow recalling presets on the amps.
There’s no reason for the channels to interact and just comes from early designs before there was better knowledge. A simple mod makes the two channels fully independent yet allows the full range of tone to be achieved because now you can do it with a single knob rather than finagling two of them.
@@drgearaustralia Neil's Whizzer actually exploits the channel interaction.I had a real 57 like Neil's and before I sold it,I made a clone of it but kept the channels separated. I preferred it the interactive way!
I watched all the episodes on this amp. Giant transformation into a really exceptional amp! You are are one of the very best amp techs on YT! With all your hard work, I trust will come good fortune!
Your explanations are damn helpful. Great work man, love the channel.
Yep sounds great..not enough headroom for my style of playing but as long as it delivers safely & reliably what the owner is looking for..👍😎
Gawd you make me laugh!! "You mean nothing to me!" Hysterical.
12:40 sounded like the football scene in Flash Gordon. Go Flash go!! Love the 4 videos!
Enjoyed this series.
I have a Tektronix 2235 with cart I got for free that I haven't used on an amp yet, I would love to see a short video on how you use yours to motivate me.
Hi Brad !There is no need to worry about the speaker . New Celestino blue can handle much more then 15 W. The new ones have different cone material in the center. So is more build like for 20-30W
So they've moved to Kapton, then?
I've just seen quite a few blown in AC30CCX's which worries me, that's all.
Made came new with a Hayden alnico blue,25 watts
6L6 lots of headroom glassy cleans...i have in my Marshall head 900 dual reverb. 100 watt
EL34 in my other Marshall head
50 watt MKIII. Master Volume.
A/B One for dirt, one for clean and everything in between.
Stereo setup full, rich and sick !
Marshall B cabs i find very full.🎉
Interesting set of vids. Been on stage beside one of these for many gigs and it always sounds great. The thing I liked most was the extra headroom which I assume was from the application of the 6L6’s. At stage volumes, my two 6V6’s tended to hit distortion at a lower volume than the J so I’ve was chasing headroom. I recently got a 57 Super clone which has got me into the J ballpark. I’d be interested to compare a 6V6 loaded Lazy J but that ain’t gonna happen. In the meantime my buddies amp is absolutely one of the best sounding amps I’ve worked with. Cheers.
I don't know if it's mentioned in another comment, but the carling switch between the preamp tubes is a bass cut, where IIRC the coupling caps are reduced in value.
On mine that switch is actually an impedance selector, I think mines an earlier one
Thanks for the series. Very enjoyable indeed
don't believe I've seen a volume pot move on it's own before. I'm so glad I watch your videos. This should be a PSA series! I've been looking for 5e3 for some time and this amp was on the list, but this is a disgusting joke.But man it sounded good when after your changes.
2k in the uk,used
It sounds so much better with the 6v6's.
Heya Brad thanks so much for posting the video's - I'm a previous lazy J owner (here in the UK) - not gonna write war & peace - 1) your vids are great totally get the tounge in cheek 2) its 'very worrying' that you would attempt any technical service on an amp (that from the video's) doesnt look that you researched where/how it was made. They originally came with MM transformers, so, seeing that PT as a no name silver one was certainly worrying to see - I wonder if the amp had been worked on some time previously. They were also originally designed to work on 6l6 valves for increased headroom etc.
Thanks for watching, mate. And thanks for appreciating my tongue in cheek humor. It goes over many people's heads, but what can you do, it's the internet, after all!
Okay, a few points. I was misinformed about the country of manufacture, as the builder is an American, living in the UK. Hence I was told they were built by an American.
The country of manufacture has no bearing over electronic diagnosis. Electrons and electronic circuits have no regional dialects. That's the whole point of universal standardized schematic notation. I don't care where they came from.
As for "how" they were built, I have eyes and I use them.
They didn't originally come with MM transformers. I have many colleagues in the EU, the UK and the USA who all said the specimens they have repaired and corrected were identical to this one in both the componentry and the construction, as well as the design mistakes and oversights.
As for this particular specimen, it was bought new from the licensed dealership in Sydney.
And if they were designed for 6L6's, the amp would be able to be biased correctly and the transformers wouldn't melt. This has been confirmed by my colleagues internationally with every one of the specimens they've encountered, also.
Yes I think you're right,there's no way it left LazyJ with a fan on it! Mine certainly hasnt
It definitely sounds better with 6V6s. Good job!
Fantastic job Brad. Trying to throw the kitchen sink like reverb, tremolo, variable voltage seeems like a dumb idea given the original layout, chassis size, construction method bla bla bla. I ain’t telling you anything you don’t already know. Sounds like a 5e3 with a Celestion to me. Looking forward to your next video.
Yeah, I don't understand why the builder didn't use the (tube rectified) AB763 design if he wanted reverb and vibrato - he could still have fit it into a tweed chassis from Mojo... they'll even do the 60's Deluxe cab in tweed with an oxblood grille if you want.
@@mnemonik61 but the Bias trem on this is way better than AB763 trem!
I learned so much... Thanks
Dunno if it helps mate, but in the earlier Lazy j's the switch underneath used to change the preamp supply voltages to give a bit more or bit less voltage to those nodes. Don't know what it was doing in the one you have there, but it may explain that extra 1K5 that was shorted across.
All the best mate
Shane👍
Good point!
Was seriously considering pouncing on a used one but after watching these vids its virtually impossible to justify the purchase. Wonder what daniel steinhardt thinks of this analysis!? 😀
Mines been ruining beautifully on 6v6s for 5 years constant gigging,never had a problem- best 2 grand I ever spent and it shits on my original 57 tweed 5e3!
just wow....I got to get me friend like you...beers and cheers!
Sounds great now , great job as always👍🏻 curious if you ended up adding a grid stopper to the cathodyne , sounded really good and without that annoying(to me) sound of the cathodyne 🤣
No, I did not, Torn between rebuilding and keeping as original as possible in this case.
your playing sounded rad!
great series, thanks!
I've been wondering since "Part #1", why would anyone use 6L6 in a little Tweed amp like this?
I understand the 6V6 have less power, however part of this amp's original character is because of the 6V6.
Just seems like if you wanted more power you'd purchase a different amplifier!
What do I know, I'm just a guitar player................................
Again, great content, thank you.
Neil Young has been doing it for decades in his 5E3s.
@@c.p.1589 👍
@@c.p.1589 and had blown more trannys than RuPaul!
Came here expecting to hear talk of mythical tone difference between tubes. Stayed and listened to Brad explaining exactly why he changed the tubes and exactly why they make a difference to the overall sound and heat issues of the amp. There's so much garbage on YT about "toan" with electric guitars that I almost "kneejerked" when I saw the thumbnail, but the idea of a lower output giving you that bit more break up edge for some cool blues feel makes perfect sense. Been subbed for a while now as have amps I need to find time to repair in the back room, but between my - long lost to a period pf desperate musician poverty - Marshall Bluesbreaker and my current (of all things) Harley Benton Tube15, you just can't beat a simple, old school tube amp. Fair do though. the new non-tube amps are getting close and for recording my ToneX IR Modeller makes life so much easier getting that sound I want. But at 58 and 48 of those years clamped to a 6 string electric, I'm so pleased to be proved wrong and to learn something from a master of the amp repair art. Top work mate. Fascinating stuff.
Glad to see you can laugh at negative comments and maintain your good humour 😂
First - did i hear you right, you said "fuck weed" ? That is some funny shit. Second, these are 3600ish USD from UK to USA after all taxes and shipping
Yes and used between 1800 to 2200 GBP
Problem transformer in the naughty corner. Keep sayin' it as it is Brad, results are what count and sounds awesome to me 😎😎
just found ya channel the other day its great. ya should do a shit talking amp show with Brad the guitarologist. both your personalities would be a funny combo i reckon. rock on mate
5:13 Brad in a nutshell! I LOVE it! 9:27 London Power would like a word with you Sir...;)
Jeez, I started off today feeling quite happy but now im crapping myself over my Lazy J J10 in case something serious happens. I love the amp as per Clapton, Bonamassa and the rest of the elite. It sounds great and looks better assembled than this one. Just hope it lasts without burning me up
Chill bro,had mine 5 years gigging every weekend, no problems at all!
The 'deficient like gland' comment got you a sub 🙂
Haha!
I knew I left that silliness in for a reason!
Welcome aboard, mate. I hope you enjoy the ride.
@@BradsGuitarGarage Great content, so I am sure I will. Very refreshing to hear reviews without the gloss.
Yes, 99.9% of all the "review" channels are paid sycophants and it's sickening.
I feel bad for whoever shelled out for one of these things.
Brad are you a Norm Macdonald fan? The "don't count your chickens" reminded me of his uncle Terry story
"If you don't like it F off" 🤣😅🤣 Brad rules!!!
*Ole mcdonald had a AMP* couldn’t have said it any better myself
LOL you just know the interwebs going to correct any errors. 🤣
Sounds like the owner should go for some more highpass filtering with these new 6v6s. I actually think it worked with the 6L6s but after the change it just cant keep up with that low end i guess :) hard to say for sure from just those clips but i think thats what I'm hearing. Very nice series, will return for more kit and banter
Whole lotta stupid baked into that amp but it's interesting to note that simply swapping the 6L6s and 5AR4 for 6V6s and a 5Y3 moves this much closer to sanity. The other changes you made have a lot of value but someone who owns one of these weirdsmobiles can make a huge improvement by just changing some valves.
Reducing the 6.3V heater demand from 3.3A to 2.4A might not have been enough to keep the wimpy original PT from melting down, but it wouldn't be as severely flogged, so just maybe. Without a doubt the output stage would have been in a better operating range.
Not sure I enjoy the kinder, gentler narrative. This thing was a bloody abortion. But I suppose just noting each design problem it originally had would be enough to lead anyone who knows anything, to that conclusion without saying it out loud.
Great series. Nice sounding amp, not worth 8K, but it sounds great.
They're only 8k in Oz,blame the government
Bet yer glad thats over mate!!
I actually like 6v6s toothy drive & that cleans up nicely from the vol on the guitar... nice job!
Eh, apologies for being one of the dicks telling you its a Pommy amp (at least l wasnt the only blowfly!).
Luv ya work fella.👍
Bias wiggle trem will work on cathode biased output tubes?...or is that a grid bias set up on that "5e3"?
Bias wiggle can work on either fixed or cathode biased amps, yes.
Dude great work 👍🏼. I imagine the goons on TGP are foaming at the mouth by now.
Great work! I like the methodical way you approach repairs and the way you explain it is very easy to understand. I think if I spent 8k on an amp that sounds like arse I might want to give up playing but not really. Just so sad for this guy.
I think it would be nice to know if this has been modded or “fixed” by someone in the past, or if this is how these things ship from the manufacturer. Seems like a scandal and afaik they have a strong reputation among folks who I think would know (that pedal show)?
Totally not being obtuse, I genuinely don't know, do TPS take stuff apart and do tear-downs etc, or is it just sound testing?
One thing that musicians need to understand is that most TH-cam personalities, especially those that demo gear online, are salesmen trying to sell product. Even the most mild-mannered polite and funny personalities are still selling product. And that means that there are certain things that are not looked at in order to not sour relationships with manufacturers who either a) pay to have or reviews made or b) provide gear that allowed content creators to produce content in order to make money (ads, patreon) etc. They want your money, next to nobody is doing anything honest for free (life ain’t cheap)
Make of that what you will
It was bone stock. I had one in, exact same everything, including horrible horrible sounds, noisy VVR, thumping trem, humming reverb, and overinflated price tag.
And the one on Brad’s bench was practically new.
@@BradsGuitarGarage Nah, just a couple of gear nerds talking about pedals mostly. One of them used to be the editor of Guitarist magazine in the UK and the other is an Aussie who moved over there and started a pedal switcher and board assembly company, so there's a faint whiff of 'cork sniffer' about them, but they're mostly informative and entertaining. Nothing tech-minded though.
Someone has definitely been at this amp- they do not ship with a fan for starters!
Good result, now it sounds like a decent modded 5E3 kit and it's not on the hairy edge of sh**ting itself when you turn up the guitar! 👍 Still doesn't sound any better than the other bazillion boutique 5E3 clones, tho 😆
I kind of get what the builder was trying to do - emulate the sound of a club-sized amp being turned up _way_ past it's rated output, but he basically built the thing to fry itself over the long term. 🤦♂
Lastly, props for the Black Crowes riff used in testing!
How did this guy get to the point where his amps demanded so much money ?
You would not believe some of the crazy ---- I've seen in so-called high-end, boutique amps. Just massively unsafe, huge solder blobs, etc. Many guitarists are uninformed about electronics in general, which makes selling hype easier. All it takes is one volumous testimonial and the "holy grailers" are going to pull out their wallets.
@spumpstein9374 Yeah , I guess that's not too hard to believe, haha. I've been building for one year, and I'm on my 8th amp .
I've been given some huge and truly unexpected compliments from some established builders regarding my builds looking very clean, pro level, etc.. and I take great pains while soldering. That said, I am in NO WAY and expert, lol. I've got a long damn way to go in regards to theory, troubleshooting, etc.
That's why it's so surprising to me when I see a sloppy amp , especially when it's from an established builder . Crazy stuff
Great work. I can't get over this amp: it's disgraceful. Agree regarding the grid stopper on the PI. It makes the volume range useful all the way up. Well, if you like the sound of a collapsing power supply. And sometimes I do. ;-)
PS - Not sure it handled Cold Gravy. Needed a bit more headroom, I reckon.
It can have it's charm if used skillfully.
Isnt the whole kick of a 5E3 is that its a minimalist simple amp? Why bugger it up with all these fancy add-ons? $5700 usd? I got my 5e3 clone with all good parts and no issues for $900 usd about 10 years ago...................
Actual Quote I received today, February 28, 2024.
Lazy J 20: £1,899
Reverb: £299
Trem: £199
Total: £2,397 or AUD $4,656
Shipping to Australia is roughly AUD $550
Import tax in Aus on a Lazy J J20 is approx. AUD $297.
Total in A$5,503 (March 2024)
Exactly! Very unfair to judge this amp on the figure of 8k!
Must piss you off to think people are going to say “That sounds great!” giving full credit to Lazy J.
Well, we didn't do a full rebuild. And that one reason why I wouldn't in the first place.
Fair enough too.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything quite like that trem reverb set up
Odd as.
6:54 - Brad engages the NO switch.
See, that's where you're wrong.
I disengaged it, making the amp YES.
This is definitely not a Boutique amp. A mall kiosk amp, maybe. Maybe.
Did you ever hear from the company cuz I'm sure they watched this
BTW, that amp is so expensive because the pots go to 12.
Naturally, it would have been much cheaper if they went only to 10 or 11.
I rather enjoy all this.
Frankenstein of an amplifier….just looking into the back would have scared me off! What a shocker
I know this little girl, shes quite the picture....
Brad, in your opinion, did it pass the "cold chisel" test ? ;)
Barnsey says :"OHYEAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
Their website shows that their amps start in the mid $3,000s US - which is too much for an amp put together like the one you showed. It looks like someone's personal kit amp they bought off StewMac with all the handwritten labeling with silver Sharpie! In fact, I think the StewMac kits are higher quality and they are half the price. There are lots of amps that sound great - but they need to not break within a couple of years of buying them. Who cares how they sound if you can't use them?
Heard about these amps but never had one on the bench before. Now I’m forewarned. Thanks for sharing. Definitely not worth the money. A 5E3 is perfect in its stock form. No need to add all that extra crap to it and double the price.
They're £1800 (3400 AUD) without the trem and reverb,not too much for a handbuilt amp with power scaling and an Alnico speaker! Lazy J can't do much about the shipping and Import Duty!
Funny how much better it sounds when taken back to Fender specs :)
The “designer” of this amp seems to have just applied every single mod that was on the 5E3 mods website without regards to engineering practice.
I think you whinge less than I do comparatively. but I will never know until you try to repair an irreparable bogner alchemist 😂
Well, I do have a Helios here at the moment!
@@BradsGuitarGarage I'll definitely be watching that episode lol
5:15 Whinge? LOL
Hey, its your extensive experience and hard "yakka" (I just found this word while searching for "Whingy") that brings me here.
Basically, I'm here to learn from an expert the good and bad design/build for different amplifiers.
I'm not sure I'd tune-in if you weren't at least a little whingy!
Today has been a good day, I've learned two new words as learning I should avoid Lazy J amplifiers.
Strip the garbage can out and just rebuild it as a 5e3. Far simpler faster and cheaper solution.
What I usually tell people who bitch about ones superior knowledge of things, "works for me" is not a valid argument.
You mean nothing to me!!!!!!!!aaahahahahahahahahahhahahaha
I'm a bit shocked. You are not the first amp tech showing the rather poor design/built quality of these amps. But these amps are so respected by pro guitar players. I wanted to buy one because of Nalle Colt e.g. I know nothing about electronics but even I see that they compromised there. I have a stock Fender 5E3 reissue that looks way better inside.
Stick with your 5E3, mate.
Express yourself, mate. Criticism is "not good for your mental health"? Actually, I think it is in this case because you help us avoid paying a fortune for these lame turkeys. I'd feel pretty good about that.
Well, I get attacked for it constantly and it's not fun or pleasant.
rofl at chernobyl reference
You got it, mate!
$8000? Even $8000 AUD in genuine Aussie bogan bucks shows I REALLY REALLY need to raise my hand built prices. Keep pooping on it, Brad. It's just begging to be shat upon! I do build split chassis amps (2 cans ala Valco), but the ONLY things in the bottom chassis can is the mains power supply, filtering, the audio output, and the tremolo. I'd NEVER put reverb in the bottom can. Magnatone Estey era did split chassis amps too. Power supply PT filters & OPT ONLY for Maggies. This Wobbly J amp is the crap I might have built when I was 16 or 17 years old and still smoking lots of weed.
Mate, you've GOT to start doing videos. How long have we known each other now? Get on it!
Is it possibly that this is a fake or a copy of a lazy j amp?
This was purchased new from the official dealership in Sydney.
Also I have had confirmation with photos from fellow techs worldwide that this is identical to the models they've repaired. Identical even dating back to 2011 models.
That crossed my mind to!
Great series Brad, Sounds great now. I happened, by accident, to listen to the 2021 Tone Talk with Dan Steinhardt from TPS . Both he and Dave Freidman love Lazy J amps & talk him(Mr.Lazy) up heaps. I guess there is some magic in an amp destroying it's self. Sounds best 2 minutes before it's death. EVH destroyed a lot of amps to get his sound (apparently). But I think you've saved this one. Where's the "love" button - "like" is just not enough admiration for you "like base life form"(oooo smooooze). But seriously - Top job! & Negativity SSSSHHHHMMegativity. MEH! (where's the T-shirt?)
Dave @ EEVBlog is all over the T-Shirt thing: teespring.com/shop/negativefeedback?pid=389&cid=100029
Belly Laughs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I've watched the complete series. What I've learned is that the Lazy J J20 isn't worth anywhere near what they charged for it. I don't think there's anything wrong with all with pointing out all its flaws and deficiences.
But they don't charge 8k for them!
You are smart and entertaining. However, once you start throwing F bombs, you lose me.
HAHA, you should have heard me in previous years!
If you'd seen the hateful comments, you'd have said the same.
I mean, I am working on that, but I am Australian, too.
Have you ever spent time with an Australian?
Ah, eff it.This American loves the potty mouth. Been up past midnight my whole life, talk like a damn sailor myself. I don't even blink. To me, it is authentic. This is how most pro guitarists speak in my experience. @@BradsGuitarGarage
@@BradsGuitarGarage I'd swear if I lived in Australia............
So by the time you've rebuilt the bloody thing it's still worth half of what the lazy A's are asking.As I said last time,some things just have to be said. Democracy tells us we can have an opinion,and I personally agree with most of what you impart, it will be the high dollar snobs defending high dollar frauds. You could hope that this is an isolated occurrence but various comments allude to this being a bit common, regardless of the exact dollar value they ask it's not good enough.