Yow! Technical Service Disasters!!

- an ongoing service journal of interesting, humorous, and devastating technical surprises describing just a few of the machines we get in and try to repair. Sometimes, these units just end up getting recycled!

Also, there are some funny posts that are Musician or Music related.

March 12 , 2014:

THE best T ever! -marty

 

April 06, 2012:

What a mess! Beer spill to the max! -- yet, this amplifier kept working through the gig until a tube finally blew it's top! -marty

 

December 9, 2011:

Wait!... Is that a shoe print? How the hell?!?.... This was found between the front panel and pcb of an ARP Avatar. -marty

 

August 2, 2011:

Man! Good thing that wire twist caught that piece! Can you imagine what could have happened if this little conductive part did a dance across the high tension? - or even the bias shorting to ZERO Volts? Yeesh! - Gives me the heebee-jeebees thinking about it! -marty

 

June 21, 2011:

It really cracks me up to see that someone went through the trouble and time of drilling more holes into a chassis to provide the extra security of over-tube spring retainers. I guess using the existing holes and screws for the original retainers wasn't an option? -marty

 

March 13, 2011:

(note found through letter slot) "Hey Marty! Thought you might like this stuff - none of it works though... Mr. F.B."

Yep! We love junk! Thank you Mr. F.B.! -marty

 

October 06, 2010:

BLECH! - even our tech is a little squeamish about RATS! -marty

 

August 17, 2010:

Poor little guy - Could survive a nuclear holocaust but not Rock and Roll! -marty

 

May 24, 2010:

Not getting enough crunch? Why not permanently install a load resistor at the speaker jack so you can drive the original output transformer into oblivion... -marty

 

February 19, 2010:

Customer had explained this unit was used to play music that would ease tensions between animals in a barn. GiddeeeYyuuup... -marty

 

January 22, 2010:

(...Garage Tech...): "Well, let's see... I'm too lazy to remove the pcb to access the foil pattern so... I'll just drill a hole on the chassis in that general area on the other side.... --- WHOOPS!! The bit slipped!"

Seeing this makes me wonder if there are Darwin Awards for hacknicians! -marty

 

September 16, 2009:

This WAS a Roland Jupiter 8 digital PCB. -marty

 

June 11, 2009:

Hmm... Shoe... Umm? Glove... I got it! "If the SCREW fits..." No? OK, here's a better one: "If the SCREW does not fit, you must uh... quit?" -marty

 

March 9, 2009:

OK, I have been racking my brain on this one --- it is kind of like, well, I need to get input from others about picture captions or something. I mean, I understand what could have happened here but HUH?!? -marty

 

January 13, 2009:

"yeah, (...garage tech...) installed a mod in my amp but I don't think it works right -- my volume and tone controls don't work that good and he said that was normal..." Really? I can't see why they wouldn't work (...sarcasm...). -marty

 

November 18, 2008:

FYI - You cannot solder leads directly to a battery anode or cathode terminal cap folks -- I guess one could if the terminals were sanded and then quickly soldered but NOT RECOMMENDED --- hot gasses, warping, discharge and all... -marty

 

September 27, 2008:

We are seeing more and more of this --- there is no need to boast with the "Although..." and "but it's..." when people in THIS country are slowly losing jobs. The saddest statements I have seen are "Assembled in the US with foreign made parts" and "Made in Korea — Packaging Made in USA." -marty

 

July 5, 2008:

Jeeeezzz! - WHY!?! -marty

 

April 17, 2008:

This ferrite ring mod (yellow arrows) courtesy of Anal-Audio Inc. -marty

 

January 11, 2008:

This one has got to be my all time favorite! -marty

 

November 7, 2007:

I have to give this tech some props. When a replacement PCB is not available, well... ya' do whatcha' gotta' do. -marty

 

August 29, 2007:

Not a technical disaster but would definitely save a musical one. If this pedal really exists, I NEED ONE TOO! -marty

 

May 27, 2007:

COME-ON FOLKS! STOP IT ALREADY!! (see journal entry February 4, 2005 & May 2, 2003) -marty

 

December 12, 2006:

OK... I won't? -marty

 

July 31, 2005:

The yellow arrow shows how a capacitor will sometimes commit "capa-cide." -marty

 

February 13, 2005:

It appears two rival technicians are passing notes through the chassis net... -marty

 

October 17, 2005:

Man! I would've loved to have been at that gig!! (by the way, the manufacturer covered this under warranty!) -marty

 

June 10, 2005:

Well, I give this guy an A+ for creativity. Yes, that is a metal hole plug. -marty

 

February 4, 2005:

(sigh...) ---Here we go again... (see journal entry May 2nd, 2003) -marty

 

September 22, 2004:

Wow. I guess that new years eve party really got out of hand! One would think "Aw, just brush it off." - not when the glitter is mixed with multiple showers of sparkling wine! (yes, it is all over the console!) . -marty

 

April 24, 2004:

"Uhhh....Can I get this fixed under warranty?" ---Uhhh, No... -marty

 

November 16, 2003:

What the heck!?! What is the light-blue stuff here and why is it all over the level potentiometers? I was told by this customer that this unit was installed in the kitchen of a restaurant. I guess the cooks may have got a bit overzealous with the cake frosting. Maybe they wanted a "sweeter" sound -- (I know, bad joke...) -marty

 

May 2, 2003:

Ya know, ya' gotta' wonder why manufacturers bother to silk screen the fuse rating on the back panel of a machine. Also, you gotta' wonder what logical sequence goes through the mind of a person who thinks that if the fuse keeps blowing, the fault HAS TO BE THE FUSE- RIGHT? I mean, why not just wrap foil around it, re-install it, turn the power on and HEY!! == It's the fourth of July all over again - and again! -marty

 

January 29, 2003:

YUCK!! Got in a mixer with intermittent channel issues that was covered with cat or dog hair! The customer who owns the unit said that his CAT sleeps on the face of it. He told me that HIS CAT is VERY CLEAN and has always slept on it and doesn't believe this would have caused any failures. Check out the underside of the faceplate! -- Uh, Can anyone say CAT PISS?? Sometimes, I wonder why I get talked into taking these units in.... I knew I "smelled" trouble. -marty

 

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