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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questions or comments!
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FUTARA ELECTRONICS COMPANY - 2012