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.

Better yet, why not start at the beginning and work your way up - through the years!

 

January 13, 2023:

UGH! Electrolytic Capacitor Leakage! Good luck cleaning up that conductive "goo!" Lots of electrical crosstalk there... --marty

 

May 26, 2022:

 

Who does this? That is just plain LAZY! --marty

 

November 18, 2021:

 

Oh, HELL NO! -marty

 

May 02, 2021:

 

Not bad rework.... however, next time try not using your feet to solder! -marty

 

July 19, 2020:

 

I guess a little piece of heatshrink for the vibrato unit was out of the question? -marty

 

April 11, 2019:

 

"Now,... Be honest.... did you replace the fuse with the correct one?..." -marty

 

September 17, 2018:

 

Fool me once, etc... -marty

 

December 29, 2018:

 

There it is! -marty

 

August 06, 2018:

 

OMG! Every freakin' potentiometer.... -marty

 

May 10, 2017:

 

Based on the accumulation of dust on the speaker terminals, I am to assume it left the factory this way ---- assembled on either a Monday, Wednesday or Friday.... -marty

 

April 18, 2017:

 

Uh... No... No. No! No!! NO!!! NO!!!! -marty

 

March 11, 2017:

There it is! -marty

 

November 02, 2016:

This one came in just after Halloween - Trick or Treat! -marty

 

October 16, 2016:

(This is Satire - of course...)

I am truly amused by the shallowness of what overpaid "creative" marketing executives come up with. It is pathetic to assume that the life of an ACTUAL working musician is "all that." The slogan "Not A Good Idea Folks..." was added to this image AS IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN on the original ad - you know, to show that drinking alcoholic beverages to the point of spilling them all over your brand new amp may say you've had just a little too much. I DO NOT understand why clueless and irresponsible corporate minions believe that alcoholism and abusing new equipment is okay as to promote products based on their ignorant and distorted convictions of what contemporary "Rock and Roll" is. -marty

 

May 05, 2016:

Wow! Pedalboard by "Ralph (aka: The Wolf Counsel)" - That is what I was told... -marty

 

March 22, 2016:

Every once-in-a-while, I'll get an amp with a "roach" infestation! -marty

 

September 9, 2015:

Not one but TWO?!? Both in the same month!! Not sure but I think mice - Luckily, these residences had been vacant for a while.... -marty

 

August 11, 2015:

Really? Why? No-one ever thinks about us who have to repair this mess someday... wanna see more goop? -marty

 

April 26, 2015:

Well, that's another way to "repair" a speaker - just tape it up!... See June 10, 2005 -marty

 

January 6, 2015:

Friends, Cajole.... Enough with the creative fuse replacements! (See May 27, 2007 : February 04, 2005 : May 02, 2003): -marty

 

November 15 , 2014:

That, ladies and gentlemen, is a brass wood screw with it's head "ground" off... -marty

 

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 a feeling of unease 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 31, 2010:

How-zat for coincidental! Here it is, Halloween and I find this message on the inside-bottom panel of a DX-7IIFD! Kinda' creepy - looks cursed... Mr. D.J.P. graphically claims that he is/was the owner of this synth. I'm scared to even work on it.... (BTW - his actual name and phone number were blurred for privacy) -marty

 

October 06, 2010:

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

 

August 17, 2010:

Poor little guy - Can easily 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 vintage output transformer into oblivion... -marty

 

February 19, 2010:

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

 

January 22, 2010:

"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:

Hmmm... 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 some-what understand what could have happened here but HUH?!? -marty

 

January 13, 2009:

"yeah, I installed a great mod I read about on a blog but I don't think it works right -- my volume and tone controls don't do anything and It makes a whole bunch of noise when turn the knobs..."

 

November 18, 2008:

FYI - You cannot solder leads directly to a battery anode or cathode terminal cap folks... -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 someone does not approve of any tinkering to their "scary-great modifications"... -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 input 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' gotta' wonder why manufacturers bother to silk screen the fuse rating on the back panel of a machine. Also, ya' 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 4th 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, Really? PET PEE-PEE!! Sometimes, I wonder why I get talked into taking these units in.... I knew I "smelled" trouble. -marty

 

July 12, 1999:

This has to be the largest ribbon cable replacement recall imaginable! As you can see, they filled an entire trash can! . -marty

 

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