Roy Blankenship Amp Repair Shop - 1
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 20 авг 2024
- Roy Blakenship, a legend in guitar amplifier repair, design and manufacturing, takes us through the steps of repairing different kinds of antique, classic and contemporary tube amplifiers. Roy has a distinct emphasis on diagnosis and demodification, thus returning the amplifiers back to factory specs, that sets him apart from most tech and repair people. Roy Blankenship Amp Repair website : www.blankenship...
This is such an honest, no bs, appraisal/commentary of ampish folklore. Love it and Roy is great.
Roy rebuilt my abused blonde ‘61 Bassman back in 2002 when his shop was here in Florida. It had been stored in a shed for many years of hot and humid Florida weather. When I picked it up, he included a large plastic bag of the parts he replaced. He is a master at his craft and a really nice guy. I’m happy to report I still own it and it still sounds great!
what part of FL? I lived (and played) in Tampa in the early 80s
@@curtiseverett1671 We moved to Lake City, north of Gainesville in 92. Came from Champaign IL. Didn't gig after we moved here. The bassman was bought new in Chicago by an old guy I knew up there.
It is good to hear a no-nonsense guy, like Roy, talk about amps, tubes and capacitors. There are too many audifools around who have no clue what they are taking about. The knowledge and the experience that Roy has gathered over the years can not be overestimated.
This type of tech is one I admire. He does a proper, clean job of repair and component replacement. And of course, the end result is proof of fine workmanship.
Enjoyable to see old vintage amps come alive again with a person like Roy who takes pride in his work. There are very few technicians left that are true craftsman's in their field. I would love to see more of Roy's work on camera, his experience is evident.
Thank you both for sharing your knowledge and documenting it, this is reality TV I can watch.
Always great to see a pros workflow
I could watch Roy work on amps all day. Totally enjoyed this video!
This is the best. And you know what else my favorite country buffet that's super clean a nice came back.
Love this guy. Especially love when his phone rings and he just looks at it and grimaces. Sums up his personality so nicely. 😆
haha i thought the same thing. i could watch Roy work on amps all day
Thank you for showing us a ledgend in electroics and Repair. I learned from ppl like Roy, We still have pride in our work, Thank you Planetman Barry.
I couldn't stop watching this video. I'm just a stereophile guy (hate audiophile term) that started watching this video and couldn't stop. There's a lot of good information here for even us that just listen. Really well done and produced. I'd love for him to work on my Conrad Johnson amp. Power switch went out.
What really scares me is these guys like Mr Blankenship are a dying breed!! These guys that forgot more about tube amplification are getting older every day and there's very few really qualified techs below the age of 50. Very Scary stuff!!!
Amen.
yeah but with the internet and dozens of tutorials there's no reason why anyone can get up to speed if the already have an understanding of electronics. the last tube amp i repaired would have been 1983 !!!
The same problem exists for qualified radio broadcast engineers. Many have got out of the industry, retired or passed away (sadly).
Anyone can learn, but you have to have the desire to do so - and it helps if you know someone to assist with the practical things (and the things that can catch you out that a book or tutorial won't show).
It seems these days the kids aren't interested in learning electronics. Too busy on their cellphones and Playstations.
You are so so correct.....................
Great to see someone like Roy taking pride in what he does and not being afraid to say what they think, be it controversial or not! The knowledge exhibited here is unparalleled, take note! Barry and Roy thanks a lot for making this its nice to see someone take as much pride in amp repair as I do!
Thanks Roy, I am a old disabled vet who is just starting to learn about tube electronics. I want to learn and experiment with tube amps. Perhaps at some point I can learn to repair them. I like the fact that you care about the quality of your work. I also like to do good work no matter what the subject.
Thanks for the look into your world.
Billy
What a great video!
I had to sell my old Fender Vibro Champ two years ago when I was in the shit for money.
I brought the amp in 1979, when I was 17 years old, it had the valves changed once in all that time and sold it when I was 51.
For weeks it felt like someone in my life had died.
Cool video. Its cool to watch Roy work. He is a guy who is deliberate and knows what to do, and how to approach it. I wish Roy would make more videos.
WOW! Roy man you should do a whole series about tube amp repair !! VERY IMPRESSIVE
I liked you guys talking with each other. I watched it even 4 times in a row while building my own small tube tester.
There are many components to learning electronics. One resource I discovered that successfully combines these is the Gregs Electro Blog (google it if you're interested) without a doubt the best course i've seen. look at this great website.
We need a an expert like Roy in every town of America. Great video
Great video. Wow, you learn so much watching an expert actually do real work as opposed to a classroom where you get theory and little else. It is like watching a painter - and you can't get any better than that.
A true electronics technician!! Excellent troubleshooting skills!! I have the up most respect for you!!
Great video, I used to repair radio, tvs amps etc. in the UK, way back from the 60's to the 2000's One very important thing missing from this shop, seemed to be a solder fumes extractor or even just a fan. These fumes can cause cancer. In our day, the 1960's and onward s, health and safety didn't exist but there's no excuse today. Guys, be safe, and don't forget to use your Variacs and Isolation transformers and live a long happy life :-) Yes, it's pretty hard to wear out a Fluke, mine's still going after 27 years of use and also 3 x sets of test leads, yes, I kept wrapping them around the meter, my fault. As a side note, in the 60's we used Mk8 Avo meters and of course the Avo Minor for field work. :-)
awesome video I did this type service in upstate NY from the early 80s until 2003. I got into the work by accident after graduating from NRIs Master Audio Video Servicing and servicing consumer electronics, camcorders, TVs, CD,DVD all the disposable electronics!! a guitarist myself I was blown away how good the old Fender vacuum tube amplifiers sounded after I repaired a local musicians old Fender Bandmaster. Its was in pretty tough shape, typical filters and voltage divider resistors in the supply, screen resistors on outputs, typical carbon comp hiss from preamp plate load resistors, and no low end from dried up cathode bypass. When the owner a pro guitarist picked up his amp and played through it he said his amp never sounded so good and he referred so much work from the vintage guitar shop he worked at part-time and other professional musicians. All I did is like Mr. Roy Blankenship most of my Career in this field is de-modify most modifications some tech working at Guitar Center insisted was the way to go
I really enjoy your layman explanation of the technology behind your work. It helps explain why components are critical to good tone, the value of returning amps to their original state. Nice work!
Agree 100% on replacing older components. Been repairing amps and larger shortwave radios for years, and it's a real drag to die because you like older tube equipment.
good vid, enjoyed it very much.
Roy had a shop in Jacksonville Florida a few years back and worked on a couple of old tube amps I had. They sounded better than new when he was done. He is an expert and professional.
Kudos to Roy Blankenship! Very informative! Having recently needed to have my amp repaired I now appreciate the specialized knowledge amp technicians have for the necessary work to keep things alive and sounding great. Many thanks!
You guys are awesome. It is (sadly) rare to find a video where the uploader's ego doesn't slow down the learning. Just getting into fixing amps (after learning all the necessary electronics to understand what you're saying) and this video has helped immensely!
Amazing video! Roy sure shows how experienced he is and the pride he takes into his work
You really have to appreciate watching someone work when it's obvious they love it and understand it like they invented it themselves... thanks for the video Barry and Roy..
Roy is the best amp builder and repairman in the business.I wouldn't take my amps anywhere else!
This is a treasure chest of great information from a real subject matter expert. Some will complain that it's not slick, has few closeups, and that the interviewer asks relatively basic questions. Those people are missing the point. This is an excellent use of video as a research tool using a knowledge capture interview to elicit deeper, tacit knowledge from someone deeply knowledgeable about his craft.
The more interviews you shoot as a documentarian or knowledge capture facilitator, the more likely you are to go to great pains to create an environment in which the people being interviewed can comfortably forgot the presence of a camera and lose themselves in the practice of their craft. An interviewer experienced in amp circuitry and repair work would likely not have asked such basic questions, and the majority of us as viewers would have lost some of the best mounts in which he breaks complex ideas into easily understandable concepts. A+ for content, thank you!
Justin Lee You must be a videographer/non-linear editor.
My Dad worked for Bell Telephone Labs as an electrical engineer without a full fledged degree or PhD. It’s WHAT you know & understand. If you know “how”, you will always have a job. If you know “why”, you will always be in charge. Roy is knowledgeable, not reckless.
that was a relaxing and informative journey...thank you everyone involved:
Roy, what a guy. I could watch him all day :) He needs a dedicated apprentice to carry on the cause.
Thanks for sharing this sir !!! Great to see a master at work ... so gratifying !!! Thanks to Roy for his time...feel so safe with him.
I enjoy watching this over most TV. Roy is a very brilliant repairman as well as a very descriptive technician. I can't wait until he repairs my Super Reverb.
Roy Blankenship had a shop in Jacksonville Florida. He went through two of my amps and brought them to life. A 100 watt Earth g2000 and a Traynor ygm , both from the early 70's and both point to point wiring. They never sounded as good as they did when he was finished with them. He is an amp wizard.
I'm less than 50yrs old and have worked for years on old and newer tube amps, I actually consulted Roy before I got into the business of amp repair. I also do guitar repairs.
This guy is the real deal. Trust him! - I'm a retired design EE as well as life-long Ham - and Roy is smack-on here with everything he says and does. Fender used Jensen Spks - some good some bad. Fender replaced my Solid State Bassman 12's 3 times under warranty. I gave up and made my own stack with 2 15 inch Altec Lansings. Never had another issue
Roy you are a genius, I learned more theory from you in this video than I ever had picked up over the years on the basics of components, their functions, selections and troubleshooting....also the use of a generator and the scope took the mystery out of that portion of testing.. gee, I should pay you for the valuable instruction that you just provided..
Thanks,
Kim near Seattle..
Just listening to Roy describe what and how he's doing the repairs shows how experienced he is. Good repair guys are hard to find.
yeah.. we are a dying breed.. most of the people doing this work now are just bodgers who have done a few plastic sansui stereos and think a tube amp is just a matter of blobbing in a few random bits.. like they saw on youtube.. the reality however..........
First 50 min. video I've ever watched on youtube. Truly enjoyed it, thanks guys!
Roy used to do all of our repairs at Band Central Station many years ago in Gainesville, FL. Pretty cool to see him having success, congrats Roy!
I miss seeing R Blankenship in his knowledge jobs, and Barry Landau interviewing him. A great duo tag team ! chico. Detroit,Mi
always nice to see someone who takes pride in their work
This guy brings up a very good point about people getting angry when original parts are replaced.
I understand the argument, about wanting to keep things original, but that's not how it really works if you actually intend to use the amp for what it was designed for.
People want to retain the amp's "original sound" without realizing that the sound they want and, more importantly, the sound the manufacturer of the amp intended *is only achieved when all parts are operating at specifications the engineering has called for*.
The important point is that many of those original parts do not last forever and are supposed to be replaced when they wear out after years of use.
If the original parts are worn out, then those parts can no longer function as required and will *never* allow the amp to work as intended. In worst cases, those worn parts can actually cause the amp to blow itself up, figuratively and sometimes *literally*.
The only time keeping all the original parts works out is if you intend to never use the amp for anything other than as a non-functional conversation piece.
Always a pleasure to watch and listen to a real expert do their work.
Love to see a journeyman at work......you can tell by his casual approach to each issue that he knows his bizz......
totally worth all 51 mins of watching in 4 o'clock AM!!!!
There is a WEALTH of good information here. Thanks for the share Roy... and you too, Barry.
edit: I thought I was the only one who had to explain to people watching me solder that you want to leave the tip coated when you return the iron to the holder... then did just the opposite. :)
Great vid, appreciate both the professional insight & the interviewer for asking basic/novice questions. It helped someone like me who is learning and doesn't know much about this type of work.
This is going straight to my favorites!!.. Pure gold!
Roy was based in Orange Park FL area for awhile and fixed my marshall artist 3203 i was 17 and had no idea such a pro was handling my stuff now i feel like the same repair would probably put me on a long waiting list
Great video. I love this type of human- brilliant tech, pride in his work, no bullshit.
Roy Blankenship is turning into a legend , great tip on the Nichicon electrolytics
I have been doing the same work for over 40 years now and while this video is instructional for nubies to watch, for me it just makes it harder for the older tech's (like me) to be able to retire and still have enough work around to keep us from going on welfare or whatever. There are so many instructional videos on just about every subject that nobody is willing to hire a good tech anymore until they get in there and muck up things so bad that they need to be bailed out. Just because you think that it looks easy to repair electronic equipment after looking at someone doing one or two amplifiers that doesn't mean that you won't get into trouble doing this yourself! I have made almost every mistake there is possible over the years. This kind of knowledge can not simply be passed on in a video!
+Frank DuVall I think all this video showed a professional do professional work. A person has to have the proper tools albeit soldering, the scopes, when to use a power tool, knowing enough to know re-occureing problems. Roy has the education and experience(10,000). Any trade has ways and methods that are learned education and real supervised experience. i'm a journeyman electrician and a journeyman welder and the same thing happens in both of my trades. The people with that are interested enough to try with the training get people hurt or worse. If you really have an interest don't dabble. do it right. even a hobby.
I love building amps from start to finish, its so satisfying, when it so smooth, and I built it. But it equals to many tube amps.
I agree with Roy on many points. Nice to know there are still some no nonsense guys out there.
The manner he handles his tools,, this man seems to be very sensitive towards his equipment and the manner in which he handles that guitar, well, he can qualify as a real gentleman. He cares for his work. Congratulations.
I just ripped out a $650.00 “Kitchen Sink” mod that was done by a VERY popular builder. Returned the amplifier to stock and the owner is very happy!
Roy is a living legend and a good man! He worked on a '61 blonde Fender Bassman of mine that had seen rough days, but he went through it and made it sound incredible! Too bad I traded it for a Hiwatt! *D'oh* I'd love to check out one of his Blankenship Princeton clones :P
Very interesting and detail amp repair video. Great to see a real pro at work !
Just so everyone knows, this was an idea launched by one of my customers. This was our first attempt/take, it was NOT SUPPOSED TO HAVE BEEN RELEASED. I think it is awful, there needs to be massive editing, but once it was up, I decided to leave it, initial response was very positive. There was not enough notice to make the whole scene more presentable, I feel like the dialogue is stilted, it is painful to watch.
People are idiots. It's probably the folks you were talking about at the beginning of the vid that believe it should all be American and original. I've got a friend of mine who owns a repair shop and he says the same thing. I think this is an awesome video. I'd love to see more!!!
a lot of people are just negative in nature. Probably been there that way all there life.
honestly it seems fine so far. im learning.
I enjoyed watching that, thanks. I'm surprised that Roy has no ESR meter for checking capacitors. (I wouldn't be without one.) Weller iron - good choice. I run mine with a 430°C tip.
nope, this is what we want. it's great!
Very nice work...love when people take pride on their work
Thanks for the great video. Good to see craftsmanship is still alive.
This is crucial for me to fix my amp! Thanks Roy!!!
This video is so cool. Roy is such a genuine artist.
Roy, I sure enjoyed your vidio. I have been fixing amps, and what nots for several years
i could not find any faults in your work and all the descriptive advice that you gave . i believe a person could watch your vidios and learn alot of things that it would take many years to learn. So God bless and will look for more of your vidios., Stan
Nice Explanation Of Audio Amplifiers. and Service Procedures. Thank You So Much Roy and Barry!!!
Really mesmerizing video for some reason. It's a lot of fun to watch a master at work like this, I learned a lot!
Legendary? I took a 60's Univox tube amp in to Roy, and he had it for 3 months. I had to beg to get it back. All he did was replace one or two capacitors. Amp wouldn't even turn on anymore.
Roy was supposed to replace filter caps, put a 3 prong cord on, remove the death cap and test what was out of spec and replace. I honestly don't understand how he can work with the hundreds of components he does on a daily basis in his own amps, yet can't get one tiny little 60's amp going.
I ended up finding a young British fella over at the Hollywood Guitar Center, and he came to my house, picked up the amp, returned it back to me in 3 days completely transformed and playing like a dream....for cheap.
+theshyguitarist i RUN A SHOP THAT BUILDS, REPAIRS, MODS GUITARS AND AMPS. We also build and mod acoustic guitars and orchestral instruments. In Roy's defence I can honestly say, that even with best intention and conscientious scheduling, every now and then a repair may get lost a bit, for one reason or another. There are a lot of variables with tube amps, and the 'pyramid' effect can cause techs a real headache. This is where we fix one thing and 3 others fail. Then there are fixes we'll apply that seem to be the solution, when only to find out in final test mode, that the unit has failed again in the same way. This causes delays as you can well imagine. Now most times, thankfully, this doesn't happen. So before you condemn a shop, you may want to have all the facts. It's easy, as a customer to rush to judgement. You say when you got your amp back it wouldn't even turn on anymore. This sounds like he was in the middle of the repair, when you insisted that he return the amp to you. Probably because in your opinion it was taking to long to repair. I do agree that, especially without specific repair oriented communication that 3 months sounds a bit excessive to me. Having said that...there are more than a few times, when we've been rebuilding a larger Twin or Super, that we took 2-3 months to complete the project for one reason or another. However, we always, at least weekly, would update the customer, as to the repair status, so that our customer would realize what's going on. I do find, that with everything of this nature, good communication goes a long way. It can be the difference between a good job, and one like you describe.
Hope this helps you and others that may find themselves in similar situations.
Greg Piette/engineer/luthier
+GREG GUITARS
Sorry, but that explanation doesn't tell me a thing. He is supposedly a genius. He had this simple 60's amp that has what, 40 components. He only needed to check filter caps, couple others and replace the cord. Very basic stuff that I could have done. I'm just not comfortable working on amps. The other person I found, came to my house, picked up the amp, went back to his home along with 5 or 6 other big old tube amps, had it updated and working proper in less than a day and a half.
So really? I'm sorry, but no excuse. And no, he never communicated. I had to physically drive out to his shop in San Fernando Valley, and hope he was there, and get my amp back. He never returned my calls in 3 months. Complete loser.
I just stumbled across this and really enjoyed watching it. I would love to do this as a second career when I retire from my job as an electrical engineer. That Barry for uploading this.
I loved this video. I repair electronic stuff as well and appreciate the quality you use to repair those amps. EXCELLENT work, my man.
Thanks
I’m in the la area I’m glad to have found a solid amp guy!
Hearing that beautiful tone at the end made it worth the $500 service fee!
I saw this with great pleasure. You are an artisan. Respect!
Hajue
Very nice, respect your workmanship attitude and attention to detail..
Thanks Roy for sharing your expertise great to see someone who has pride in there work quality job i just bought an old amp it needs work its a pity you arent living in new zealand i would get you to fix it as i know you do great work.All the best..
Love this dude's attention to detail.
I love how he knows that circuit so well...he cuts out the crappy work, doesn't make any notes at all what wires went where...and proceeds to rewire the connections with no schematic, just knowledge. :)
It was great fun and very interesting watching a true pro tech do his thing. Thanks for posting this.
Very informative. Roy knows what has to be done. Thanks Roy..
Loved this entire video!! Awesome!!!
Great video, Those 51:02 minutes just flew by. Now I know where to bring in my gear. Thank you.
I love your honesty and straight forwardness..I have an old Gallen Kruger 212G that I need u 2 look at.
"There's good stuff from everybody and there is crap from everybody." 100% agree
Ya well I'm switching to what I know is crap. after my time of shows habitual driving perfection NOPE not anymore I'm touring with the worst gear. Good news I'm nice and free punch an pie 4all. DISCLAIMER: girls with perfectly porcelain cleavage noticable Granted but we will be using the rain out show to this immature advantage. I'll shall be aiming gentle CRAFTED MUDS BALLS . I've actually made friends at a sold out show getting titts dirty RATED PG thou it's not that bad
Great video Roy, I did learn a bit, I've just started building Marshalls mainly two years ago after not for 40. I needed a new amp but couldn't afford anything so I bought a kit, JTM 45, nice and loud and clean and quiet too.
Thx for the great video, I appreciate someone taking the time to record and upload for us to enjoy
Wow, you Sir are an Artist, that Amp ended up sounding amazing...
I just so enjoyed watching this. the dialogue was great.
Crazy. I have '66 Deluxe Reverb. I kind of hoped the one you had was broken so I could learn some pointers. Thanks for the great lesson.
Lol, yes lots of pots...
Love your concept of demodification. We have the technology.
Thank you for the video. I wish i could learn from Roy. If my dad had survived he would have taught me all this stuff, he fixed anything electronic that broke on navy ships. Im trying to fix a mesa 50/50 power amp made in 1990. Sadly it might need a qualified tech bc im learning a little as i go. Sending it back to the mesa factory is a long trip from San Antonio i hope it makes it there and back safely.
Cool, I've been using the exact same techniques for years! You validated me! We are a dying breed, hardly any new amps are tech friendly and repairs consists of board swaps, which is all about paperwork mainly and I HATE paperwork! Give me an old fender any day! I also like that he does "demodifications". I hate it when a mod'd amp comes in, typically with no documentation and crappy solder, etc. Back in the 60's I attended NASA soldering school so soldering, for me is an art form. I like Mil spec wiring with 270 degree wraps, strain reliefs on components, upgrading carbon plate resistors to metal film and higher wattage, etc. Guitar players today think that you need a million pedals to get the sound they want, but the old masters, especially blues players got those cherished sounds with transformer core saturation, less than efficient speakers, low wattage, etc. Been an amp tech since 1966 and was a former Fender warranty station for many years back in the 60's. The way that sloppy wiring causes oscillations it it adds an inductance to the circuit...
Roy is great! He built great amps!
Big fan here!
I think you had a shop in orange park Florida ten or fifteen years ago and you worked on my macke powered head , don’t know if you are able to answer my comment Roy, but thanks for all you do sir.
Good job....Roy takes pride and that’s something which seems lacking as far as these quick repair places.
Just want to point out you should plan your iron temperature around the solder used. They all have different compositions that use different temperatures to avoid both flowing and avoiding burning through your flux. Your temp I am sure works for you from general experience, but if people want to look up the proper temps, it works well.
He's correct about residual voltage. I tried to bias the output tubes on a '70's SVT and had the power off for over 10 minutes and it blew halfway across the room. Luckily I was young then. It probably would've killed me now.
yeah.. it really hurts.. mine was a TVM 200 watt pa amp.. 800v.. had a taste of lemons in my mouth for about a week after
I wish more repair guys were like Roy.
Good to have repair craftsmen like this!
great video, the world need more guys like you, perfect job
I recommend using DeOxit Fader Lube instead of DeOxit D5 spray for cleaning the pots. It makes them last longer and work better. Save the D5 for metal contacts like the jacks and switches.