Tube Test - 12AX7 Tung Sol Reissue

This was the last run in January 2012 of the Tung Sol Reissue that I performed at the request of Dan Boul over at www.65amps.com

This is the current "Tung Sol" tube from New Sensor.  This is the tube which was tested

To see the full story click on "read more" below

Tube Test - JJ ECC803S

Test results of the JJ ECC803S Long Plate vacuum tube.

Today I spent a bit of time working with Mike Franceschini over at 65 Amps.  Mike wanted a bit of data on some of the tubes used in the new Producer from the folks at 65 Amps.

In one of the positions of the design they use a JJ 803S.  There were some anomalies that were thought to be tube related.  I was asked to investigate.

Click on "read more" for the full report.

Etymotic Earphone problem?

This piece is less about the actual product and more about Etymotic's customer service.  There was a problem and I contacted Etymotic in two different ways, twitter and direct email.  I was hoping to be contacted to discuss the problem.  Unfortunately all I received were links to their website. Bottom line, their customer service would be just as effective if it were outsourced somewhere across a major ocean.  Even though this company is based in the USA it seems we were not speaking the same language.

My son has had a set of these earphones for 14 months.  The cord is deteriorating.

In my quest to point out the best in products, the worst, the fairly priced, the overpriced, good customer service and bad customer service I thought this would be a good subject for my next blog piece.

My son knows high end audio.  He knows how to take care of things.  He is careful with his equipment.

I would like to say that my son is happy with the sonic quality of the product.

The MC5 may be a good value for the money from some design points but their lackluster customer service and materials they use in their construction leave much to be desired.  If you want another one of those throw away products that die about the time the warranty expires consider yourself informed.   

If you wish to read the details just click on the "read more" link below.

A few photos over the last few days

Here are a few photos from President's Day weekend, 2-18-12 to 2-20-12

Cell phone shots, not what anybody would call high quality but it does say something ... what is says I don't know.

Lemon Scallops from Frontier Wok in Burbank

A few photos - 2-18-12 evening

It has been said the a picture is worth 1,000 words.

Thank you Gabriela Maria Gutierrez for the use of your cellphone which has flash so I could augment some of my own cell shots.

Ask Mike Franceschini

Ask Mike Franceschini your guitar amp questions.  Just contact him on facebook at http://facebook.com/mike.franceschini1 or from his email noted at the end of this piece.

Who the heck is Mike Franceschini?

Classic Amp is Mike Franceschini. When I count the top amp techs on the planet on one hand Mike is one of those folks.  Mike Franceshini is the guy at the top of my list.  

If I were to list a fraction of the players rigs he takes care of this page would be way too long to display unless you have a 6mb internet connection.  A few of the amp companies Mike has been with are; GT (Groove Tubes), Rivera, VHT, Bogner, Diezel / Salwender,  CAE (Custom Audio Electronics) and is currently the head tech brain trust over at 65amps.

Mike does the repair work for folks like SIR, The Amp Shop, Vintage Gear in Hollywood, Lon Cohen, History For Hire (check out their Vox Book, Mike was deeply involved in the technical aspects of the book), and this is another list that would also go on and on and on.

Mike does repair work, mods, consulting, tour support and just about anything else you can think of when it comes to guitar and bass amps.  (Did I mention that he is THE SVT master?)

You can contact Mike at ampservice@yahoo.com

The slide show below are a few of the shots I have taken over at the shop of some of the amps I found interesting that Mike was working on.  This slide show will be updated on a regular basis.  Click on "more" for the show.