Miscellaneous Question About Amp Damage

[Mbwa]

Hey everyone. I'm new here, and I've got a few questions. I'd like to warn you, I over-worry a little bit, and have very little electronics knowledge, so I'm sorry if my questions are stupid.

Well, I got my other questions answered on other forums, but this one I'd like to verify.

I was concerned about moisture in my new, open-back amp. So I decided to take a hair dryer to it, as I'd read that works. I then noticed that the dryer was set to an 'ionic' setting. Researching this, I found that it releases a cloud of negatively charged ions to help dry the hair. I got worried that these negative ions may have done some damage to the exposed parts of the amp. Again, I know almost nothing about electronics, so I don't know if they could've had any effect.

And if you don't mind I may ask a few other questions relating to amps.

Thanks.

[Albert Kreuzer]

How does it sound after the treatment?
I think a couple of negative ions won't hurt the amp.
On the contrary, if it sounds better than before, you might be up to something

Cheers,
Albert

[Mbwa]

Thanks for replying.

Actually, I don't have a guitar, I haven't used the thing yet. What do you think the ions could have done? The only things exposed (excuse my lack of correct terminology) were the speaker and two small wires connecting to this small metal thing, as far as I can remember.

[stokes]

Never a good idea to expose those small wires and that small meatal thing to negative ions....but really,you didnt cause any damage to the amp and dont worry about moisture invading your amp,unless of course you store it in the bathtub.No need to take a hair dryer to it.

[Mbwa]

Never a good idea to expose those small wires and that small meatal thing to negative ions...

Sarcasm? Or were you serious?

[Jazz P Bass]

Positron

I wonder if this would effect Isaac Azimov's characters with the positronic brains.

[stokes]

Sarcasm? Or were you serious?

Nah,that part was just sarcasm,the rest of it was real.There are a lot of 50 year old amps still going strong and nobody ever took a hair dryer to them,moisture comes and goes all on its own.Of course if you dump a beer in the amp thats a different story,but normal atmospheric conditions wont degrade the amp or cause you to have to force dry anything with a hair dryer.

[J M Fahey]

[VERY OFF TOPIC]
Let us not forget that all that "negative ions" babble in, of all products in the world, a HAIR DRYER , for God's sake, is only pure unadultered 100% organic cr*p . *Very* organic.
"And if you call in the next 30 minutes, we'll send you TWO for the price of one, and we'll include FREE OF CHARGE, our fabulous "hair brush",a 200 dollar value absolutely free!"
In a nutshell: don't worry, those negative ions don't exist (in your dryer) and can't damage anything.

[Diablo]

It is not widely known that Jimi Hendrix bathed his hair with those same negative ions from the hair dryer, creating avant garde hair as well as some of the finest guitar tone.

[stokes]

Jimi's hair actually produced negative ions and was absolutely water proof,thats why he never had to wash his hair,or was it just that he was a dirty hippy?

[Mbwa]

Thanks for the feedback (and the laughs ) guys.

[Enzo]

Just remember, when you go out and start your car on a damp foggy day, the computer and other electronics in there work from the moment you turn the key. And the car stereo comes on and plays from the first instant as well. The radio receiver in your (or your neighbor's) garage door opener doesn;t care about dampness.

The only time to concern one's self over moisture is if condensation is forming on the amp circuit boards.


And negative ions is just marketing baloney.

[Steve Conner]

In the electronics manufacturing industry, you sometimes see ionizers used to help eliminate static.

Benchtop Ionizers, Ionzing Blowers, Static Blowers

If it's safe to blow ions all over state-of-the-art electronic components, then I think a guitar amp should have no issues with them at all.

It's possible that Jimi's hair may have been charged with mojo, and if he'd used an ionic hairdryer on it, it might have collapsed and turned him into a second-rate Barry White clone, altering the course of history.

[Enzo]

Damned heathen Scots get downright sacreligious this time o' day.