If you were holding an amplifier clinic, what would it be about?

[Mr. Droopy-Drawers]

Here is my situation. The local music store asked me to hold an amplifier clinic. Sounds great. But what the heck should I do ? I thought it wouldn't be an in-depth techie thing, but more preventative maintenance, simple trouble shooting (to see if you can fix the problem yourself), and so on. But, I thought a better idea would be to ask everyone else; what would YOU do? So throw any and all ideas at me. I only get a couple of hours, and as I say, I don't want to open up a chassis and start soldering. I have a few ideas now, and I'll share those if anyone is interested.

[mjmiller]

I think safety would be the first thing I'd cover
Preventative maintainance is a good idea
How about regular maintainance like how and when to replace tubes

If I were attending an amplifier clinic, I'd be more interested in simple mods than troubleshooting - altering tone stacks or modifying gain in preamp stages... things that involve changing the value of a cap.

Good luck! Sounds like a lot of fun!

Michael Miller

[Enzo]

First, what do you mean by "clinic?"

To me there are clinics of the sort where it is ongoing domonstrations of something, then there are clinics where everyone sits class-like and is taught something, then there are the clinics where all day people can bring in their amps and someone who has a clue checks them out while doing some maintenance.

If it were me, the first thing I would do is ask them what THEY mean and what THEY expect. It is after all THEIR clinic, be prepared to vacuum it. A cobweb does nothing to the amp, but a customer sees it, and you don't remove it, he instantly thinks "Well shit, these guys didn't do nothing."

Cinch up the nuts on the jacks and any loose ones on controls.

Everyone is hung up on power so yuo need some way to measure it. A dummy load and a meter. RUn a test tone through the amp and crank it. Watch the output on an AC meter. Make a nice chart with columns for 4,8,16 ohms and how many watts each voltage represents. Point the customer's nose at it. See? Your amps is making 28 watts.

Verify all functions. Have some stock responses all ready - like why you cannot plug any old FS pedal into some Fender so you cannot check it today unles they bring it.

You can determine fast if the reverb pan is bad. Tell them what a new pan costs - know in advance. Hint: Thay all cost the same thing.

And BIAS BIAS BIAS. People who have zero idea what it means are convinced if you don't bias something, it will explode, so check their bias and set it. FOr the many that are not adjustable, check it anyway and assure them the results are within proper range. You personally may not LIKE a 6L6 running at 20ma, but it is not a problem when that 5150 is doing so.

Of course on most, you cannot bias them without opening them.

This can be a great time to sell a lot of tubes. Not like a snake oil salesman, but lots of people don't think how old their power tubes are. And I get honesty points when I explain to folks that the power tubes wear out - like tires - but the little tubes last a long time - like rims. They need new tubes, but only the large ones. Store got lots of tubes? A tube discount makes sense. Or regular price, mount and bias thrown in. Or something.

Unless you know what is wrong, troubleshooting can really hold you up. Identify the problem, offer an estimate, move on. MAybe the store wants to cover a discount for repairs collected that day. DOn't make yourself work for less though.

The whole thing wants to be something the customer will perceive as useful, and teh store will be wanting to improve traffic through the store. Getting people in who might not have come otherwise.

What other events would coincide? Your thing ought to run at a similar level of complexity to the rest.

Offer up a handout with troubleshooting tips for the masses. Nothing about voltmeters, but about determining if the amp or something else is the problem. Stuff like conneting the head to different speakers, etc.

MAybe some does and don't, like matching impedance cab to amp. Always use speaker cords for speakers, NOT guitar cords.

[Enzo]

ANd there you go. WHile I was posting mine, Miller was posting his, and we went different places. All the more reason to define the mission.

WHo is the intended audience, and what does the producer want out of this (the store).

[drewl]

Who's your audience?
Techno-startrekconvention geeks who read internet forums, or 15yr old billyjoewannabee jr punk musician?
You gettin' paid for this?
Teach how to take care of your amp....how to make it last longer...how not to piss off the repair guy!

[Amp Kat]

I agree with above that if your audience has no electronic knowledge whatsoever it's not any use in getting anywhere Technical so you may do something like explaning the outter part's of the amplifier and what they do.
Input jack,controls,send and return,speaker jacks and explain loads in cabinets.They won't have a clue about the inside of the amp so yes audience is the key.

[Matt T.]

If it's just a general information type of thing then there have already been some good suggestions. Some other things are:

Standby switch operation (seems this one always comes up...and even 'experts' still disagree).

Time-based effects when placed before distortion vs. after distortion.

Using clean boosts vs. overdrives as well as using a clean boost in an effects loop (i.e. demonstrate how a clean boost 'before' distortion just adds more distortion but a clean boost 'after' distortion adds volume...define 'headroom' and demonstrate how it's in play here).

Demonstrate how bright switches have the greatest effect at low volume and no effect at full volume.

Teach them that they need to have a spare set of tubes (side benefit: drum up some business for the music store); hopefully matched to the first set if power tubes, and that often tube swapping is the first step to troubleshooting an amp. Of course, describe how the power tubes should be biased when switching power tubes (which is why having a spare set that's matched to the first set is so nice).

Teach them that mids are their best friend.

[DanJ]

Keep it simple

I would try to keep it simple. Go over basics. Like what all of the knobs and jacks are really for, and how to use them to get the best performance the amp is capable of. If the store is sponsoring the clinic, use their invintory as your examples and explain the differences between the different models.

The bias topic is another big one. Explain what it is and if/when it is necessary. If the store sells amps that are fixed bias, explain that also. Keep in mind the average guitar player may not understand electronics and read something about bias in a guitar magazine one time. I've had a lot of fixed bias amps brought to me to have new tubes installed and to have the amp re-biased. Nothing makes a poor musician happier than to find out they don't need to shell out extra cash on their gear. A clinic would be a great time to get people up to speed on the topic.

Preventative maintenance and basic troubleshooting would also be a good topic. If a person gigs with a tube amp, let them know it's ok to pack up the other gear first and let the amp cool down before throwing it in the back of the van. You could even cover the favorite topic of repair guys everywhere, the humble FUSE, just because it is physically the same size, doesn't mean it is the correct one!!!
I keep a form at the stores that I do work for that has some basic questions about the requested repair, nothing technical, but it hopefully helps the customer to think in more detail about there problem. It covers basics like when did it happen, how were you using the equipment, did you try a different guitar, cord, pedal etc. This helps get a better idea of the problem, try to cover something like that. Some folks assume if the amp isn't making noise it must be bad. Without any question to the cords, guitar etc.

That's my two cents. Good luck on your clinic.

DanJ

[Bruce / Mission Amps]

Who's your audience?
Techno-startrekconvention geeks who read internet forums, or 15yr old billyjoewannabee jr punk musician?...
Teach how to take care of your amp....how to make it last longer...how not to piss off the repair guy!

BINGO! Know your audience.
Set out a flyer at the store where a potential student can ask questions in an application for this seminar.
I use to teach some of the Denver Radio Club Ham Radio classes, from Novice to Advanced... here's the deal for the first go around.... make it very FREE or cheap the first time and make it fun.
Go to ANY Home Deopt or Lowe's store on a Saturday mornings during a few of their home improvement seminars for setup tips. Great place to learn how to run a little seminar.

Teach a few simple basics and safety but don't be stiff,
do a few simple demos that involve some knucklheaded audience particiaption.
For a tease, run a short one day class in two 45 min to 60 min sessions with a 20 min to 30 min break in between.
If they want more they will let you know so make yourself available later for those who wish to continue and learn more.
It will be obvious what needs to be done after the first session as there will be more coming if you play it low key the first time around.

[Mark Black]

And just to keep things well grounded (heh...) I just wanted to toss in:

Explain what a 3-wire grounded AC cord does and why it is important not to cut off or otherwise defeat the grounding pin. Urge those with un-modified vintage amps to have them converted to 3-wire and explain this will not alter their tone (unless hum/buzz is a big part of it).

Enlighten them as to the existence of inexpensive AC line checkers and why it's a good idea to carry & use one - mention that many nightclubs have been hack-rewired and not necessarily correctly (personal experience there...).

Give them some techniques for checking they won't get shocked when touching a microphone (I'm fond of touching one of my string tuners to the microphone shell and looking/listening for sparks as a quick & dirty method).

Maybe explain why going wireless could improve their safety odds.

Also, on the fuse topic:

Explain what fuses do and why an incorrect value (or shudder - tinfoil) can cost them big $$.

Teach simple troubleshooting logic in case of a fuse failure, and explain the virtues of carrying multiple spares specific to the amp.

This all pretty much fits under the heading of "safety" as suggested before - I just wanted to add some specific thoughts...

[Mr. Droopy-Drawers]

Hey, there are some really good ideas here. Let me give you a quick run through of what I had planned, and 'borrow' a few thoughts from you guys. If I forget to credit someone, I apologize right off of the top. I also got my date bumped a bit for a Vinnie Appice drum clinic, so what the heck. This gives me more time to get it together.
As I said, it wasn't going to be a full-blown tech thing, as I only get a 1-3PM time slot. But I was going to do a maintenance and simple troubleshooting deal, hoping 1) you get to help your real tech or 2) you complete a simple cure yourself or 3) prevent something more expensive happening to your amplifier. I always say this is akin to looking after your teeth; do it now and avoid expensive work later.
I absolutely had planned to start off showing a simple AC outlet tester (they do make them with a GFI test), and one way to test polarity if you have a 2-conductor cord/polarity switch on your amplifier (it's an AC voltage measurement from chassis to outlet ground not touching a tuning peg to the microphone. Sorry, Mark). I always tell people to have a basic tool kit on any gig, so that was another thought to explore. Your kit should have extra cables, strings, fuses, tubes, and a cheap VOM, for starters. The AC receptacle tester should be in there, and a few hand tools. But the VOM and receptacle tester get you started at the bar gig, assuming everything is fine. But what if you have bad sound/no sound? A simple 9-volt battery across the speaker cable tells you if the speaker is OK, but can also help you check phasing in multi-speaker cabinets. And an extra 9-volt battery in your kit is a good idea as well.
I save bad tubes, as crazy as that sounds. So next I was thinking about showing gassy tubes, arcing tubes, and tubes with a nice white frosting inside the glass. I also have microphonic tubes, and thought a quick demonstration of the 'flick test' to find a microphonic tube was a decent idea. I also have tubes and sockets with a nice carbon arc, and would mention without cleaning the carbon from the socket, and new tube wouldn't be much use. I may bring a tube tester along to show a tube that reads perfectly still arcs away in the amplifier.
As Enzo mentioned, there are simple ways to check why you have no Reverb. And I thought as a fun 'mod', plugging the Reverb Out cable back into the Normal channel for some cheap thrills. Of course this only work on say a Fender, but you get the idea.
I don't know what else I had in mind, but I knew I had to put something in there about checking cabinet rattles and such. Oh, yes, as Mark mentioned; having proper fuses. As Bruce asked, I'll plead ignorance here; no mention was made about money or cost to anyone. Should I ask about money?

[Slobrain]

Man,I sure did enjoy reading all these posts. Shows that there are a great group of people here willing to give out good info to help others. I bet most techs would like the list of things above on a board next to the work bench when customer questions are asked.

Many good tips too.

Now I'll bet somelughead off the net will see these posts, put them on a cd and sell this info on Ebay. Look out....


SLO

[isaac]

Yea, safety, easy mods, debugging simple problems, telling them about how much crap some techs are full of, like "oh darn, you need a new output tranny..." (idiots) That might be something worth talking about, LOL, Tell them about interchangeable tubes, Bring an amp you have, and break something inside (but dont show'em, so you can show them "fixing" Like a wire that fatigued off. ;-)

DARNIT, another old post..............................

[Mick Bailey]

I've attended many dreary, content-saturated events and presented many more (probably dreary, content-saturated....). Basically, it comes down to engagement and message reinforcement. It doesn't matter how much material you have, the retention of the message once your audience has left is the main objective. If you have too much material, break it down into another session.

I wouldn't present more than 5 broad topics. Know your subject and be prepared for attendees who are there to treat you as a form of sport; those who try to look cool by making you look uncomfortable. Prepare how you will handle them. My tip from sales training - always answer an objection with a question.

Most musicians don't know too much about their equipment, but maybe don't want to ask basic questions that they need to have answers for. Address the lowest level of experience and understanding, and don't get too technical. Also, if someone asks an in-depth technical question, don't alienate the rest of the audience by focussing too much on the answer while their eyes glaze over - you can always pick it up at the end with those who are interested.

'Amp clinic' suggests solid-state, too. I've also assumed here you're doing a session rather than individual on-to-one bites.

Don't miss the basic stuff - speaker leads for speakers, why speaker loading is important for tube amps, etc.