Know a tech in Valencia, Spain?

[nickb]

I've just had a panic call from a customer who is gigging in Valencia, Spain and needs an expert's help in fixing a Mojotone Delxue Reverb.

Any suggestions of someone reliable in that area?

Ta.

[Bloomfield]

I seem to remember there is someone from Valencia that posts on here. I thought maybe Pedro Vecino, but his profile just says 'Spain' so perhaps someone else.

[Pedro Vecino]

Good memory, Bloomfield! I have already sent a message with the phone. Thanks!

[J M Fahey]

Valencia is a beautiful place, but more "romantic" than "technological" if that means something.

Only by sheer chance, as in having an experienced tubehead living there.

It currently having become an obscure art, Iīd rather expect to find such Techs in Madrid, Barcelona and , by default, the Provinces known as "the Basque Country" in the North, since most of the Electronics Industry is concentrated there.

That said, Valencia is home of one of the great "JBL type" speaker manufacturers, ... was it DAS?

But experience with advanced PA speakers does not imply familiarity with Guitar Tube amps.

But what is the actual problem?
Different Electronics areas superimpose at the edges ... if it has, say, speaker or power supply or dirty pot problems, probably a "regular" Tech , who daily messes with TV, Home Theater may do, maybe hand guided from far away.

Now , if "it sounds weird" or "lost sustain" or "lost headroom" it may be hard to solve.

[nickb]

Thanks all. Contact info has been passed on. I don't think it's a difficult problem at all but all he can try is tube swaps.

[Pedro Vecino]

Valencia is a beautiful place, but more "romantic" than "technological" if that means something.

Only by sheer chance, as in having an experienced tubehead living there.

It currently having become an obscure art, Iīd rather expect to find such Techs in Madrid, Barcelona and , by default, the Provinces known as "the Basque Country" in the North, since most of the Electronics Industry is concentrated there.

That said, Valencia is home of one of the great "JBL type" speaker manufacturers, ... was it DAS?

But experience with advanced PA speakers does not imply familiarity with Guitar Tube amps.

This is going to be funny. Iīm from the Basque Country (San Sebastian) but I live in Valencia for the last fifteen years. In the Basque Country since the early 80's there are more guitarists per square kilometer than anywhere in Spain (it is amazing being so small) but Valencia is the third most populated city after Madrid and Barcelona. There are many musicians too.
Yes, DAS Audio is from here. But with lower quality than Turbosound, ASS or Meyer. I speak of the 80s and 90s and big PAīs, which is when I played with them.
Typical of Valencia is the "paella" (the authentic one) and the "fallas". These last ones are huge artistic constructions of paper with light wooden structures that burn one day (all at the same time). Valencians are quite rare

[J M Fahey]

Well, looks like I can still find my way around in Spain after all

[Pedro Vecino]

Well, I did not want to leave the topic unanswered. In two days I left it ready.
It was a clone of Deluxe Reverb (Mojotone). For the clones I ask for pics previously (sometimes I reject them for very bad construction) but in this case I did not want to put conditions.

It had a shorted 6V6, open pins in preamp tube sockets (as if hundreds of tubes had been installed) and poor construction (not clean and interpretable in terms of mechanical and electrical safety) in several areas, including the heaters line that I finally had to redo completely (possibly it was the origin of so much change of tubes), badly fixed speaker jacks (loose and without toothed washers), reverb/vibrato RCA's, switchs, fuse holder... With an extra: the tab of the main speaker jack did not lose the short circuit when the speaker jack was inserted (!)

I also had the tail resistor in the phase splitter with a wrong value (220K instead of 22k), which led me in the first instance before discovering it to think in a broken OT, tone stack circuit of the normal channel badly wired (bass control behaved as a volume in 90% of its travel), noisy vibrato, etc. A jewel.

I am the only one who has real panic to the clones?

[Dave H]

Fixing that has got to be worth a thumbs up

[J M Fahey]

For the clones I ask for pics previously (sometimes I reject them for very bad construction) .... It had a shorted 6V6, open pins in preamp tube sockets (as if hundreds of tubes had been installed) and poor construction ... heaters line that I finally had to redo completely ...., badly fixed speaker jacks (loose and without toothed washers), reverb/vibrato RCA's, switchs, fuse holder... ... the tab of the main speaker jack did not lose the short circuit when the speaker jack was inserted .... I also had the tail resistor in the phase splitter with a wrong value (220K instead of 22k), which led me in the first instance ... to think in a broken OT, tone stack circuit of the normal channel badly wired (bass control behaved as a volume in 90% of its travel), noisy vibrato, etc. A jewel.

I am the only one who has real panic to the clones?

And yet owner complained **only** because a 6V6 shorted!!!!

I have more panic of people who prefer a "boutique" built amplifier to a "boring" commercially made amplifier. OMFG!!!!

That shorted tube was a blessing for that braindead user becauseb thanks to that he met a real Tech.

Congratulations Pedro on sorting such a mess.

As a side note, given the apparent age of that amp and its constant problems (which it had since it was born), I can only guess it went through at least a couple "Tech" hands ... nobody noticed those gross problems before?

[Pedro Vecino]

As a side note, given the apparent age of that amp and its constant problems (which it had since it was born), I can only guess it went through at least a couple "Tech" hands ... nobody noticed those gross problems before?

I doubt it. It had all the appearance of proceeding from the original construction. Probably whoever built it did not know how it should sound, or did not play well enough (or both things together).
The issue is that these clones are identified with the name of who distributes the kit but sometimes there is no name behind (who actually builds it). Buying a clone amp in those conditions is an adventure.

[J M Fahey]

Hey!!! but itīs built on a black pressed fiber board!!!
And it uses ... ORANGE CAPS!!!!
And .... carbon composition resistors!!!!

What can go wrong?

Oh, I see!!! it does not use cloth covered wire, thatīs what!!!


Just curious ... whatīs the brand/label shown on front panel or attached to grille?
Or, can you identify the kit supplier?

Or a picture ?

Iīd love to see what sheep clothing does that wolf use.

I bet a lot of effort was spent on *outside* appeareance ... what customers see ....... as in:"listening with their eyes"

[Reader]

The first post mentions Mojotone so I'm thinking that the amp is the one described at https://www.mojotone.com/kits/Blackf...tyle-Amp-Kit_2 .
What we do not know is if the amp was built from the kit by a user or if it was purchased as a finished unit from Mojotone.

As Juan Manual Fahey asked, it would be interesting to see more pictures of the thing. Except for the wrong value resistor, the build quality shown in the picture of post #11 doesn't look bad.

[Leo_Gnardo]

Hey!!! but itīs built on a black pressed fiber board!!! - - - - What can go wrong?

^^^ That right there. Ask Randall.

[Pedro Vecino]

I dīont have more pics, but the cabinet was like the original Fender and the front panel was silverface. Logo on the grid cloth was original Fender.

The kit was from Mojotone, he told me. With USA voltage, he bought it through ebay. Carbon comp resistors, CTS potentiometers, orange drop and silver mica capacitors, filter caps with Mojotone brand, etc.

Also equipped with a pair of 6V6 Sylvania, a 12AT7 RCA and an old GE 12AX7 long plates. The others were modern JJ and Shuguang. Speaker was a Celestion G12 V type.

External appearance was perfect. Internal construction can not be from the company itself but made by an amateur. Itīs not possible to present something like this professionally because it is impossible to guarantee its operation. A construction quality far away from Ceriatone, Fuchs, Headstrong, etc. No relation.

I see all this as a curiosity that leads to something well known: what can not be interpreted visually as clear (I speak of a simple construction like this) produces distrust. And distrust is like a big basket where you can put many things. Bad start to make a accurate diagnosis.

The origin of the kit is purely circumstantial. It can happen with any other.