YBA-1 Guitar amp makes a chirp sound

[yba-1 user]

I haven't been called Junior since my little league baseball days ....many years ago.
Nice of you to recognize that I share my late fathers name. How could you know??????
Maybe there's a little magic in all the solder fumes you inhaled while redesigning all those vintage amps to correct specs.
What does "terse" mean?

[jmaf]

3) I live in Argentina, which follows Europe rather than USA standards and most popular here (say 99%) were Teslas (then Communist-Czechoslovakia) which universally had the negative aluminum can, one or more positives protruding from a central, externally threaded cylinder (about noval socket size) which was accompanied by a stamped iron or molded bakelite nut .

Your post about caps is very interesting, thanks for sharing. I always wondered about Czech made caps in US made vintage equipment. How and why did they do that? There was an embargo, surely? I recently scavenged an old GE TV set, made in USA, every cap in it is Tesla made in USSR..... What gives?

[J M Fahey]

I think never there was an embargo, per se, specially against "mild" Communist Czechoslovakia.
On the other side, their products were (justly) considered very high quality, not surprising since Factories there had been wholly owned subsidiaries run by German giants (ITT, Schaub Lorenz, Telefunken, Siemens Halske, etc.).
I have repaired Marshalls and Laneys factory filled with Yugoslav (Polyester?) Iskra caps.
Many do not realize that, since the only labelling is value and voltage, but there is a small "star" embossed in the plastic case.
Add to that EI (Yugoslav) tubes, don't-remember-the-brand Hungarian and Eastern-Germany tubes and electrolytics and of course, still available Russian tubes.
In a nutshell, the Cold War was a political and often military war, but business is business.
Nothing new, of course.

[jmaf]

I know there was an embargo to some extent, because computer chips would be smuggled into the USSR illegally. I recall an interesting story where the instruction set of Intel 80386 chips would be altered on some chips on purpose, then the Russians would copy them with the error.... I don't know where I read that, or it may have been a Ken Follett romance

The thing is, under an intense ideological debate, one of the icons of the West was the television, of course....and then I open this classic all tube GE set and the caps are all Tesla....I found that intriguing, but you may be right, business is business....one would just imagine that the US had plenty of good capacitor makers which wouldn't warrant GE doing business with the USSR.

If the East Germans you mention are the ones I'm thinking, they were a bunch of factories gathered under the RFT umbrella.

[soundguruman]

I haven't been called Junior since my little league baseball days ....many years ago.
Nice of you to recognize that I share my late fathers name. How could you know??????
Maybe there's a little magic in all the solder fumes you inhaled while redesigning all those vintage amps to correct specs.
What does "terse" mean?

I see old capacitors, very old. Some people have obtained the belief that old capacitors make an amp sound better (those people who sell you magic "NOS" capacitors have had an unfortunate affect on your belief systems), but those of us with more experience realize that old capacitors make the amp, simply, noisy and unreliable.

I dare say that this amp appears to have been rebuilt with parts obtained almost exclusively at radio shack. These parts were never intended for use in a higher voltage, high heat circuit.
CLUE: Carbon comp resistors such as these have GLUED in leads. After heating them with a soldering iron, they can frequently become defective, and intermittent, noisy. I am not surprised the amp makes a chirp sound.

I see cold connections galore. Especially the connections made to the chassis. This is an indication that the metal was not cleaned, prepared properly, and that the soldering temperature was woefully inadequate. Putting a big heap of solder on top of a factory solder joint does not create the most reliable electrical connection.

And so, you should probably start over from scratch, using prehaps metal film resistors, that have WELDED leads. Also consider buying some fresh coupling capacitors. Then when you rebuild it again, you can (this time) pay attention to the lead dress.

As far as the familiarity with the English language, you can look up the word "terse" in something called "the dictionary."

[J M Fahey]

You are amazing.
No, not in a good way.

yba1 asked:

What does "terse" mean?

the guru answered (sort of):

I see old capacitors, very old. Some people have obtained the belief that old capacitors make an amp sound better (those people who sell you magic "NOS" capacitors have had an unfortunate affect on your belief systems), but those of us with more experience realize that old capacitors make the amp, simply, noisy and unreliable.

I don't understand, is the above the answer to yba1's question?
I don't get it.

I dare say that this amp appears to have been rebuilt with parts obtained almost exclusively at radio shack.

Amazing sight, even more amazing screen resolution; *I* could not read the tiny Radio Shack part number labels glued to every single resistor, capacitor, etc.
May God keep your eagle eyes sharp for many years.

These parts were never intended for use in a higher voltage, high heat circuit.

So you say a 100K 1/4W resistor bought a Radio Shack does not stand the 100V it would typically get at an 12AX7 plate, but the same spec part part bought somewhere else would?
Interesting .
Would you care to share any secret data only you know, backing that bold statement?
Or would it need clearance with the Department of Inland Security?
Or .... dare I mention it .... the Men in Black?

CLUE: Carbon comp resistors such as these have GLUED in leads. After heating them with a soldering iron, they can frequently become defective, and intermittent, noisy.

The correct technical name is "molded", no glue involved in any way.

As far as the familiarity with the English language, you can look up the word "terse" in something called "the dictionary."

*I* did, I bet yba1user did too, we suggest you do.
Last time I checked it meant:

Brief and to the point; effectively concise:" a terse one-word answer".

the exact opposite of what you mean.
Of course you intended to type "tense", which fit the phrase perfectly, but you will *never ever* acknowledge an error, even a typing one.

"Did that unit come with a fire extinguisher?"

You mean, like your own amps?
I must congratulate you on such "terse" safety measure on your own produce.
It might save some lives or at least some heavy property damage.

[soundguruman]

I hope you didn't PAY to have this amp rebuilt, because if you did, it's time to seek a refund.

[Gtr_tech]

Last I checked Rat Shack didn't sell Sprague lytics or mustard caps....or silver mica caps. The only thing that *may* be of rat shack origin is the replaced bias pot. WTF is this dude talking about anyway?

[soundguruman]

You are amazing.
No, not in a good way.

yba1 asked:


the guru answered (sort of):

I don't understand, is the above the answer to yba1's question?
I don't get it.


Amazing sight, even more amazing screen resolution; *I* could not read the tiny Radio Shack part number labels glued to every single resistor, capacitor, etc.
May God keep your eagle eyes sharp for many years.

So you say a 100K 1/4W resistor bought a Radio Shack does not stand the 100V it would typically get at an 12AX7 plate, but the same spec part part bought somewhere else would?
Interesting .
Would you care to share any secret data only you know, backing that bold statement?
Or would it need clearance with the Department of Inland Security?
Or .... dare I mention it .... the Men in Black?

The correct technical name is "molded", no glue involved in any way.

*I* did, I bet yba1user did too, we suggest you do.
Last time I checked it meant:

the exact opposite of what you mean.
Of course you intended to type "tense", which fit the phrase perfectly, but you will *never ever* acknowledge an error, even a typing one.

You mean, like your own amps?
I must congratulate you on such "terse" safety measure on your own produce.
It might save some lives or at least some heavy property damage.

Yes, you hit the nail on the head alright.
The only time you use 1/4 watt resistors in a tube amp, for plate and cathode, is if you want it to fail.
Experienced builders know better, they use at least 1/2 watt for plate and cathode, we prefer 1 watt or 2 watt. This assures long term reliability. The best most durable amps use 2 watt resistors for plate and cathode. Look in a silver face, black face. 2 watt!
Indecently, your plate voltage is usually in the range, up to 325- 375 volts, on most good tube amps. Look at a Marshall voltage chart.
And yes, the radio shack resistors are rated, 50 volts maximum. Look at the package they come in, it's printed right on the label... and those ARE radio shack resistors.

Perhaps you did not read what I wrote, the coupling caps are OLD, very old. I never said they came from radio shack, you made that up.

And the difference between 100K resistors? You need to learn. Carbon resistors are made of particles, that are glued together. The glue melts when the resistor is soldered. This creates cracks, voids and arcing INSIDE the resistor. That's why their so noisy.
Metal film resistors are made from SOLID material that is trimmed by a laser. The leads are welded on, not glued. Result: you can solder them without damage, they are superior. This results in much lower noise and much higher reliability.
So yes, there is a HUGE difference between two 100K resistors. That's why they don't use radio shack resistors in communications satellites. (no diff, BS)
AND there are better, more solid carbon resistors, as used in older Fender Amps. BUT those are not they type used in THIS amp!

AND while I am on the subject FYI, if you want the resistor with the lowest noise, it's BULK METAL FOIL. (in fact "Z foil" is the best one).

Now that you have started to learn about high quality components, you may realize why cheap components are so unpredictable. IE: the amp "chirps"...the chirp could easily be a crack inside of one of those cheap resistors.

And YES I do see ONE silver mica cap in the photo. Congratulations, you bought ONE good component. And I do see ONE 470 ohm, GOOD quality carbon resistor. That's TWO parts that are good. Keep going.......

And I never said the silver mica cap came from radio shack, you made that up, also.

CLUE: you can sometimes find a bunk resistor by freezing it, with component cooler spray, while the amp is on.

[g1]

The resistors appear to be exactly what the Yorkville factory was using at that time (they didn't get them from Radio Shack), what makes you think they've been replaced?
I have never seen 2 watt plate or cathode resistors in stock BF or SF Fender amps. They may have been the size of some modern 2 watters though.
Why do I get the feeling of being a pawn in a clever internet hoax?

[soundguruman]

The resistors appear to be exactly what the Yorkville factory was using at that time (they didn't get them from Radio Shack), what makes you think they've been replaced?
I have never seen 2 watt plate or cathode resistors in stock BF or SF Fender amps. They may have been the size of some modern 2 watters though.
Why do I get the feeling of being a pawn in a clever internet hoax?

Complete BS, not even close to the original. Obviously, this amp has been goofed around with a whole bunch, and you are not fooling anybody. It's been "rebuilt" by an novice, and a pretty sloppy job too.

Your lack of experience is showing, badly.

I have repaired pro sound equipment for 36 years, I am state licensed and city licensed, I have many dozens of references, I am a certified general electrician, a certified electronics technician, I hold an NEC certification, and high honors in education...
And there is NO WAY I am buying this bull.

This manufacturer did not make amps with sloppy cold connections, and the time period of the soldered-in cans, and the newer resistors, mica cap, simply does not match up.
So go back and learn about amplifiers before you throw rocks at somebody with 100 times your knowledge.
Internet hoax? Dream on newbie.

[yba-1 user]

Complete BS, not even close to the original. Obviously, this amp has been goofed around with a whole bunch, and you are not fooling anybody. It's been "rebuilt" by an novice, and a pretty sloppy job too.

Your lack of experience is showing, badly.

I have repaired pro sound equipment for 36 years, I am state licensed and city licensed, I have many dozens of references, I am a certified general electrician, a certified electronics technician, I hold an NEC certification, and high honors in education...
And there is NO WAY I am buying this bull.

This manufacturer did not make amps with sloppy cold connections, and the time period of the soldered-in cans, and the newer resistors, mica cap, simply does not match up.
So go back and learn about amplifiers before you throw rocks at somebody with 100 times your knowledge.
Internet hoax? Dream on newbie.

Who are you responding to? You are getting all mixed up as to who is replying to the thread.
You need to look at who the reply came from and address them with your rants.
this is not G-one's amp........why are you criticizing him for MY amp.
You can Google Tranor amp chassis and find 2 or 3 examples of stock Traynors that look nearly identical to this one.
Are they all made with radio shack parts too?
You are wasting so much time simply bashing anyone who replies to you.
So just to get things right:
Is this the course of action you recommend?
1.Take an old vintage amp and rip out all of the sub par components.(brand does not matter)
2. Put the amp aside and begin bashing people in the forums.
3. Try to return the 40 year old parts (that are original to that amp)to Radio Shack.
4. Get back on the forum and state all credentials to try to set oneself above all on the forum.
5. Sign up for resistor 101 school
6. throw away amp because soundguru's amp repairs are just "far too superior" so why bother.............
7. Pick a different hobby -never get on a forum again -
8. buy brand new amps and if they get old enough that something goes wrong....call Radio Shack and gripe at them for selling that stuff wholesale to a major amp maker.

By the way I actually fixed the "Chirp"............it was coming from you all the while................

[sgelectric]

YBA1 schematic variants

Interesting thread..........

There are many versions of this amp.The schematic that I believe most accurately depicts yours will be found on page 7 of the following link.(FWBR,no choke,fuse rather than circuit breaker,2-prong accessory outlet........)


http://www.lynx.bc.ca/~jc/YBA1Schems.pdf

This link comes from the Traynor Amplifier Schematic Archive

Traynor Amplifier Schematic Archive

[soundguruman]

You can sit around assuming that all the parts in this amp are original. it's a fantasy.
You can sit around assuming that all the parts must be good...
But that will never fix this amplifier.
You bore me.

[jharasym]

Thanks

As a new YBA-1 owner I stumbled across this thread, and I must say it is both informative and hugely entertaining!