HRDx - One thing I have noticed

[FrankJohnson]

Most of the HRDx's I have seen that are working fine, have not had many if any modifications. Not to say that the ones I have seen that work well haven't, but ......

The truth seems t be that they are like people. Some are good, some are ok, but have some issues, and the other half or so seem to be pretty bad in general, occasionally doing good, but then back to there regular bad ol' self!

Really though, the ones that work well do so quite well........

The ones that don't , welll.........you get it.

[stratcat55]

Hi Frank,

I kind of noticed that too. I was never big on modding my guitars or amps. Remember in the 70's all the Gibson guy's started taking off th pup covers? I know a lot of people who did this only to put them back on again when the pups got noisy. If I don't like the sound of something, I keep looking. It seems like you can really get hooked on modding. But the skills of the guy doing the mods may have a direct impact on the reliability of the modded equipment.

[NTBluesGuitar]

I didn't start modding mine until it died, for the record.

[FrankJohnson]

I didn't start modding mine until it died, for the record.

Same here......

just an observation....

I went back and re-read "my" history with the amp.......

It doesn't sound much different than most everyone elses......

I know (personally - not just through forum) at least 10-12 owners that never modded.....and they work/sound just fine. I know at least 4 others that modded right from the get-go and have had nothing but problems. I know one guy always changing something, not becasue its broken, but because he knows how and can. He has other amps so if this goes down, its no big deal for him.

Mine hass not really undergone many mods, mostly repairs. Speaker, tubes and Bias have been the mods.

It seems to get about a year out of tubes, regardless.....so I can't blame the JJ BIas at .90 mv for the recent one.

[stratcat55]

Mines the same, just cold solder joints on the tube sockets. It's been great since it's been repaired. My tubes are new. Thats it. The stock speaker broke in just fine and works well with most of my guitars. Usually if I'm buying an amp, I bring my 2 main guitars and play a couple of the same model if avalible that I'm interested in. I always take the one I play, not a boxed new one. The modded amps do seem to have a bit more problems from things I've read and people I personally know.

[FrankJohnson]

Mines the same, just cold solder joints on the tube sockets. It's been great since it's been repaired. My tubes are new. Thats it. The stock speaker broke in just fine and works well with most of my guitars. Usually if I'm buying an amp, I bring my 2 main guitars and play a couple of the same model if avalible that I'm interested in. I always take the one I play, not a boxed new one. The modded amps do seem to have a bit more problems from things I've read and people I personally know.

In this case, I don't think playing through the one I took home would have made a difference. It choked months after the puirchase - sounded good up until then.



that does sound like a good practice though.

[stratcat55]

It'a a pain to do it that way, but the differences can be huge. Didn't help me either. Mine took a crap after about 6 months. But so did my 64 Vibrolux Reverb when it was pretty new. Man, now you guy's are scaring me again. I really would like to try out an Orange Amp Tiny Terror. I always liked Orange Amps. The old ones were bullit proof. Now that I think about it, tons of amps were bullit proof back then.

[trevorus]

I wonder what the statistics of reliability are between the American and Mexican built ones. I know the components are pretty much the same, and the design is the same, but the tooling and labor could be different. There could be less solder on one amp, or one factory used soldering irons at a warmer or colder temp than the other one...

I'm not trying to look for problems where there might not be any, but it'd be interesting if we had some means of comparison.

My Deville is perfectly reliable. I do need some tubes right now, but the white GT sovteks are doing quite well, even though they are a little older. I think having them properly biased really helps.

[FrankJohnson]

Now I don't want to stir the pot, but let me get my big wooden spoon........


Re-tubed the power tubes (After about a year....) it plays just swell (again)

I guess new tubes aren't like the old ones that just keep going and going and going.........

Anyway......maybe sell....maybe still get the Mesa..........maybe both, maybe neither.....maybe something else.....

(to the tune of Cat Scratch Fever)
Hot Rod Fever.....Dah-Dah Dah.....
We've Got the Hot rod Fever....Dah Dah Dah Dah......

[Hutch]

Caveman: The stock Groove Tubes are installed at the factory because they *will* last a long time (=less complaints?). They don't sound very good, but they last. That's because they're Sovtec's that were designed to function in Russian military jets - not audio applications.

Anyway......maybe sell....maybe still get the Mesa..........maybe both, maybe neither.....maybe something else.....

Amp Acquisition Syndrome? (AAS)?

maybe still get the Mesa.....

How about putting Mesa tubes in the HRDlx? I did. :)
cheers, -hutch

[FrankJohnson]

How about putting Mesa tubes in the HRDlx? I did. :)
cheers, -hutch

I actually have a set in, and they do sound good........the lowest I could Bias them to was .70 mv.....they are borrowed so I don't want to go to high.....

I have a brand new set of JJ's to go in, and wanted to make sure it was tubes and not other parts (again).....

It actually sounds good, as it did for the past year.

I;m scared to keep it, don't want to give it up cheap...cuz it seems "all better"......

[68Bassman]

Maybe I just got lucky,bought a HTRD in '96 American. It has never been in the shop, I have changed the speaker and tubes and re-biased myself (that's all I know how to do), played the heck out of it for years,still no problems. My Deville, also American, no problems, but I don't play it much. From reading of all the cold solder joint issues and other problems I feel fortunate...just my comparision.

[NTBluesGuitar]

Maybe I just got lucky,bought a HTRD in '96 American.

Mine is also an American made HRD. The circuit board (PCD burn and solder pad failures) fell apart from the amounts of repairs/mods I did.

Just FYI .

[trevorus]

Mine is also an American made HRD. The circuit board (PCD burn and solder pad failures) fell apart from the amounts of repairs/mods I did.

Just FYI .

That's when you know you have a modding addiction!

I've only done minimal mods, and I don't plan on doing too many. The mid pot/bass mod is about the best one I have found, as well as the reverb resistor mod. The rest of my sounds come from my pedalboard.

[jrgtr42]

I sold those for 4 years (98 - 02) I didn't take careful notes, but I dodn';t see too many of them coming back / in for issues. Maybe in general the lousy ones have been since then, but still.
I saw far more Mesa Boogie's coming in with issues from 2000 - early 02 than Fenders. For a while, every single Dual Rec head that came in went right back.

[frank thomson]

One thing I have noticed...is that I don't get an identical sound from this amp 100% of the time

about 10-15% of the time it sounds *flat*

[Hot Dog Amp]

96 USA HRDX same GT's for 10years till now. Same speaker. Never a repair. but now i noticed while home practise without the foot switch, using the drive ,only with the drive, the amp sometimes cuts out for a second. Yes i use the drive channel. the more drive too and love it..Really !