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Double Bass Walter Woods repair

#41
Bruce Calin said:
I am not very happy lately with my TC Electronics amp so I'm going back at least temporarily to my MI-100-8. It's working fine and sounds as great as ever but how long it will hold up is obviously an issue. It is a 40+ year old amp. I have another amp I could use but it doesn't have nearly the character. I'll see what happens. I remember when I first ordered my WW his wife called me back because Walter had messed up my credit card info and she called to straighten it out. It must have been something that happened fairly often and she was very nice and cordial.
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I have recently fallen in love with the BAM. I had the wonderful owner of Trickfish map out the flat eq points on the BAM. Here is the front panel of the BAM, with the actual EQ flat points.

upload_2022-6-12_14-37-44.png


So if you are using the BAM, consider this as a starting point. I usually just roll back the mids to about 11 (obviously YMMV), and I get as close to MBOL as it gets with that amp. Good luck!
 
#43
Bruce Calin said:
I am not very happy lately with my TC Electronics amp so I'm going back at least temporarily to my MI-100-8. It's working fine and sounds as great as ever but how long it will hold up is obviously an issue. It is a 40+ year old amp. I have another amp I could use but it doesn't have nearly the character. I'll see what happens. I remember when I first ordered my WW his wife called me back because Walter had messed up my credit card info and she called to straighten it out. It must have been something that happened fairly often and she was very nice and cordial.
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Basically, you just play the amp and enjoy it.
 
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#44
Ric Vice said:
Basically, you just play the amp and enjoy it.
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I just got back from playing a gig with the MI-100-8. It worked fine and sounded great. I will keep using it until I decide what new one to get. My only concern is that if I do have a problem I apparently have only one repair option, which is send it to Germany, which I don't think is a realistic one for me. I don't enjoy shopping for new gear but I will do it if necessary. It will probably be an Acoustic Image since I have one of their old combos which worked well. (question to self: why is everything you have so old? Answer: because you hate to shop.)
 
#45
Bruce Calin said:
I just got back from playing a gig with the MI-100-8. It worked fine and sounded great. I will keep using it until I decide what new one to get. My only concern is that if I do have a problem I apparently have only one repair option, which is send it to Germany, which I don't think is a realistic one for me. I don't enjoy shopping for new gear but I will do it if necessary. It will probably be an Acoustic Image since I have one of their old combos which worked well. (question to self: why is everything you have so old? Answer: because you hate to shop.)
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When the time comes Acoustic Image provides the best customer service period. Every year, I open up my Walter Woods, clean all the pots and Jacks with Deoxit 5
using a cotton swab on the jacks. A little maintenance will keep your amp in working order for a lot longer. :)
 
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#46
Ric Vice said:
When the time comes Acoustic Image provides the best customer service period. Every year, I open up my Walter Woods, clean all the pots and Jacks with Deoxit 5
using a cotton swab on the jacks. A little maintenance will keep your amp in working order for a lot longer. :)
Click to expand...
Ric Vice said:
When the time comes Acoustic Image provides the best customer service period. Every year, I open up my Walter Woods, clean all the pots and Jacks with Deoxit 5
using a cotton swab on the jacks. A little maintenance will keep your amp in working order for a lot longer. :)
Click to expand...
I have done this a few times, especially when I was using it as my main amp. I did send it back to Walter about fifteen years ago after an episode where I had loaned it out and water had been dripped into it from a water bottle left on top. Walter graciously repaired it for free after chewing me out for letting someone else use it. He indicated even then that he didn't have parts for some of those older models any more so I was lucky. The fact that he had gone over it that recently gives me more confidence in using it again. I will go amp shopping at some point but I'm pretty confident that it will do the job in the meantime.
 
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#47
I'm just bumping this to say I was able to get my MI-400 fixed at Chicago Amp Works. It was an easy fix and cheap. I swear I must be nuts but this amp sounds so much better to my ear than anything else I own or have used. Anytime I use another amp with my Realist I think the only way I will get an amplified sound I can live with is with a mic and then with the WW, I'm instantly happy. It sounds like a tube amp made for a piezo. I really hope someone keeps making these designs cause nothing else seems to work as well.
 
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#48
crd said:
I'm just bumping this to say I was able to get my MI-400 fixed at Chicago Amp Works. It was an easy fix and cheap. I swear I must be nuts but this amp sounds so much better to my ear than anything else I own or have used. Anytime I use another amp with my Realist I think the only way I will get an amplified sound I can live with is with a mic and then with the WW, I'm instantly happy. It sounds like a tube amp made for a piezo. I really hope someone keeps making these designs cause nothing else seems to work as well.
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You are absolutely not nuts! The MI-400-8 I owned was unique. Great tone, lightweight and higher power output than most modern amplifiers.
 
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#49
crd said:
I'm just bumping this to say I was able to get my MI-400 fixed at Chicago Amp Works. It was an easy fix and cheap. I swear I must be nuts but this amp sounds so much better to my ear than anything else I own or have used. Anytime I use another amp with my Realist I think the only way I will get an amplified sound I can live with is with a mic and then with the WW, I'm instantly happy. It sounds like a tube amp made for a piezo. I really hope someone keeps making these designs cause nothing else seems to work as well.
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+1 on absolutely NOT nuts! And a place in Chicago?? GOLDEN Never heard of them. Thanks for the post!
 
#54
crd said:
I'm just bumping this to say I was able to get my MI-400 fixed at Chicago Amp Works. It was an easy fix and cheap. I swear I must be nuts but this amp sounds so much better to my ear than anything else I own or have used. Anytime I use another amp with my Realist I think the only way I will get an amplified sound I can live with is with a mic and then with the WW, I'm instantly happy. It sounds like a tube amp made for a piezo. I really hope someone keeps making these designs cause nothing else seems to work as well.
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Did they say what was wrong with it? I have a MI-100 that's just making a loud hum when plugged in. I wonder if they could fix it. It has the schematic folded up in it.
 
#55
Not really. Maybe something about certain parts being dry? It was not expensive. The amp was making sounds like a cap was going. I was getting intermittent "WRRRRRRRR" at top volume.

They were my last attempt before I went ahead and shipped it off to Berlin. I love this amp. It really feels like a tube amp. I've tried most of the other options and kind of feel this amp is irreplaceable so I was willing to do whatever it took to get it going again. Luckily it didn't take much...

I heard on the EB side that people have been in touch with WW. The person I talked to at the end of one of his numbers was wrong about him passing. So it might be worth giving him a call?

If you can't get through to him, I would take it to a local tech you trust.
 
#60
Agreed, Ric. I had three up for four months, just sold one last week. Probably combination of new alternatives and Walter’s absence. With patience you could probably find an old schooler to re-home it.

The guy in Berlin is excellent, just takes time and a few bucks to get it to and from. The details he provided me with concerning his work were over my head, but appreciated.
 
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