Why Unqualified Repairs Are Often Dangerous

[ItsmeSantiago]

This is why I'm concerned buying anything used now. I got burned on a GK combo that someone messed with and now I can't use an extension cab with it.

 

[Williethump]

i learned that lesson the hard way on a crate combo in my college dorm room, tried to fix a power switch with liquid electrical tape and ended up in the ED when i turned it on

ED from a shock is a distinct possibility.

 

[Silky Johnson]

Wow, I'm surprised that cutting wires, spraying schmoo and installing an 8,000 amp fuse didn't fix it to be fair

 

[Bob Coldwell]

ED from a shock is a distinct possibility.

Actually, shock therapy is a treatment for ED.

 

[digmeout]

I just want to say Thank You to Agedhorse, for an afternoon laugh! So people still do this sh*t huh..LOL!

 

[Ostie]

Since that fuse didn’t do the trick, I’m thinking I should probably take the pennies out of my fuse box….

 

[PBFACTOR]

Amateurs! Everyone knows a .22 cartridge fits just as easily.

Riis

Only a live round though? Right?

 

[taliesin]

Since that fuse didn’t do the trick, I’m thinking I should probably take the pennies out of my fuse box….

Hey we don't know that the fuse is really the problem so I wouldn't worry about the pennies.

 

[Geri O]

Best. Thread. Ever!….

 

[gln1955]

Meh, fuses are for the weak.

 

[Wood and Wire]

Only a live round though? Right?

How else is it supposed to blow, in the event of a surge?

Loud bang? Check.

Magic Smoke? Check.

Ceased functionality? Check.

Exit wound? Check.

 

[Major Seven]

View attachment 5405553 This came into the shop today, customer first claimed that it was working fine then suddenly stopped working, and of course trying to claim the flat rate service program coverage said that nobody tried to repair it.

Obviously this wasn't the case and it came out that "maybe" he and his "highly qualified" electronics buddy from the local repair shop might have "looked at it" but didn't touch anything other than installing a new tube.

Clearly this wasn't the case, there's a metal rod where the fuse is supposed to be, the jack nuts are missing and the fan wires were cut. There was also "magic cure-all spray" spooge all over the inside of amp (including on the power amp module), which may have been the root cause of the failure.

First of all, this is extremely dangerous because depending on the failure mode, it's possible for the bulk supply caps to explode, which can launch electrolyte onto a person's face and into their eyes (a trip to the ER for sure).

Second, this would have likely been a $100 flat rate repair had they not messed with it. Now, it's in the $450-$500 territory.

This is a good way to learn from somebody else's expensive mistake (or lapse of good judgement), and why I stopped supporting non-factory service except at Fender authorized service centers. I see this stuff more and more these days.

People do the same sort of stuff to their sports cars also. "My friend just changed the plugs. Can you just adjust the carbs so it will run?".

 

[fdeck]

Bypassing the fuse is called "shooting the messenger."

 

[Spidey2112]

There was also "magic cure-all spray" spooge all over the inside of amp...

The promise of a happy ending was short lived, I'm sure.

 

[PolkaHero]

I sometimes see this stupid type of stuff working on motorcycle electronics.

 

[lunarpollen]

I used to mix sound for live bands in a very popular sports bar in NJ on weekends... One of the PA power amps would frequently blow a fuse, so my boss (the owner of the sound system) told me to just substitute a folded-up sliver of foil wrap from the inside of a cigarette pack as a "replacement fuse" whenever this happened.

 

[Laurent]

Ugly and dangerous.
One would have to send a serious amount of juice to blow that "fuse"!

 

[agedhorse]

But the sticker says it passed QC?


...I'll see myself out...

Right next to the “not field serviceable” sticker.

 

[Zooberwerx]

Only a live round though? Right?

Yeah, and based on a "Myth Busters" episode.

Frog Giggin' (Myth)

 

[daveman50]

this concept should be applied to so many other topics...

my dad recently retired after 40+ years working as an electrician in the NYC area...

he won't take residential side jobs anymore because too many times he gets to a job and finds the tell-tale signs of a "handyman" who did some electrical work. it's not that he can't fix it- or even that the customer can't afford to pay what it would cost to fix it..

its just the frustration of knowing how easy it should be, but some goof "knew what they were doing" years ago..

Friends of mine foolishly had a neighbor who "knew electrical work" do some work on a bathroom. A week later, the house, built in the early 1800s, an historic landmark, caught fire due to a short and was more or less destroyed.