Workshop - Iskrem Electro

Take a peek into the Iskrem workshop workflow…:

iskremelectro

Geek alert! Ticking tremolo on Fender amps is noth

Geek alert! Ticking tremolo on Fender amps is nothing new... but this one had a twist!
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After applying the usual fixes, it was working perfectly on the bench.... Buuuuuuut: when mounted back in the cab, what was that? Ticking again?????? Arrrghhh!! Could it be some wires got moved around when bolting it in? Bad connection to the screening inside the cab? Stars aligned in an unfortunate way?
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Nope.... reason was: fear of the dark!! Thats right, when on the bech, ambient light kept "off-resistance" on the LDR to around 2-3 megaohms... back in total darkness, this would rise to around 15 megaohms. So, switching from such a high "off-resistance" to a low "on-resistance" would generate a ever so tiny ticking sound. Not good enough! Well, if you got fear of the dark, how about some light? I simply added a tiny ultrabright yellow LED, giving just enough ambient light to keep "off-resistance" around 3 megaohms. Ticks gone!
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Needing only 0.035 mA of current, I think it's safe to say it won't drain the powersupply too much))
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#iskremelectro #fenderamps #tremolo #tickingsound #tremoloticking #noise #LDR #amptech #repair #electronics #fearofthedark #weirdrepair #light #LED #vintageamps #vintageelectronics #guitaramp #fendersuperreverb #thinkoutsidethebox

Another mixtable this week, a Sound Workshop "Loge

Another mixtable this week, a Sound Workshop "Logex 8"... Heavily modified!
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I was commissioned to design a couple new PCBs for this mixer. The owner wanted to squeeze in two summing buses from Iron Age Audioworks, so the masterbus needed to be heavily reduced in size to facilitate the transplant. Lots of work, lots of cables, lots of Iron in the signal path! Luckily, the owner did all the hard soldering work himself, I only needed iron out a few quirks and phase issues))
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#iskremelectro #logex8 #ironageaudioworks #electronics #repair #pcbdesign #proaudio #mixtable #studiogear #soldering #kicad #summingbus #signalpath

Hey friends! Listen to the difference in noise whe

Hey friends! Listen to the difference in noise when moving the powertransformer out of this mixer!
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This is a mid/late'80s Tore Seem, Seesam 2 mixer, a norwegian made professional broadcast console, now in use at @flerbruket for recording and mixing.
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I'm told the later versions of this mixer had external powersupplies, and here we hear why. The magnetic field from any transformer can induce 50Hz (+harmonics) into the buswires (well, pcb traces actually) and result in audible hum in your mix.
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Fix? I Mounted that transformer, rectifiers and main filtercaps far away in a steel enclosure! Hum gone!
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While having the mixer here I also sorted out some quirks, mainly intermittent connections in the insertpoints and card-card connections.
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#iskremelectro #toreseem #seesam2 #powersupply #hum #noise #transformer #proaudio #electronics #electronicsrepair #amptech #magnetics #vintageconsoles #analogmixers #analogaudio #madeinnorway #transformersareelectricalmagic

Behold, this seldom encountered animal in the amp

Behold, this seldom encountered animal in the amp jungle, a SoundCity 100 mk3! Quite similar to early Hiwatts, both were originally designed by Dave Reeves.
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This one came in with very(!) bad filtercaps (see a previous post), so all the electrolytics got swapped out. Ready for the next 50 years!
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No traces of anyone using a solderingiron inside this, not since the obligatory adding of extra fuses on import to Norway.... Mullard tubes all over, EL34s from Blackburn factory, 1973! Still goooooood!
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#iskremelectro #soundcityamps #soundcity100 #tubeamp #mullard #amptech #repair #recap #loud #hiwatt #guitaramp #bassamp #vacuumtubes #electronics #electronicsrepair #vintage #museumpiece

Touch ground! Was checking up two Ampegs and found

Touch ground! Was checking up two Ampegs and found some shocking problems.... the V4 had no ground on the cable, while the V2 had the deathcap still in circuit... not too cool...
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Also the V2 had been recapped, and the screen supply given a single 47uF cap rated for 500 Volts, glued down on the chassis... buuuut, screen voltage hovers around 540 volts... No bueno! .
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So, I mounted it in a cap-holder with insulating tape, and connected like the schematic calls for, on top of the first multican-cap. Now the screen supply has the intended capacitance, and it's properly insulated electrically.
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I also sorted out an open plate resistor, open standby indicator resistor, relocating another capacitor, changed powercord, added screened wires for a mastervolume mod and reinforced a cracked PCB.
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#iskremelectro #ampeg #ampegv4 #ampegv2 #repair #amprepair #electronicsrepair #electronics #amptech #tubeamp #tubeamplifier #guitaramp #reverb #loud #heavy #guitargear #powercord #safety #electricalsafety #deathcap #capacitor #voltage #highvoltage

Do you own an old SoundCity amp? Then look out for

Do you own an old SoundCity amp? Then look out for these red cans, the original main filter caps, they are a very common problem!
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These looked fine, and measured good on the ESR meter... but have horrible leakage current! Luckily these just blew the fuse and nothing more. If you see these in your vintage amp, you should seriously consider taking it to a tech for a recap)))
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#iskremelectro #capacitor #badcaps #electrolyticcapacitor #electronics #techtalk #repair #vintage #amptech #soundcityamps #recap #tubeamps #guitaramp #bassamp #geektalk

Marshall JCM900 dual mastervolume combo, in for so

Marshall JCM900 dual mastervolume combo, in for sorting out speaker wiring, reverb and a general whats up...
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#iskremelectro #marshallamps #jcm900 #repair #amptech #tubeamp #guitaramp #guitargear #speaker #reverb #comboamp #electronics #electronicrepair

Soundcity 120R wrapped up today: complete recap, a

Soundcity 120R wrapped up today: complete recap, and sorting of unreliable potmeters, weird oscillations and the usual SC120 quirks. I aslo got the task to adapt it better for bass, so i unlocked another 20 watts or so of output power))) and tuned the preamp for better bass response.
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Turned out to be the quietest SC120 i ever heard noise-wise, yet really powerful sounding. Also: crazy cool reverb in this one!
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#iskremelectro #souncity120 #tubeamps #tubeamplifier #vintage #amptech #repair #electronics #electronicsrepair #reverb #guitaramp #guitargear #highvoltage #loud #heavy #O)))

BadCat "ToneCat" gone bad! Came in with huge 50Hz

BadCat "ToneCat" gone bad! Came in with huge 50Hz noise and weird sounding channels. This amp is handbuilt, point-to-point wired with high quality components... or so it seems!
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Turned out to have a short internally in one preamp socket, from pin 5 to 6. Also had 2 potmeters short from one lug to metal housing, effectively shorting out signal to ground.
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The ToneCat boasts having two independent poweramps, 4xEL84 for the clean channel, and 2xEL34 for the gain channel. On top of that you can blend both channels together in the powersection of your choice... pretty neat and a cool idea!! Too bad it was wired wrong from the start, so you always had two EL84s on one transformer primary and one EL34 on the other, just switching which side gets what.... Whoops!
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All sorted out, it sports a wide array of cool sounds, from clean through crunch to full on distortion. A funny bonus is that you can turn down the mastervolume on the cleanchannel and still have only the reverb going... surfs up!
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As you can see, there is a forest of tubes in this chassis, 9 preamptubes, 6 powertubes and a rectifier! Heavy!
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#iskremelectro #badcatamps #badcattonecat #tubeamp #tubeamprepair #electronicsrepair #repair #shorted #handbuilt #boutique #expensive #audiophoolery #pointtopointwiring #reverb #el34 #el84 #guitaramp #amplifier #guitaramplifier #guitargear #heavybutnotsoloud #tone

Ampeg VT22 in for recap and retube. Fixed up other

Ampeg VT22 in for recap and retube. Fixed up other small things like reverb cabling and potmeter as well. In the end, a really nice one this!!
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#iskremelectro #ampeg #ampegvt22 #amprepair #repair #electronicsrepair #amptech #loud #heavy #dwarfingtwinreverbs #tubeamp #tubeamps #tubeamplifier #highvoltage #reallytooheavy

Quick one, wrapped up a rehousing of this Roland D

Quick one, wrapped up a rehousing of this Roland Double Beat AD-50 fuzz unit today. Originally a fuzz-wah, now a standalone fuzz. Pretty wicked fuzztones, and a very cool rotary filter-selector!
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Have some electronics in need of service/repair/tinkering? Hit me up!
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#iskremelectro #fuzz #roland #ad50 #doublebeat #rebuild #rehousing #electronics #musicelectronics #guitargear #tone #loud #pedal #guitarpedal #guitargear #vintage #stompbox

The real thing! Almost untouched, just in for a qu

The real thing! Almost untouched, just in for a quick checkup, recap and retube. Sweet!
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The input jacks connects only mechanically to ground, so a little tightening was needed here... swapped one noisy 12ax7, redid some solderjoints, tidied up some wiring and set bias for new NOS tubes. Ready for another 50 years!
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#iskremelectro #fenderdeluxereverb #blackfacefender #vintage #amptech #tubeamps #vacuumtubes #tone #holygrailofbluesrock #repair #amprepair #fixitup

Reviving a blown Laney Klipp today... It had the u

Reviving a blown Laney Klipp today... It had the usual burned arc from pin 2 to 3 on a powertube, due to the flakey impedance selector...
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Changed the burnt socket and grinded down the base of the tube. While in there, I added 1 ohm resistors in powertube cathodes for easy biasreading and adjustable bias with new reservoircap. These amps run silly high B+ voltages, up to 600 volts, so you will want to bias it quite moderate. Of course, it will anyways be a tubeeater, but thats the price of the pop.
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I also fixed a wrong wiring in a bright switch, changed the HT fuseholder and wiring of the feedback network back to stock (from 16 ohm tap, not speaker tap))) and last but not least, safety ground!!! It was soldered to the HT fuse ground side, which is connected to chassis through... yes, the presence potmeters metal.... Some safety!
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Of course now it's bolted directly to chassis with serrated washers and double nuts. Stay safe everybody!
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#iskremelectro #laney #laneyklipp #tubeamp #amptech #el34 #highvoltage #loud #vintage #safetyground #electricalsafety #bias #brightswitch #arc #impedance #vacuumtube #guitaramp #guitargear #knowyourtone #tone #fuzz #overdrivel #loudandclear #tubefuzz #tubeeater

Quick checkup and cleanup on this Watkins Copicat

Quick checkup and cleanup on this Watkins Copicat tape echo. Quite a funky machine, just in need of swapping a leaky cap and cleaning pots. A new tapeloop didn't hurt either!
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#iskremelectro #watkinscopicat #tapedelay #tapeecho #copycat #tapemachine #repair #amptech #solidstate #vintageelectronics #guitargear #tone #wowandflutter #magnetictape #echo #guitareffects

Hey everybody, I'm back in Oslo fixing things up!

Hey everybody, I'm back in Oslo fixing things up! Give me a shout if you got something that needs a little TLC and we'll arrange something.
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Like a new set of powertubes for this Marshall Haze 40... to get rid of the extra pair of microphones.
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#iskremelectro #marshallamps #haze40 #microphonics #amptech #chopstick #vacuumtubes #tubeamp #repair #fixit #el34 #biasproblems #crackling #noise #intermittent #whatisthatsound

Hey friends! Want to get really heavy? Here it is,

Hey friends! Want to get really heavy? Here it is, the one and only 8x12" Throne Custom cab up for grabs! The greatest cab of them all)))
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We ( @lacasafantom ) are just not young enough to drag this insanity around anymore, no matter how incredibly good it does sound, so we have to let it go. It doesnt even fit inside the insta frame! Get in touch if you are interested!
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Other than that, we hope you are all safe and sound, take care and see you on the other side!
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#lacasafantom #customgear #thronecustom #customcabs #speaker #guitarspeaker #knowyourtone #itdooms #rigsofdoom #gear #guitar #handmade #loud #heavy #insanity #childishness

Ready for the wrong stuff?? This is a modified Fuz

Ready for the wrong stuff?? This is a modified Fuzzrite, sporting OC44 germanium transistors and NOS mustard caps. Swipe for more pics and videos!
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Handpainted by @_ivattt and handbuilt by me. Only 1 made. DM me if you are interested!
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The fuzzrite circuit is simple and interesting with it's blend from low-gainy lofi (farty?) sound to a more full-on fuzztone. I added a little mod for a more consistent fuzz-wall and slight get-rid-of-some-bees toneshaping.
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I used a '93 mexico strat for the sound demos, into a #heywatt #hiwatt DR103 clone. Enjoy #thewrongstuff !!
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#iskremelectro #fuzzrite #fuzzwrong #germanium #oc44 #handmade #handpainted #vintage #fuzz #distortion #loud #wrong #therightstuff #tone #guitar #fuzzwall #knowyourtone #nos #gear #guitargear #guitarpedal #fuzzpedal #fun

Wohooo, a thousand followers!!! Thank you so much

Wohooo, a thousand followers!!! Thank you so much for the support everybody!!!
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Oh, and special thanks to @olemosseby for giving me the big bunch of fun old tubes!!
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#iskremelectro #onethousand #1000 #vacuumtubes #tubes #analogaudio #highvoltage #siemens #miniwatt #triotron #tubeaudio #amptech #repair #valves #proaudio #guitaramps #tubeamps #bassamps #tubesdistortbetter #fixstuffup #NOS

Pin 3 hot? I think not! Just a quick peek into thi

Pin 3 hot? I think not! Just a quick peek into this BSS DPR402 compressor/de-esser to swap pins 2&3 on all the xlr connectors...
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#iskremelectro
#bss #dpr402 #pin3hot #tech #amptech #electronics #repair #electronicsrepair #proaudio #studiogear #compressor #deesser #fixitup #conflictingstandards

Stay safe on tape tuesday everyone! This here gem

Stay safe on tape tuesday everyone! This here gem is a Philips EL3581 dictaphone from early 60s.
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It's tube based, sporting an ECC83 in the mic/playback preamp and an EL95 pentode in the bias oscillator/audio output amplifier. These duties are switched between when it's recording or reproducing.
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The handset carries both the microphone and the speaker, plus the play/record button. There were even remote control footpedals available!
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Not quite finished restoring it yet, as you can hear in the video, the recording quality is questionable from an audio viewpoint. However, it does fantastic swirly vocals, guitars and drums as is, so maybe i don't want to improve it any more. I changed a few fuses, caps, oiled some wheels, cleaned and demagged it plus added jacks for input/output. Changed to a 3 prong powercable too of course.
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It runs 3 inch reels, they came in ready made 'cassettes', flippable to record on both sides.
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#iskremelectro #reeltoreel #tapetuesday #vintage #vintageelectronics #philips #el3581 #ecc83 #el95 #vacuumtube #audiovalves #highvoltage #recorder #dictaphone #repair #amptech #electronics #electronicsrepair #lofi #magnetictape #toysetulleregle

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