I Set a Customer's Amp on FIRE! - Metropoulos Marshall Plexi Clone Catches FIRE on the Bench

[@metroampcom]

That socket is bad now, even if you clean all the carbon off it can still conduct. Please note: this is a DIY Metroamp kit build, not a Metropoulos replica. Great video and channel!

[@TheGuitologist]

Thanks for clarifying. The arc didn't occur on the socket, it occurred in mid air like a Jacob's Ladder.

[@overtone85]

I agree. It looks like a Metropoulos kit put together by somebody else, looks sloppy regardless of the fx loop. They should have bent the pins of the sockets outwards to keep them separate. Looks like they didn’t trim the excess wire on the terminals and that will conduct again, especially if the play the amp unloaded accidentally, the fly back voltages in the OT will arc to the heaters again. Don’t ask me why I know! LOL

[@hogie1259]

Thanks for clarifying that George. I was going to post that this amp looks nothing like the one you built for me. Night and day difference.

[@gatormcklusky5850]

lmao..... pause the video @10:25 and tell yourself that arc is in the air. you mite rethink it. 🔥💥💥💫

[@evitative462]

Please bring the kits back, George! I'll do better than this guy did, I promise!

[@UncleDoug]

A fine display of arc welding, Brad, and without a helmet ;) The Underwriter's Laboratory would never approve.

[@TheGuitologist]

Didn't Underwriters also try to debunk some stuff a few years back? No longer credible. :)

[@davydean]

@@TheGuitologist That Les Paul sounds like butter in your hands! someday we must cross the Atlantic and jam!

[@lukebrinkley9279]

BTW, wicked awesome quick reaction on blowing out that fire!

[@ralphups7782]

It goes to show, that drinking and drivers don't mix.

[@cardbored_]

Can't argue that one!

[@OzziePete1]

"So I just changed the tubes, adjusted the bias ...... changed my underwear..."

[@SeanKerns]

Damn! Almost all of us who have worked on tube amps have had something like that happen. If it hasn't happened to you, it will. Glad that the only casualty was your shorts.

[@bagoodale]

Thanks Brad, you did a FINE job on my amp! I tried it out a bit last night and it sounded like a glorious plexi.

[@bagoodale]

Wonder if Brads flesh would’ve changed the tone?

[@Iam_Dunn]

Brandon Goodale ...Great sounding amp. I’d say I’m not jealous, but that would be a lie! I hope it gives you many more years of joy! But, for the love of all that’s righteous, get that mini switch hole fixed! ...LOL... :)

[@bagoodale]

Yeah it’s crazy what they did and the more I think on it I don’t even want the effects loop. I put all effects into the front end anyways. If it was good enough for Hendrix, Page, Clapton, Etc then it’s good enough for me. I just bought it like that. Haha

[@ToesCapuano]

You enjoy one Beer on the job and KABOOM!

[@fredfabris7187]

Try 3 or 4 and now we have a video!😜

[@johnstitt2615]

It is at 10 minutes, and 25 seconds people. See our good man Brad jump and get lively. Greetings from Niagara Falls, Canada.

[@garystevens6831]

5:41 - it takes a lot to mess up one of those. Me: hold my beer...

[@sonnyseabury4051]

People that don't know what they're doing, shouldn't get involved with things like that. They need to know their limitations. Bring it to a professional, instead of trying to cut corners and save money.

[@garystevens6831]

Oh dear, no sense of humour alert...

[@eaf27]

@ Gary Stevens correction... Me: hold my India Pale Ale hipster bullshit beer...

[@cardbored_]

LOL the editing is what got me "Hey you know we're in the spirit world?"

[@joshuakozee5719]

I really like the way you play guitar wit your fingers, it gives a bit of a southern flare to your classic rock sound.

[@potatoguns7989]

Love that '60 reissue. Marshall + Gibson = Rock & Roll !!

[@deancrandley8983]

Great vid Fire Marshall Bill !!

[@cassvirgillo3395]

Hey Brad, It's like this, the Guitologist, Uncle Doug, El Paso Tube Amps & All American Five Radio are my go-to channels for Tube Amp Information and an entertaining good time. All the best, keep one hand in your pocket, Cass. P.S. Working on 1965 Gregory Mark 1.

[@TheGuitologist]

Thanks, Cass. Nice to be in good company.

[@docamosroxie8686]

Mr. Guitologist, discovered your channel just recently and after enjoying several of your videos I have decided I could drink a beer with you!. I too am an Ohio River rat originally, don't care what my hair out clothes look like. Wanna hang out undisturbed in my basement with my guitar toys! Also you have no hesitation to call out an asshole when necessary! Now in my 50's I really appreciate others who call out dumbfucks! So yea, good beer buddy I'm sure! Keep it up brother!

[@TheGuitologist]

Welcome to the channel.

[@docamosroxie8686]

@@TheGuitologist also you replaced Sasquatch as my go to fall asleep videos. Not an insult I assure you.

[@docamosroxie8686]

facebook.com/marketplace/item/461258657956243/

[@docamosroxie8686]

Thought you might be interested

[@8toesleft]

Hendrix, Townshend, Blackmore, you're in esteemed company,burning tubes, SMOKIN' TONE!!!

[@256byteram]

I had a similar thing happen when I was working on my brother's Roost amp. The insulation on the anode wire was rubbing against a filament pin and broke down while I was testing it. Sparks and smoke!

[@joelspaulding5964]

Pale ale was cool long before the hipster trend. Bass has been around for ~ 250 years? The IPAs since British colonization of the Indian subcontinent. Truth is most hipsters can't afford more than one IPA nightly and switch over to PBR after happy hour😉 Enjoyed my first Sierra Nevada pale at the Bristol, KYCPA, Main Street Louisland, KY circa 1996. The Commodore is a tasty brew. Hail to the Pale! Another great vid, Brad. ...that Count Chocula is fantastic.

[@graxjpg]

Joel Spaulding that’s why I just buy lots of blue ribbon, to capitalize on the fact that I can’t afford nice beer.

[@danmar007]

Imagine it's 200 years ago and all you have to communicate with are smoke signals. How lucky would that be!?!

[@TheGuitologist]

I doubt 200 years ago I'd be accused of cultural appropriation for using smoke signals.

[@danmar007]

:-)

[@houseofshred3725]

That thumbnail is freaking hysterical!

[@sundogaudio851]

Brad the top vents came on the 100 watt Marshalls not on the 50s.

[@richard66754]

I had one of these. I installed externally accessible bias pot and test points. I used it as a church amp for a lot of years. It once red plated and smoked a reproduction 6CA7 tube in the middle of a song. I slapped an old set of el34’s in it behind the stage and rebased the entire thing between songs.

[@johnnyb3987]

Good Amp Techs are made, not born. And this folks, is how they're made! Forged in fire. haha!!! Awesome Channel. Thank you for all you do.

[@Chrispy_tV]

GREAT LAKES that's from my old home town of Cleveland. Great Stuff. Miss it. Get the Christmas Ale when it hits around October. They were the original and have the best.

[@bayougtr]

About ten and a half min in. FLEX!💪🏼

[@stuartpenney6829]

Love the way Brad bleeps out "bullshit" at the start, but then leaves in countless "fucks" when the amp catches fire

[@sonnyseabury4051]

I knew before I read your comment, regarding George not building that amp. The man takes pride in everything he does. He doesn't half ass Anything. He's the best and most knowledgable that there is, besides Dave Friedman. That would have Never Happened if George Built That Amp. I assure you.

[@skullheadwater9839]

Lord Jesus it's a fire. I love it. Laughed my ass off when I saw that caption

[@toddflowers8052]

"Looks budget" =" like shit" ! ;-) Thanks for sharing this Brad ,always fun and entertaining !

[@triplesevensix291]

Brad the Guitologist stars in " Excitement She Wrote! " Ha! That's one way to wake up! Fast reaction man.

[@Dragonblaster1]

For a moment, I thought you'd picked up a hot handful off the HT. I once bought a non-working Peavey head and picked up a good few jolts while testing it after repair. 600V can sting something fierce.

[@alecjahn]

Dang you blew that out quick! You must be a monster at birthday parties.

[@Xpyburnt_ndz]

LMAO...Love your vids Bad...when I saw the title, i was thinking major blow up and fire...I used to do MV line work...when a 12Kv line would go, now THERE'S a fireworks show! Keep up the great work and vids man. Peace out! :)

[@MaxStax1]

Troubleshoot and fix. Thumbs up. And a beer bonus.

[@mikemartin6554]

Holy Goodness G-man! THAT was exciting! Good job...I really dig your vids.

[@Axess-sv8nq]

Never noticed the Count Chocula statue! Cool!

[@russellhltn1396]

I miss Mojo Jo Jo.

[@Axess-sv8nq]

Haha! The Powerpuff Girls! My kids used to watch that when they were young!

[@dananthony6258]

I’ve I’m being honest I’ve never seen any other amp but Marshall go on fire. I just had a comb back in the 90s mid rehearsal just start frying.

[@taggmanibanez]

There is nothing like the anxiety adrenaline spike, from an impromptu arc-weld.

[@scottshields3054]

Wow this thing sounds great! I'm going to have to look into one.

[@davidrussell8918]

Pyrotechnics,a Marshall amp, a Les Paul, sounds and looks like rock&roll to me !

[@caddisking]

That was the hardest laugh I've had all year!

[@lroy730]

Fire Fire Fire ! I Am the Great Cornholio ! Great vid dude !

[@GovmntLacky]

- Says effects loop could be a problem and needs to be checked out. - Never checks or demos effects loop! Top notch 😂

[@Iam_Dunn]

Good grief... sloshed coffee all over my lap when ‘that’ happened!! ... Great way to wake me up! LOL :) How have I made it to 50 yrs old and not known about these amps? I was hoping you’d fix that fucked up job on the mini switch, but that’s just the OCD demon in me... LOL

[@1961jscofield]

Perfect guitar choice for that amp demo.

[@LiLi-or2gm]

Reminds me of connecting a scope to an amp without using differential probes or an iso transformer- BANG POW!!

[@sttyves]

great playing and tone

[@Fandao19]

Great playing at the end mate, gentle feel and awesome touch dynamics

[@ctcards2636]

Someone def used their soldering iron to make that hole for the FX loop switch lol. I like the vents on the top of Marshall amps, i want my tubes getting as much air flow as possible, but hey thats just me.

[@crazyuncleduke8012]

Hide the children!!!' Brad says "fuck" numerous times starting at 10:18. I just love it when that kind of shit happens. :-)

[@Axess-sv8nq]

That reminds me of the story Eddie Van Halen told of when he was monkeying around with a Marshall head in his room that he bought from the music store he was working at. in his words: “I opened the amp up and saw this thing. I found out later it was a bias control, which controls the power to the output tubes. I’m poking around, and all of a sudden I touch this huge blue thing. My God - it was like being punched in the chest by Mike Tyson. My whole body flexed stiff, and it must have thrown me five feet. I’d touched a capacitor. I didn’t know they held voltage.”

[@billville111]

"I don't drink a whole lot of beer," but when I do I'm prone to amp fires. Love you brother. @ 1:07 and 10:23

[@user-ic7cj8lq9z]

Good playing at the end, that amp sounds really good

[@johnpierson8398]

As soon as I saw the failure and and flame, I swear, shortly after I could smell that familiar electronics failure smell ~ Interesting psychological correlation

[@patrickkeenan6331]

Dude, I'm just glad you're alright!

[@charlesmatthias9459]

Nice playing!All that trouble is for the sound you get,with a "Marshall" clone,or original.Had to replace a transformer in a "6550" tubed Marshall,years'ago.Bias problems' and incorrect fuse on the transformer.Lots' of fun! ; )

[@DalHap]

Amp's got nice voicing. Also, cute summer haircut Brad! Hahahahaa! Cheers dude!

[@paulvontyrant3120]

All's well that ends well. Sounds great with your Les Paul. I've always heard good things about Metropoulos.

[@stepvanjoe3469]

Wow a haircut AND a Les Paul. Really stepping up your game there Brad hahaha. Always enjoy your vids man

[@ExitThirteen]

Y'all see how FAST he blew out that little flame?! Yep... this ain't his first barbeque....

[@mattgordon9229]

The amp sounds fantastic, very chewy and Marshally.

[@mikeanonymous669]

LMAO "WTF! WTH!" I nearly spit my pepsi all over this laptop.

[@matthewf1979]

The effects loop is a Metro product as well, and it’s upside down. There’s settings on it that need to be adjusted after installation. That’s one hell of a soldering iron to go through plexiglass AND aluminum!

[@riansettles2506]

Nice work. I think you are an amazing player as well. Nice country runs brother. Love the channel and i continue to learn a lot from it. Thanks again brother.

[@jwhite1016aol]

🔥🔥🔥🌡⛽🚒🗽🌋🎂💣💥fire fire fire -Beavis

[@stevehogan8829]

How could we miss it. Scared the crap out a me. Ya know, there's no reason to increase the danger factor just for ratings lol. Seriously, thanks for sharing that. Enjoyed your playing too, thanks

[@DoyleFuckinHargraves]

As my late Grandad would say to me in situations like that, “What’re you tearing up now?” :)

[@petersouthernboy6327]

LOVE the Instant Replay ! Who ever thought that amplifier testing could be so freaking exciting... Bruh... Whew... SMH

[@fredgarvin4482]

Finally a video i can relate to. :)

[@PedroSantos240]

Nice sound and playing!

[@lousekoya1803]

Great video Brad !.............I like to move my Presence in the back and install a MV in front where the Presence was! It doesn't screw up the looks of the amp and we almost never touch a Presence know once it's dialed on it's sweet spot !

[@soapboxearth2]

Ive had that plate-heater arc happen as well. Gets the blood pumping!! I had.to.replace.my socket , it was full of carbon haha. It's cool that yours didn't burn up. It's definitely a kit amp.. not a bad build but metropolis builds are some premo sheit.

[@timka880057]

I need a new fire extinguisher in my shop, extra baking soda or something...... lol I'm fortunate that hasn't happened to me....yet. God forbid! Knock on wood! Anyway enjoyed the vid Brad. Thanks !

[@AdamSteinzOfficial]

In the Eternal Words of the late, great Phil Hartman's Saturday Night Live Frankenstein: "FIRE BAD!!!"

[@TheGuitologist]

RIP.

[@Hellseeker1]

It's a dangerous job, glad your OK.

[@USDAselect]

Can you link the lung infused fire extinguisher in the description box please 😁😁😁😂😂😂. Fighter pilot reflexes Brad. It's lovely to see that LP paired with the Plexi.

[@dengsiao]

I had a 100W superbass in the 70s which blew the ht fuse several times. Why? - the EL34 sockets were dirty from dust and nikotin and got conductive. After scratching them clean the ht fuse didnt blew anymore.

[@krz8888888]

Holy crap! Shows that b+ isn't just a number

[@scottgallagherguitar]

Great Lakes, Cleveland represent!

[@paulkielt9301]

What's the purpose of those diodes on the power and standby switches? Looks like a short between one of the heater filament wires and Pin 3 of the power tube that started to burn?

[@mikebledsoe2315]

*Like watching you work on amps Brad. By the way Smokey The Bear tweeted he wants that exact 🔥 mod in his amp too 🚒🚓👍😁*

[@georgekrabs6948]

Hey quickblow that's the fastest response time ever Scariest one I've seen though was a 12 inch mini lightning bolt that went up from an amp on my bench and grounded onto a CRO above and not on us Ozone and fear filled the room We were afraid to go near that amp for a while and realized Tesla was a brave man Coffee break was very long indeed

[@w.rustylane5650]

If you like ale, try some Shock Top. The best ale made. That grille in the back is just plain ole hardware cloth, at least that's what they call it.

[@wizardtooth666]

Brad my name is Stephen and I live in savannah Georgia where there is only one guitar shop in town and as someone learning about guitars I'm having a tough time finding sources for good information on how to set up guitars any advice

[@TheGuitologist]

For setups, I've done some vids, search "Guitologist setup", or check channel's like a Randy Shartinger or Will's Easy Guitar.

[@brucedunkle9136]

10:32 That sounded exactly like Shaggy from the old Scooby Doo cartoons! "Holy shit! What the fuck was that, Scoob?"

[@douro20]

If I were to build an amp with a 3C22 disk seal triode (which I may do one of these days) it'll definitely be vented out the top. The 3C22 is a UHF tube first used in radar jamming equipment, but apparently it works quite well as an audio tube, and can be used in place of a 6550 with slight modification and around 500 volts on the plate.

[@osvaldodelapenavelasquez4880]

10:23 Best reaction ever 😂

[@dinger7608]

Nice music you made up at the end, making yourself move.

[@jackclark2787]

Love you brad

[@jmv668]

Great job , so scary the fire part LOL love the part when you play the amp repaired and copy for me some of your licks.

[@darikdatta]

That was awesome. Moar fire!

[@srtamplification]

Are you now a player in the KZbin thumbnail infinity war? LOL!

[@Fixologist1]

SRT Amplification yes, and Sweet Brown is my secret weapon.

[@MaxRockatansky853]

He didnt have no shoes or nothin, Jesus.

[@chatter7653]

Ain't nobody got time for that!

[@PoJoWo]

Aint got no shoes or nothin

[@thallrudedjentstorm1756]

How does the Master Volume work? Why don't you need a stereo potentiometer?

[@jonlennon3348]

Might not hurt to have a small CO-2 extinguisher hanging around. That would have scared me a lot if it happened to me. Great video and great teaching.

[@fiddlix]

Metroupolos amps are bad ass.

[@cgavin1]

That has absolutely nailed the plexi CLUCK and SCRAWL (tm). I'd buy one tomorrow if I had a spare kidney. Also lol at the customer who is worried an fx loop might suck tone but wants to install a master volume on a plexi. :)))

[@NERDOFUNK]

A Master will not suck tone if it is the right one for the task :)

[@bagoodale]

It’s actually my amp and it wasn’t as much a question of tone sucking as the question of who the f$?k would put that pcb junk in let alone do such a shit job. I just wanted it checked to see if it could be harming the sound or the functionality of the amps future. I bought it used and the 1st owner installed it himself apparently. As of the master volume, we don’t have anywhere to play live in southern Indiana/Louisville to even use this beast at 1 on the volume knobs. The master volume kind of solves that. Not to mention once you crank the master volume it is essentially out of the circuit. I typically use a AC15 or 57 Deluxe and constantly get told to turn wayyyy down.

[@mbburg2149]

Play... Come on Baby Light My Fire!!!!

[@Nickpaflas]

If you like Great Lakes, try burning River Pale Ale. My fave.