Morgan PR36 In Need of a Good Debuzzing

[@PsionicAudio]

At 9:48 I said "Princeton with tremolo without reverb." I misspoke - I meant without tremolo, with reverb. As I say a few minutes later.

[@jonnybeck6723]

I think most figured that out but thanx for your integrity

[@kimballisms]

7:08 friendly spider cameo appearance on the right-most pre-amp tube. Oooh she jumped at 7:36 :)

[@TheStimpy60]

I had a Morgan PR10 combo. Hummed like mad. Sent it back to Joe, and he chased it for a week - sent it back to me and it still hummed. One amp I sold that I do not regret selling

[@stringlocker]

So the guy that bought it didn't care that it hummed

[@TheStimpy60]

@@stringlocker - interestingly, when I listed it on Reverb, the guy who has sold it to me bought it back 😳. I told him all about it- he didn’t seem to care.

[@genesisfalling]

Ive got a PR36 and when i first got it, it had a big hum with the reverb on. Emailed Joe Morgan and sent him photos and he said the reverb tank has been put in the wrong place like in your video ( He said they had a new person on the production line who was putting them in the wrong place). He was good and talking me through changing its position in the head which thankfully I could do as I am in the UK and didn't want to ship it back to America. After that it's been very quiet, no more hum and no further issues.

[@seanmckenna228]

Surely these things should be spotted in CC before they ship though?

[@fiddlix]

Fender knew what they were doing when it came to reverb.

[@williambock1821]

I’ve never played a Morgan but have always been impressed with demos(FWIW).If I bought one,I’d expect it to be as good as something I built myself for the price,though. With their reputation and price point,one should expect nothing less. As you say,”it’s not rocket science” or it SHOULDNT be for a boutique amp company!

[@jonnybeck6723]

Thanx Lyle, most enlightening... I can't afford a Morgan anyway so you made me feel better about my old HRD cheers

[@Satchmoeddie]

Harbor Freight left handed drill bits. Use the smallest one and if it doesn't bite and back the screw out the next size up will.

[@Echo_III]

I am building amps also and I love the papers about grounding. And now - how can Morgan go to NAMM shows etc. with this kind of safety ground and color codes? Can you explain that? How can he put CE on that? And is it possible to make a video about CE in amps? When it is considered safe to use? Thanks!

[@garyeggleton1142]

still a great sounding amp....I always want that sound with my builds, sometimes happens

[@passionplayer7]

Great vid! The AC wire bothers me too considering Morgan is made by Boutique Amps Distribution(relatively decent sized company). I’m wondering if this is a Morgan specific design(that B.A.D. just copies for Morgan) or across the board on other amps they make as well? I was a bit put off by Joe Morgan when he was playing a video game during an interview and ended the interview early to continue the game, lol

[@Blaculo]

Corporate rock amps.

[@daleburrell6273]

...well, "ya can't please EVERYBODY!!!"

[@TUMMISS]

The AC wire is a non-starter for me. That screams “this was built unsafely by someone who doesn’t either doesn’t know what they’re doing or doesn’t give a shit”. Huge red flag.

[@daleburrell6273]

@@TUMMISS ...IF I WAS WORKING ON THAT PARTICULAR AMPLIFIER- THERE'S NO WAY IN HELL THAT I'D RETURN IT TO THE CUSTOMER WIRED LIKE THAT!!!

[@THEQueeferSutherland]

I would put the tank in the speaker cab and run the reverb cables down into it

[@infectionsman]

7:42 I see you have your helper spider checking out the preamp tubes. Is he filling in for your ant?

[@douro20]

I would imagine the proprietary transformers can be a complication. I personally like simple amps without internal effects. I'm thinking of building a few someday which have a choice of pentode or triode input stages, and maybe use some unusual but good sounding tubes in the process.

[@orionwarren4244]

Since this 'boutique' Princeton copy runs about the same (pricewise) as an actual handwired Princeton, it begs the question: Why not get the 'real' thing?? LoL

[@weschilton]

That right there is THE point.

[@daleburrell6273]

...MAYBE THE "REAL THING" IS NOT AVAILABLE?!!

[@knifeswitch5973]

As always top line content

[@edwardhannigan6324]

Nice looking amp, lots of serious hardware..Pricey I'd say.. ! Great video and info Lyle..Ed..uk..😀

[@douro20]

At that price they should be using turret boards and not a PCB. I do like the hand wiring, though they still could had done a better job with it.

[@pauldavis6356]

@19:40 we see the "CE" label. I guess you CAN get them on the internet. Morgan must buy them in bulk. LoL.

[@ericrinehardt9373]

I’ve built a couple of single-ended amps from kits but very much consider myself a novice hobbyist. But even I know the mains should have its own dedicated ground. It is shocking (no pun intended) they didn’t do it that way.

[@balke7935]

Every amp I see that I think I like the look of has a Psionic video that makes me stop dead 😂

[@leiferickson3183]

CE is a self certification. It is the manufacturer claiming that their product meets CE.

[@PsionicAudio]

It's supposed to be verified/inspected before it can have that label. That process is expensive. There is no way this amp was certified.

[@kostisk8914]

@@PsionicAudio I would have thot the design gets approved via dwg submittal and some third party inspector would have verified that model with a shop visit vs every single one is looked over. What BAD actual wires could be different than what they were suppose to wire. Some shop deviations that don’t get a design check type of thing. happens in other industries without a competent qaqc program.

[@IL2TXGunslinger]

Lyle, thanks for sharing this go through and repair. Speaking of great amp builds, how’s the Exalibre 15 heads progressing? I imagine like the rest of Western Civilization your lining up supplies. I ask because I hope to get on the list early before your backlogged by 4 years. I’m absolutely sure that when you do start production - you’ll be flooded. The design and your execution is just way to great for that not to happen. Thanks for any update you might have.

[@PsionicAudio]

I'm waiting for the next panels to arrive so I can finish the Normal+Tboost version. The first batch was stolen in the mail. The wait is killing me.

[@IL2TXGunslinger]

@@PsionicAudio Sorry about that. I hope it eases soon. I’m sure you’ll let us all know when it does. Thank you, Lyle.

[@PsionicAudio]

There aren't a lot of companies making panels like I need in small orders. And my guy had surgery. He says he's making the new ones tomorrow. Fingers crossed. I'm still pissed off about the theft of the first order. USPS delivered an empty box.

[@weschilton]

@@PsionicAudio That really sucks!

[@moorec1053]

When this scenario occurs..... the amp is just a few weeks old..... i wonder why the owner did bot send it back to Morgan under warranty.?

[@mcsniper77]

CE only valid in EU. The customer broke the screw not realizing it was jam nutted on the reverse. Whatever it is his to do so. But the stud & nut were still holding that grounding terminal fairly secure.

[@PsionicAudio]

If it says CE it should be CE compliant. That AC safety ground is US wiring code too. The PI ground was not solid when it came in. I could move it with my fingers.

[@theRodofwar]

BEST AMP ELITIST EVER !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@daleburrell6273]

0:55...the amplifier HUMS because it doesn't know the WORDS-(?)

[@michaelfuller34]

Hi Lyle, thanks for all the fantastic content. I understand the power cable requirements( longer ground than the hot and common) when you have a cord that can be yanked out but are there similar requirements when using an iec socket?

[@PsionicAudio]

With an IEC the ground wire (green or green/yellow) must be short going to a dedicated ground shared with nothing else.

[@johnmsuhr]

@@PsionicAudio and my test guy says it can not be a bolt but has to be a staked threaded stand off as well as have a specific arrangement of washers/nuts

[@cloudconnect]

The spider at 7:50 wants to know what your doing to his house. On another note, I appreciate your opinion on the way that it is grounded, but lets say a guy doesn't have your knowledge and wants to know why? I mean, we've all seen UL tags on transformerless, widow maker amps, death-caps, etc... so we know they can make mistakes too. As far as I can tell, the amp is grounded the way it is. What is the benefit of keeping that ground wire from the IEC jack so short, and on its own? Also, what is the benefit of doing it the Morgan way? I think I see the potential of keeping ground resistance very very low with the latter, but not sure. Also not sure why you didn't show what you did to change it. Did you just decide to leave it?

[@PsionicAudio]

The real answer is because it's electrical safety code. AC safety grounds on IEC receptacles must have their own dedicated chassis connection. Not to be shared with any other component ground. It must be short. It must have locking hardware of various specified kinds. It must be either green or green/yellow. That's actual safety code for commercial products. I don't have time right now to list why that's better. But it's code for very good reasons. No benefit whatsoever to how Morgan did it. I haven't changed anything in the amp yet because I need to get permission from the owner to change the filter caps and I couldn't get in touch with them today.

[@cloudconnect]

@@PsionicAudio Okay, I will trust you and make sure to observe this in the future, as I am sure I have made errors like this in the past on some builds.

[@roberthurless4615]

I am continually amazed by some of these issues with "boutique" amps. You have probably forgotten more than I know, but even I know how to properly attach an AC ground. Secondly, I did not occur to me that attaching the resistor leads close to a cap in the manner they did would cause heat transfer to the cap. Do you recommend using another method?

[@russellesimonetta3835]

Uhh it's straped to the caps leads. All thats needed is to make sure there is a quarter inch gap when you strap them together.

[@russellesimonetta3835]

Uhh I should have been clearer. You strap the resister to the cap before it goes on the board. Best practice is to strap the leads an inch or so away from the body of the cap and use heat sink clip between the body of the cap and the strap to protect the cap . Also the resister body and cap body should have a quarter inch gap. No touching for heat dissipation.

[@amieffects5754]

I just discovered your amazing channel, there are a lot of useful informations on your videos. You often talk about hardware and screws not being tight enough from factory, what are your thoughts on the use of medium strength threadlock in guitar amps? Should it be used?

[@PsionicAudio]

Thanks! It shouldn't be needed most of the time but a little dab of blue loktite can be good for hardware that might be prone to vibration.

[@amieffects5754]

@@PsionicAudio Thanks to you! So I will keep doing it. I will use that nail polish trick from an other video to prevent oxydation on the chassis ground connections also. I add not thought of that as something that could happen, but it makes total sense.

[@gregcharles999]

Thanks for the very interesting take on the morgan. I happen to own a PR12 Princton type amp for maybe 2 years and have nothing but problems with it. Started out ith a cap on the bias cicuit making noise, and Joe said just clip it out it wont make a differnece! Why have it then. So after more play I get these loud arching sounds and hiss coming and going. It can work fine on the bench for a few days, put it back in the cab and staarts up again, but then returns on the bench. I changed all the filter caps and tubes to better ones, and the amp sounds good until it starts up again arching. I am thinking that the resitors as you point out across the coupling caps or the caps themselves are the problem. I would really like to remove the cheap board and make it a true point to point amp at this point. I'm not anywhere close to a good amp tech so its do it myself is the only option. Wish I would have bought a bettter amp with my $2k. Like an old Prinston, true point to point wiring instead of a cheap printed cicuit board copy.

[@PsionicAudio]

Well, it's not a cheap PCB. I doubt your issue is the cathode RCs. Ship the chassis to a good tech and get the problem solved right without rebuilding the whole thing. Shipping just a small chassis isn't expensive.

[@gregcharles999]

@@PsionicAudio Hi thanks for the reply but I'm in Mauritius half way around the world from the states. The reason I said cheap is that a trace lifted off of the cicuit board changing a cap, even though I was careful. That didn't happen even on a blues jr. If I can't figure out the problem I will bring the chasis back when I go back to the states. Also I read that the Freedman amps are made at the same factory, they look to be the same in quality, same tubes, componants, resisters snug to the caps, etc.

[@adam614ce]

This is a recently build Morgan amp, built by B.A.D. along with many other amp brands. I hope the crew is now wiring all the grounds to Tone King, Friedman, Soldano, and Synergy. As one person said, it may just be that Morgan’s schematic is wired like that and employees at BAD are copying his design for the ground.

[@PsionicAudio]

Either way it was a BAD job.

[@WayneMemphisMojo]

do what?!?!?!? a problem with an expensive amp???? .... just goes to show ya, any amp can have issues & we are lucky to have a dude like you here in Memphis to help make um right. *end of video watching edit ... could a RFID EMF Shielding fabric faraday bag or pouch around the reverb tank eliminate the hum? (just an idea)

[@ZephyrCrypto]

Lyle - Love your work. I have a67 Super that needs a going over.... Long shot but do you know anyone in the UK who works with your level of detail and care? I have a long history of bad experiences with amp techs in the UK. Cheers... love the videos

[@cloudconnect]

Stuart ukguitarampguy of course! I mean there are going to be a lot of guys in your country, but he's in Berkshire, so hopefully by UK, you mean England.

[@elshiftos]

Did you get your amp sorted? I work for a backline hire company in Surrey and would be more than happy to help restore your confidence in UK amps techs!

[@ZephyrCrypto]

@@elshiftos Hi, it still needs work. Do you have a website? Cheers

[@goodun2974]

At 7:25, Boris the Spider 🕷 has entered the room! Or perhaps it's "Flea"? An insect or arthropod climbs one of the preamp tubes, jumps to the adjacent tube in a move that would make Peter Parker jealous, and then hangs out on the chassis until you changed the scene with an edit! If it was a spider, I hope you didn't harm it accidentally. I like spiders; spiders are interesting. I remove them from the house unharmed if it's possible to do so (my wife is terrified of them); granted, you're far more likely to encounter Brown Recluse or Black Widow spiders down there in Memphis than we are up here in New England. If it's a flea, however, it's fumigation time. I went through that once (living in a duplex with a next-door neighbor who didn't use flea collars or insect repellant meds on their cats) and it's not fun. From mosquitoes to fleas, insects love me ---- I get bit when no one else does. The fleas didn't touch my wife or her son but I had nasty welts below my sockline for weeks.

[@PsionicAudio]

Yeah, my bench had a little visitor yesterday. I kept gently blowing her away from where I was working but she kept coming back. I hadn't realized she was trying to get some on-screen time. Everyone wants to get into showbiz...

[@goodun2974]

@@PsionicAudio actually, I typically anthropomorphise all spiders as being female, ever since I read Charlotte's Web as a child. I only used "Boris" because it fits better into a music-related joke. My wife, however, thinks all spiders are named Shelob ! "She.....yasss....*she* could do it, yasss.....". Gollum ..

[@AprioriMarcos]

I was a little disturbed reading through the comments like, "ARE WE JUST NOT GOING TO TALK ABOUT THE SPIDER?!?!?!" Dunno why that amused me so much, but it sure did. Thanks for this video.

[@daleburrell6273]

7:07...I'd have drilled a new hole in the chassis, and secured the ground lug directly to the aluminum chassis- instead of depending on a PEM nut to secure the ground connection-!! For one thing, a PEM nut and the aluminum chassis are dissimilar metals- and while that may be a secure mechanical connection- I wouldn't count on that to remain a dependable electrical connection!!!

[@PsionicAudio]

There are a lot of things about this amp I would have changed. But this was a repair.

[@aharkness5657]

CE is a self-affirmation and buying stickers from ebay or whereever is perfectly fine. Putting the mark on your product just means you're stating compliance with relevant regulations and that you have a technical description available if needed for inspection. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CE_marking

[@PsionicAudio]

They are very much not in compliance.

[@aharkness5657]

Which wasn't in question. The point of the comment is that CE markings aren't done in some ivory tower and there are no officials or inspectors making them. The stickers come from the sticker shop and manufacturers do their own inspection and put the mark on their products. Ebay stickers are just as valuable and binding as any.

[@bryanweekley5983]

Looks like the display pilot light is out.

[@getumedge8702]

I understand there is a second party company that builds Amos for Morgan

[@kbkman7742]

You think that's bad, another guy put up a video of a Mezzabarba amp that didn't have a safety earth connection at all. The company told him it was because of tradition no joke

[@JEmilioJNava]

you have a spider jump on camera v1 to v2

[@PsionicAudio]

Do you have any idea how long it takes to train them to do that?

[@AprioriMarcos]

@@PsionicAudio Tone spider?

[@richpesce]

I was wondering if there was some "Boutique" brands that you've seen that was really building amps right, maybe even impressed you a bit.

[@PsionicAudio]

Depends on what's "boutique." Suhr, Friedman, Fuchs, Germino, Welagen, all fantastic. 65 Amps, Divided by 13, Dr Z, pretty good (but avoid the Zs with reverb).

[@richpesce]

Awesome, thank you. I have a Fuchs ODS classic and a Morgan JS12. Appreciate the answer.

[@philthompson9633]

I wonder?? Could a grounded aluminum plate between transformers and Rev tank alleviate most of the hum?

[@PsionicAudio]

No, it would need to be mumetal. $$$$$.

[@Michael-bm8hi]

CE compliance or in general compliance with electrical codes seems being a serious issue in the boutique amp building business. Amp builders need to put more diligence into this. These codes differ from geography to geography and are there for a reason. They should not be considered as a nuisance.

[@adriae.s.3814]

7:13 spider friend

[@darrylgodfrey9604]

Thank goodness for your "jaundice" - I'd prefer to hear it straight than more marketing BS.

[@atech9020]

I will go out on a limb and say that any amp that has a CE, ROHS, UL, or other certification labeled on the amp makes it NOT Boutique. Any amp sold through a distributor or other distribution syndicate is also NOT a boutique amp. A truly Boutique amp is one that is made by some guy in his garage, building them one by one and benefiting solely from the sale. No middle man, no distribution deals, and no factory, just a few guys doing what they do. When a price point, market share, and how to cut costs to maximize profits is factored in so that your distribution deal still pays out, you are no longer boutique, you are just another amp company waiting for their legacy to end...

[@Patrick-857]

Yep. Profiting off a name, until the name is worthless.

[@danielsaturnino5715]

Ok, I'll throw my amps in the trashcan now... hehe kidding. I do apreciate you speaking your mind. Thanks for sharing.

[@imannonymous7707]

Did they buy the C.E sticker on ebay lol

[@jasonstone1046]

I thought I was looking into my old Gorilla amp there for a sec 😂

[@watkinscopicat]

Gorillas were more reliable

[@skeeterbuck1355]

Lyle, I'll bet that when that broken screw came out with the nut underneath really made your day. Rather disappointing for being considered a "boutique" amp yet too cheap to use SS hardware and lock washers on the pots/jacks. The reason they get the over inflated reputation is from guitar reviews, not experts like you in amp construction. Morgan was a circuit copier not a designed IMHO.

[@tubeDude48]

I'm with you! This is a VERY POOR layout and wiring! I also don't see twisted filament wires!

[@russellesimonetta3835]

A look inside is worth a couple of grand. I am frustrated by amp reveiws where they rave about the amp and don't show how it's built!

[@antonix_81]

mainly those reviews are from 'musicians' that have no clue how a good amp should sound and be made

[@BradsGuitarGarage]

Here's a hint as to why that happens: Do they get the amps sent to them for free?

[@lmt200ish]

Would shielding help for the reverb tank hum?

[@goodun2974]

I was wondering the same. Maybe some mu metal could be wrapped around the transducers? Also, is the tank's outer shield bonded to the signal ground at the input or output RCA connectors ? If so, perhaps the tank should get its own ground wire and the signal path lifted above and isolated from the metal shell. I think it would be better if the cabinets for all head amps with spring reverb had extra height so that the reverb tank could be mounted to the inside bottom of the cabinet, underneath the amplifier chassis, which should have their transformers and tubes facing upwards.....

[@BenState]

looks tasty

[@daleburrell6273]

7:23...stainless steel hardware is not as strong as regular steel hardware!!!

[@jamesf2918]

“ It’s good compared to a line 6 or crate” 😂

[@kostisk8914]

Don’t tell Morgan or dr z they’ll blow a fuze! Lol and I own a dr z. Ha!

[@kevinbatchelor9566]

So is the moral of this story, but real Fender Amps?

[@5barkerstreet]

I can't believe you didn't pick up the fact that this amp is switching the neutral?

[@PsionicAudio]

I don't want to watch it again or think about freaking Morgans again, but I believe you. Maybe I was too depressed to see everything else wrong with it.

[@geezberry8889]

ralph morgan must be seething

[@Echo_III]

5:00 oh my lord... How can one do that?! Screws are cheap things. Just drill one hole in that aluminium and that's all. Why manufacturers use transformer's screws? This always amaze me.

[@stevepuffery8918]

It sure seems to have a mojo…… Are you hatein on Morgan Mr.?

[@Dirge4july]

It’s not like these amps are cheap either! So glad I didn’t buy one when I was In the market. It was this, A port city pearl or a prs archon. I went with the archon. Do not regret my purchase what so ever!

[@PsionicAudio]

You dodged a bullet on the Pearl too.

[@BradsGuitarGarage]

Pfff, called an elitist by viewers who are secretly taking notes on what not to buy! You do you, man!

[@Patrick-857]

I can't see how he's an elitist myself. He just knows what he's talking about and is tired of the same old mistakes being repeated.

[@johnmiller9219]

my man is not impressed.🤣

[@SIXSTRING63]

I don’t know if I can blame the manufacturer for a “cheap” screw when all you can get is inferior Chinese junk for hardware. I was a certified tool and die maker/CNC programmer for 30 years and have seen the quality of raw steel go down the tubes as American mills were shut down do to climate nuts and our government selling out to the Chinese. Most of the stock we used was offshore crap that was probably smelted in a a none QC mill. We would get stock that was under spec in tensile strength, shear strength, full of stress cracks, filled with impurities……….not to mention the issues it would have when it had to be heat treat hardened. I became quite good at metallurgy over the years of seeing differences in matching one lot of stock to the next, or stock from different suppliers. Knowing how to heat treat and anneal material was part of the job too. Just saw a video of a Chinese cast brake rotor where the hub the mounts to the axil over the lug studs sheared off like someone sawed it off. This could have been a catastrophe that cost someone’s life. As far as the wiring that is on them, hardware they really have no control over.

[@antonix_81]

i have to say, their wiring is improved compared to the one you showed some time ago, but still overrated amps

[@bills48321]

All those flaws and it's $2300 new.

[@Pentode3000]

CE= China Export ;)

[@liquidstar9]

elitist? i think the word they are reaching for is "competent". there's no excuse for sh!t workmanship. and ignorance is the worst excuse when it comes to potentially lethal things.

[@ezragonzalez8936]

overprice junk for sure!