Saving the Morgan | Whether It Deserves It or Not

[@classicraceruk1337]

Cushioned by the pre amp wiring…..a very good dig……

[@nedim_guitar]

It made me laugh! 😂

[@nedim_guitar]

This was educational, interesting and fun! Morgan need to step up their game and do things right.

[@fiddlix]

The best quote I've heard all year "sit on your hands". I love it..great video as always.

[@DOOMUNION]

Did some work with BAD several years ago and saw how things are done. Amps are wired up by a handful of people for maybe a hair over minimum wage. They copy a completed sample sitting in front of them. Some of the pcb loading is outsourced to someone in the area, or to anyone willing to do the work for peanuts. Shop was pretty gross and terrible work conditions.

[@jasonbone5121]

In Navy soldering school we called those semi-clinched (the way you bent the leads at a 45ish degree angle for some mechanical stability). We would clinch them all the way down (in the direction of the pcb trace) for max mechanical connection (full clench). While it made for the best connection, it had the potential of doing the most damage if you had to remove it at a later date. Nice work!

[@luthiervandros]

We refer to clenching for other reasons

[@jimsalman7257]

As in, (referencing a scene from the 3rd Harry Potter movie) what the magical bus’ dangling Rastafarian shrunken head tells the passengers: “Don’t forget to clench your buttocks. It’s gonna be a bompy ride!”

[@luthiervandros]

@@jimsalman7257 😂

[@goodun2974]

Jason Bone, the problem with mechanically "cinching" (I think that's the word you meant) the leads by bending them down flat to the solder-pad is that for removing them at some future date the tech will need to use a dental pick in conjunction with the soldering iron to pry up the component lead somewhat, and only then can you reach for the solderwick, spring-loaded desoldering pump, or vacuum-operated desoldering gun. Prying up the leads with the dental pick is okay on older PC boards made with lead solder (like the 70's/80's collectible hifi gear I mostly work on in my day job), but modern equipment from the last 20-25 years or so usually has thin, fragile foils and board traces that debond from the board and lift up easily, especially at the high temperatures needed to melt leadfree solder. The only other way to free the part is to cut the leads to remove the component first, then heat the solder joint and push the cutoff leads through from the other side of the board, as we've all seen Lyle do (which only works on components with exposed leads that you can reach with cutters), and is especially tricky when the board is flopping around loosely and tethered in place with fragile ribbon cables. This is why I don't bend the leads of replacement parts flat to the board traces, except perhaps in the case of parts that are being perched up off the board to dissipate heat, like large power resistors, big diodes, voltage-regulator transistors and so on, where you need additional mechanical support.

[@jasonbone5121]

@@goodun2974 While we didn't use solder wick (we used vacuum) the reason is the same, a sweat joint. We were told to always make a repair as if no one would ever have to remove it. That said, we were taught how to break the sweat joint without doing damage (with dick bill pliers), as well as how to repair the board if it was damaged.

[@rossdonald594]

Thank you for your excellent presentation. There's too much smoke and mirrors in the guitar amp business.......... it needs to be called out.

[@pwlebrun4573]

The bolognese comment made crack up laughing. Admire the depth of your knowledge and experience; love your one-liners.

[@samlloyd9665]

Just found your Morgan PR12 videos after a client contacted me about working on his amp. Thought I would check and see if there were any known issues that might expedite the troubleshooting process, and your videos definitely gave me some things to look for. Finally got my hands on the amp yesterday, and within five seconds I discovered a couple of things of interest: 1. The filter caps were ARS branded 500V rated, so I was pleased to discover that I didn't need to replace them. 2. The 68K resistor from the input jack going to V1, pin 2 had NEVER been soldered. I'm not talking POOR solder joint, I'm talking NO solder joint. 3. Similar to #2, the lead going to V2, pin 2 was also unsoldered, although in this case there was at least a small dab of solder on the tube socket pin. But still... FWIW, I try not to be overly critical when I discover issues like those described above, because mistakes happen, and I don't think I've ever seen any brand that is totally free from workmanship issues and design flaws. But there sure seems to be a lot of evidence of poor workmanship, and that's a shame, because otherwise I could find a lot of good things to say about the amp. Seems like at the very least they need to invest in solder training per Mil-Spec/IPC-610, and implement a more thorough QA/QC program. So much of what I've seen so far should have been caught during a typical visual inspection.

[@PsionicAudio]

Thanks Sam. On the ARS - make sure they aren't the ones with rubber caps on both ends - those are "replace on sight."

[@samlloyd9665]

@@PsionicAudio Not sure about rubber caps on the ends, but it turns out that the first one in line after the rectifier was bad (measured in the pF range), so I'm planning on replacing them all. The thing that gave it away is that I couldn't get more than ~8mA bias current with the bias pot maxed out, so I checked the plate voltage and it was around 360VDC. At first I thought maybe there was a problem with the rectifier, or even the power transformer, but the AC voltage coming out of the transformer looked good, and swapping a known good rectifier made no difference. Then it hit me to check the AC on the first filter caps, and I measured around 115VAC! Swapped in a Sprague Atom and plate voltage jumped to ~450VDC, with only a fraction of a volt of AC.

[@tomaszbaran]

I'm not an amp tech, but following your videos for a while, I learned to understand how all those little details and design decisions add up to an amp sounding great, or sounding crap. Thanks for sharing your knowledge Lyle!

[@zbaby82]

Excellent. Could you repair more guitar amps? I really enjoy watching them get repaired.

[@weschilton]

Wow, its the appearance of painstaking hand-wired lead dress on top, and all CBS fuckery underneath! Haha!

[@zombeer8340]

Thank you for not holding back and saying the truth!

[@craigoriopequeño505]

Subscribed and thank u Lyle, for saving me a lot of $$ and more than likely an expensive headache.

[@robertbarnes9745]

A Ned Beatty call out. A role of infamy, but this river don't go to Ayntrey, boy.

[@Andy_Yates]

When you lifted that board, I was transported back to watching cartoons as a kid. Those scenes where the character has apparently cleaned a room until a closet door is bumped or opened, and all the clutter spills into the room filling it up. Those wires under the board is all the garbage stuffed into the closet. The tidy preamp wiring is a total sham and slight of hand

[@jpalberthoward9]

Phineas J Whoopie with the 3 dimensional blackboard in the Tennessee Tuxedo cartoons.

[@alexwoolridge94aw]

Dude when you lifted up that board I about spit out my beer! Holy hell. Idk what it is but I'm really loving your Morgan videos. Morgan needs to take a semester under your wing

[@PsionicAudio]

I don't have time to teach newbies how to build amps. ;)

[@alexwoolridge94aw]

@@PsionicAudio yessir! Keep up the great content dude!

[@mark5150ty]

What's up man, new subscriber, I live in Memphis too. Just found your channel tonight. Realized you were from Memphis and I got to support the home team so I subscribed. Looking forward to more repair videos.

[@gregcharles999]

Thanks for calling Morgan out on their amps, I can personally attest to everything you have shown in your videos to be the same problems that hounded me from soon after I bought my PR12 amp. I live too far away to send the amp back each time it started to act up so having experience with amps I did change filter caps and re flowed the poor solder joints, replaced the cheap tubes, replaced the ground wire with a more appropriate gauge to a good ground, all in an amp that set me back $2,000 bucks. I still I continued to have problems, and I suspect the circuit board is poorly made so special attention to anyone replacing parts on it. I bought it based on the representations of some great players like Josh Smith and many others that reviewing them. I am so disgusted with the poor quality of the amp after it constantly needed to be fixed, I finally sent it to a repairman who literally repairs amps for the pros, and he made some changes to the amp to solve some problems but said, buddy I’m afraid to touch anything else on this amp, its really not worth it. This after I asked him to make any mods necessary to put it in the best shape he could, money no issue. I really feel taken by Morgan and the dealers representing them. Also, I would like to point out that not only the Morgan but several high end amps come out of the same factory in California so be highly suspect when you buy an amp where it’s made, it will surprise you. Thanks again for making people aware.

[@JasonHobbsGuitarist]

If an amp builder needs a guy like Josh Smith to sell an amp… there’s your problem. Greatly designed amps sell themselves. That’s why blackface Princeton reverbs sell themselves. Built right. Leo and the guys had their shit together. If you want a real Princeton buy a vintage one. 👍 👌

[@JTNMax]

I’ve had an AC20 Deluxe from back when Joe was building these amps himself with matching cabinet and zero issues. I’ve had it well over 10 years, bought it used and not one problem. I’ve never bothered looking at the wiring. Maybe things changed over time with Morgan’s but I love mine, play it out live at least twice a month, get a lot of compliments and Joe has even answered my questions live over video. I had never heard of Josh Smith when I bought mine. But there’s a lot of big named country artists who have these on stage now. Maybe I’ve been lucky all these years, but I’ve never had any amps in the shop except a Bedrock 1200 from back in the day. Anyone remember those?? I’ve had a ton of amps from all the major guys, plus quite a few from smaller builders. Lucky I guess. I guess repair people see the worst of it all.

[@bradleystereoguitaramplifi9616]

Very frustrating to see the low level of workmanship and poor components selection in these amps for the price that the customers pay. It's too bad.

[@18190sparks]

I would say, it seems to be model-dependent. I’ve had a great tech look over the two RCA35 models I have, and he says they’re stellar. But I agree, all too many high priced amps are built shockingly. Don’t even get me started on Lazy J. Anyone shelling out that absurd amount of money for those dumpster fire amps is a total fool.

[@WayneMemphisMojo]

Ya always gotta watch the video & read the description. (When I was younger I used to sit on my left hand while eating at the table so as to not hear, "stop hugging your plate")

[@harveycan5820]

People, like amps, can be wired up poorly. Unlike amps, the wiring for people is not so easy to fix or restore. There is no way to re-flow a miserable soul. Don't let trolls rankle you. You do a great job doing what you do. I will always be grateful to you for the Rickenbacker vintage/modern video. Completely changed how I saw the problem with my 360 V64s from late 90s. I sent it to my guitar tech. On my 6-string, he turned the 5th knob into a dial for the vintage/modern sound and there's a real sweet spot.... I also had him flip the Volume and Tone knobs so that the Volume is on the top, which is infinitely more practical. We installed the Accent vibrato from Winfield Vintage, and with flatwound Pyramids, it's a new guitar! Thanks for informing and inspiring me! Maybe do more guitar episodes?

[@mrmansville9340]

Thanks for posting all this content I’m flat on my back so it’s good company at the moment.

[@davemassie3726]

I passed on the p12 a few years ago and bought a 73 fender silverface PR for 400.00 ! Tone to die for! Thanks for Vid!

[@adamfstewart81]

Wow. Shots fired!

[@Impractical_Engineer]

This made me laugh so much. I love this channel

[@alexwoolridge94aw]

This video was pure gold

[@mateoh.3735]

Love the content very informative & the dry to the point sense of humor kills me. 👍🏻

[@matthewf1979]

I let out a hearty HA! when you said the board is cushioned by the preamp spaghetti. It’s disgraceful to charge people that much for a sub par build quality amp. I don’t do production runs, but I’ve built a lot of amps over the years. In all, none of them have that much wire in them……COMBINED! One more standoff, a screw and a nut…. Everything is like that in Morgan amps. So close to being a high quality musical instrument.

[@RMosack]

The rats nest of wires below that board blew my mind. Holy smokes. I'm not expert. I've built a few Allen and Trinity kits. But even a noob knows how awful that is.

[@johnwilliamson467]

NASA wants mechanical connection before soldering for those who want to argue with your take. SSS Safety Strength and Sustainability .

[@jlzuzze]

"Get some Bolognese sauce on here and I'll have lunch" hahaha

[@TheStimpy60]

Pastafarian 😆 The Flying Spaghetti Monster And then at the very end we get Deliverance, you’re on a roll !

[@kaalisalaatti]

Oh man I enjoy these videos;D I haven't been fiddlin' with tube amps in a while. I did build a handful of them, had my share.. Your videos are absolutely joy to watch.

[@Intrinsic.Recording]

I work on a LOT of amps. For over 20 years now. Started on consoles, studio gear, etc. Honestly? I've seen some better solder joints on some cheap Monoprice amps from China. Not meaning yours, but the original factory work. Thing is, it's a pretty decent plated through pcb isn't it? With pretty awful soldering job. Anyways. Good job cleaning up that mess. I'd rather have an old fender FWIW. Just because its new and a clone, and looks spiffy, does not make "Boutique" better. As an aside? At some point, polypropylene DC link caps will get small enough for filter caps in every amp. I've used them in several amps now, clamping them to the chassis. Works great, no liquid dielectric. Temp ratings are now up to 105. Some needed bleeder resistors, but man, I think that's the future. No discernible change in tone in filter position, clients were ok with my leaving old caps on chassis top, disconnected (and discharged) for looks. Great job, and, thanks for the vid! Subscribing.

[@oldguy5381]

Sounds like a different rig what a change. 👍👍

[@pierre19x]

Im thankful to have found this video before i went and got a morgan mvp23.....jeez , ill just stick to my faithful jc-120 🤘 any recommendations on a great 2 channel amp with great overdrive? 🙌

[@dwaynedelario]

Great work, per usual, Lyle. This amp is a travesty, especially at this price point. I don't know what you're hearing in the room, but here in youtube land, something is just not right at 800Hz. Didn't sound like any Princeton I've ever played, that's for damn sure. I'll go back to playing my Fat Jimmy now, thanks very much. 😎

[@PsionicAudio]

Yeah it doesn't sound great. There is a reason some of us sweat over lead dress. Doesn't matter if you use Synergy caps and Mercury iron if you goof all the connections between them.

[@kcliftoncarroll]

Very Insightful! What Princeton-based circuits have you seen that are better built?

[@sam127001]

new sub - enjoying your content and troubleshooting !

[@mikeaustin4138]

Bought a Morgan MVP23 a couple of months ago, based on YT demos - no Morgan dealers within 600 miles - and the power scaling feature. With the volume and gain a 2 o'clock (~ 7) it sounded pretty good. Problem was, even with the power scaling all the way down it was still too loud for my situation, so I sold it. Kind of shocking to see how poorly made Morgan amps are - something you'd expect from Bugera or Crate. I'm now thinking of a Bad Cat Cub 15R with a Tone King Iron Man II attenuator...

[@getumedge8702]

Heard an interview with Joe Morgan that the manufacturing of Morgan Amps are outsourced.

[@T0mmyTune]

You know? It's interesting how people choose to go down roads and instead of checking themselves, they just push on. And then there are some of us who want to learn. We make mistakes and eat our peas. I've built a handful of amps. I chose to build 6 Champs before I moved on and felt like I was competent enough to attempt larger designs. The reason I chose to build so many was a simple thing. 6 is not really "so many", it's just how many it took before I felt confident in my competence. Now 4 years in, I'm still a beginner. I figure if I keep it up I can get to a journeyman stage. But not sure I will continue. I'm still interested, but get much pleasure watching videos like yours. There are only one or two others I can 'tolerate' to watch. I don't need to be entertained. I don't want to join someone's cult of personality. I want competence and information. A laugh or two is plenty. My journey started out of boredom. A slow winter in my business, and I figured I'd try something I'd always wanted to try. Your series of Amplifiers under $500 introduced me to your channel. And now you're someone I keep an eye on. Thank you for the work and effort to video your art.

[@jfar3340]

Amazing channel; I'm amazed by the amount of knowledge you're giving away for free. Too bad for those who comment without watching.

[@unclelefteye3166]

Had to click the thumbs up immediately following the “sit on your hands” comment. Couldn’t agree more. Love it. Thank you and keep up the good work!

[@barneycartwright4107]

Arm chair experts are brutal, just ignore them:)

[@johnnyt599]

Indeed

[@brucehayes7251]

Experts aplenty,but who's actually fixing the issues.i agree,ignore,do and think as you please.

[@cpfs936]

I'm gonna listen to the guy that's probably seen 100 of the things, and knows just what's weak, how to make it better, and how to keep it from blowing up. (Just like my mechanic) 😉👍

[@jpalberthoward9]

"Those who know how, are the ones who do Those who don't, Write the review" .......Grandma

[@AZCobraman]

$2K amp.... 🙄 Did Fender do the soldering on turret boards from the bottom too?

[@GlennJimenez]

Interesting how the wires seem to pad the board, almost like a pillow in a way. It *is* kind of funny how neat it looks on the top though. Interesting how a simple change in a component tightened it up.

[@scottpickett9779]

Thanks for the video. Another guitar product company that cuts corners. Why not build it right and be proud of what you have.

[@cuinoz3569]

Guess I will take Morgan off my contender list. I’ve watched rookies on here build DIY tube amps with complex circuits that have cleaner wiring than what I just saw. Unbelievable.

[@ahhsgvr]

Lyle, Love your channel, I always learn something from these videos. I like the idea of the Morgan AC40 Deluxe, but looking at the poor components and craftsmanship it turned me off. Could/would you take one of these and replace the substandard components and fix poor wiring and soldering? I have several available locally and think if it was executed differently it could be a very good amp.

[@PsionicAudio]

I could. But should a $2K amp need to be rebuilt? Does the logo deserve to stay?

[@ahhsgvr]

@@PsionicAudio Your right, not for 2k, they should not be turning out amps with so many issues. However, there are several locally for around 1k or less. I would say for the logo do like Alessadro does for the Fender Reverbs he redoes and stick a Psionic tag on the front.

[@cjyoung1994]

What are the best made amps you’ve ran across?

[@jutukka]

Would be interesting to see how much volts those 450V caps can take before collapsing.

[@irishRocker1]

Obviously the 450V they were seeing was enough for them to go bad. The question is more like how long does it take for those caps to blow at 450V.

[@SteveHatzman]

Man. Hopefully Morgan sees your video. Hopefully they fix their errors.

[@ja2306]

I wonder how much of these issues are to do with Boutique Amp Distributors vs to do with Morgan specifically... they build a lot of other brands there too. If these issues are in those amp too, then oof,

[@HiHello-ku1fl]

I sometimes see these used pretty cheap....like around 1200. I curious if I should get one of these or just a Princeton reverb reissue?

[@PsionicAudio]

Buy the Fender. At least it's honest.

[@syrup_drinker]

Rastafarians catching strays in the oddest places.

[@classicraceruk1337]

I was thinking of buying a new DR504C212

[@organicchime1263]

Wow, I’m surprised how poorly that Morgan is wired! Goes to show you that crap can be hidden! I now have a totally different perspective of this company! Of course, anything that eventually becomes mass produced is bound to be subjected to shoddy work by a larger manufacturer!

[@64cousins]

I'm curious how you rate DR Z Amps. Do you have similar build issues with all amp makes like Morgan?

[@PsionicAudio]

Search the channel. A few Dr Zs on here.

[@Monkry68]

Pretty lame for an amp that retails here in Australia for $3500.

[@PsionicAudio]

Pretty lame anywhere.

[@stevehead365]

I thought you were being a bit harsh on the Morgan until you lifted the eyelet board, spaghetti junction. I fixed a small McMichael radio from the mid sixties with large through plated holes with up to three wires stuffed through them. Nightmare, trying not to destroy any germanium transistors. Never again aaaaaaagh.

[@PsionicAudio]

See the first Morgan video if you want to know why I wasn't being sunshine and light about this.

[@The7Son0fA7Son]

That wiring is criminally bad.

[@Yourweakminds]

So - it sounded better with the overly stressed caps.

[@Mr_Bollie]

I have an RCA35 and it's working fine so far. But seeing this... and hearing Morgan's boastful marketing bla-bla in the back of my head, I wonder: Are there any "boutique" amp builders not scamming their customers?

[@soundman1402]

The factory soldering job on that amp is downright embarrassing. The three wires just below the edge of the circuit board when looking at the four filter caps... That one black wire soldered in place, but the solder in a huge blob below it? Egads!

[@sam_uelson]

The most expensive amp is only as good as its builder or its cheapest component.

[@samuel_towle]

For those people sitting on their hands, don't forget to give a thumbs up 😀

[@roderickbalt8993]

Has Morgan heard about these vids, if I were them I'd put you on the payroll for pointing out all the points of improvements :/!

[@MrAletube]

He doesn't care,he sold everything to BAD,big financial problems

[@aaronzimpel4995]

wow, wonder how the soldanos are?????

[@MrAletube]

This should be made by BAD,if made by Joe Morgan it was even worse

[@michaelbennett1883]

This amp reminds me of a late 60s gibson amp under the board. I prefer alfredo sauce myself.

[@PsionicAudio]

I prefer arrabiata. And that's what I will be having for dinner tonight. With bucatini, not Morgan.

[@harveycan5820]

Try perciateli!

[@DavidBrown-it9ig]

Most of your vids are about fixing Fender amps. Makes me never want to buy another for sure.

[@Cheefie]

Needs more Parmesan

[@joshbimthedoctor]

What's funny/tragic is the shop is probably gonna have to sell this at a lower price because it's been "modded"

[@PsionicAudio]

My name has a certain amount of caché for such things. But yeah, it’s crazy to even have to consider that.

[@classicraceruk1337]

Do you have any experience with Hiwatt amps?

[@PsionicAudio]

Yes.

[@classicraceruk1337]

@@PsionicAudio Cool would you recommend one? I am looking at a new DR504C212. I am in the U.K.

[@PsionicAudio]

Sorry for delayed reply. KZbin hid your response. I thought I had told it not to "hold" responses. Grr. I have no experience with the most recent version of the DR504, so I cannot speculate. Sorry. I can't find any photos of the insides, but the marketing at least says "lovingly hand wired." I hope it's fantastic, but I do not know.

[@classicraceruk1337]

@@PsionicAudio Hi thanks for the reply… I know some comments can be hidden. I will be trying one in the next few weeks. Hopefully it’s as good as Hiwatt say…

[@oscardelatorre]

quite the panties in a bunch over on the gear page over this video...

[@rotarychainsaw]

bolonaseyyyy

[@shdwghst457]

pastafarian festival!

[@christophecoste8471]

I feel so stupid to trust in the past marketing made by Morgan with Josh Smith for PR12 amp

[@retread1083]

I really don't understand why the board designer made those choices. With copper traces as well as thru-holes, there should be no reason why component leads would ever need to share holes with other components. The board would look neater and the holes could be much smaller so the solder would be less likely to blob at the bottom. And those resistors flying above the capacitors, attached to the cap leads rather than their own holes ... criminally fugly.

[@PsionicAudio]

Oh, that's easy. It's so a non hi-res photo on the geat page makes someone think this is eyelet construction. Just like those nice neat wires until they get hidden by the board.

[@retread1083]

@@PsionicAudio That's far more sinister than I could have imagined. In creating this illusion they pissed away the inherent advantages of either method of construction and ended up with the worst of all worlds.

[@danielsaturnino5715]

Comments, good or bad, should help the channel. Annoying as they may be.

[@irishRocker1]

This is pretty ridiculous. Dangerously underspecified filter caps. Dangerous standby switch functionality. Poor soldering standard. Spaghetti wiring under the board. In a €2000 hand wired "boutique" amp! €2k for a PR12!!! Scandalous. You are dead right, they have good marketing budget it seems. I have seem a few youtubers showing them off and that is exactly how I am familiar with the name. You should write a book man. The part where you said about the standby switch, copy how fender do it cos they dont cause a direct short at high voltage etc. would be great to have a book of info on amplifiers, their flaws, quirks, some typical mods etc. I love to learn about these kinda things, the thinking that goes into them etc. I remember in another recent vid you moved a wire from the back of the board to the front. All these little details are so interesting.

[@mikejamieson419]

You can tell Lyle hates this amp lol

[@Jah_Rastafari_ORIG]

Not squeal like what/who? Sounded almost like Annette Bening, which suggests maybe a dig at Warren Beatty(?)... nah, you must have said something else which I'm just too slow to pick up on...

[@Dani-El.]

Pastafarian :)

[@Rhythmicons]

Not like Ned Beatty!