15:00 "Ah HA!" I don't think I've every felt anything so strong vicariously. The joy of going from theory to definitive fault. That put a smile on my face.
Honestly, your videos exposing the dirty, little secrets of modern “boutique” amp builders is some of the best (and helpful!) content you produce. It’s all great and appreciated, but these videos can really help people out there spend their dollars wisely.
What's dirty is the fake assclown wannabe amp builders that can't even make a decent pedal. Thanks for the laughs. Other than our name, Insight? No, you have been lied to by Liar Lyle. It's actually a slanderous video. Morgan Amps has a lifetime guarantee. This Lyle moron has never built an amp in his life. Knows nothing about amps, and you should look elsewhere for legitimate information. There are a lot of boutique amps that meet or exceed any of my expectations as a 40 year player, but this dipshits-r-us isn't one that even sells an amp, and this idiot doesn't even make a product other than silly-ass pedals you would not want anyway. I will be posting all of his his pedal issues (since he does not build amps). Difference between him and me is that I actually have a degree in EE and CS with a math minor and forgot more than this idiot knows. Other than my last name name, I have no affiliation with Morgan Amps.
These couple of videos of the Morgan amps saved me from making an apparently bad decision and pull the trigger on one. Much appreciated that you share your knowledge with all these videos.
When you hit that cap and said "Ah ha!", I smiled wide because of the comedic timing and how it made THE perfect example of what you said. Outstanding work. Thank you for sharing it with us!
Using the highest quality components without question and then testing different components to bring out the best sound is imperative. Safe and solid circuit design, and knowing how to solder well helps a lot too!
I learned to solder correctly when I was 10 (I'm 57 now) under the watchful eye of my dad. I used to make circuit boards for him in his shop. His company manufactured high voltage test equipment (spark testers) and I was well schooled on the problems of dry joints. People dont always realise how many problems a simple dry solder joint can throw up. Anything from voltage drop off to arcing, intermittent switching etc all because the joint is bad. That board seems to be full of dry joints a nightmare in the making! I kinda miss drilling and tapping bakerlite for tube sockets Lol! Great video. Subbed.
I really appreciate these videos. I learn so much about amps from them. I'm in the market for this _type_ of amp, and came here because I was considering this brand, but now I don't know what I should be looking at.
It's not even a Morgan Amp. This is pure slander. Anyone that actually has owned a real one knows. Go find a dealer and play one. There is a lifetime guarantee on the amp. Lyle is NOT an amp builder, nor does he know anything about amps (other than watching youtube videos) lol Other than my last name name, I have no affiliation with Morgan Amps.
I bought a PR12 2 months ago and upon seeing this video opened it up to see what is what. Mine has ARS 500 VDC capacitors in place where you note the inefficient caps in your PR12. Mine has very neat and proper looking solder joints. It sounds amazing to my ears and I had a new HW Princeton that went bad when only a month old that I replaced with the PR12. I am in the UK. Hum-wise it does have low level hum that does not increase with volume. It is not an issue at all but i did think that it crept in at some point rather that always being there. . Also my PR12 does not have a boost switch as that is only in the JS12. Just thought I would add what i see in my amp to this thread as I am happy with mine and thankfully it seems to have been put together to a very high standard unlike the one you have there. It really feels rock solid compared to the Fender HW 64 Princeton.
Love this! Thank you for exposing the crap that is Morgan. I called CME and inquired about buying a Morgan or Carr. Before the words were out of my mouth the CME rep said “Carr! No doubt.” NOW I see why. Thank you!
This episode reminds me of an old recurrent skit on the Conan O’Brian late night show, back when they were still on NBC. It was named “Secrets” and always involved a celebrity sitting at a plain wooden table inside a stark cinder block room illuminated by a single dangling bare light bulb. There was a whiskey bottle and shot glass on the table. The celebrity would proceed to spill some dark, gritty (yet humorous) secret. I feel like these videos are the tube amp nerd equivalent of those skits. Lyle sits at the table, takes a shot of whiskey, gains his composure, and then proceeds to spill ugly, unwelcome truths about the build quality of a well-regarded boutique amp, and how the reality inside the chassis contradicts the hype surrounding such amp.
thanks for your insight, sir! the fact is, i like these amps so much, particularly the ac 20, that i would buy anyway, knowing what to look for and how to fix it...point to point is a beautiful thing in so many ways.
It says Tone King assembled in the USA. So that must mean it's made somewhere else. Why are they so vague you can't get any information on why they labeled it assembled in the USA. If you Google just assembled in the USA it says that does not mean made in the USA
Just wow! Judging from the price, how these amps are promoted on the net and glancing at the eyelet board instead of a circuit board one would think these are really great amps! Just wow! Unreal.
Very cool video, that you found two suspected issues in real time here. By the way they're saving only about $6 or $8 - the difference between the $1.50 caps and the more expensive ones. Even at $3.50 it's a difference of $2.00, or $8 for four. Fender probably had similar savings with the low temperature rated, short life rated UC caps, too, in at least a few models.
You are correct. The difference of cost for one amp is not even worth discussing. So for truly small, skilled, honorable amp builders, the answer to that question is completely obvious. But, when you are dealing with corporations that are building thousands of amp in a year, those $5-8 start adding up to some big numbers - the numbers that will actually show up on an engineering or accounting report. So those accumulated numbers are the ones that the big-wig know-nothings in the corner offices see. For them, those number differentials look pretty huge. So since they are ones who will make the decisions, they don't care if the customer 'might' have a problem if the cost of replacement/repair works out less that the cost difference of the better components. Years ago, in many industries, when it was engineers, machinists, builders, designers who were running the companies, quality wasn't so easily set aside. Now decisions are being made by the people who have no idea at all about what the product is, and they don't care. They are MBA - taught that they can run any business - no need to worry about the product, just follow the corporate steps the increase profits, show company growth, and keep the day-traders happy.
Scornflakes! Wow! How in the hell did I get to be as old as I am now and this is the first time I am hearing the term! Or maybe I have heard it before, but I forgot? I am pretty old. Regardless, kudos, good sir!
Thanks so much for the insight... I've been learning a lot from all your videos...would like to give my drri some of you suggested upgrades...thanks a bunch!
This is common with many products: The flagship release is done well and uses quality parts. Over time, the maker starts to see dollar signs by cutting production costs, and then we end up with what we have here. Everything (everything) is built *down* to a price when investors are involved.
Great video. I own an old Morgan made probably 20 years ago and it actually has the correct cap values. (500V) Soldering looks the same however but at least the caps were right on this one. I'm the second owner and know the amp wasn't modded. This explains why I hear so many bad things about these amps thanks!
I bought this amp about a year ago. No problems up to this point, probably wouldn’t have bought it though if I would have known that people have issues with them 😂. However, no complaints so far
I have a Morgan MVP23 Head/Cab, I have played it almost every day for the past 2 years. Not a snap, crackle, pop, blown fuse, or anything negative. Solid every day for a minimum of 1.5 hours per day. You are pretty venomous with your critique. I'm wondering who is reviewing the amplifier line you've built from the ground up, distributed, and supported? With no serial#, how can you even be sure this was a production ready amplifier? Something fishy here. Morgan's are solid amps. Don't let this video dissuade you from finding the Morgan amp that suits your playing style.
I have had just about every Morgan Amp made. I have not had a single issue with one of my amps except for one - the LED died on my M logo.What is funny is an asshole like you, who is clueless, spouts about shit they know nothing about. Good thing Morgan Amps have a lifetime warranty. Let me know if you want to breakdown any of your idiotic BS - happy to go toe to toe with you. I will be at the guitar show in Dallas May 5th-7th and in Nashville in June - just let me know where you want to meet up to have the discussion. You, are clueless and am happy to oblige your stupid, ignorant ass. I am guessing your Peavey Bandit or Quilter blows it away - bwahahahahahahaha.
I bought a Morgan AC20 deluxe over a decade ago thinking it would be a more reliable Vox. It sounded pretty good. It didn't sound as warm as a real Vox, but it wasn't a bad difference. I thought it might just have come down to the brand new speaker. Within a couple weeks of buying it new the amp died, and I spent the following month shipping it back and forth to California four times after it kept dying. I decided to get a refund. Joe was a pleasant guy, and seemed as upset as I was about the whole thing. I had a friend who also bought the same amp during that time. His head/cab version died on him five times. He got his refund shortly after I did. Our amps originally shipped with Celestion blue speakers, which were only rated for ~15 watts. We thought that might be why these 20 watt amps died, but then he started giving us 50 watt Celestion gold speakers. The amps still died. We have no idea what happened, but we moved on. My friend bought a new Matchless DC-30, and I bought a 1993 AC30TB/6. I'm much happier with the tone, and performance. I've never had any problems with the amp other than tubes. I also tell people to avoid Morgan amps. Joe is a nice guy, but his amps just aren't reliable.
Good to know I'm going through the warranty process for a Tone King PT failed after only 25 hour's They still say it's going to be months Was instructed to send to Sweetwater but they just affirmed it was broken Now they are shipping to BAD No refund though because it took several months but only 25 hour's of actual play time. Grrrr
If Joe cared about his name and the company he created he would look at these videos and take the manufacturing back. I keep hoping Joe would reply to one of these videos and explain the quality and control issues everyone sees when they open a Morgan. I am a tech and I can tell you that my pre 2012 AC20 Morgan that was made by Joe and his team did not look like this, and the components were of higher quality. I would not buy one of these current Morgan amps based on the same issues that Psionic has pointed out.
As an alternative review to the above, I’ve been using two Morgan RCA35 amps exclusively (one since 2017), and there hasn’t even been the slightest peep of an issue. Same valves etc etc, and they both still run perfectly.
I would infer that you are not a fan of Morgan amps. And then the caps howl on cue. Brilliant. After watching a metric ton of your vids, I tend to proceed with trepidation every time I turn one of my amps on. I just know there's some sort of disastrous "gotcha" lurking within just waiting to bite me in the ass. You have a scary channel.
@@paulcowart3174 - I think Joe Morgan had the amp for about two weeks. This was after a local tech butchered it for two weeks, solder blobs everywhere chasing a the hum. After getting it back and playing a show, I resisted it on Reverb and the guy I bought it from bought it back. I don’t know how long the Tone King thing will be. I had other amps so it wasn’t a problem
If you ever get across a Marshall 2266 Vintage Modern, I'd love to hear your opinion. It was designed by Steve Dawson and people on the forums think it's great quality for a modern Marshall at this price. On the other hand, the tech who fixed my amp was puzzled by the some design decisions and the way it was assembled. And he hated the reverb. ^_^
Engineering (Manufacturing) critiques and Best practices. All on one channel! "This ain't Shakespeare" It is however McAmp (golden Arches) Manufacturing...that buck fifty "saved" per component bought somebody's kid a boat..... certainly not the kid of the poor soul who made this burger. Thanks for supersizing us Kyle.
Just wondering if same thoughts exist on Morgan amps? I've had a AC 20 Deluxe since 2011 and use it just about every weekend in a small time cover band. Works great and no issues all these years (knocking on wood). I bought it back then based on what I heard and loved the tone, loved the ability to switch from 12ax7 to ef86, etc., but at that time had never heard of Morgan and not owned any other version, no interaction with that company and I can't speak for the insides/technical stuff nor for Morgan amps in general. Regarding this video, I know if an amp had my name on it, even if a prototype (as I saw in some comments) I would make sure anything that went into the public was pristine. Else, I'd have a no named chassis /cabinet and have it labeled PROTOTYPE or something. I guess I've been lucky that I've owned a ton of amps over the years and only one has gone to repair (an old Bedrock if anyone remembers that old amp company).
The thing is that very few people really know what a good guitar amplifier should sound like. There's a scientific aspect and a creative/artistic synergy which marketing kind of ruins. Amps are bought and assessed mostly in an emotional way when they're very technical devices but the players generally don't understand the technical side. Only a few players really know what they're looking for and what it should sound like, I don't have that talent so I wouldn't know how to tell a good amp from a bad amp.
@@jdl2180 Yes of course that's true! But most people don't really know how to assess that and simply go by a brand or what their heroes play. Nothing wrong with that of course but there are people out there who really have a knack for knowing what an amp should sound like both technically and creatively.
@@jdl2180 That's great, find gems and throw them in your next lo-fi album, that's what that gear is "good" for. Just don't kid yourself about the audio quality/fidelity of a cost-effective or poorly made amp compared to one where an expert builder's gone all out. (like a Dumble) in response to OP: Yeah, its a shitty situation. Pretty much every field with even a little creativity gets flooded with "subjective" marketing. i.e. "Buy our multi-fx amp simulator, it sounds JUST LIKE THE REAL THING!!!"
I've understood the newer GZ34's are junk, just spent a good buck on a NOS GZ34 due to this. Maybe you've had better experiences with the new ones. I'm hip to not using a standby switch too, especially with a tube rectifier, good advice.
Are there any good amps out there at all apart from DSL 40 or JCM 900? I am scared to buy a Fender low voltage issue and other stuff you said on Blues Jnr and Hot Rod Deluxe.
Thanks, interesting stuff! I do own a PR12 since a couple of years and haven't had any issues with it so far. Dates say it was built in May 2018 (no Boost switch). It seems to have the same cheapo caps like the one in the video. I'll take it to a tech to have them exchanged. I like how the Amp sounds and I'd like to make it reliable instead of selling it... thanks for your insight! Great video!
That's kind of where I am with my MVP23. Zero issues with about 300 hours of playing time on it (and I have yet to look at the caps). I do know that mine is a 2020 model built by BAD but I still cringe at the thought of what lies inside.
see my reply regarding my sw22. joe built it and signed it and its been a total workhorse but im afraid to pop the hood now! lol also, i never bought into any Morgan “hype.” the boutique shop down the street from me was a morgan dealer a few years ago and i plugged a strat into this SW22 head out of curiosity one day and it sounded amazing. I’ve played it everyday for hours-plural-with zero issues. Killer pedal platform, too. But yeah, now i wanna pop the hood.
Insight? No, you have been lied to by Liar Lyle. It's actually a slanderous video. Morgan Amps has a lifetime guarantee. This Lyle moron has never built an amp in his life. Knows nothing about amps, and you should look elsewhere for legitimate information. There are a lot of boutique amps that meet or exceed any of my expectations as a 40 year player, but this dipshits-r-us isn't one that even sells an amp, and this idiot doesn't even make a product other than silly-ass pedals you would not want anyway. I will be posting all of his his pedal issues (since he does not build amps). Difference between him and me is that I actually have a degree in EE and CS with a math minor and forgot more than this idiot knows. I am not affiliated with Morgan Amps in any way.
Hi Lyle, about your comments on not using the stand-by on an amp with a tube rectifier, could you say if this is true for the Marshall 1974x (2x EL84 & 1x EZ81)? I have always thought that the stand-by was there to 'save' the power tubes. Cheers.
EL84s don't need saving. The only purpse of a standby is if the unloaded B+ voltage exceeds the voltage rating of the filter caps (or a cathode follower grid). None of the tubes we use in guitar amps can be harmed by a lack of a standby (except cathode followers but that's not what the myth is about). Unless you are operating a radio station using tube gear, tubes don't need standby.
Sir, outstanding rundown. Saved me from ever getting a Morgan. I'm not certain if you have a connection to Josh Smith's amp tech, but I suspect he or she holds many dark secrets from all of the PR and JS12's they serviced while on the road. Now that would be a fireworks show of a video / interview to put on this channel. Thank you for your insight and wisdom. Everyone one of these videos is similar to a campfire folk tale, full of wisdom you can't get anywhere else. Respectfully, Andrew
@@SRHMusic012 Josh did an early episode of the Tim (Pierce) and Pete (Thorn) Show from his then under construction home studio. Morgan had built 2 amps for him replicating Josh's vintage Super reverb and AC30 so he didn't have to take his vintage stuff on the road.
It's not even a Morgan Amp. This is pure slander. Anyone that actually has owned a real one knows. Go find a dealer and play one. There is a lifetime guarantee on the amp. Lyle is NOT an amp builder, nor does he know anything about amps (other than watching youtube videos) lol Other than my last name name, I have no affiliation with Morgan Amps.
It's almost criminal at this point. Why these companies are not sued when they blatantly don't respect safety code and undersize such critical components will always baffle me.
There’s a channel cutting open acoustics to show you design pros and cons.. I’d love to see something similar for these boutique amps. Holy cow this is mind blowing!
Just bought one a month ago. Sounded like I wanted it to, except when the reverb footswitch was plugged in - even when off - it introduced 60 Hz noise. I use reverb sort of "always on," so I just yanked the pedal out and went on. Made nice music, until it went belly-up a couple of weeks later. Tubes glowed with a healthy color, panel light came on, but that was all that worked. Amp went back. Now, the search continues for a reliable 12-20 watt amp. Any suggestions? Thinking about a Matchless.
The inventor of the theremin was a Russian immigrant to the US; there's a fascinating documentary film about him, simply titled "Theremin!". Also, if you look on RU-vid, Rob Scanlon interviewed the master Theremin player Caroline Eyck not too long ago (a lovely woman, playing things that should be impossible). Much hilarity ensues as Rob tries to get something resembling music from her theremin BTW, I was just watching a documentary about female pioneers of electronic music the other day, titled "Sisters With Transistors".
Some of the decisions taken here not only beggar belief, but also defy any sense of logic. I can understand (although don't like the fact) that the big box manufacturers try to shave a few dollars off their costs, but when you've already gone to these lengths and are selling at a premium price! My mouth is still open at the soldering skills on show to be honest. Even I, someone who doesn't solder a lot, could do a better job than this. I would be ashamed of myself sending something like that to be checked over by the person responsible for doing inspections. Although if anyone were actually doing inspections - I think I would be rapidly unemployed. Great and very informative video. Edit : I've just got to about 15 minutes into the video. Hahahaha.
Of course I had to open up my AC20 after watching. The caps in there have “500VDC” printed on them, I suppose that is sufficient? My eye is definitely untrained in this area but I’d like to think I have a good ear and the amp sounds great, I hope it lasts.
Selecting the highest quality and best sounding components throughout the circuit is absolutely imperative. And of course knowing how to make good solder joints helps a lot too! 🎸
Watching all your videos cures GAS for purchasing all those "boutique" amps.. Mesa, Morgan, Tone King... The list just keeps on going. But, wanting to spend about 2000 for the amp for life, no vintage nor local builder, what would you then suggest? Maybe going for a Chinese Vox AC15 with the Blue Alnico speaker would be the best bet? What experienced people here suggest? 2000 dollars 10 to 15w with reverb.. Maybe Cornell from UK? Marshall 2525c Jubilee (minus the reverb on this one..) Gosh, almost brain damage at this point 😅
