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©2000 by Ely Music/Pub |
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Tech Tips, Fall '99 The Culprit in My Caveby Dale Nightwine After supper on August 10, 1999, I went downstairs to my "cave" (music room) to practice and play steel guitar. I was looking forward to some fun. I have two amplifiers that I use, a small Peavey which is grounded, and my 1973 Fender, which was not grounded. I had my EH150 Gibson on my lap and plugged into the Peavey. Both amplifiers were plugged into grounded wall receptacles. With the Gibson still on my lap, I reached for my Bar and Picks, which were lying on my Excel, and WOW! WHAT A SHOCKING EXPERIENCE! The culprit in my cave was my Fender amp, a not-so-silent villain. I immediately recalled John Tipka's "Tek Tip" article on this hazardous problem. I called my son-in-law, Mike Boyd, who is a licensed electrician/contractor in Kansas City, Kansas. "Help!" I cried, and told him my story. He said "Stop! Don't use your Fender amp until I can check it out completely." When Mike arrived, I had him read John Tipka's "how to" article on the subject. Mike nodded. The problem was as John had described it. The sound cable from the Fender amp was a "hot" 124 volts. This cable was plugged into the Excel, the source of my shocking experience. The old Fender amp was corrected with a new, 3-prong electrical cord installed, and the chassis properly grounded. The "death switch" which John's article described, was removed and discarded. Thanks to John Tipka's "Tech Tip" and Mike's expert help, I am still around to pick and grin. Please players, get your older amplifiers checked out, or it could ruin your day. HSGA * HAWAIIAN
STEEL GUITAR ASSOCIATION Homepage URL: www.hsga.org (hsga@lava.net) Last updated: 07/23/02 by Gerald Ross (gbross@umich.edu) |