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Joined:
October 2005
Posts: 4043
Location: Utah | I have a 1979 Custom Legend which still looks new and sounds great unplugged. But when plugged in the tone is terrible, all muddy and honky. I can eq it back to almost ok by pumping up the upper mids a whole lot, but it isn't right.
This is a stacked knob stereo preamp.
Has anyone had success rescuing such a problem? Might replacing the capacitors do the trick? I know the electrolytics in amplifiers dry out, but do the caps go bad in these solid state preamps?
I was going to use this guitar on stage this weekend but luckily my collection is overflowing in great choices. The wife had chosen this guitar because the beautiful sunburst matches the season and the event. | |
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Joined:
August 2002
Posts: 593
Location: Ottawa, Ontario, CANADA | Hey, FlySig,
If SWMBO picked out this guitar simply because it is a fall color match, she has a good fashion sense, as far as I can tell. Did you try Al Pep or My Dusty Guitar for a NOS stacked-knob stereo preamp? I know nothing about capacitors so, the solution as mentioned earlier is just a suggestion, if you agree.
Mike S.
Ottawa, ON.,
CANADA
Edited by Mike S. 2024-10-24 4:17 PM
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Joined:
October 2005
Posts: 4043
Location: Utah | Thanks, Mike, yes the wife has awesome fashion sense! Without her I'd be living in a cave wearing old jeans and a ratty sweatshirt! Funny, she likes the sound of all the guitars, so she guides my choices based on color, mood, season, etc!
One of the Adamas will get primary duty instead of the Custom Legend. She is disappointed, but we'll rock the place and she'll forgive me...
Dusty doesn't have anything. Also, I worry a NOS preamp would have the same kind of age issues. A true new production preamp may be the answer.
I did buy a new production stereo 2 knob preamp about 10 years ago for my 1537, and it sounds great. At that time they were making new Ovations with that system. Maybe it was a reissue? The electronics were brand new, and the dimensions are metric and just slightly different. Pot shafts and output jacks. The old knobs didn't fit and the holes in the guitar had to be ever so slightly enlarged. The sound was a big upgrade, too. Iirc the circuit had been updated.
That guitar will be on stage tomorrow night, too. It is perfect
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Joined:
April 2003
Posts: 230
Location: Pewaukee, WI | Maybe try Steve McCormick at Ren-Ovation on Facebook. I've seen him mention repairing preamps. He did an LX neck reset for me recently, good guy. | |
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Old 1979 preamp sounds bad. Is rehab possible?