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Topic starter
11/01/2010 5:38 pm
One of our guitarists had been having trouble with the output jack on his Taylor guitar; I think the model is a 414ce but it may be a more expensive one. He finally took it to an authorized tech who ended up replacing the whole preamp and wiring under warranty. This is the Taylor "Expression" system that has a balanced output and can do a long run directly to the mixing board without a DI box.
Yesterday he brings the newly serviced guitar to church, and it seemed fine for a while. Midway through the service, after the sermon break, he reaches out to pick up the guitar (which was plugged in.) Touches the strings, and then we hear, "ZZZZT!" "POP!" in the sound system. He pulls back his hand as he had gotten a little shock, like static electricity. Touches it again and it's quiet, so he gets ready to play again ... but now the preamp's dead! Apparently whatever caused the pop also fried the electronics ...
Anyone heard of this happening before? I know that some electric guitars/basses have anti-shock circuits, but I've not heard of acoustics needing them. Maybe just bad wiring, like a solder joint or grounding issue? Possibly something to do with that high-end Taylor preamp system? (I told him he needs to "downgrade" to a Breedlove ... don't think he appreciated the humor.)
"Everybody got to elevate from the norm."
11/01/2010 6:55 pm
Static. He fried the transistors in the preamp.
"A cheerful heart is good medicine."
11/01/2010 11:11 pm
I would not immediately assume static electricity -- that could be a fatal mistake. some critical circuit routing may have changed with the new electronics, especially grounding and isolation. the DI box may have been providing ground isolation, as this is typical to avoid a ground loop that would cause hum with an unbalanced system. losing the DI means there is now a continuous and exposed shield from the guitar to the board; and the tech probably grounded the strings when installing the expression system, so hands are now in contact. this set-up would no longer any safer than the typical electric when plugged into a faulty electrical system. have the AC outlets in the church checked for polarity and safety grounding.
the Taylor pre-amp should be resistant to static discharge damage if properly installed, as design for such (and testing) is standard for consumer products these days. this is another reason, I doubt it was simple static discharge.
use caution!
-=tension & release=-
11/01/2010 11:40 pm
Yeah, and the ZZZZT! before the POP! doesn't sound like static, either.
"A cheerful heart is good medicine."
Topic starter
11/01/2010 11:58 pm
Thanks guys; I'll pass along this good info!
Funny thing is, the guy borrowed another guitar to finish the service, and ended up breaking one of the strings! Not having his best day ... I made sure he went nowhere near my own gear. :lol:
"Everybody got to elevate from the norm."
12/01/2010 1:20 pm
With all this happening in church, what has this guy been doing in his spare time? :twisted: :lol: :P :oops: :roll:
"Work hard, rock hard, eat hard, sleep hard,
grow big, wear glasses if you need 'em."
-- The Webb Wilder Credo --
Topic starter
12/01/2010 2:24 pm
I really really don't want to know ...
:lol:
:twisted:
:lol:
"Everybody got to elevate from the norm."
Topic starter
17/01/2010 5:45 pm
Our guy took the guitar back to the tech, explained what happened, and the tech told him, "you always have to ground yourself before touching a guitar." What the heck does that mean???
Sounds to me like he's blaming the guitarist for zapping the thing, rather than admitting to the possibility he did a bad wiring job during the install. But is there anything to his comment?
"Everybody got to elevate from the norm."
17/01/2010 5:54 pm
how do I put this nicely? playing CYA with respect to the damage, basically claiming the preamp is vulnerable to static. it should not be if designed and installed correctly. as far as safety goes: he's an idiot.
-=tension & release=-
Topic starter
18/01/2010 2:33 am
Ah, yeah, that's what I suspected ...
"Everybody got to elevate from the norm."