What a drag it is getting old

[George61]

I recently turned 63. I have a Mesa Boogie Mark III combo (blue strip - whatever that is). I bought it new in 1988. I haven't used the amp in many, many years. I plugged it in the other day to see if it still worked, and it did but all of the pots were scratchy. Since the amp has never been cleaned it was also a new dimension in filthy.

I disassembled the amp carefully, taking notes as I went. I was careful not to break off any wires in the amp. I used a can of air to clean the circuit board and the interior of the head. I vacuumed out the 1/4" of dust from the interior of the cabinet. I cleaned the cabinet and the amp panels with a damp cloth. Then I applied two coats of 303 Aerospace Protectant to the tolex and the panels.

I carefully applied two drops of 100% Deoxit to the interior of the pots and rotated then at least 20 times through their entire travel. I applied 100% Deoxit gold, with a swab, to the pins of the tubes when I replaced them.

I reassembled the amp, plug in a guitar and turned it on. It didn't work, the volume was very weak and the sound was distorted. I was bummed.

I went over my notes and discovered that I plugged in the cables from the reverb tank backwards. I reversed the cables and the amp works fine. No crackling when I turn a control and the amp is pretty. I'm all happy again. What makes me wonder is that I doubt that I would have made such a dumbass mistake when I was younger.

Side note: I have never had this amp apart. The first thing that caught my eye, when I pulled the head out, is that all of the grounds are flat braided wire. I believe that is the proper way to do it.

[xtian]

Great amp, man. Mazel tov!

[Colossal]

How about a gut shot George? I'd like to see the example of the braided ground wire. Good job on renovating your amp.

[ampgeek]

Well...I have to believe that getting old is, in the vast majority of cases, better than the alternative.

With that age comes experience.....and that is invaluable. It appears that you used that wisely and got the silk purse back from the sow's ear.

Well done "old" man!!

Cheers,
Dave O.

[Teleguy61]

Hey George at 63.
I'm also George, now at 64. Shocking!
Daily resolution:stay on this side of the grass.
Be well man, keep playing guitar.

[amplifiednation]

Hey it doesn't sound like this was a drag!! Good news you fixed that amp so easily. It would have been a drag if you were troubleshooting for two days..

[George61]

Hey it doesn't sound like this was a drag!!

The drag part is that I took apart an amp that worked and put it back together and then it didn't work. I will have to admit that's not the first time I've put something back together wrong. I am willing to bet that I am not the only person who has done that.

I am kind of surprised that no one has made a comment on the subject line; "what a drag it is getting old". It's a line from an early Rolling Stones song, "Mother's Little Helper". See, I really am getting old.

Solder on,
George

[amplifiednation]

I will say that is a very frustrating mistake but could have been much worse!! Great to hear you got it working again. So if I'm 33 and make those mistakes all the time, i must be doomed when I'm 60

[Bob S]

You're not wrong George.
Getting old sucks!
Big Time.

[martin manning]

And if it makes you feel any better I'm almost a decade behind you and I picked up on the Stones lyric reference right away. Old is all in your mind anyway. Just look at Mick and Keith... no, wait; nevermind!

[boots]

I'm 51 and starting to feel like I'm not as sharp and zippy as I was even a few years ago!

I keep telling myself that I would feel "normal" again if I didn't work so much, or drink so much, and had more time to play guitar without being interrupted by a dozen things.

But then, I wonder, what does Alzheimer's feel like? Would I know if I was geting it? Would anybody tell me?

I think I'm gonna quit my job and start smoking dope again., and see if that helps.

[Structo]

Yes, aging seems to be one of the things we can't stop.

I just try to stay young in my mind although sometimes yelling at clouds overpowers me.

I'll be 56 in December.

Hey George61 tell me about 303 Aerospace Protectant.
Does it work good on dashboards and other automotive vinyl surfaces?

I have been looking for something better than Armor All for vinyl for years.

Seems that stuff breaks down and causes bad things to happen when you use it a lot.

[Bob S]

Sounds like a plan boots.
My retirement seems to get further away the longer I work.
Getting old might be grounds for medical marijuana.
Maybe worth a try.

[M Fowler]

You bunch of old farts, glad I'm pushing 57 so I can say I'm one of the young guns.

Some days I feel like a flat rock not a rolling stone.

Mark

[NickC]

I am 57 years old/young.

On the up side, I lived during a time when the music was worth living for.

On the down side, I'm living in a time now when the music worth living for is difficult to find. It's out there, but you have to dig for it. Sadly, there are far too many brilliant artists struggling in obscurity, unable to support their art or make a living in music, while relatively talentless posers dominate the mainstream.

Thus, it would seem my longevity has resulted in me becoming jaded and prematurely pining for the fjords.

Let's do some living, after we die
Wild horses, couldn't drag me away

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