Post '01 amps inferior to pre '01 amps?

[thearabianmage]

Hey y'all,

I was just checking out some amps on ebay and noticed this in a listing for a Peavey Classic 30:

Peavey Classic 30 for sale

100% working condition, 30w valve amplifier for electric guitar, similar to a fender hot rod deluxe.

What I am told about this amp is that it is (estimated) a 1995 model which is better than newer models because of the type of soldering it has. Basically, somewhere around 2001 they brought out new health and safety guidelines meaning you had to use a 'safer' but ultimately inferior type of soldering on amps from there on in. Apparently this makes newer models of amps alot more unreliable than older ones. Bear in mind this is what I'm told by an amp geek (I've not got a clue myself!)

It has had alot of work done to it at a local amplifier company who have fitted it with brand new matched quad EL84 valves as well as have full power and safety testing.

Although I love this amp, I don't get enough use to justify keeping it.

Is there any/much truth to this?

I've never heard about it - and I'm not sure if it only affects Europe, or if you guys over there across the pond have the same problem?

[Katastrophe]

I dunno, mage, but it looks like if this was a serious issue, it would have been all over the interwebs for the last 9 years.

This is the first I've heard of it.

Admittedly, the seller states that he doesn't "have a clue" as to the veracity of the "amp geek's" statement. Seller also states that the amp has had a lot of work done to it. If pre-2001 amps are so much more reliable, then why has it been in the shop so much?

All of this adds up to me to be an ad for a cranky amp that the seller has put in a lot of money to keep running, and he's trying to unload it, getting as much of his money out of it as he can.

Amp builders may have been forced to use different solder, I don't know. But, if it was a problem, you'd be seeing A LOT more complaints.

I think it's a load of fecal material.

[thearabianmage]

I dunno, mage, but it looks like if this was a serious issue, it would have been all over the interwebs for the last 9 years.

This is the first I've heard of it.

Admittedly, the seller states that he doesn't "have a clue" as to the veracity of the "amp geek's" statement. Seller also states that the amp has had a lot of work done to it. If pre-2001 amps are so much more reliable, then why has it been in the shop so much?

All of this adds up to me to be an ad for a cranky amp that the seller has put in a lot of money to keep running, and he's trying to unload it, getting as much of his money out of it as he can.

Amp builders may have been forced to use different solder, I don't know. But, if it was a problem, you'd be seeing A LOT more complaints.

I think it's a load of fecal material.

Brilliant reply Agreed

[marnold***]

Yeah, I'm not sure of the status of this in the U.S. but I know in Europe for some time lead solder has been verboten so they switched to silver solder. As I understand it, it's harder to apply properly, leaving the increased likelihood of cold solder joints. "Shotgunning" the connection points should fix it, but you'd have to be sure to use the right solder. I don't know if techniques have improved recently or not. There is insufficient data to know whether the change in solder will affect the long-term life of electronics.

I could go on a diatribe about solutions often being worse than the problem, but I'll refrain.

[thearabianmage]

Maybe pure lead solder is prohibited, but I've got a spool of 60/40 that I got in '08. . . so if Health & Safety had removed lead or lead-based solder from the manufacture of amps, then it's a bit silly because consumers can still purchase lead-based solder from local hardware shops - surely that's not only counter-productive but also more harmful for a consumer to solder with lead-based solder rather than own and use an electrical appliance with lead-based solder?

They never make sense, do they?

[tunghaichuan***]

Maybe pure lead solder is prohibited, but I've got a spool of 60/40 that I got in '08. . . so if Health & Safety had removed lead or lead-based solder from the manufacture of amps, then it's a bit silly because consumers can still purchase lead-based solder from local hardware shops - surely that's not only counter-productive but also more harmful for a consumer to solder with lead-based solder rather than own and use an electrical appliance with lead-based solder?

The problem isn't the solder, the problem is that the vast majority of consumer grade electronics equipment is made to be disposable. Having lead solder in this gear is a bad idea as the lead will leach into the ground water after said gear has broken and dumped into the landfill. It is actually cheaper to throw stuff away than to have it fixed.

It wasn't so much of a problem when electronics components were made to last. I used to own Eico and Dynaco gear from the 60s that was older than I am. With minimal maintenance and tube changes, that gear will last another 40+years.

[markb]

The problem isn't the solder, the problem is that the vast majority of consumer grade electronics equipment is made to be disposable. Having lead solder in this gear is a bad idea as the lead will leach into the ground water after said gear has broken and dumped into the landfill. It is actually cheaper to throw stuff away than to have it fixed.

It wasn't so much of a problem when electronics components were made to last. I used to own Eico and Dynaco gear from the 60s that was older than I am. With minimal maintenance and tube changes, that gear will last another 40+years.

Wisdom indeed, Tung! A Fender from the 60s or 70s will outlast most of todays amps. The original specs used overrated components to avoid failures. These days nobody would use a 1 watt resistor where a 1/8 watt will "do".

As for the original question, the interweb is full of this kind of "knowledge" handed down by the Illuminati or Freemasons or somebody. A tin foil hat is highly recommended to screen out the voices

Of course, that means you shouldn't believe a word of my post either