Studio 22

[tonejam]

As you say, lots of variables, so hard to describe. I play a mix of styles....old rock, country, some jazz, etc. I wouldn't recommend the Blue Dog for heavy metal. It's more chimey and sweeter than the stock speaker. I wanted an 'old school' sound. Makes the amp sound a little more Fender-ish, but it still boogies. Hope that helps.
Bill.

 

[bamyasi]

Serial number range for Studios .22+ goes from FP11,500, December 88, up to FP28,560, August 93.
I replaced the stock Vintage 50 speaker with a Celestion 90.
Regards

The serial number on my Studio .22+ is FP-029---

?

 

[&drew]

Hello. I'm new here & have been enjoying reading the posts.
I'm renovating my Studio .22 bought in 1988 from Rocky Road in Cricklewood, London.
After a few years R131 blew and, as recommended elsewhere on this site, replaced with a 2W version. This is only the F/S power supply so not signal-critical.
I'm hoping to do the mods for Lead Master and the Lead 'Drive' or 'Gain'.
Looking at the schematics for the .22 and comparing to the .22+ I have concluded the following which you may find useful:
1. Lead Master: Replacing R241 (47K) next to LDR4 with a POT. The schematic shows a 47k resistor so I'll try a pot that will give me a reading of 47k at half throttle - ie at 5 on the dial. This should allow for fine tuning to balance the volume level of the LEAD boost. The Output level of the amp in the Lead mode will be determined by the settings of both Master controls. Using the Lead Master should allow fine balancing in Lead mode.
NB: As you may know, this is a single channel amp with a LEAD boost which switches in Valve 1 to give overdrive.

2. Lead Gain: I'll try replacing R292 (the un-named 470k between C5 and LDR2 which dumps to ground) with a POT again giving 470k dialled at 5. This should allow the output of V1 to be cut or boosted to hopefully alter the Lead Gain.

Does anyone know if these two mods are correct? I will try them and post the results when done.

 

[Janglin_Jack]

Hello. I'm new here & have been enjoying reading the posts.
I'm renovating my Studio .22 bought in 1988 from Rocky Road in Cricklewood, London.
After a few years R131 blew and, as recommended elsewhere on this site, replaced with a 2W version. This is only the F/S power supply so not signal-critical.
I'm hoping to do the mods for Lead Master and the Lead 'Drive' or 'Gain'.
Looking at the schematics for the .22 and comparing to the .22+ I have concluded the following which you may find useful:
1. Lead Master: Replacing R241 (47K) next to LDR4 with a POT. The schematic shows a 47k resistor so I'll try a pot that will give me a reading of 47k at half throttle - ie at 5 on the dial. This should allow for fine tuning to balance the volume level of the LEAD boost. The Output level of the amp in the Lead mode will be determined by the settings of both Master controls. Using the Lead Master should allow fine balancing in Lead mode.
NB: As you may know, this is a single channel amp with a LEAD boost which switches in Valve 1 to give overdrive.

2. Lead Gain: I'll try replacing R292 (the un-named 470k between C5 and LDR2 which dumps to ground) with a POT again giving 470k dialled at 5. This should allow the output of V1 to be cut or boosted to hopefully alter the Lead Gain.

Does anyone know if these two mods are correct? I will try them and post the results when done.

Nice first post!!! That would be my understanding for the mods as I have read them. Someone posted in the forum the Lead Drive mod and indicated that you need a 1M resistor AND a volume pot to make the lead drive at R292. They also indicated you needed to cut the trace to between Cap C5 and LDR2. Since I posted this response, I found this that talks about the lead drive mod with pics.

http://acapella.harmony-central.com/showthread.php?t=2223437

I also found this that talks about the Lead Master Mod.

https://www.premierguitar.com/Magazine/Issue/2008/May/Boogie_Tricks_A_Fuse_Fix.aspx

I hope someone can confirm these mods as I am very interested in performing both. Great question and welcome!!!

Mike

 

[Janglin_Jack]

FYI - I am still reviewing the schematics/wiring diagrams I have found and thought about using static values instead of pots, (variable resistors). I recently got my Studio .22 and really haven't given it enough time to determine if I want to make the full mods, but I did determine that the lead channel was too hot. Instead of changing V1 to a 5751 or 12AY7 as I have seen in some other posts, I thought if the stock value for the lead drive was 470K, then turning the gain down a bit on the modded "pot" might be around 270K. So I experimented and just installed a 270K resistor at R292 vs the variable pot and cutting the trace. While the pot would be more versatile, I put in the 270K resistor. At low volume, (late at night and the kids are sleeping), the change seems to be a really good one. I will report back in a few days to let you guys know if that value is a good one or not. Anyhow, the resistors could be a good way to reduce gain, (Lead Drive) without going for the full mod of adding a drive pot. I also need to check the balance of the clean vs lead channels. If they are out of balance, then I will look to do the same thing as the guy from Budda amps suggested in my previous post and increase the value of the resistor at R241. Anyhow, so far, the change seems to be a good one.

Mike

 

[primeholy]

checked out the vid...great tone!!!! you have a good combination with your gear (amp, guitar, speakers, etc.), plus a big factor is that tone comes from the fingers/hands too!! very nice, very nice indeed.

Thanks man. I didnt see this since I traded my 22 I do have a Mark IV now though, but I wish I still had that 22. Maybe I will run into another one with those mods one day.

 

[Neptical]

Reading this thread makes me want my old Studio 22 back that I use to own many years ago. What a great sounding amp it was for sure.

All the Best,
~Nep~

 

[&drew]

[/quote]Nice first post!!! That would be my understanding for the mods as I have read them. Someone posted in the forum the Lead Drive mod and indicated that you need a 1M resistor AND a volume pot to make the lead drive at R292. They also indicated you needed to cut the trace to between Cap C5 and LDR2. Since I posted this response, I found this that talks about the lead drive mod with pics.

http://acapella.harmony-central.com/showthread.php?t=2223437

I also found this that talks about the Lead Master Mod.

https://www.premierguitar.com/Magazine/Issue/2008/May/Boogie_Tricks_A_Fuse_Fix.aspx

I hope someone can confirm these mods as I am very interested in performing both. Great question and welcome!!!

Mike[/quote]

Thanks for your welcome Mike. This is a great resource.

Thanks for the links too - I've joined that Harmony forum and asked one of the guys for the mesa mod schematic. I can see what they're doing but my solution is slightly different (maybe easier and can be un-done). I'l post a schematic soon for your interest & confirm if it works when done.

Likewise with the premierguitar Lead Master advice - I was planning on trying this method too. Seems the easier of the two mods.

Last week I cleaned the rotary and slider pots with Faderlube and cannot believe what difference it made to them - I can now feel the click of the slider's centre notch and everything is smoooth. Wow! They must have been filthy after 22 years of use without a clean.

I'm gonna try the amp like this before the mods so I can hear where I'm starting from. I'm hoping this dirt was the cause of the amp sounding dull and hissy over the last few years - tried new valves and had the amp serviced but made no difference. Would seriously advise everyone to clean their pots and contacts. Anyone have experience of this? I used D5 for the contacts - what do you fellas use? I hope I'm not trying to teach grandma how to suck eggs, but such a simple thing as cleaning the pots & contacts could make an enormous difference. Feel stupid for not thinking of it before

When doing the mods I may also replace the hot wire from the input jack socket to the PCB with an OFC screened cable. May give a further cut to any noise contamination at this crucial early stage of the pre-amp. I notice recent Mesa amps have a ferrite component in this position. Could be an option. My Nomad has almost no hiss at any setting except very high gain, as all amps do.
Also may insulate any bare wires (such as those to ground) to reduce the chance of short circuits and replace the wires to/from the reverb box with OFC quality, screened cable. I'll check the reverb send/return operating voltage, but hi-fi screened cable should be ok.
Finally, I've seen amp servicing options to replace the filter capacitors, which seems to be a usual mod to old amps. I wonder if they degrade over time and it's partially this that gives old amps their 'vintage' tone? Or replacing is necessary to maintain good tone? What difference would this make to a 20 year amp. Worth doing? Any thoughts?

 

[raijin]

hiya I have a .22 that has a problem with my powertube vibrating out of its socket. was there a tube holder in this amp? also, where are the instructions of the modifications?


thanks

D

 

[kludge]

Any suggestions for quieting down a noisy .22+? I really like the tone of mine, but the hiss and buzz stuff is really obnoxious (even on the clean channel) compared to my dead-silent Mark I.

Also, the sweep on the master volume is AWFUL. The only real volume range is about 1.25-1.75 on the dial. Below that it's gone, above that it's nearly max volume and just gets dirtier. Any mods to give the master volume a better sweep?

 

[&drew]

hiya I have a .22 that has a problem with my powertube vibrating out of its socket. was there a tube holder in this amp? also, where are the instructions of the modifications?


thanks

D

hiya Raijin
Yes there was an aluminium bracket that fits over all of the valves attached to the main chassis with plastic hinges and clasps. I have my .22 on the bench at the moment so I will try and post a picture to show you what I mean. You may be able to make one out of sheet aluminium and heat proof foam.

As for the mods - I had to do a search on this board. We would like to consolidate all the mods in one place to help but I'm new here and am just starting to look into it. I'll try and sort out some links and/or re-post them all in one place, maybe here.

There are these mods I found and plan to do to make the .22 into a .22plus:
• Lead Master Volume - replaces dump resistor, R241 (47k) with a potentiometer - allowing volume balancing of both channels.

• Lead Gain - replaces dump resistor R292 (470k) with a potentiometer - allowing a different amount of gain on Lead channel and Rhythm

As a start you may like to search google for a schematic of the .22, though the schematic for the .22plus is clearer and very similar.

 

[&drew]

Any suggestions for quieting down a noisy .22+? I really like the tone of mine, but the hiss and buzz stuff is really obnoxious (even on the clean channel) compared to my dead-silent Mark I.

Also, the sweep on the master volume is AWFUL. The only real volume range is about 1.25-1.75 on the dial. Below that it's gone, above that it's nearly max volume and just gets dirtier. Any mods to give the master volume a better sweep?

Hiya Klugde

Yeah its a great amp - I've had my .22 since '88 but until a few weeks ago it had never been cleaned.

I may have had similar problems - you may have some faults there due to dirty pots. You're right - it shouldn't hiss and buzz and the volume should have a great sweep so you can play at a very low level. No need IMHO for a mod. The manual states the taper of the volume control has been designed to (if I remember correctly) "allow you to annihilate Manhattan while Granny sleeps next door". And of course like your Mark I, it should just get louder as you turn it up in a smooth increase. Could be a very dirty pot or a damaged one. They are easy to replace but try cleaning first as this will benefit all the pots and graphic EQ.

See my post on previous page of this thread regarding cleaning my .22.

To gain access I took the chassis out of the cabinet. If you're a novice, BEWARE!! LETHAL VOLTAGE EVEN WHEN UNPLUGGED FOR SEVERAL DAYS!!!

DO NOT TOUCH anything without bleeding the capacitors to earth. It's a good idea to check it's safe with an electrician's mains-detector screwdriver.

I used Deoxit D5 to clean the contacts eg input socket, reverb plugs/sockets, speaker sockets, valve sockets etc
then Deoxit Faderlube F5 to clean the pots and graphic EQ slider pots.

This made an enormous difference to my amp which was sounding hissy and dull with dead spots on the controls.

I hope this helps. My .22 has never sounded better and the controls are smooth and responsive again. The hiss has gone and the overdrive sounds as it should - awesome. The cleans are brighter and bouncy when needed and at higher Gain gives a wonderful edge-of-breakup tone, depending on the output of guitar used.

I think this amp is capable of some classic boogie sounds as the pre-amp is very similar to the Mark series but without the pull options. But the tone is different due to the .22 using two EL84s and no tweed etc. This gives a terrific combination that has been used by Mesa on many other amps.

Good luck & lets's hope you don't have a bigger underlying problem than this.

 

[&drew]

PS Kludge - your buzzy Rhythm channel may also be a faulty 12AX7 - probably in position V2 as this is the first valve in that channel.

(Please note I am not a technician - these are just things learnt after 25 years playing valve amps.)

If the problem is in Lead channel too then it could still be be V2. Could also be any other valve.

If it is ONLY in Lead channel then very likely V1 as this valve is only used in Lead mode.

Try swopping a known good 12ax7 for each valve IN TURN and note the change it makes. This is best done with the chassis out of the cabinet and on a bench. NEVER run a valve amp without a speaker connected as it will burn out the transformer.
BEWARE OF LETHAL VOLTAGES! If anyone else reading this is unsure what to do then please see a qualified amp technician. VALVE AMPS CAN KILL even when switched off for some time...

12ax7's either work or they don't but can still give a sound. A faulty one will give microphonics, hiss, buzz, scratchy noise and poor tone. An oddly glowing valve may be the faulty one.

EL84's can wear out gradually and give dull tone after much use. They should be a matched pair.

¿Major faults can result in shorts and amp failure and possibly buzz? ANY VIEWS ANYONE?

Also check valve sockets for signs of over-heating and melted solder or poor contact between valve pin and socket. Sockets can be replaced or re-tensioned.

I hope this helps.

 

[mxr2000]

bump more info on this please

 

[NunoVanBamSteen]

Hi All!
Newbie to the forum, but long time Boogie owner.
I got my Studio .22 back when East Coast Music Mall was sending out their flyers advertising all the used gear they had.
I nabbed it due to a typo, listing it at $299.00 + 30 shipping, if I recall. I'm estimating 1997-ish. When I called, the guy said it was a typo, but they'd honor it.

Anyway, it had a couple minor issues with the presence control not working and the internal reverb was disconnected from the cheapy lil spring card inside the chassis. Mine is SN SS-75XX says Class "A" Power, on the back and I believe 1987 in purple marker on the chassis.

Anyway, it's been a faithful workhorse since I got it, and continues to be, but I wonder if it isn't time for a re-cap.
My question is simple, does anyone have a ready made kit for these, I really am just too lazy to inventory every capacitor in the amp, and wondered if anyone knows of either Boogie offering it or a 3rd party?

It has one flaw where you can hear the amp sort of fart as it powers down, indicating a resistor has probably tanked too or perhaps a coupling cap. In any case, any help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

~NVBS~

 

[&drew]

Hi All!
...my Studio .22.....been a faithful workhorse since I got it, and continues to be, but I wonder if it isn't time for a re-cap.

My question is simple, does anyone have a ready made kit for these, I really am just too lazy to inventory every capacitor in the amp, and wondered if anyone knows of either Boogie offering it or a 3rd party?

It has one flaw where you can hear the amp sort of fart as it powers down, indicating a resistor has probably tanked too or perhaps a coupling cap. In any case, any help is greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
~NVBS~

Hiya
I've considered this myself as a worthwhile mod - I've seen service shops offering it online for old AC30's etc.
Full a la carte tune-up service.

I don't know of a kit but would be interested for any opinion as to why an amp needs a re-cap? What happens to the sound when the caps 'wear out'? Is it chronic or sudden?

My 22 years old .22 had fairly heavy use for its first 10 years. Recently I've cleaned all the pots & contacts (D5 & Faderlube) & (subjectively) it sounds as good as new. I love it. The amp had become dull & hissy as the dirt built up in the pots and contacts etc.
Most worthwhile service for an old amp imo. FAB.

After the first 5 years of use, R131 blew up - as it is under rated in original design. It's on the main board but is part of the footswitch supply circuit. Clearly shown on the schematic, page 2:
http://www.schematicheaven.com/boogieamps/boogie_22cal.pdf

The blow out was preceded, I seem to remember, by months of odd pops & noise at power down.

I had it replaced with a 1K ohm, 2watt version as stated on .22 schematic - and it has worked perfect since.

 

[NunoVanBamSteen]

Over time the capacitors degrade and you don't get the responsiveness that the amp once had. It takes time and is gradual.
I keep my pots and sliders clean, I hit them with DeOxIt maybe once a year or so.

 

[NunoVanBamSteen]

I called Boogie today and they called me back within a few hours about the Lead Drive Level Mod.
Interestingly, they didn't want to divulge the info on the mod and wouldn't just walk me through it. The tech said I could ship it in and for $100 and a 3 week wait, they would do the whole mod. The only reason this sort of appeals to me is that it would be a Factory Mod, kind of like the Mark III Red Stripe mods or IIC+ upgrades of yore.

That alone could make the amp a little more valuable in some peoples' eyes. I don't really plan on selling, I've had it 13+ years, why sell now, I love it!

The only thing I'd have a hard time finding would be he similar knobs they used, but I suppose, I could order everything from boogie direct without hassle.
I also asked about a Cap swap, and they said they seldom see a need to recap, they said it was a "dark word" around there.
I said, "my amp is 23 years old" they replied "Yeah, that's not REALLY old like our Mark I and S.O.B. series, those might need it". So, unless you have a blown capacitor that needs it, they'll sell you the parts, but don't exactly recommend it unless its needed (failed). :wink:

 

[&drew]

If you decide to do the mods yourself I found the info on this forum with pics and links to other sites with method.

Three wires, a resistor, pot & knob for the Lead Drive mod & similar for the Lead Master mod.

Main difficulty is removing the pcb & for the novices, doing it :!: safely :!: - drain those caps first!

Yes - Mesa has the knobs though they are expensive in the UK. For knobs used on rear - Fender skirts may look ok if nothing else available.
Some move the Reverb & Presence (less frequently altered during sound modelling) to the rear of chassis and use the front holes for the new Lead Drive & Master pots.

When I do this mod I may move the Reverb to the rear with the Lead Master and have the Lead drive on the front together with the Presence. Depends which controls you use most. Undecided as yet which way to go.

The Lead Master is used to balance the 'channels' (.22 is really a single channel with Lead boost switching in V1 with enormous gain - same as the Mark series - & a pair of LDR switched-in 'dump to ground resistors' to balance the volume increase of the extra gain. One resistor after V1 and the other at end of pre-amp.).

Thanks for the info on Caps - puts my mind at ease.

 

[selectortone]

Here's the Lead Drive Mod:

As I've said in other threads, I've done it and I really like it. I've also changed C5 to .022uf as I found the stock .001uf cap made the Lead mode too thin sounding and I wanted some more bass.

At the moment the pot is mounted on the rear the way Mesa do it (but with a Fender amp knob) but I'm thinking of buying a push-pull pot and a proper Mesa knob, putting the pot on the front (switched with the reverb pot) and putting my deep cap mod on the push-pull.