HDRX 20 Power Transformer failure

P

Pavle Hristov

New Member
Joined
Jan 24, 2024
Messages
5
Location
Skopje, North Macedonia
I would be extremely thankful if someone could share any info on HDRX 20 schematic.
Namely, the Power Transformer (PT) on my amp blew up just after 6 months of home use.
Considering that my location is North Macedonia and I have almost zero access to authorized service (even within the warranty period), I'm more than willing to purchase/replace the PT at my own cost.
However, PRS schematics are a well-protected treasure (understandable), and I cannot find any info on the relevant values of the PT.
* yes, I addressed the issue with PRS Customer Service and no response to date.
 
No information to offer, but I do hope PRS CS will help you out, considering your local situation. You’re right, they are famously silent on component specifics.

If you have a qualified amp technician near to you, the transformer values should be easy to determine. Being as it’s not a CAD amp, I’d suspect it to be a fairly off-the-shelf type.
 
RickP said:
No information to offer, but I do hope PRS CS will help you out, considering your local situation. You’re right, they are famously silent on component specifics.

If you have a qualified amp technician near to you, the transformer values should be easy to determine. Being as it’s not a CAD amp, I’d suspect it to be a fairly off-the-shelf type.
Click to expand...
Thank you for your feedback.
I can understand keeping the secret of their schematic, but that should come with proper Customer Service.
Unfortunately, I'm stuck with a broken amp from PRS. They're not providing any support and I can't find information to fix the issue on my own.
Bottom line: do not buy PRS outside the US (but that's for another thread).
Cheers.
 
Pavle Hristov said:
Thank you for your feedback.
I can understand keeping the secret of their schematic, but that should come with proper Customer Service.
Unfortunately, I'm stuck with a broken amp from PRS. They're not providing any support and I can't find information to fix the issue on my own.
Bottom line: do not buy PRS outside the US (but that's for another thread).
Cheers.
Click to expand...

No luck with PRS Customer Service (Europe).
 
Pavle Hristov said:
Bottom line: do not buy PRS outside the US (but that's for another thread).
Cheers.
Click to expand...
Unsurprisingly, the US-made PRS amps have few problems. My HXDA and DG30 are going on ten very smooth years with no issues.

For me, the real bottom line is 'Made in China' amps give you exactly what you pay for - lower quality.
 
László said:
Unsurprisingly, the US-made PRS amps have few problems. My HXDA and DG30 are going on ten very smooth years with no issues.

For me, the real bottom line is 'Made in China' amps give you exactly what you pay for - lower quality.
Click to expand...

My Mesa Studio 22 is thirty years old this year and it’s never given me any trouble.

You watch the d@mn thing will blow up and burn down my music shed now (haha).
 
Last edited:
Alnus Rubra said:
My Mesa Studio 22 is thirty years old this year and it’s never given me any trouble.

You watch the d@mn think will blow up and burn down my music shed now (haha).
Click to expand...
Ha! I doubt it will -- think of all the old US, UK and European amps still going strong after 60-odd years or more.

It'll last. It might blow up on your grandkids, but I bet not. ;)
 
Not inviting the bad to happen, but my 1964 Super Reverb and 1976 Boogie are both running on all-original iron. Of course, the HXDA brothers are chugging into their double-digit years in all original electronics. Expensive up front, but built for the long haul.

@Pavle Hristov , I'm sure it's frustrating, but I really do think any qualified amp repairman can get that situated for you. I hate to hear that you're stuck without support there, but keep in mind it's not going to be an impossible to find part. Don't give up on it!
 
In over forty years of playing, I've only once had a p/t or o/t blow up in any of my UK or US amps. A 1965 US-spec Fender Twin Reverb was shipped to the UK with what turned out to be a broken 6L6 in it, and the power transformer went down with the ship on start-up. It took nearly ten years to find and fit a period-correct replacement........

With over twenty big Fenders, thirty+ Boogies, more than twenty Marshalls, around ten Groove Tubes, maybe six Music Mans, seven Hiwatts, four Riveras, four Carlsbros and four Two Rocks, I reckon that's not a bad record; plus a variety of others lost in the mists. It has included running a lot of 240V stuff on step-ups in the USA, a bunch of 120V gear on step-downs here in the UK/EU, and the use of a whole load of attenuators. Plenty that could have gone wrong big time, but somehow never did. Tubes, caps, resistors, LDRs and pots etc reached the end of their useful lives, and got replaced as necessary.


Last year I thought I'd blown up the p/t in my 120V K&M LTD by accidentally feeding it 240V :oops:. Given that it has a set of the much-storied Ken Fischer Pacifics in it, I had what you might call a "bit of a moment" there.

It turned out I'd just fried the high-speed diodes, and it was running again in just over five days :) Meanwhile, I'd emailed Pactran, and if it had all gone seriously wrong, I would have had a pretty close replacement (choice of 120 or 240V) wound in under a month.

Life is risk.
 
László said:
Unsurprisingly, the US-made PRS amps have few problems. My HXDA and DG30 are going on ten very smooth years with no issues.

For me, the real bottom line is 'Made in China' amps give you exactly what you pay for - lower quality.
Click to expand...
Actually... I did not receive what I paid for.
Yes, I paid less than I would have for a US product, but received nothing but frustration.
I don't think a broken amp should cost 1000 euros, and I can get "plenty of frustration" for free where I come from :)

Anyhow, that's not my point. I simply want to purchase a replacement PT, and PRS won't even respond to my emails...
I need simple info on potential suppliers and/or relevant values so that I can fix the issue at my own cost (regardless of the warranty conditions).
 
RickP said:
Not inviting the bad to happen, but my 1964 Super Reverb and 1976 Boogie are both running on all-original iron. Of course, the HXDA brothers are chugging into their double-digit years in all original electronics. Expensive up front, but built for the long haul.

@Pavle Hristov , I'm sure it's frustrating, but I really do think any qualified amp repairman can get that situated for you. I hate to hear that you're stuck without support there, but keep in mind it's not going to be an impossible to find part. Don't give up on it!
Click to expand...
Thanks.
I'm already in the process of solving the problem on my own.
Luckily, my vintage amps keep my back and cover the flaws of the very-well marketed PRS Authentic Hendrix products...
 
Pavle Hristov said:
Actually... I did not receive what I paid for.
Yes, I paid less than I would have for a US product, but received nothing but frustration.
I don't think a broken amp should cost 1000 euros, and I can get "plenty of frustration" for free where I come from :)

Anyhow, that's not my point. I simply want to purchase a replacement PT, and PRS won't even respond to my emails...
I need simple info on potential suppliers and/or relevant values so that I can fix the issue at my own cost (regardless of the warranty conditions).
Click to expand...
I completely understand. I'm not criticizing you at all, you're right to be frustrated.

I'm frustrated with the fact that PRS is outsourcing so much of their amp production, hence my point.

The design itself may be high quality - Doug Sewell is a great amp designer - but the compromises involved in the actual production and parts involved when making amps in China are there. So a really nice design that should be a bargain turns into a royal pain in the rear because the thing is made in China and we're seeing things fail on the amps within a short time.

I hate to see a great company like PRS making things overseas and compromising their reputation and product designs.

I wish PRS would stay true to their roots.

Also, it totally sucks that PRS' European distributor won't help you out.
 
Have you already removed the old transformer? My feeling, from watching videos on PRS amp repairs is, you're going to have to remove the board...which is going to suck.
They don't build them to be easily serviceable.
 
deathworlder said:
Have you already removed the old transformer? My feeling, from watching videos on PRS amp repairs is, you're going to have to remove the board...which is going to suck.
They don't build them to be easily serviceable.
Click to expand...
Yep. Failed transformer removed - new one installed.
Disappointedly, zero (0) feedback from PRS (they've completely ignored my emails).
I had my amp tech read the values and replace the PT (with a higher-quality unit).
 
Sorry for your issue , I have never had PRS ignore any request , always had a response within a few days.
Agreed something is up with this , it makes no sense. even if it was not under warranty there should have been a response.
Who did you try and contact ? Via what method , did you check your spam or junk email folder.
Did you buy it from a dealer ? did you contact them ?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top