How Dangerous Was This...?

RocknRollDave

Just idly curious, but at a recent Gov't Mule gig I attended, it became clear (from the pointing, head-shaking and general frownage between guitarist and guitar tech) that one of the amp heads wasn't producing any sound. The guitarist has two amps on the go, switching between them even mid-song (but never both mixed together, IIRC).

Now, with the good amp in play and the duff amp clearly still powered and lit up (maybe on "standby" though), the tech gets a screwdriver and takes the back off, reaching in to have a good old fiddle about.

I was stood there thinking "Please don't let me watch the guitar tech electrocute himself live on stage...."

Could he have fried, or am I just being an ignoramous?

ICBM

Highly unlikely to have been even slightly dangerous even if it was fully on. All modern amps are designed so that no live parts are exposed unless the chassis is fully removed from the box - the only risk would be if he broke a valve, which could then expose live internal elements.

I do this - and much scarier stuff, to the average person - all the time without even thinking about it much, and I'm not dead yet. (I don't think…!)

ecc83

Yeah, I once replaced the mains switch on a TV and did not know it was plugged in until it burst into life!

On the other hand it is said people have been electrocuted when soaking wet by a car battery?

Like pilots tho', there are VERY few old BOLD electrical tekks!

Darwin or sommat.

Dave.

Sassafras

Still, it's a rock & roll way to go.

BowynMadley

He uses a 150watt Caesar Diaz and a soldano slo. Both are likely to have Atleast 500v going across the plate but that means nothing if he wouldn't be able touch anything live

RocknRollDave

Ah, just me being a technophobic ignoramus then, good. Wasn't the Diaz, it was a Homestead, IIRC.

DJH83004

Would suggest he had more chance of getting burnt on an output valve than electrocuted :-)

BowynMadley

Wasn't the Diaz, it was a Homestead, IIRC.[/quote]

Damn that's what I meant. I saw them in Bristol the other week. He had the homestead then to. Obviously doesn't travel overseas with the Diaz

RocknRollDave

BowynMadley said:

Wasn't the Diaz, it was a Homestead, IIRC.[/quote]

Damn that's what I meant. I saw them in Bristol the other week. He had the homestead then to. Obviously doesn't travel overseas with the Diaz

How was the Bristol gig? If I am not mistaken, comparing setlists with London the night before, I don't think they duplicated a single song between the two nights, which is pretty impressive.

BowynMadley

How was the Bristol gig? If I am not mistaken, comparing setlists with London the night before, I don't think they duplicated a single song between the two nights, which is pretty impressive.[/quote]


The Bristol gig was brilliant. His tone was amazing as was his playing and singing. They had a noise curfew, so instead of taking a break they played for 2 hours 45 mind straight threw. I was truly blown away by how good they were

RocknRollDave

fields5069

Reminds me of a time when the "sparky of death", who earned his moniker after this event, was working on one of the power feeds into the H3G test lab, which I'm guessing would be 415V (?) All of a sudden we who were on the switch floor heard an almighty BANG, I felt my hair stand on end and I was aware that the atmosphere was, well, highly charged. I'm not sure what he did but he survived without a mark on him. Presumably something touched something it shouldn't have.