Let’s Talk About Wizard Amps Gut Shots Modern Classic 50 Modded, Slightly

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dead-pan

dead-pan

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Bring the discussion and photos of your Wizard from the inside out!

When i bought this amp I really liked it but it didn't quite have the kick in the lows I had heard about. Had my tech add a depth dial but it didn't do a lot so I had him take another look at it. He added a variable negative feedback and extended its range and now the amp is perfect.

I am no tech so tell me what you see here.
 

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the best thing about this gut shot is the mod jumps out at you because he didn't redisguise the solder joints.
 
Smash said:
the best thing about this gut shot is the mod jumps out at you because he didn't redisguise the solder joints.
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He has been professional with all my amps, from the Komet Concord to the Ampeg VH140c.

Great tech.
 
Does modding amps like Wizard of this caliber devalue ya amp ? Especially people talked about the Hybrid with added depth instead of contour would be perfect.... what of i were to diy the mods instead?
 
hopkinWFG said:
Does modding amps like Wizard of this caliber devalue ya amp ? Especially people talked about the Hybrid with added depth instead of contour would be perfect.... what of i were to diy the mods instead?
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If you don’t know how to solder and the mod looks like straight ass which professionals will immediately be able to tell, yes it will cost you many thousands in value.
 
hopkinWFG said:
Does modding amps like Wizard of this caliber devalue ya amp ? Especially people talked about the Hybrid with added depth instead of contour would be perfect.... what of i were to diy the mods instead?
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If you mod a Wizard, then yes it will lose a ton of value, just like modding any amp. Except it will be worse here because one of the things about Wizards is that every amp is designed and hand-built by exactly one guy to a very high degree of craftsmanship. Just like modding a Trainwreck would lose you a lot more money than modding a JCM 800 or some other mass produced amp that's kind of known for being a modding platform, modding a Wizard is going to really shoot down the resale value. Aside from that, the only real way an amp can get modded and not lose value is if the mod is done by some famous modder people are already lining up to buy from.

The real question is whether or not you care. If you mod an amp like this, you're basically saying it's almost-perfect-but-not-quite, and the mod is taking the final step towards making it perfect for you. In other words, modding an amp like a Wizard means you expect it to be a lifer, or at the very least you think the value loss will be worth it.
 
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TheGreatGreen said:
If you mod a Wizard, then yes it will lose a ton of value, just like modding any amp. Except it will be worse here because one of the things about Wizards is that every amp is designed and hand-built by exactly one guy to a very high degree of craftsmanship. Just like modding a Trainwreck would lose you a lot more money than modding a JCM 800 or some other mass produced amp that's kind of known for being a modding platform, modding a Wizard is going to really shoot down the resale value. Aside from that, the only real way an amp can get modded and not lose value is if the mod is done by some famous modder people are already lining up to buy from.

The real question is whether or not you care. If you mod an amp like this, you're basically saying it's almost-perfect-but-not-quite, and the mod is taking the final step towards making it perfect for you. In other words, modding an amp like a Wizard means you expect it to be a lifer, or at the very least you think the value loss will be worth it.
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If I were to sell this amp I imagine I would double my investment. I made the depth defeatable so anyone could compare to how it was stock.

I have modded many of my amps and wouldn't sell them for a loss in value.

IMO, if a buyer doesn't see the value in the mod the amp isn't the right amp for them.

I could see loosing value if someone bought a new Wizard and had someone else mod it.

Mine is from 2015 and is now one of the best amps I have ever played now.
 
dead-pan said:
Might be the smaller transformer on the 50 needed a little help.
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Could be. Never had a 50 watt. Never had a 50 watt anything I really liked either. Rick used to make a 4 tube 50. That might have been cool.
 
FourT6and2 said:
Wish I could try a Wizard and see what all the fuss is about.
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I think there are so many guys that are making things that hang with it in punch now. But the newer wizards have lowend that can be easily dialed in and are definitely worth trying.
 
There’s nothing special about wizards other than a lucky and repetitive stage design combination that can easily be stumbled upon and diode clipping to make up for the lack of actual gain from the stages afterwards. It’s an ingenious design in its simplicity.

I’ve wanted to get my hands on one to massage my excursion circuit into.
 
Do Wizards come with a lifetime warranty or something? The gooping on every single turret, connection and component looks like straight ass. Huge turn off for future repairing because that shit is an absolute pain in the ass to get off.
 
vultures said:
Do Wizards come with a lifetime warranty or something? The gooping on every single turret, connection and component looks like straight ass. Huge turn off for future repairing because that shit is an absolute pain in the ass to get off.
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Lifetime limited, non transferable warranty to original owners to my knowledge.
 
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