The Steel Guitar Forum

My older Goodrich model 7-A super sustain unit is distorting real bad !! Both batts. have been replaced !! Anybody know how to reach Co. for repairs ?? Tel.number on the unit doesn't work !! Are they still in business ?? Anybody else who can do repairs ?? Anybody have any info ??? HELP !!! olde geeze - AKA Eddie "C"

This might be the problem:

http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopi ... t=goodrich

Evidently severe illness has caused closure of the Co.! Does anybody else know how to repair these Goodrich units ?? Any other electronic geniuses out there ?? I'm getting desperate !! I hate to throw this away !! It should be repairable !!?? Does anyone know if any schematics exist ?? HELP !! olde geeze - AKA Eddie "C"

Ollie prized secrecy. Good luck getting schematics.
I think Keith Hilton makes a sustain box, and if you only need the buffer, hard to beat the Lil Izzy.

If I remember correctly it has a pot in it. A bad pot can cause distortion.

Lane is right, there are no schematics, unless someone has reverse engineered and made their own, for Goodrich products.

Time to replace it with a "Lil Izzy".

The Sarno Freeloader does a great job of controlling the tone.

I also thought he scraped off the IDs of any ICs and transistors he used. Makes reverse engineering difficult.
Aspects of the 7A and current replacements (off the top of my head only)
Sustain: Keith Hilton makes a sustain box, don't recall if it has a buffer.
Buffer only (if you never used the time knob): Lil Izzy.
Buffer with a tone knob: Brad Sarno Black Box, the legendary tube-powered buffer and the Brad Sarno Freeloader, solid state buffer with tone knob.

I have a Goodrich Matchbox,(not sure of the model)but it has those little cubed shape Mexican pots in it. I keep intending to order new pots from Jim Palenscar in Calf. I just have not done it. Also the guys at Keeley Electronics, here in Okla. are pretty sharp on fixing this stuff, so I've thought about seeing if they can reverse engineer this one I have. Maybe, Keeley will come out with a new Matchbox, and make all of us steel players happy.

Mine started not working. I have ditched it and I'm glad I did. One less thing to worry about.

Most of the Goodrich electronics I've been into have either had the part numbers scraped off or painted over. Not just IC's, I've seen transistors with no visible part number.

Goodrich is not the only one. I did a Lemay mod on a Nashville 400 amp about 14 years ago and the IC's had been painted over the part number. In the early 70's, when I worked as an amp tech, a lot of solid state equipment only had proprietary (manufacturer) part numbers that couldn't be cross referenced.

Thanks guys !! I guess I have to make some hard decisions !! What to do !! Which choice should I make !! I guess I'll sleep on it and maybe tomorrow something will pop into my skull !!! olde geeze AKA Eddie "C

George Macdonald wrote:The Sarno Freeloader does a great job of controlling the tone.

I agree. There is some sort of voodoo magic going on with the knob on a Freeloader. I love it!