5. Neve 1081 Module Tips

It must have come to everyone's attention that the price of vintage Neve modules is spiralling upwards with Channel Amplifiers like 1081's achieving prices of greater than $4,000. There are parallels between vintage audio products and vintage classic cars with the manner they have been maintained and refurbished having a major consequence on the true value of the product. For anyone considering purchasing a vintage Neve 1081 (or similar 12" motherboard based equaliser) here are a few tips regarding evaluating the condition of the module and what price should be offered. . .

For a start, make sure you have with you a small straight bladed electrician's screwdriver because you will need to remove both the side covers!
With the covers removed look very closely at the printed circuit tracks on the rear of the circuit board. Look for telltale signs of clumsy soldering where the legs of the component on the reverse side have replaced original tracks.

The problem is that the tracks are very fine and the legs of the components were originally bent over after passing through the board. If the soldering iron is used like a chisel to lever the component leg up the track will inevitably lift off as a result of the extra heat from the iron and the physical agitation. The solder should be removed with solder wick and then the component leg bent up with fine nose pliers. The solder wick will help absorb the heat from the iron and prevent the track from lifting.

If there are any components at all soldered directly to printed circuit tracks it indicates a bodged repair. The addition of capacitors on the track side indicate that the attempted repair may have fixed the symptom but it didn't repair the fault!

Look carefully at tracks around the BA340 output stage (the amplifier with the black heatsink on top of it) as I have found 1081's with sockets drilled out and replaced with larger ones to enable a clone BA440 to be fitted. Hardly original!

Turning the module over to the component side the module should be checked to ascertain the age and type of the capacitors fitted. Special attention should be paid to the BA338 amplifiers along the rear of the motherboard. The module uses many tantalum bead capacitors, especially for input and power de-coupling on or near the BA338's. If these have been replaced with radial aluminium electrolytic capacitors (which are cylindrical and ill fitting due to their larger size) the module will lose its sound signature and these capacitors must be changed back to tantalum bead type. Original Neve electrolytic axial capacitors were usually pale metallic blue and all these capacitors should have been replaced.

The transistors on all of the daughter board amplifiers should all be fitted with white spacers between them and the circuit board. Missing spacers indicate changed transistors which, in itself, is not detrimental unless non original BC184L and 214L transistors are fitted in their place (should be BC184C and BC214C).

I should caution folk that there are counterfeit 1081’s doing the rounds that pretend to be Neve manufactured but are far from it. Items that are Neve will have a module type and serial number adhesive plate on the rear panel and these will be made from printed aluminium foil… not plastic. I know that one cloner is using a batch of later, plastic, plates to try to add authenticity to their version of these elderly modules.

Inside, the B340 amplifier must be fitted with a heatsink and, if pulled out, must have very short (around 3mm or 0.125” long) gold pins. Generally, if the circuit boards have solder resist and the capacitors are modern rather than obsolete Mullard, Siemens and Suflex types, then one should assume the module is a modern recreation and NOT an original.

This posting is intended to provide a means by which the originality of a Neve 1081 can be checked and the value adjusted accordingly. Call us if you need help with these or any other Neve module!

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