Jadis Fidelity

Detlof, have you noticed any damage to the gold finish with the silver polish? My dealer used Maas(supposedly excellent) cleaner on my amp(said Jadis recommended it), and there is some wearing of the gold. I have been searching for a good way to clean my amp. The factory recommends just a cloth(perhaps damp), which is a joke. And for heavy cleaning, they told me to use methylated spirits(95% ethanol, denatured w/methanol). They specifically told me to NEVER use a cleaner made for brass(maybe that's where the problems with the Maas cleaner arose), as it will damage the gold plating. And told me that they have never recommended Maas to anyone(my dealer in a little white lie...) I have found isopropyl alcohol of practically no use. As a chemist, I fail to see how methylated spirits will do anything if isopropanol doesn't. Not that they are identical, but as close as you get in terms of alcohols(functionality would be virtually identical). It is certainly a beautiful piece. One of the most beautiful amplifiers I have ever seen. That is always the first thing people comment on, before I fire it up(then they're really captivated). But keeping it pristine has been a problem for me. Regarding tubes Odiomuse, I would be surprised if the amplifier you were interested in did not accept EL34/E34L/6CA7. Most Jadis amps will run on these, in addition to 6550/KT88/KT90. The more expensive amps are also usually autobiasing. Mine is not, unfortunately. I have heard many a person say that Jadis amplifiers are even better with the EL34 family of tubes. I know that when I retube I will probably move to KT88 or E34L. Currently, I am using the factory supplied Ei KT90. I think the Czech JJ E34L to be the best of the EL34 type.

I used Craig ProGold G5 on the gold finnish and it keeps it shinny and looks like new,there is no wearing of the gold but I need to apply it about once a month to maintain the golden lustre.

Trelja, strangely enough meth works, especially for those nasty fingerprints, which sometimes are so hard to remove. Your caveat about brass polish is dead to the point. It will ruin the gold. Silver polish-don't know what's in it - does so less, but has to applied with extreme caution, tiny portions and not too much rubbing. I am pretty sure, that if not done carefully, the gold will suffer as well. (Been lucky so far)

Odiomuse, as you can see from these posts, the cosmetics of the Jadis equipment are a not insignificant part of their appeal! I admit it too; I've been tempted by the similarly natural sound of the Lamm tubed amps, but I've resisted in part (other than the price) because they don't look anywhere near as nice as the Jadis. I've been bedeviled by fingerprints and some minor discoloring on the gold plated surfaces, so I'd like to thank the above posters for the suggestions. My wife had suggested that, if I'd gotten them new, maybe some of her clear coat nail polish would protect the gold finish, but I didn't have the guts to try that, and she's not a chemist. Any of you try it?

Thanks to all who have posted with help on keeping a Jadis looking new. Hello Rcprince! I have not yet experimented with putting a clear coat on the faceplate, but have thought about it since day one. In one of my e-mails from Jadis, they told me that the products sold in Taiwan do come with a coating(due to the extreme humidity there - don't know why any coastal region around the world would be different...). It is a lacquer based product. The reason they told me this is that the cleaning of these products is different. Just to give me a heads up, in case my amp was from there. These amps do NOT get cleaned with methylated spirits, as it will damage the coating. Samaul, unfortunately I don't think we could ever hope for anything less than a once a month cleaning of these faceplates. I may give the ProGold a try. I remember researching the composition for a thread on this site a few months ago. Perhaps I should revisit that...