Amp Woes

Pissy · December 16, 2022, 07:13:12 AM

Look for a fuse on that ampeg. The other two, you can get some deoxit from guitar center to spray and work into the potentiometers. The jacks you can see if the spring tabs need to get bent back so they contact better. I've heard that Monster cables mess with jacks because they're over sized on purpose - in order to make better contact. Problem is, when you go back and use a standard cable afterwards the jack has been stretched out.

RAGER · January 16, 2023, 12:27:03 PM

My Orange has been a bit noisy as of late. Crackly at idle especially when warmed up. Figured preamp tube or cold solder joint. Turns out it's both. Pulled out of the head box, belly up, chopstick in hand, other hand in back pocket just in case and started pokin. Yep one 12ax7 and a solder joint. Had a few SOVTEK 12ax7's in stock. Swapped it out and it's pretty quiet. I'll order a couple new JJ's and flow the solder when they get here.

I'm getting old or weak cuz those Orange cabs seem a lot heavier these days.

Muffin Man · January 16, 2023, 09:49:09 PM

My hifi monoblocks has a crackle either tube, pot, fuse, or whatnot. It calls for ceramic SLO-BLO but has a glass init so going to the bench next couple weeks.

If a tube amp smells bad, that's actually good. They're the best. I'm sending my EL84 hifi monoblocks off to the manufacturer. They're 95% okay but I want them on their bench before I start tube-rolling with diamond plates (maybe) they got the o-scope and have the chopsticks to boot. All the values and NOS goodies. Pay to play. Kinda expensive but tbh tubes are worth it and this is sorta endgame, for one system anyway. And the 10 year cure. These are super stable (but run hot, adjustable bias points, so no foolin')

I meant to snap a pick of them glowing but they're already boxed. Lemme get em back for a portrait. Soon. Just lovely.

RAGER · January 16, 2023, 10:57:10 PM

The smell of a tube amp is like....well, it's something sublime. And the wood, glue, and Vynide

Muffin Man · January 16, 2023, 11:07:06 PM

Quote from: RAGER on January 16, 2023, 10:57:10 PM
The smell of a tube amp is like....well, it's something sublime. And the wood, glue, and Vynide

Wow! Ah 'tis.

RAGER · January 29, 2023, 04:26:42 PM

I got horned up talking about bass cabs in the other thread so I went to fire up the Super Twin on top of the 8x10. Crackle, fizz. What's that smell?

Quick scan

Found it. Scorched resistor. Basically the choke cuz these don't use choke transformers.

Gotta order stuff. I'll change t out and see if it just failed cuz it's 50 years old or if it's something else.

Oh yeah. RCA black plate 6l6's.

And a damn Peavey 12ax7 for that Mississippi Marshall sound.

Pissy · January 29, 2023, 04:30:15 PM

Haha. Peavey tube.

I'm a little concerned about that ceramic resistor. I didn't think they deteriorated over time like that. But 50 years, so...

Muffin Man · January 29, 2023, 06:59:44 PM

Ok that Super Twin is cool. Thought I was looking at dual rectifiers but nope. I like solid state there anyway.

I gotta figure out this hammer on thing, easy enough, but cool sound.

at 5:03