Amp trouble!! fixed and a WARNING!!

[mooncobra]

to start off with, I know just about nothing about the inner workings of an amp, I wish I did. So, this is the problem right now:

I am playing and there is a slight drop in volume, and then it returns to normal volume within a few seconds. Is that a tube? This amp has 4 power tubes and 7 pre amp tubes. There is an old electronics store a few towns away and they have a tube tester. I could pull all the tubes and go test them. Should I began with that. I don't want the problem to get worse. This amp has mullard el34s, I am assuming the reissues. the amp is a Masotti x100m classic.

any suggestions will be of great help

GO TO THE LAST POST I PUT UP BELOW!

 

[LP Freak]

Yea, it could be tube related. If you are able to test the tubes it would be wise and could save you a few bucks

 

[OUTLAW1969]

Go get the tubes tested, as that sounds a lot like one of your tubes farting out.

 

[jcmtone1]

It's a pre amp tube most likely.

 

[Racerxrated]

It's a pre amp tube most likely.

Yup. Pre probably....just had this happen to me today on one of my 2C+s......volume dropped, looked at the tubes and the PI tube was glowing blueish...changed it and no problems.

 

[mooncobra]

anyone else???

I am going to pull the tubes today and take them to the electronic store to test them, hopefully I will have the time to do it today.

 

[LP Freak]

Do you have any spare pre amp tubes that are known to be good? Swap them out one by one and see if that takes care of things

 

[glip22]

I wouldn't bother with testing them Mike. That sounds like an intermittent problem. Just swap them out one by one with another tube until you hopefully find the bad one. Clean your jacks. Does the amp have a loop that is always active?

 

[mooncobra]

I wouldn't bother with testing them Mike. That sounds like an intermittent problem. Just swap them out one by one with another tube until you hopefully find the bad one. Clean your jacks. Does the amp have a loop that is always active?

I can turn the loop on and off. so far over about 2 days the volume drop has occurred about 3 or 4 times. It is not that big of a drop in volume. very slight, but I just don't want it to get worse and want to take care of it asap. I guess I will go pick up some pre amp tubes and start with those, most people are saying it is probably a pre amp tube.

 

[glip22]

I wouldn't bother with testing them Mike. That sounds like an intermittent problem. Just swap them out one by one with another tube until you hopefully find the bad one. Clean your jacks. Does the amp have a loop that is always active?

I can turn the loop on and off. so far over about 2 days the volume drop has occurred about 3 or 4 times. It is not that big of a drop in volume. very slight, but I just don't want it to get worse and want to take care of it asap. I guess I will go pick up some pre amp tubes and start with those, most people are saying it is probably a pre amp tube.

Hopefully it is. Most issues like this are usually tube. How do you like the amp compared to the Gower? Wonder where Dan has been

 

[mooncobra]

I wouldn't bother with testing them Mike. That sounds like an intermittent problem. Just swap them out one by one with another tube until you hopefully find the bad one. Clean your jacks. Does the amp have a loop that is always active?

I can turn the loop on and off. so far over about 2 days the volume drop has occurred about 3 or 4 times. It is not that big of a drop in volume. very slight, but I just don't want it to get worse and want to take care of it asap. I guess I will go pick up some pre amp tubes and start with those, most people are saying it is probably a pre amp tube.

Hopefully it is. Most issues like this are usually tube. How do you like the amp compared to the Gower? Wonder where Dan has been

I love the Masotti, and I loved the Gower. I have been lucky, the last 3 amps I have had were just amazing, the CCV, Gower Rockmonster, and the Masotti x100m classic. This amp has 7 pre amp tubes. I have to go through them and try each one swapped out with a new pre amp tube, yeah? Could it be the power tubes, is that possible also?

 

[glip22]

I wouldn't bother with testing them Mike. That sounds like an intermittent problem. Just swap them out one by one with another tube until you hopefully find the bad one. Clean your jacks. Does the amp have a loop that is always active?

I can turn the loop on and off. so far over about 2 days the volume drop has occurred about 3 or 4 times. It is not that big of a drop in volume. very slight, but I just don't want it to get worse and want to take care of it asap. I guess I will go pick up some pre amp tubes and start with those, most people are saying it is probably a pre amp tube.

Hopefully it is. Most issues like this are usually tube. How do you like the amp compared to the Gower? Wonder where Dan has been

I love the Masotti, and I loved the Gower. I have been lucky, the last 3 amps I have had were just amazing, the CCV, Gower Rockmonster, and the Masotti x100m classic. This amp has 7 pre amp tubes. I have to go through them and try each one swapped out with a new pre amp tube, yeah? Could it be the power tubes, is that possible also?

Sometimes things happen and you would not think power tubes, but that is what it turns out to be. Tubes are the easiest things to test so if it is not pre tubes, move on to power tubes next. Plug your guitar into your effects loop send and see if it still has the drop. If not, it probably is not power tubes. Also, before you do anything, change your fuses. I have had fuses that caused issues. You would think a fuse would just burn but that is not always the case. I had a fuse partially fail a couple of times. Drove me nuts because I went after the tubes first to no avail. Changed the fuses and it was fine. A cold solder joint can cause your issue as well. There are other things but these you can start with.

 

[halebox]

Is it a channel switcher? If so it may be the relay

 

[CaseyCor]

Check the fuse(s) before you check the tubes. You don't want to spend an hour testing out the pre-amp tubes, only to find the fuse was the issue all along.

 

[glip22]

Check the fuse(s) before you check the tubes. You don't want to spend an hour testing out the pre-amp tubes, only to find the fuse was the issue all along.

Replace them for sure right away.

 

[Rufus Leaking]

I had a Matchless that was doing this - I checked all the tubes one by one. Then started poking around the board with a pencil, looking for a bad solder joint. I finally figured out that it was a shunting jack in the (unused) effects loop that was making an intermittent connection. A little bending of one leg of the jack and problem solved. It took a few hours to find it though...

 

[mooncobra]

thanks for the help guys! it was a bad pre amp tube. I pulled the tubes and took them to a local electronics store. they have the mother of all tube testers. my amp died earlier after a couple days of volume drops. so, I found out the bad tube and bought a new one at the store I was at.

BEWARE
if anyone is in the san fran bay area NEVER EVER go to electronics plus(san Rafael, CA). they have the most ridiculous prices ever!!and the owner is a prick!! when I said I would take a ruby/jj 12ax7, he said, "that will be 28 bucks." I asked if he was sure he had the right price for the tube and he said, "i have to make something on it man!" I told him they are 9 and 11 bucks at the other local places (they aren't open on the weekend), and he actually threw my money back at me and ripped the tube out of my hand and said, "DONT BUY IT THEN!!!" if I was a patient person I would have waited til Monday, but the thought of not playing guitar all weekend was too much, so I bought it. I told the owner that the price was ridiculous, and he proceeded to go ballistic! this dude was such a prick! I usually am a calm and mellow person but when he ripped the tube out of my hand I was very close to snapping!! there is only one other guy who is somewhat local who has tubes on the weekend. I called him and he said he had some used mesa 12ax7s with a few hours left for 17 bucks each and I quickly decided to pass on that.

how do you think you would have reacted if a store employee/owner threw your money back at you and ripped the tube out of your hand?

 

[mooncobra]

THANKS FOR ALL THE HELP AND SUGGESTIONS GUYS!!

 

[HilltopExplosion]

how do you think you would have reacted if a store employee/owner threw your money back at you and ripped the tube out of your hand?

I'd still be in jail

 

[Racerxrated]

thanks for the help guys! it was a bad pre amp tube. I pulled the tubes and took them to a local electronics store. they have the mother of all tube testers. my amp died earlier after a couple days of volume drops. so, I found out the bad tube and bought a new one at the store I was at.

BEWARE
if anyone is in the san fran bay area NEVER EVER go to electronics plus(san Rafael, CA). they have the most ridiculous prices ever!!and the owner is a prick!! when I said I would take a ruby/jj 12ax7, he said, "that will be 28 bucks." I asked if he was sure he had the right price for the tube and he said, "i have to make something on it man!" I told him they are 9 and 11 bucks at the other local places (they aren't open on the weekend), and he actually threw my money back at me and ripped the tube out of my hand and said, "DONT BUY IT THEN!!!" if I was a patient person I would have waited til Monday, but the thought of not playing guitar all weekend was too much, so I bought it. I told the owner that the price was ridiculous, and he proceeded to go ballistic! this dude was such a prick! I usually am a calm and mellow person but when he ripped the tube out of my hand I was very close to snapping!! there is only one other guy who is somewhat local who has tubes on the weekend. I called him and he said he had some used mesa 12ax7s with a few hours left for 17 bucks each and I quickly decided to pass on that.

how do you think you would have reacted if a store employee/owner threw your money back at you and ripped the tube out of your hand?

Man, I'm planning on taking the wife out west and do a little Sonoma CTY sightseeing. Gonna have to stop at this store and maybe secretly record the exchange....I'm gonna play it up.....what a complete fn douche. And he's got you over the barrel since its the weekend....ugh. Glad you got it fixed though!