Smallbox Died - Help Needed

[scottosan]

From what you described it's something between the input jack (would not rule out input jack) and where the pre-amp ties into the effects loop. Basically something in the pre-amp.

Possibilities:
input jack
Preamp tube, or socket
Cracked resistor
Bad solder joint
Short in a coax cable
Bad pot
Effects loop (have your tried bypassing it?)

None of this stuff is disastrous. The fact that you plugged into the return of the effects loop and it was fine rules out power section, and transformers.

I had a few exchanges with Friedman. He had me try a couple of things. I first replaced all the tubes. The second time around, I opened a few new Tung-Sols and tried those to make sure, but still the same. Dave told me to leave the 7025 in the 3rd preamp position and replaced the other two, but still nothing. Then I checked to see if it still worked through the return jack, and it did. Then right before I was about to turn it off, the channels started working again, except at very low volume. Maximum volume is like a 1 watt amp or something. I then replaced the 7025 back again with the Groovetube 12ax7, and it was still low volume except for channel 1 which got a little less volume. At that point, Friedman said they'd have to look at it themselves.

I am going to wager on it being the loop. Should be a quick and easy fix.

 

[SavageRiffer]

From what you described it's something between the input jack (would not rule out input jack) and where the pre-amp ties into the effects loop. Basically something in the pre-amp.

Possibilities:
input jack
Preamp tube, or socket
Cracked resistor
Bad solder joint
Short in a coax cable
Bad pot
Effects loop (have your tried bypassing it?)

None of this stuff is disastrous. The fact that you plugged into the return of the effects loop and it was fine rules out power section, and transformers.

I had a few exchanges with Friedman. He had me try a couple of things. I first replaced all the tubes. The second time around, I opened a few new Tung-Sols and tried those to make sure, but still the same. Dave told me to leave the 7025 in the 3rd preamp position and replaced the other two, but still nothing. Then I checked to see if it still worked through the return jack, and it did. Then right before I was about to turn it off, the channels started working again, except at very low volume. Maximum volume is like a 1 watt amp or something. I then replaced the 7025 back again with the Groovetube 12ax7, and it was still low volume except for channel 1 which got a little less volume. At that point, Friedman said they'd have to look at it themselves.

I am going to wager on it being the loop. Should be a quick and easy fix.

Friedman asked me to jumper the loop and see what happens, but no change. The only thin that happened in the end was at one point it just started making sound again, but at the volume of a 1w amp. It's not consistent because I replaced all the tubes with Groovetubes and JJ power tubes, but nothing. Then I opened a new pack of Tung-Sol 12ax7s and 7025, but still nothing. Then during the process of swapping tubes, the same came back, but such a low volume. In the end, I put the old tubes back in and the only difference from before is that it's now making sound, but faintly.

The 3rd time I used the amp was for about 1.5 hrs. That's when it suddenly just got quiet. Even if a preamp tube was the fix, I'm not sure it would have consistently worked again. Maybe there's a component overheating or something. However, of course the first thing I tried was swapping preamp tubes, but no change. The faint sound didn't come back until spontaneously later.

Maybe it's the FX loop or something else, but it's not a good idea to mess with the guy's amp. I wouldn't want anyone poking around it either if I was the seller. However, on the way to work this morning, something occurred to me. What if I were to spray contact cleaner on the tube sockets? Maybe there's some kind of connection issue in the preamp sockets. Hmm, I don't know. It might not be likely anyway because why would it just suddenly stop making sound? Wouldn't something with the tubes usually makes some noise, pop, or something? I've never seen an amp just go quiet and stay that way except for once when a fuse went out, but the whole amp stopped working when that happened.

 

[napalmdeath]

From what you described it's something between the input jack (would not rule out input jack) and where the pre-amp ties into the effects loop. Basically something in the pre-amp.

Possibilities:
input jack
Preamp tube, or socket
Cracked resistor
Bad solder joint
Short in a coax cable
Bad pot
Effects loop (have your tried bypassing it?)

None of this stuff is disastrous. The fact that you plugged into the return of the effects loop and it was fine rules out power section, and transformers.

I had a few exchanges with Friedman. He had me try a couple of things. I first replaced all the tubes. The second time around, I opened a few new Tung-Sols and tried those to make sure, but still the same. Dave told me to leave the 7025 in the 3rd preamp position and replaced the other two, but still nothing. Then I checked to see if it still worked through the return jack, and it did. Then right before I was about to turn it off, the channels started working again, except at very low volume. Maximum volume is like a 1 watt amp or something. I then replaced the 7025 back again with the Groovetube 12ax7, and it was still low volume except for channel 1 which got a little less volume. At that point, Friedman said they'd have to look at it themselves.

I am going to wager on it being the loop. Should be a quick and easy fix.

Friedman asked me to jumper the loop and see what happens, but no change. The only thin that happened in the end was at one point it just started making sound again, but at the volume of a 1w amp. It's not consistent because I replaced all the tubes with Groovetubes and JJ power tubes, but nothing. Then I opened a new pack of Tung-Sol 12ax7s and 7025, but still nothing. Then during the process of swapping tubes, the same came back, but such a low volume. In the end, I put the old tubes back in and the only difference from before is that it's now making sound, but faintly.

The 3rd time I used the amp was for about 1.5 hrs. That's when it suddenly just got quiet. Even if a preamp tube was the fix, I'm not sure it would have consistently worked again. Maybe there's a component overheating or something. However, of course the first thing I tried was swapping preamp tubes, but no change. The faint sound didn't come back until spontaneously later.

Maybe it's the FX loop or something else, but it's not a good idea to mess with the guy's amp. I wouldn't want anyone poking around it either if I was the seller. However, on the way to work this morning, something occurred to me. What if I were to spray contact cleaner on the tube sockets? Maybe there's some kind of connection issue in the preamp sockets. Hmm, I don't know. It might not be likely anyway because why would it just suddenly stop making sound? Wouldn't something with the tubes usually makes some noise, pop, or something? I've never seen an amp just go quiet and stay that way except for once when a fuse went out, but the whole amp stopped working when that happened.

I don't know why you keep saying "the guy's amp"? It's YOUR amp. Shit happens, accept it, and understand it's your problem now. I'm sure it's an easy fix, and it'll work out in the end.

The mere mention above asking the seller to pay shipping to send to Friedman, (wasn't you who said it), is preposterous. People need to start realizing there's a risk buying used gear. I've been ripped off too, but only amps that were DOA, or beat to shit when listed as "mint". Those cases, I go after the seller. If an amp dies a week after owning it, I put in my big boy pants and get it fixed.

When you buy/sell 50-60 amps in 10 years or so, the likelihood of this shit happening is pretty good!

 

[messenger]

From what you described it's something between the input jack (would not rule out input jack) and where the pre-amp ties into the effects loop. Basically something in the pre-amp.

Possibilities:
input jack
Preamp tube, or socket
Cracked resistor
Bad solder joint
Short in a coax cable
Bad pot
Effects loop (have your tried bypassing it?)

None of this stuff is disastrous. The fact that you plugged into the return of the effects loop and it was fine rules out power section, and transformers.

I had a few exchanges with Friedman. He had me try a couple of things. I first replaced all the tubes. The second time around, I opened a few new Tung-Sols and tried those to make sure, but still the same. Dave told me to leave the 7025 in the 3rd preamp position and replaced the other two, but still nothing. Then I checked to see if it still worked through the return jack, and it did. Then right before I was about to turn it off, the channels started working again, except at very low volume. Maximum volume is like a 1 watt amp or something. I then replaced the 7025 back again with the Groovetube 12ax7, and it was still low volume except for channel 1 which got a little less volume. At that point, Friedman said they'd have to look at it themselves.

I am going to wager on it being the loop. Should be a quick and easy fix.

Friedman asked me to jumper the loop and see what happens, but no change. The only thin that happened in the end was at one point it just started making sound again, but at the volume of a 1w amp. It's not consistent because I replaced all the tubes with Groovetubes and JJ power tubes, but nothing. Then I opened a new pack of Tung-Sol 12ax7s and 7025, but still nothing. Then during the process of swapping tubes, the same came back, but such a low volume. In the end, I put the old tubes back in and the only difference from before is that it's now making sound, but faintly.

The 3rd time I used the amp was for about 1.5 hrs. That's when it suddenly just got quiet. Even if a preamp tube was the fix, I'm not sure it would have consistently worked again. Maybe there's a component overheating or something. However, of course the first thing I tried was swapping preamp tubes, but no change. The faint sound didn't come back until spontaneously later.

Maybe it's the FX loop or something else, but it's not a good idea to mess with the guy's amp. I wouldn't want anyone poking around it either if I was the seller. However, on the way to work this morning, something occurred to me. What if I were to spray contact cleaner on the tube sockets? Maybe there's some kind of connection issue in the preamp sockets. Hmm, I don't know. It might not be likely anyway because why would it just suddenly stop making sound? Wouldn't something with the tubes usually makes some noise, pop, or something? I've never seen an amp just go quiet and stay that way except for once when a fuse went out, but the whole amp stopped working when that happened.

I don't know why you keep saying "the guy's amp"? It's YOUR amp. Shit happens, accept it, and understand it's your problem now. I'm sure it's an easy fix, and it'll work out in the end.

The mere mention above asking the seller to pay shipping to send to Friedman, (wasn't you who said it), is preposterous. People need to start realizing there's a risk buying used gear. I've been ripped off too, but only amps that were DOA, or beat to shit when listed as "mint". Those cases, I go after the seller. If an amp dies a week after owning it, I put in my big boy pants and get it fixed.

When you buy/sell 50-60 amps in 10 years or so, the likelihood of this shit happening is pretty good!

+1

 

[SavageRiffer]

From what you described it's something between the input jack (would not rule out input jack) and where the pre-amp ties into the effects loop. Basically something in the pre-amp.

Possibilities:
input jack
Preamp tube, or socket
Cracked resistor
Bad solder joint
Short in a coax cable
Bad pot
Effects loop (have your tried bypassing it?)

None of this stuff is disastrous. The fact that you plugged into the return of the effects loop and it was fine rules out power section, and transformers.

I had a few exchanges with Friedman. He had me try a couple of things. I first replaced all the tubes. The second time around, I opened a few new Tung-Sols and tried those to make sure, but still the same. Dave told me to leave the 7025 in the 3rd preamp position and replaced the other two, but still nothing. Then I checked to see if it still worked through the return jack, and it did. Then right before I was about to turn it off, the channels started working again, except at very low volume. Maximum volume is like a 1 watt amp or something. I then replaced the 7025 back again with the Groovetube 12ax7, and it was still low volume except for channel 1 which got a little less volume. At that point, Friedman said they'd have to look at it themselves.

I am going to wager on it being the loop. Should be a quick and easy fix.

Friedman asked me to jumper the loop and see what happens, but no change. The only thin that happened in the end was at one point it just started making sound again, but at the volume of a 1w amp. It's not consistent because I replaced all the tubes with Groovetubes and JJ power tubes, but nothing. Then I opened a new pack of Tung-Sol 12ax7s and 7025, but still nothing. Then during the process of swapping tubes, the same came back, but such a low volume. In the end, I put the old tubes back in and the only difference from before is that it's now making sound, but faintly.

The 3rd time I used the amp was for about 1.5 hrs. That's when it suddenly just got quiet. Even if a preamp tube was the fix, I'm not sure it would have consistently worked again. Maybe there's a component overheating or something. However, of course the first thing I tried was swapping preamp tubes, but no change. The faint sound didn't come back until spontaneously later.

Maybe it's the FX loop or something else, but it's not a good idea to mess with the guy's amp. I wouldn't want anyone poking around it either if I was the seller. However, on the way to work this morning, something occurred to me. What if I were to spray contact cleaner on the tube sockets? Maybe there's some kind of connection issue in the preamp sockets. Hmm, I don't know. It might not be likely anyway because why would it just suddenly stop making sound? Wouldn't something with the tubes usually makes some noise, pop, or something? I've never seen an amp just go quiet and stay that way except for once when a fuse went out, but the whole amp stopped working when that happened.

I don't know why you keep saying "the guy's amp"? It's YOUR amp. Shit happens, accept it, and understand it's your problem now. I'm sure it's an easy fix, and it'll work out in the end.

The mere mention above asking the seller to pay shipping to send to Friedman, (wasn't you who said it), is preposterous. People need to start realizing there's a risk buying used gear. I've been ripped off too, but only amps that were DOA, or beat to shit when listed as "mint". Those cases, I go after the seller. If an amp dies a week after owning it, I put in my big boy pants and get it fixed.

When you buy/sell 50-60 amps in 10 years or so, the likelihood of this shit happening is pretty good!

Sorry, but you don't know what the fuck you're talking about. Try learning your facts before running your mouth. Shit doesn't just happen. Most of the time it happens because of something someone did. I didn't blame the guy, but don't sit there and tell me that I should pay nearly $2000 for an amp only for it to break down within a couple of days and be like "Oh well, shit happens. Now I should go and pay to fix it." That's fucking stupid to even suggest that. You probably wouldn't know because you're too much of a fucking bum to afford a $2000 amp, and if you somehow did, then somewhere along the line you never learned a respect for hard work and savings. I tell you one thing, when you save your money and buy something with your own hard-earned money, you don't say stupid shit like that.

Besides dumbass, this thread was never about any of that. Some other morons came along and started saying unrelated shit. This thread was only to find out what's wrong with the amp and how to fix it -- hence the title "Smallbox Help Needed." Fuck you for coming along and pissing everywhere when someone is looking for technical help. You serve no purpose but to cause problems bigmouth.

 

[paulyc]

Holy shit am I tired of all this shit...anyone else ??? People are baling out of here left and right over shit like this...it's endless.

 

[metalmaniac93]

Holy shit am I tired of all this shit...anyone else ??? People are baling out of here left and right over shit like this...it's endless.

I agree!!!!

 

[scottosan]

From what you described it's something between the input jack (would not rule out input jack) and where the pre-amp ties into the effects loop. Basically something in the pre-amp.

Possibilities:
input jack
Preamp tube, or socket
Cracked resistor
Bad solder joint
Short in a coax cable
Bad pot
Effects loop (have your tried bypassing it?)

None of this stuff is disastrous. The fact that you plugged into the return of the effects loop and it was fine rules out power section, and transformers.

I had a few exchanges with Friedman. He had me try a couple of things. I first replaced all the tubes. The second time around, I opened a few new Tung-Sols and tried those to make sure, but still the same. Dave told me to leave the 7025 in the 3rd preamp position and replaced the other two, but still nothing. Then I checked to see if it still worked through the return jack, and it did. Then right before I was about to turn it off, the channels started working again, except at very low volume. Maximum volume is like a 1 watt amp or something. I then replaced the 7025 back again with the Groovetube 12ax7, and it was still low volume except for channel 1 which got a little less volume. At that point, Friedman said they'd have to look at it themselves.

I am going to wager on it being the loop. Should be a quick and easy fix.

Friedman asked me to jumper the loop and see what happens, but no change. The only thin that happened in the end was at one point it just started making sound again, but at the volume of a 1w amp. It's not consistent because I replaced all the tubes with Groovetubes and JJ power tubes, but nothing. Then I opened a new pack of Tung-Sol 12ax7s and 7025, but still nothing. Then during the process of swapping tubes, the same came back, but such a low volume. In the end, I put the old tubes back in and the only difference from before is that it's now making sound, but faintly.

The 3rd time I used the amp was for about 1.5 hrs. That's when it suddenly just got quiet. Even if a preamp tube was the fix, I'm not sure it would have consistently worked again. Maybe there's a component overheating or something. However, of course the first thing I tried was swapping preamp tubes, but no change. The faint sound didn't come back until spontaneously later.

Maybe it's the FX loop or something else, but it's not a good idea to mess with the guy's amp. I wouldn't want anyone poking around it either if I was the seller. However, on the way to work this morning, something occurred to me. What if I were to spray contact cleaner on the tube sockets? Maybe there's some kind of connection issue in the preamp sockets. Hmm, I don't know. It might not be likely anyway because why would it just suddenly stop making sound? Wouldn't something with the tubes usually makes some noise, pop, or something? I've never seen an amp just go quiet and stay that way except for once when a fuse went out, but the whole amp stopped working when that happened.

Jumpering the loop only rules out a physical issue with the jacks, not the circuitry (LND150 Mosfet? ) before the send jack, which is what I suspect. BrentSP had the same issue that you are having with his Dirty Shirley and Dave sent him a new loop and all was good

 

[SavageRiffer]

From what you described it's something between the input jack (would not rule out input jack) and where the pre-amp ties into the effects loop. Basically something in the pre-amp.

Possibilities:
input jack
Preamp tube, or socket
Cracked resistor
Bad solder joint
Short in a coax cable
Bad pot
Effects loop (have your tried bypassing it?)

None of this stuff is disastrous. The fact that you plugged into the return of the effects loop and it was fine rules out power section, and transformers.

I had a few exchanges with Friedman. He had me try a couple of things. I first replaced all the tubes. The second time around, I opened a few new Tung-Sols and tried those to make sure, but still the same. Dave told me to leave the 7025 in the 3rd preamp position and replaced the other two, but still nothing. Then I checked to see if it still worked through the return jack, and it did. Then right before I was about to turn it off, the channels started working again, except at very low volume. Maximum volume is like a 1 watt amp or something. I then replaced the 7025 back again with the Groovetube 12ax7, and it was still low volume except for channel 1 which got a little less volume. At that point, Friedman said they'd have to look at it themselves.

I am going to wager on it being the loop. Should be a quick and easy fix.

Friedman asked me to jumper the loop and see what happens, but no change. The only thin that happened in the end was at one point it just started making sound again, but at the volume of a 1w amp. It's not consistent because I replaced all the tubes with Groovetubes and JJ power tubes, but nothing. Then I opened a new pack of Tung-Sol 12ax7s and 7025, but still nothing. Then during the process of swapping tubes, the same came back, but such a low volume. In the end, I put the old tubes back in and the only difference from before is that it's now making sound, but faintly.

The 3rd time I used the amp was for about 1.5 hrs. That's when it suddenly just got quiet. Even if a preamp tube was the fix, I'm not sure it would have consistently worked again. Maybe there's a component overheating or something. However, of course the first thing I tried was swapping preamp tubes, but no change. The faint sound didn't come back until spontaneously later.

Maybe it's the FX loop or something else, but it's not a good idea to mess with the guy's amp. I wouldn't want anyone poking around it either if I was the seller. However, on the way to work this morning, something occurred to me. What if I were to spray contact cleaner on the tube sockets? Maybe there's some kind of connection issue in the preamp sockets. Hmm, I don't know. It might not be likely anyway because why would it just suddenly stop making sound? Wouldn't something with the tubes usually makes some noise, pop, or something? I've never seen an amp just go quiet and stay that way except for once when a fuse went out, but the whole amp stopped working when that happened.

Jumpering the loop only rules out a physical issue with the jacks, not the circuitry (LND150 Mosfet? ) before the send jack, which is what I suspect. BrentSP had the same issue that you are having with his Dirty Shirley and Dave sent him a new loop and all was good

I hope it's something simple like that. From my understanding, if it's something like the transformers, it could potentially affect other components over time. Any way of knowing if all the components get a clean bill of health?

 

[GOHOINC]

Good luck with the repairs/troubleshooting. Sucks that this happened.

 

[SavageRiffer]

Good luck with the repairs/troubleshooting. Sucks that this happened.

Thanks man. The seller is working with me to have it repaired. Dave's going to give it a clean bill of health. I have no worries about it now. Thanks for all the help guys.

 

[RaceU4her]

The seller is working with me to have it repaired.

dude is a confirmed asshole

 

[napalmdeath]

The seller is working with me to have it repaired.

dude is a confirmed asshole

 

[metalmaniac93]

The seller is working with me to have it repaired.

dude is a confirmed asshole

 

[scottosan]

From what you described it's something between the input jack (would not rule out input jack) and where the pre-amp ties into the effects loop. Basically something in the pre-amp.

Possibilities:
input jack
Preamp tube, or socket
Cracked resistor
Bad solder joint
Short in a coax cable
Bad pot
Effects loop (have your tried bypassing it?)

None of this stuff is disastrous. The fact that you plugged into the return of the effects loop and it was fine rules out power section, and transformers.

I had a few exchanges with Friedman. He had me try a couple of things. I first replaced all the tubes. The second time around, I opened a few new Tung-Sols and tried those to make sure, but still the same. Dave told me to leave the 7025 in the 3rd preamp position and replaced the other two, but still nothing. Then I checked to see if it still worked through the return jack, and it did. Then right before I was about to turn it off, the channels started working again, except at very low volume. Maximum volume is like a 1 watt amp or something. I then replaced the 7025 back again with the Groovetube 12ax7, and it was still low volume except for channel 1 which got a little less volume. At that point, Friedman said they'd have to look at it themselves.

I am going to wager on it being the loop. Should be a quick and easy fix.

Friedman asked me to jumper the loop and see what happens, but no change. The only thin that happened in the end was at one point it just started making sound again, but at the volume of a 1w amp. It's not consistent because I replaced all the tubes with Groovetubes and JJ power tubes, but nothing. Then I opened a new pack of Tung-Sol 12ax7s and 7025, but still nothing. Then during the process of swapping tubes, the same came back, but such a low volume. In the end, I put the old tubes back in and the only difference from before is that it's now making sound, but faintly.

The 3rd time I used the amp was for about 1.5 hrs. That's when it suddenly just got quiet. Even if a preamp tube was the fix, I'm not sure it would have consistently worked again. Maybe there's a component overheating or something. However, of course the first thing I tried was swapping preamp tubes, but no change. The faint sound didn't come back until spontaneously later.

Maybe it's the FX loop or something else, but it's not a good idea to mess with the guy's amp. I wouldn't want anyone poking around it either if I was the seller. However, on the way to work this morning, something occurred to me. What if I were to spray contact cleaner on the tube sockets? Maybe there's some kind of connection issue in the preamp sockets. Hmm, I don't know. It might not be likely anyway because why would it just suddenly stop making sound? Wouldn't something with the tubes usually makes some noise, pop, or something? I've never seen an amp just go quiet and stay that way except for once when a fuse went out, but the whole amp stopped working when that happened.

Jumpering the loop only rules out a physical issue with the jacks, not the circuitry (LND150 Mosfet? ) before the send jack, which is what I suspect. BrentSP had the same issue that you are having with his Dirty Shirley and Dave sent him a new loop and all was good

I hope it's something simple like that. From my understanding, if it's something like the transformers, it could potentially affect other components over time. Any way of knowing if all the components get a clean bill of health?

There is noting indicating a more serious issue. If its working through the loop return you can rule out transformers. It will either be the loop, which is a separate board from the main PCB or a physical connection. Aside from the loop which likely uses a mosfet, everything else uses passive components which are easy and cheap to troubleshoot. If this is going to Dave and back to you, I'd request an FX bypass switch.

 

[napalmdeath]

You probably wouldn't know because you're too much of a fucking bum to afford a $2000 amp.

You serve no purpose but to cause problems bigmouth.

I think quote number one shows your true colors, and how ignorant your statements can be. I never once personally attacked you, called you names, or attacked your financial means. That's pretty much bottom of the barrel, and the epitome of "disrespect" that YOU have no concept of. I was referring to myself buying 50/60 amps.

Until last year, between Sweetwater and AMS, I spent over $150,000 on gear since 2005. Last year, this "bum" bought a new Helios, Silver Jubilee, Friedman, Mark V 25, a PRS SC245, 3 Les Paul Traditionals, and on, and on. Get YOUR facts straight, ASSHOLE.

Quote number 2, I believe, is more indicative of your behavior, not mine.

 

[SavageRiffer]

From what you described it's something between the input jack (would not rule out input jack) and where the pre-amp ties into the effects loop. Basically something in the pre-amp.

Possibilities:
input jack
Preamp tube, or socket
Cracked resistor
Bad solder joint
Short in a coax cable
Bad pot
Effects loop (have your tried bypassing it?)

None of this stuff is disastrous. The fact that you plugged into the return of the effects loop and it was fine rules out power section, and transformers.

I had a few exchanges with Friedman. He had me try a couple of things. I first replaced all the tubes. The second time around, I opened a few new Tung-Sols and tried those to make sure, but still the same. Dave told me to leave the 7025 in the 3rd preamp position and replaced the other two, but still nothing. Then I checked to see if it still worked through the return jack, and it did. Then right before I was about to turn it off, the channels started working again, except at very low volume. Maximum volume is like a 1 watt amp or something. I then replaced the 7025 back again with the Groovetube 12ax7, and it was still low volume except for channel 1 which got a little less volume. At that point, Friedman said they'd have to look at it themselves.

I am going to wager on it being the loop. Should be a quick and easy fix.

Friedman asked me to jumper the loop and see what happens, but no change. The only thin that happened in the end was at one point it just started making sound again, but at the volume of a 1w amp. It's not consistent because I replaced all the tubes with Groovetubes and JJ power tubes, but nothing. Then I opened a new pack of Tung-Sol 12ax7s and 7025, but still nothing. Then during the process of swapping tubes, the same came back, but such a low volume. In the end, I put the old tubes back in and the only difference from before is that it's now making sound, but faintly.

The 3rd time I used the amp was for about 1.5 hrs. That's when it suddenly just got quiet. Even if a preamp tube was the fix, I'm not sure it would have consistently worked again. Maybe there's a component overheating or something. However, of course the first thing I tried was swapping preamp tubes, but no change. The faint sound didn't come back until spontaneously later.

Maybe it's the FX loop or something else, but it's not a good idea to mess with the guy's amp. I wouldn't want anyone poking around it either if I was the seller. However, on the way to work this morning, something occurred to me. What if I were to spray contact cleaner on the tube sockets? Maybe there's some kind of connection issue in the preamp sockets. Hmm, I don't know. It might not be likely anyway because why would it just suddenly stop making sound? Wouldn't something with the tubes usually makes some noise, pop, or something? I've never seen an amp just go quiet and stay that way except for once when a fuse went out, but the whole amp stopped working when that happened.

Jumpering the loop only rules out a physical issue with the jacks, not the circuitry (LND150 Mosfet? ) before the send jack, which is what I suspect. BrentSP had the same issue that you are having with his Dirty Shirley and Dave sent him a new loop and all was good

I hope it's something simple like that. From my understanding, if it's something like the transformers, it could potentially affect other components over time. Any way of knowing if all the components get a clean bill of health?

There is noting indicating a more serious issue. If its working through the loop return you can rule out transformers. It will either be the loop, which is a separate board from the main PCB or a physical connection. Aside from the loop which likely uses a mosfet, everything else uses passive components which are easy and cheap to troubleshoot. If this is going to Dave and back to you, I'd request an FX bypass switch.

An FX bypass would be cool feature on the footswitch. The 2nd preamp tube socket seems a bit loose, and that's the one where the preamp tube is a little dimmer than the others. I wonder if that could have anything to do with it. After swapping tubes a few times, the channels just started working again but at very low volume about as loud as a 1 watt amp or something. There's also a fair amount of static on channel 2. Do you still think it could be the FX loop?

 

[scottosan]

From what you described it's something between the input jack (would not rule out input jack) and where the pre-amp ties into the effects loop. Basically something in the pre-amp.

Possibilities:
input jack
Preamp tube, or socket
Cracked resistor
Bad solder joint
Short in a coax cable
Bad pot
Effects loop (have your tried bypassing it?)

None of this stuff is disastrous. The fact that you plugged into the return of the effects loop and it was fine rules out power section, and transformers.

I had a few exchanges with Friedman. He had me try a couple of things. I first replaced all the tubes. The second time around, I opened a few new Tung-Sols and tried those to make sure, but still the same. Dave told me to leave the 7025 in the 3rd preamp position and replaced the other two, but still nothing. Then I checked to see if it still worked through the return jack, and it did. Then right before I was about to turn it off, the channels started working again, except at very low volume. Maximum volume is like a 1 watt amp or something. I then replaced the 7025 back again with the Groovetube 12ax7, and it was still low volume except for channel 1 which got a little less volume. At that point, Friedman said they'd have to look at it themselves.

I am going to wager on it being the loop. Should be a quick and easy fix.

Friedman asked me to jumper the loop and see what happens, but no change. The only thin that happened in the end was at one point it just started making sound again, but at the volume of a 1w amp. It's not consistent because I replaced all the tubes with Groovetubes and JJ power tubes, but nothing. Then I opened a new pack of Tung-Sol 12ax7s and 7025, but still nothing. Then during the process of swapping tubes, the same came back, but such a low volume. In the end, I put the old tubes back in and the only difference from before is that it's now making sound, but faintly.

The 3rd time I used the amp was for about 1.5 hrs. That's when it suddenly just got quiet. Even if a preamp tube was the fix, I'm not sure it would have consistently worked again. Maybe there's a component overheating or something. However, of course the first thing I tried was swapping preamp tubes, but no change. The faint sound didn't come back until spontaneously later.

Maybe it's the FX loop or something else, but it's not a good idea to mess with the guy's amp. I wouldn't want anyone poking around it either if I was the seller. However, on the way to work this morning, something occurred to me. What if I were to spray contact cleaner on the tube sockets? Maybe there's some kind of connection issue in the preamp sockets. Hmm, I don't know. It might not be likely anyway because why would it just suddenly stop making sound? Wouldn't something with the tubes usually makes some noise, pop, or something? I've never seen an amp just go quiet and stay that way except for once when a fuse went out, but the whole amp stopped working when that happened.

Jumpering the loop only rules out a physical issue with the jacks, not the circuitry (LND150 Mosfet? ) before the send jack, which is what I suspect. BrentSP had the same issue that you are having with his Dirty Shirley and Dave sent him a new loop and all was good

I hope it's something simple like that. From my understanding, if it's something like the transformers, it could potentially affect other components over time. Any way of knowing if all the components get a clean bill of health?

There is noting indicating a more serious issue. If its working through the loop return you can rule out transformers. It will either be the loop, which is a separate board from the main PCB or a physical connection. Aside from the loop which likely uses a mosfet, everything else uses passive components which are easy and cheap to troubleshoot. If this is going to Dave and back to you, I'd request an FX bypass switch.

An FX bypass would be cool feature on the footswitch. The 2nd preamp tube socket seems a bit loose, and that's the one where the preamp tube is a little dimmer than the others. I wonder if that could have anything to do with it. After swapping tubes a few times, the channels just started working again but at very low volume about as loud as a 1 watt amp or something. There's also a fair amount of static on channel 2. Do you still think it could be the FX loop?

Without having it on a bench it's hard to tell, but I dont think the dimness is related. I don't know what tubes are in there, but LPS for example have filaments that are hard to see. The heaters are on a daisy chain, so if the heaters where shorted on 1 tube it would affect the rest of the tubes. As far as adding and FX bypass switch, I was referring to a quick and easy dpdt On-Off chassis mounted switch like what is on the BE100. Doing it on the footswitch would require added relays, wiring etc, more bench time, more money, etc..

 

[Oblivion DC]

Holy shit am I tired of all this shit...anyone else ??? People are baling out of here left and right over shit like this...it's endless.

I agree, it sucks and I’m tired of it too. And yet it’s threads like that, that get the most attention, go figure. I guess everyone needs to slow down and gawk at the car wreck.

 

[SavageRiffer]

From what you described it's something between the input jack (would not rule out input jack) and where the pre-amp ties into the effects loop. Basically something in the pre-amp.

Possibilities:
input jack
Preamp tube, or socket
Cracked resistor
Bad solder joint
Short in a coax cable
Bad pot
Effects loop (have your tried bypassing it?)

None of this stuff is disastrous. The fact that you plugged into the return of the effects loop and it was fine rules out power section, and transformers.

I had a few exchanges with Friedman. He had me try a couple of things. I first replaced all the tubes. The second time around, I opened a few new Tung-Sols and tried those to make sure, but still the same. Dave told me to leave the 7025 in the 3rd preamp position and replaced the other two, but still nothing. Then I checked to see if it still worked through the return jack, and it did. Then right before I was about to turn it off, the channels started working again, except at very low volume. Maximum volume is like a 1 watt amp or something. I then replaced the 7025 back again with the Groovetube 12ax7, and it was still low volume except for channel 1 which got a little less volume. At that point, Friedman said they'd have to look at it themselves.

I am going to wager on it being the loop. Should be a quick and easy fix.

Friedman asked me to jumper the loop and see what happens, but no change. The only thin that happened in the end was at one point it just started making sound again, but at the volume of a 1w amp. It's not consistent because I replaced all the tubes with Groovetubes and JJ power tubes, but nothing. Then I opened a new pack of Tung-Sol 12ax7s and 7025, but still nothing. Then during the process of swapping tubes, the same came back, but such a low volume. In the end, I put the old tubes back in and the only difference from before is that it's now making sound, but faintly.

The 3rd time I used the amp was for about 1.5 hrs. That's when it suddenly just got quiet. Even if a preamp tube was the fix, I'm not sure it would have consistently worked again. Maybe there's a component overheating or something. However, of course the first thing I tried was swapping preamp tubes, but no change. The faint sound didn't come back until spontaneously later.

Maybe it's the FX loop or something else, but it's not a good idea to mess with the guy's amp. I wouldn't want anyone poking around it either if I was the seller. However, on the way to work this morning, something occurred to me. What if I were to spray contact cleaner on the tube sockets? Maybe there's some kind of connection issue in the preamp sockets. Hmm, I don't know. It might not be likely anyway because why would it just suddenly stop making sound? Wouldn't something with the tubes usually makes some noise, pop, or something? I've never seen an amp just go quiet and stay that way except for once when a fuse went out, but the whole amp stopped working when that happened.

Jumpering the loop only rules out a physical issue with the jacks, not the circuitry (LND150 Mosfet? ) before the send jack, which is what I suspect. BrentSP had the same issue that you are having with his Dirty Shirley and Dave sent him a new loop and all was good

I hope it's something simple like that. From my understanding, if it's something like the transformers, it could potentially affect other components over time. Any way of knowing if all the components get a clean bill of health?

There is noting indicating a more serious issue. If its working through the loop return you can rule out transformers. It will either be the loop, which is a separate board from the main PCB or a physical connection. Aside from the loop which likely uses a mosfet, everything else uses passive components which are easy and cheap to troubleshoot. If this is going to Dave and back to you, I'd request an FX bypass switch.

An FX bypass would be cool feature on the footswitch. The 2nd preamp tube socket seems a bit loose, and that's the one where the preamp tube is a little dimmer than the others. I wonder if that could have anything to do with it. After swapping tubes a few times, the channels just started working again but at very low volume about as loud as a 1 watt amp or something. There's also a fair amount of static on channel 2. Do you still think it could be the FX loop?

Without having it on a bench it's hard to tell, but I dont think the dimness is related. I don't know what tubes are in there, but LPS for example have filaments that are hard to see. The heaters are on a daisy chain, so if the heaters where shorted on 1 tube it would affect the rest of the tubes. As far as adding and FX bypass switch, I was referring to a quick and easy dpdt On-Off chassis mounted switch like what is on the BE100. Doing it on the footswitch would require added relays, wiring etc, more bench time, more money, etc..

Well the only good an FX bypass would do me is on the footswitch so I can turn on/off all of my effects at once. Well, if I replaced all the tubes the at first, no change. Then tried again with a whole new set of tubes, no change. Then, after trying a few combinations, it suddenly started working but faintly. That seems too inconsistent from any preamp tube problem I've come across so far. If the FX loop has something to do with it, is it because the FX loop mixes the FX with the raw signal path? Could there possibly be something with the tube socket or in the circuitry of the preamp?