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HELP! My amp is behaving strangely… Can it be fixed?

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  • #1

    HELP! My amp is behaving strangely… Can it be fixed?

    Hi guys,

    I have a small practice amp that I bought back in the year 2000. It has served me well at home, studio and garage practice; sadly, now is behaving strangely.

    It is a 15W solid-state Marshall combo model G15RCD, in case you have not heard of it, here are some links:

    Reviews: https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/revi...rshall/g15rcd/

    Manual: https://www.manualslib.com/manual/99...cd.html#manual

    Although it is a small amp, the volume stays on 2-3 for home practice. It has only one channel, so I set it to crunch and change the gain with the volume controls of the guitar.

    The problem is that after playing it for a short while the sound starts to go on and off, then the gain goes until it the sound disappears completely. I have to crank it up all the way to 11 to be able to hear a clean sound at low volume. If I stop playing it for a while, it goes back to normal. This does not happen every time I play it, but it does happen with all of my guitars, so it is not a guitar nor a cable problem.

    What do you think? Can it be fixed? I am quite handy with electronics and I like rewiring my guitars, but I have never worked on an amp before. I have heard on other amps that you can replace the OP amps, capacitors, and other parts, but I do not know where to start! I have checked the connection to the speaker and it seems fine, although I will disconnect it and clean the contacts just to be sure.

    I hope that you can help me on this, I really like the sound of the amp and would be very sad to let it go.

    Cheers!
    Walter

    P.S. If you live in Zürich and want to get together and jam, send me a PM and bring two amps!
    "I don't want to be a product of my environment, I want my environment to be a product of me."
    Tags: None
  • #2
    Re: HELP! My amp is behaving strangely… Can it be fixed?

    Have you tried changing the tubes?


    Originally posted by nedcronin
    Pretty much what you suggested Ink.
    Originally posted by metalmachine
    dont worry about it bro. even if we dont like it...... were just internet ppl. not real ppl. more like a hulicination of a mythical forest creature.

    Comment

    • #3
      Re: HELP! My amp is behaving strangely… Can it be fixed?

      (Kidding. Sorry. I don't know what's wrong with your amp.)


      Originally posted by nedcronin
      Pretty much what you suggested Ink.
      Originally posted by metalmachine
      dont worry about it bro. even if we dont like it...... were just internet ppl. not real ppl. more like a hulicination of a mythical forest creature.

      Comment

      • #4
        Re: HELP! My amp is behaving strangely… Can it be fixed?

        Seems like I'm wanting to remember that SS Marshall's around that age had some sort of issue with a switch built into the input sockets that gets out of spec or corrodes and kills the volume.

        First thing to try is some deoxit to clean those inputs (FX Loop sockets too) and see if that helps.

        Comment

        • #5
          Re: HELP! My amp is behaving strangely… Can it be fixed?


          Watch these and read the comments, I know it's not your exact amp but may help. Good luck and be careful if you open the thing up and don't juice yourself.

          Comment

          • #6
            Re: HELP! My amp is behaving strangely… Can it be fixed?

            Comment

            • #7
              Re: HELP! My amp is behaving strangely… Can it be fixed?

              Hi guys,

              Merry Xmas and Happy New Year to all of you. Here's an update on the status of the amp.

              After letting it rest for a week, I plugged it in again to have a jam. I was very sad to find out that it did not work at all, even with the volume cranked to 11 no sound came out of it. To make things worse, it makes a horrible high-pitched noise that can be "controlled" with the Gain1 knob, at 10 is loudest and below 5 is almost unnoticeable.

              I opened it up to have a look and the board and all the elements seem ok, I'm not an expert but there were no loose wires, exploded capacitors or burned components. All the knobs turn smoothly and everything else is tightly in place. The Gain2 knob was a bit darker on the back, but that was not the problem with the high-pitche noise nor with the volume issue. I put it back together and reconnected the speaker and it was still the same, no guitar sound, only the horrible pitch.

              I'll appreciate all the help you can give me. Otherwise, I'd have to declare it legally dead and find a used equivalent or go for a new amp (Bassbreaker 007 comes to mind).

              Cheers,
              Walter
              "I don't want to be a product of my environment, I want my environment to be a product of me."

              Comment

              • #8
                Re: HELP! My amp is behaving strangely… Can it be fixed?

                I was going to suggest maybe replacing your cables, but then I read your second post. I am not an expert on amp wiring, but I sounds to me as if your connection between the power amp and speaker may be bad. If that is not the problem, I have no idea what is, it might be junk.
                "My biggest fear is that when I die my wife will sell my guitars for what I told her they cost" -Anonymous

                Main Gear:
                Orange Rockerverb MKIII 50w
                Orange ppc212 open back cabinet
                Jackson dx10d
                DOD preamp 250 Overdrive
                MXR Carbon Copy
                MXR Phase 90 (EVH Version)

                Comment

                • #9
                  Re: HELP! My amp is behaving strangely… Can it be fixed?

                  If you are looking for a new amp her are some recommendations:
                  Orange Crush/Crush Pro series
                  Orange rocker series
                  Boss katana
                  Fender hot rod deluxe
                  Bassbraker series
                  Vox ac15
                  Marshall DSL40
                  "My biggest fear is that when I die my wife will sell my guitars for what I told her they cost" -Anonymous

                  Main Gear:
                  Orange Rockerverb MKIII 50w
                  Orange ppc212 open back cabinet
                  Jackson dx10d
                  DOD preamp 250 Overdrive
                  MXR Carbon Copy
                  MXR Phase 90 (EVH Version)

                  Comment

                  • #10
                    Re: HELP! My amp is behaving strangely… Can it be fixed?

                    Good excuse to buy a new amp. If you cant track the problem down yourself, spending money on a tech is false economy on an amp like that.
                    Plenty of excellent amps out there for not a lot of money these days.
                    "Technique is really the elimination of the unneccessary ... it is a constant effort to avoid any personal impediment or obstacle to acheive the smooth flow of energy and intent"
                    Yehudi Menuhin

                    Comment

                    • #11
                      Re: HELP! My amp is behaving strangely… Can it be fixed?

                      ^ good point.

                      If you still like combos and don't mind tubes you can't go wrong with this 12" beauty
                      https://marshallamps.com/products/amplifiers/mini-jubilee-series/2525c-mini-jubilee/


                      Or this...
                      Just a moment...
                      https://peavey.com/products/index.cfm/item/658/118120


                      The Marshall uses a greenback speaker, which I think is great for cleans, rock and blues. I wouldn't recommend it for metal.

                      I had the Peavey and it was very versatile plus it has reverb. Very durable too.

                      This one looks like it can do it all and it has a great, versatile speaker, 12" as well.

                      Seite wurde nicht gefunden. - H&K
                      http://hughes-and-kettner.com/products/tubemeister/tubemeister-36/tubemeister-36-combo/

                      Comment

                      • #12
                        Re: HELP! My amp is behaving strangely… Can it be fixed?

                        For the money the Katana 100W is going to be tough to beat.

                        Check out the new Blackstars too, https://youtu.be/zbyI8I4F-xg

                        Comment

                        • #13
                          Re: HELP! My amp is behaving strangely… Can it be fixed?

                          Originally posted by PierceOkken View Post
                          If you are looking for a new amp her are some recommendations:
                          Orange Crush/Crush Pro series
                          Orange rocker series
                          Boss katana
                          Fender hot rod deluxe
                          Bassbraker series
                          Vox ac15
                          Marshall DSL40
                          I have my eyes on a Bassbreaker 007, I used it on a store to try a Gibson Les Paul and I loved it. I'm gonna try it again with one of my guitars and see if I buy it.
                          "I don't want to be a product of my environment, I want my environment to be a product of me."

                          Comment

                          • #14
                            Re: HELP! My amp is behaving strangely… Can it be fixed?

                            I saw a used Hughes & Kettner Blue Edition 15R for 90CHF. It's pretty much the same as mine and according to the reviews it looks to be a good sounding amp. What do you think?
                            "I don't want to be a product of my environment, I want my environment to be a product of me."

                            Comment

                            • #15
                              Re: HELP! My amp is behaving strangely… Can it be fixed?

                              That amp had amazing reviews...
                              http://www.musiciansfriend.com/amplifiers-effects/hughes-kettner-edition-blu-15-15w-1x8-combo
                              Get the guaranteed best price on Solid State Combo Guitar Amplifiers like the Hughes & Kettner Edition Blu 15 15W 1x8 Combo at Musician's Friend. Get a low price and free shipping on thousands of...


                              Treat yourself to a 12" speaker combo. You deserve it.

                              Comment

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