Amplifier Will not work...please help.

[Upbasher]

Okay I plug my guitar into my peavey rage 152 amplifier.
It will not work right however. The sound is always clean, even if I switch it off clean and turn the gain all the way up.
I want to play metal, but no matter how I adjust it it will not distort the sound at all.
Please help here.

 

[schecterplayer]

Re: Amplifier Will not work...please help.

 

[Upbasher]

Re: Amplifier Will not work...please help.

? What is that?
I'm a noob to guitars so I don't know...

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Amplifier Will not work...please help.

With most solid state amps, the problems are usually related to input jacks or switches.

If you're getting a clean channel signal, but not the gain channel signal, then you can probably rule out a bad input jack. The amp would be silent if that were bad. Make sure the master volume is up, if it has one.

If you switch to the gain channel and it goes dead, then the first things to look at are the switch........the two solder points where it joins the circuit board. Turn all the pots and see if the sound cuts in/out.

With a cheap amp like that, it can be cost prohibitive to take it to a tech, since the bench fee is equal to the price of another practice amp. In that case, see if you have a friend who's knowledgable about electronics who can look at it.

 

[Upbasher]

Re: Amplifier Will not work...please help.

It works but its the same on both the clean channel and the distorted channel.
All clean on both channels, no matter how I set the volume and tone pots.
I just don't get this....its aggravating cause I want to play it...
Do you think if i took it apart and cleaned all the switch contacts that it would work again?

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Amplifier Will not work...please help.

How are you running all the controls on the amp and on your guitar?

 

[misterwhizzy]

Re: Amplifier Will not work...please help.

I think it's God's way of telling you you're ready for a real amplifier. I'm only half kidding.

 

[Upbasher]

Re: Amplifier Will not work...please help.

I have the tone all the way up on the guitar.
I have the amp set to the gain channel with the gain all the way up.
Still, no metal. Just clean.

 

[lex666]

Re: Amplifier Will not work...please help.

Selector switch for channel swapping went bad?

 

[Upbasher]

Re: Amplifier Will not work...please help.

Yeah thats what i'm thinking. But when I use the switch the volume changes from using the clean volume on the amp to using the guitar's volume nob.
That means the switch works, right?

 

[lex666]

Re: Amplifier Will not work...please help.

hmmm.

if its switching then that rules out a bad switch. check all pots (knobs) to be sure if they function.

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Amplifier Will not work...please help.

Yeah thats what i'm thinking. But when I use the switch the volume changes from using the clean volume on the amp to using the guitar's volume nob.
That means the switch works, right?

Not completely sure what this means...

No switch on the amp should mean that you are not using the volume knob on the guitar over a knob on the amp...

You said you are using a Rage 152, I assume that's a typo and you mean Rage 158.

That's a 2 channel amp. The EQ section (low mid and high) works on BOTH channels so for now set those at half just to get started.

Now, the first knob on it, all the way to the left is a volume control and it is only the volume for the clean channel so with the clean channel selected turn that control to the volume you want your clean channel to be.

Now the PRE and POST on a Peavey amp are the master and gain controls. the PRE controls how much gain or distortion you get and the POST controls how loud that channel is so for max gain turn the PRE all the way up then set the POST to the volume level you want t use the amp at.

If you select the gain channel and turn the PRE control all the way up with the POST on 3 or 4 and you have no distortion then your amp needs work.

On the gain channel the knob labeled Volume will have NO effect....if it does you are on the wrong channel.

Make sure to turn the volume on your guitar all the way up for max distortion.

Have fun!

 

[Upbasher]

Re: Amplifier Will not work...please help.

Yeah I meant to say rage 158. Okay yeah it switches the volume like you are saying but there is absolutely no distortion change. So I got it apart and am trying to clean the switch but I can't figure out how to get it off the circuit board.

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Amplifier Will not work...please help.

Yeah I meant to say rage 158. Okay yeah it switches the volume like you are saying but there is absolutely no distortion change. So I got it apart and am trying to clean the switch but I can't figure out how to get it off the circuit board.

STOP NOW...

If there is a change in volume the switch works just fine.

Also if you take the switch off the board you are likely to ruin the amp.

So with the PRE all the way up and the POST at say 3 there is no distortion?

If that is the case then I ask whats up with your guitar, cable and anything else between the guitar and amp?

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Amplifier Will not work...please help.

Watch this clip...the start is slow but it'll get to the point where you can see the knob settings and hear the tone...

 

[Upbasher]

Re: Amplifier Will not work...please help.

Yeah theres no distortion at all no matter where I set any of the nobs. Even with the pre at full and the post at 3.
The guitar is one that i soldered the bridge pickup on myself. But i don't think that is the problem because I have two guitars and they both do the same thing. I have two cables and they both do the same thing.

 

[Upbasher]

Re: Amplifier Will not work...please help.

Man I can't get mine to sound anything like that, even with the exact same settings that he's using.
All I get is clean. (Same thing on both of my guitars and cables)
And like i said before all the switch does is change the volume setup.

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Amplifier Will not work...please help.

If the amp is new return it for a different one if it is used save up for another one...the Rage 258 is $99 online and the bench charge at most amp shops is $60-75 and that's just for them to open it up and tell you whats wrong with it.

 

[Jeff Seal]

Re: Amplifier Will not work...please help.

I gotta admit, I like your perseverance, I am an amp tech in Houston and will make you a deal. I don't know where you live so this may not be viable, but if you can ship just the chassis here I will fix it for you for free (including parts) and explain to you exactly what happened and why it doesn't work. I will admit I'm used to working on very expensive amps, but it's not beneath me to try to help a fellow musician. Let me know how I can help.

Jeff

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Amplifier Will not work...please help.

Upbasher take Jeff up on this offer!

Jeff is a world class amp tech, builder and guru!