Blackstar HT Problem

3

357Magnum

New member
Hi all,

Have a problem with my Blackstar HT-50 Club head. I have read that the HT-20, HT-40 and HT-50 are all of identical or similar design so if you are familiar with any of those hopefully you'll be able to give me some advice on this.

I left a post previously on the Blackstar forum concerning my amp making a "sound clipping" type noise when my chords decay on the dirt channel. There seemed to be a bit of a warbling or oscillating sound in the notes as well on a long sustain. I only received a single reply from someone saying I might be looking at some bad tubes. I had planned on looking into it, but the other night I was trying out a new chorus pedal and after about an hour of playing the amp started to fade out and back in. For instance, I'd be playing along and suddenly the volume would begin to drop out steadily to almost nothing, then slowly would come back up to normal. at first I thought I might have a bad cable but this wasn't the case. removing the pedal and going straight in to the amp made no difference either. It did this a few more times and I decided to shut it off. When I got up the next morning I turned the Power switch on, waited about two minutes and flipped on the Stand By. As soon as I turned on the Stand By switch the amp made a loud POP and then HUMMMMMMMM! I quickly shut it back off and gave it a few minutes to cool down. I then turned it on again and now there is no sound. Absolutely nothing. The front panel lights up as normal and all four of the tubes are glowing orange but there is no sound. No popping, no hissing, no music. Complete silence.

Just from reading a bit on tube amps through the internet it seems that what may be going on is that I had a tube (or tubes) going bad and since I kept playing on the amp without replacing them the H.T. Fuse finally popped. I truly hope this is all that has happened and it's not something more serious. What do you more amp savvy folks out there think about this just judging by my description?

I don't have the money for an expensive repair and would like to avoid taking the amp to a tech if possible.

Just a bit more info if it's helpful, there is also no sound from the Emulated Output.

My questions are:

1. Does it sound to you like a tube went bad and the High Tension fuse blew?
2. I know very little about tube amps, am I in danger of being shocked simply by removing the H.T. fuse to check it?
3. If the fuse is blown and I change all the tubes along with the fuse, is there anything else I should check while I'm at it? (aside from bias)
4. Would it most likely be bad power tubes or preamp tubes in this case?

Thankx in advance for any advice folks. I love my Blackstar and can't stand being without it!
 
Re: Blackstar HT Problem

I have an HT20Head and had the volume fluctuation problem as you've described. Initially I blamed the tubes and replaced all of them....no change. Took it to an authorized B* rpr. cnt. and it was a cold solder joint on one of the pcb mounted components. Mine was handled on warranty, quickly, and with no recurrence.
 
Re: Blackstar HT Problem

Might just be a bad tube If so just get it replaced. I have a HT 40 and this has not happened to me yet but Ive seen on their forums this is not an uncommon problem for them that tubes go bad sometimes very quick. But thats the risk with tubes If you do replace them maybe think about JJs
 
Re: Blackstar HT Problem

You are going to want replacement valves anyway. Try those. Then visit your Blackstar dealer or their nearest appointed repairer.
 
Re: Blackstar HT Problem

Thanks for the replies folks.

Actually I didn't realize I had a warranty because I didn't remember completing a warranty form at purchase time. I thought I had missed the boat. IM4Tone pointed out to me that Blackstar doesn't require it in the US. Not sure about other places. Turns out all I needed was my receipt from Guitar Center. GC told me to call Korg who in turn sent me to a nearby certified repair shop. GC even faxed over a copy of my receipt to the shop. The head is there now, I'm just waiting for a phone call. Needless to say I breathed a sigh of relief when I founnd out I didn't need an official warranty card on record.
 
Re: Blackstar HT Problem

Just thought I'd post an update on this for any fellow Blackstar owners (or those considering buying) who might be interested.

I've been very busy lately and haven't had much time for the computer. The repair shop had my HT-50 Club head for almost three weeks. They called me originally, not long after I dropped it off, and said they suspected it may be the output transformer going bad. Later they called back and said that they thought it was a bad power tube which caused the H.T. fuse to blow but, it order to make sure, I'd need to pay them $110.00 to replace the power tubes and fuse before they could do final testing to make sure. I have a nice multi-meter here at home and had since found info on how to bias the power tubes myself. I really would have preferred to do it at home for about $28.00 as opposed to letting them do it, but since they were unable, or unwilling, to throw a set of tubes in and make sure that was the only problem, I didn't feel I had a choice. I told them to go ahead. Why it took 2 more weeks to change power tubes and a fuse I have no idea but they finally called me back and told me it was ready. I picked it up, brought it home and plugged in. Well, it now WORKS but I could immediately tell it had lost all it's low end and it still had that horrible clipping sound in the treble frequencies that it had before the power tubes and fuse went. I played on for a while and suddenly the sound cut in and out a few times, as it had done before. Also noticeable was an intermittent "burnt electronics smell" which I had noticed before as well. I was so disappointed. Rather than call the repair shop back, I called KORG (U.S. distributor for Blackstar products) and told them what had happened. I said, look I can see the makings of a nightmare here where I am sending this thing all over the place only to have it misdiagnosed because it's some kind of tiny intermittent issue deep inside the amp and I get jacked around until finally the warranty expires and I'm out all this money with a piece of junk on my hands. I've already been three weeks without it and it's not fixed. I spent alot of money on this thing so what can we do here? The Lady at KORG was really polite and apologized for everything. She said she'd call me back the next morning after after talking with a manager of some sort at KORG. I heard back from her first thing in the morning and she said she was going to email me a shipping label to have it FedEx'd to KORG in New York. I am dropping it off at FedEx later today. Although they warned me it would be another 3-5 weeks before I would get it back, I'm still happy that they are willing to bring it to the main KORG center and dig into it themselves. I'd like to assume it's a good sign they are having me send it all the way out there since it might mean that they are willing to send me back a new one if they can't fix it or can't get to the bottom of it. I'd guess if they were avoiding that then they'd probably just have me take it to the next nearest authorized repair shop instead.

I'll post another update as soon as anything new transpires. If the way KORG is treating me gives an indication of how they (and Blackstar) normally do business then I would have to praise their customer service. I'd say if you're looking at a Blackstar product but aren't sure about them because they are so new on the scene, go ahead and get one. I have become aquainted with several Blackstar owners lately and the vast majority report they have had no problems with their equipment. And it's nice to know that if you DO then Customer Service is there for you.
 
Re: Blackstar HT Problem

357Magnum said:
I'd need to pay them $110.00 to replace the power tubes and fuse before they could do final testing to make sure.
Click to expand...

Nonsense.

Never pay money for a warranty repair. Make sure Korg reimburses you the $110, and tell them to take away that warranty center's certification.
 
Re: Blackstar HT Problem

I've heard stories of the Blackstar engineers actually jumping in their car and driving to see what was wrong with an amp here in the UK...
 
Re: Blackstar HT Problem

dominus said:
Nonsense.

Never pay money for a warranty repair. Make sure Korg reimburses you the $110, and tell them to take away that warranty center's certification.
Click to expand...

Oh believe me buddy I intend to do just that. I am highly ticked off about that. They couldn't throw in a set of EL34s just long enough to run a test? Bullpoop. And what is it about a power tube swap that takes 3 weeks anyway? I'm just waiting to hear from Korg first as to what they found. As soon as I do then I'll be demanding a refund.
 
Re: Blackstar HT Problem

Hi all
Very sorry, it's been busy around here and I completely forgot about this post!

I shipped the head off to Korg and heard back from them in about a week. They said they had found some problem on the board but didn't elaborate. They said the entire board was replaced with a new one and that my head should arrive anytime. I believe it was the very next day that I arrived home late at night to find my amp head sitting on the front porch. However the FedEx man, instead of dropping it under the overhang above the front door, had left it out on the edge of the porch exposed to the elements. The box was covered with snow underneath of which was a thick layer of ice! I was completely beside myself. I dusted it off best I could and dragged it inside. I cut open the box and inspected the head only to find water and ice chips literally pooled around the vents and leaking down into the electronics. It had rained that day and then grown colder and began to snow later in the afternoon. The box showed signs of being waterlogged even before the snow hit. I first called FedEx and tried to explain this to a person who's knowledge of the English language was rudimentary at best. I believe they said something about picking up the package and taking it back to the shipping yard for a damage inspection. Eventually I just decided to slam the phone down and call Korg in the morning. Korg apologized again and said to leave it on the porch for FedEx to pick up and that they were sending me a brand new replacement head immediately. I believe it was only about 3 days later the new head showed up. This time the weather was much nicer and the box dry with no signs of damage. I hooked it up and played a while. Sounds beautiful.

I couldn't be happier. I can't blame Korg for the idiocy of FedEx and Korg was right there on top of things at every turn. I have to say Blackstar and Korg's customer support is outstanding!

I wish I could provide more info on what specifically was found wrong with the board. But I got the feeling that maybe they couldn't pin the cause down themselves and decided to replace it. The cutting in and out was intermittent and I know from my many years as an auto mechanic just how elusive and frustrating such issues can be. The important thing to me is they did an absolute top notch job of resolving the issue as quickly as possible. 5 stars for Blackstar and Korg from this happy customer.
 
Re: Blackstar HT Problem

Glad it worked out so well.

I had to take mine back after a few months and they had it fixed and back to me in no time.
They definitely have a good handle on customer service.
 
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