FuseG4
Our Neighbor Totoro
Like 6 months ago my Blackheart 5W combo developed a problem wherein it would play fine for like 5 min and then the volume/output would drop. sometimes it wouldn't drop quite as much but the preamp would distort like a fuzzy mess. sometimes, lightly pressing on the top of the chassis would correct the problem. sometimes it'd start up weak and pressing on it would kick in the normal vol.
Tubes were fine. Tried numerous times to pull out the chassis and check for loose connections or messed up parts. without a voltage meter or something I was basically lost.
There is a lack of amp techs and the warranty was out. so, i bought the head version of my amp. I used my old combo amp like an extension cab.
Ok so fast forward to like, an hour ago. In a flash of brilliance I thought that if pressing on the chassis just so would both cause and solve the problem, it had to be something just slightly loose. Caps, resistors, fuses, power transformers, those things probably don't let die and come back and die again when you press on them.
On a whim I take the volume knob off and check the nut... it's only finger tight so I tighten it. Problems still there. Treble pot... tighten... still cutting out. Mid pot. I press it hard up against the chassis, tighten the crap out of it, and...
YES! Amp works... I feel smart for fixing my amp. I feel dumb because my made in china amp basically just showed me just how made in china it really was. I feel dumb cuz I spent hours being pissed at an other wise good amp for a simple pot not being tighened at the factory. I feel dumb cuz now I have 2 basically identical amps and just one speaker...
Tubes were fine. Tried numerous times to pull out the chassis and check for loose connections or messed up parts. without a voltage meter or something I was basically lost.
There is a lack of amp techs and the warranty was out. so, i bought the head version of my amp. I used my old combo amp like an extension cab.
Ok so fast forward to like, an hour ago. In a flash of brilliance I thought that if pressing on the chassis just so would both cause and solve the problem, it had to be something just slightly loose. Caps, resistors, fuses, power transformers, those things probably don't let die and come back and die again when you press on them.
On a whim I take the volume knob off and check the nut... it's only finger tight so I tighten it. Problems still there. Treble pot... tighten... still cutting out. Mid pot. I press it hard up against the chassis, tighten the crap out of it, and...
YES! Amp works... I feel smart for fixing my amp. I feel dumb because my made in china amp basically just showed me just how made in china it really was. I feel dumb cuz I spent hours being pissed at an other wise good amp for a simple pot not being tighened at the factory. I feel dumb cuz now I have 2 basically identical amps and just one speaker...