Losing highs and power mid rehearsal

emilio

New member
Recently I've noticed that the amp has lost highs and during band practice there is a loss of power. Could this be the the power tubes? I was told it could also be old caps, which worries me.
 
Losing highs and power mid rehearsal

I would suspect the power tubes first.
Many times caps will "swell" or look puffy when they need replacing. They are relatively cheap, I'd have my tech replace them if I were in your situation. Tubes too...probably cost about $150, maybe a little bit more. Assuming you have 4 power tubes.
 
Re: Losing highs and power mid rehearsal

Yeah I'd start with Tubes. How old are the one's in there?

Caps usually last a long time, but looks for what Gtrjunior said just incase.
 
Re: Losing highs and power mid rehearsal

What amp is it?

Like a finely tuned race car, it's usually a great idea to have it inspected regularly by someone who knows their trade.
 
Re: Losing highs and power mid rehearsal

Most of the time the capacitors in question which use a wet electrolyte, will have a life that depends on the environment and the conditions in which they are used. The typical life estimate people usually throw around is 20-25 years under normal use, but there really isn't a hard set life. And newer variations especially ones designed for ballast applications, can have a life that far exceeds this. That said, they are usually not the first suspect when tracking down a problem like you describe, although the symptoms are similar. Always try the plug and play first before worrying it's something worse.
 
Re: Losing highs and power mid rehearsal

It is an older amp. It's a Peavey MX VTX. Being that it is very old, I thought, maybe the caps could be a problem. I opened it up and the caps looked normal, no bulges. I guess it must be the tubes then.
 
Re: Losing highs and power mid rehearsal

It is an older amp. It's a Peavey MX VTX. Being that it is very old, I thought, maybe the caps could be a problem. I opened it up and the caps looked normal, no bulges. I guess it must be the tubes then.

You would need the amp to be up at full operating temp to see any bulge in the caps.
 
Re: Losing highs and power mid rehearsal

It is an older amp. It's a Peavey MX VTX. Being that it is very old, I thought, maybe the caps could be a problem. I opened it up and the caps looked normal, no bulges. I guess it must be the tubes then.

Dying caps don't always show by bulging. That amp is thirty years old and if it's never had a cap job it probably needs one by now
 
Re: Losing highs and power mid rehearsal

I believe that a passive treble(as well as Bass And Mids) often pass thru a pre-amp tube 12au or ax7 B4 the power tube stage or at least , they do on mine. If the pwr tube swap doesn't work, a pre-amp tube swap may. An intermittent, failing pre-amp tube once drove me nuts.
 
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