weird 5150 issue

[WhoFan]

i went out for a jam today and took my 5150 since it has been sitting collecting dust for way too long... anyways there seems to be this weird weight shift feeling when i pick it up sometimes..... part of me wonders if it's a transformer moving a little when i pick it up.... maybe it's the handle shifting... anyone else notice this feeling when carrying your 5150's....

on a side note i had forgotten the sweet crunch of a powered up 5150.... one trick pony... it was not cutting it for some of the mellow tunes, but on the harder edge stuff it was god!!!! and the longer i played the hotter it got the sweeter the sound

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: weird 5150 issue

It sounds like you should take some time to pull it apart, spray contact cleaner in the pots, check the tubes, clean it, and tighten everything up.

I finally realized what the smell of vintage amps is.....burned dust!

 

[LoFiBrian]

Re: weird 5150 issue

Burned Dust=Carbon?

 

[WhoFan]

Re: weird 5150 issue

It sounds like you should take some time to pull it apart, spray contact cleaner in the pots, check the tubes, clean it, and tighten everything up.

I finally realized what the smell of vintage amps is.....burned dust!

ya i know that smell well.... mostly on amp heads with the exposed tubes.... but my Classic 50 head has a cooling fan in it and when i start that up the fan blows that mild smell for a while when i have not used it in ages

i was planing to open the back anyways and see if i can see anything that can shift or move.... it does need tubes and soon... I retubed it last 8 years ago or better... i used to use it a lot more..... gigging and stuff, but for the last few years it has mostly sat in my closet gaining coats of dust...

yesterday morning i pulled it out and cleaned it up the best i could, fired it up.. some of the pots were scratchy but after twisting the knobs for a few seconds back and forth they cleared up...

the only thing i can think of that would be inside the amp that could feel like it is loose and shifting when i pick up this head is the transformer... guess that will be the first place i look