I hate my obsession

[misterwhizzy]

I've been screwing with my amp and guitars so much recently that I've gotten at least the amp into unplayable shape.  It started with just a crackle and a little bit of loss of low mids and bass.

It's not the pedalboard.

I was thinking it was the wireless, but plugging a cable straight into the amp (which is how I ruled out the pedalboard as a sole cause) had the same problem.

The other night, i replaced every single tube, hoping that whatever is apparently all but bypassing the power amp would magically fix itself.  No dice.

If I didn't somehow knock loose the wiring holding the depth knob in place (that I installed two years ago), then I'm out of ideas.

I just want to play an amp that sounds good and works, yet I'm stuck fiddling.  And I hate it.

Have a nice day.

[Agileguy]

That sucks. Have you done any surgery on it recently?

[misterwhizzy]

One guitar, yes, but nothing else. The other guitar has the same symptoms.

[LesStrat]

Fiddling about can get you into trouble.

[Jolly]

I'm glad that you're not your doctor.

[Dr. Vegetable]

If it's not a bad tube, a crackling sound is often caused by a cold solder joint or broken wire. If you are comfortable safely working on the internals of an amp, you could inspect everything for any visible problems and heat up any cloudy-looking solder joints with an iron. Also look for any components that may have been damaged by too much heat and replace them.

I've diagnosed a lot of gear problems by doing a purely visual inspection. Even so, most electrical problems are invisible and you may need to bring it to a pro.

Good luck, and be safe!

[Oinkus]

Try using the continuity setting on the meter that beeps , you might get lucky.

[misterwhizzy]

Thanks, fellas. I'll see if I can find something tonight.

[misterwhizzy]

I know you were all on the edges of your respective seats, but I pulled the chassis from the head like I was going to bias it, visually inspected everything, turned it on, and everything was beautiful. Once again, luck beats skill.

[LesStrat]

Awesome!