I am afraid no pictures but noticed much improved circuit board quality of and less dressing improved with coaxial connections to pre amp valves. if you have one of these amps and it is misbehaving, it is well worth getting it serviced. That will usually get it back on track.
Recently had the pleasure to work on a couple of 1960s AC30. The earlier one is from 1964 and is a great example of how a complex fault of various un-related problems can really be difficult unless you stick to as well disciplined diagnosis routine. In this case the amp is working but the sound … Read more
This AC30 came to me with a strong smell of burnt mains transformer. This is not unusual as old transformer windings are insulated with Paper and wax – sometimes you can see it leaking out of your vintage amp. But you know what 40 years without the occasional leak is not that bad. Finding a … Read more
Valve Amplifiers Q. How long should I let my amp warm up for before playing A. If the amp is at room temperature then about ninety seconds will ensure that your tubes are really warmed up. Notes: Avoid turning your heaters on and off as a rule valves don’t mind being hot or being cold … Read more
What I really like about these Peavey amps is the DC power supply feeding the valve heater element circuit. It’s one of the circuit features that can make an amplifier run without any hum. But there is a downside that perhaps Peavey could have done better on. If your valve king has stopped working suddenly … Read more
It seems to me that Marshall really got it right here – the right mix of hard wiring and PCB. The Valve sockets are all carefully hard wired to the circuit boards and the. Layout is very neat and as a valve bass amplifier I think this takes some beating really warm bubbly typical valve … Read more
For those that don’t know much about valves, the heaters are a fundamental part of what makes them work as amplifiers. Valves control electron flow a bit like a tap controls water flow. However electrons only flow in conductors like metal wires and, as the bright sparks like Edison, De Forest etc realised in around … Read more
I have always liked QSC RMX series amplifiers for PA. Well defined and detailed sound and extremely well made. QSC are also extremely helpful with circuit details, advice and help. Some common faults Premature transformer failure. Very expensive replacement part at over £100 from UK distributors but thouroughly worth it once restored, these amps retail … Read more
Roland Bolt 100 Combo As used by the edge when U2 were a decent band. This would have been trying to rival the Mesa Boogie compactness is an extremely well made hybrid amp. 4x6L6 output stage and a slightly dissappointing single tube / solid state pre amp delivers a great clean sound and natural overdrive … Read more
Well I had the pleasure to service and modify one of these cool amps this week. A Carr Slant 6V. Absolutely fantastic build quality top to bottom on these amps – this just oozes quality everly little detail is just superb. Full point to point circuit, glued wires, hand wound transformers this is the real … Read more
Over the last year I must have repaired half a dozen of these delightful solid state amps. Compact, loud and fully bobbly carpeted – nice. These amps are realy well made and rightly retain their value beyond the competition. Features are soldered connections throughout, nicely dressed wiring, serious pot earthing (see bottom of pic below) … Read more
A common question I get emailed to me is: “Is it worth repairing my old guitar amp”. Well depends on how you approach life but for me it’s always a yes. Many amp faults can be categorised as “crude” problems like connectors, bad joints, noise pots. Or if they are “Hard” faults then usually a … Read more