OH AMP GURUS OF WARMOTH HELP ME!!!!

[riarojr]

:helpk so maybe that was a bit melodramatic, but here's the deal.  there's somethin wierd goin on with my amp and simply put i don't know how to fix it.

lately the amps has been experiencing some volume drops and it's gettin worse.  it seems to only effect the 2nd (grind) and 3rd (solo) channels.  not only that, but they're starting to hum noticably which is odd since i rarely, if ever turn the gain on either channel past 9 o'clock and the quiet operation was a big plus in my decision to buy it.

since all my electronical experience is on communications gear and guitars i honestly don't know where to go from here. :sad:  i've changed cables and cycled through my guitars and it appears that it's triggered by higher output guitars more than the others. 

oh, and when the volume drops the sound is significantly thinner like the guitar is wired with out of phase pickups or something.  i remembered seeing posts from some of the people on this forum talking about past experiences working on amps and such so i figured this would be the best place to seek info....i think one of them was CB???

The amp is a Crate RFX 200S and i'll be contacting the company shortly to find out what i can from them but from my experiences the big companies tend to forget the little man somewaht.... 

 

[Phrygian]

I don't know much about that amp, or any solid state amps for that matter.  If I had to guess, I would suspect that a cap has gone bad somewhere.  The circuitry of of that amp is probably fairly complex, not mention it's PCB, and I believe the repair cost might approach the cost of a replacement.

 

[Phrygian]

I should have asked if it's still under warranty

 

[riarojr]

i think it is still under warranty, but it's at least a 2 hour drive from where i live to the nearest authorized repair center and lord knows how long it'll take for a warranty repair :sad1:  from what i hear warranty repairs are known for being slow about their business.  but yeah, my guess is that it's somewhere in that flexwave circuit since since the effect is only prevelant in the various gain stages.  that thing seems like it would be pretty complex tho. :icon_scratch:

 

[Shmoopie]

i can't help you out, but i can say, crates have a bad rep for fizzling out after about a year, they get a lot of bad reviews on musicians friend.

 

[-CB-]

sometimes a drop in volume is simple dirty contact at the input (or guitars output)

cable ok?

try another?

another guitar?

after that - its beyond reasonable skill to fix without really digging into it

 

[riarojr]

i've had crate amps in the past and never had a problem with em, but i guess my luck finally ran out :dontknow:

and i tried my two main cables with all of my guitars but it still has the same problem.  i'll try to find one of my cheap spares to see if it at least lessens it but i'm hoping it will be a quick find and i only have to resolder something simple at the surface like the amp input without having to get into all that ciruitry. :sad1:

 

[guitlouie]

OK, so I don't have as much experience with amps as CB, but I do agree with him on trying to clean up the input jack and maybe even the volume pots before taking the thing apart and getting really deep into it.  I have solved many amp problems with a simple can of contact cleaner.  I start there and if that doesn't work, I refer it to someone who knows!  Good luck!

 

[-CB-]

bingo....

ditto here, had amps that set around, also guitars that were hanging out for a few months.... and they were terrible.  wiped contact cleaner on the plug and stuck it in the jack a few times... done, playin great.

if that dont do it.....you need some specific help from a crate repairman

FWIW, if I ever got a SS amp - ie, sound reinforcement - I'd get Peavey.  Why?  Best service in the industry IMHO.  On several occasions, I've called them, spoken to techs, they suggest parts... send them while taking my credit card over the phone.  They'll say - ok its probably U3 and or U4, but get U12 and U10 too, and if that doesn't do it, call back.  Its $6.88, what kind of card ya using?  Prices on parts amazingly low, good... no EXCELLENT tech support.  Just... I cant say enuf good on their part.

 

[Phrygian]

With proper maintenance, the electromechanical components (pots, switches, jacks, etc), will outlast some of the other components, especially the electrolytic caps.

 

[riarojr]

***UPDATE***

i took the amp apart to cleaned the contacts and "tighten" some of em and it seems to be working just fine now.  it was all sorts electronics up in that thing....i can't imagine what the inside of a modeling amp must look like.....next time i take it apart i'll take some pics...

 

[CD]

I believe the problem was that you have a Crate.  :laughing7:

Just kidding man, nice to know you got it sorted out.

 

[-CB-]

I can remember the days when Crate was actually ok stuff.  They're gone.......

 

[riarojr]

OUCH!!!  no love for St.Louis circuitry here i see....every crate i've played up until now never faulted on me, but i'm thinking about getting one of their tube amps....unless i can find something that suits me better....any of y'all ever played that carvin v3 or a hughes & kettner??

 

[jackthehack]

Us old farts are Fender tube guys....

 

[thepriebster]

That doesn't mean you can't teach an old dog new tricks, does it?

 

[CD]

I'm no old fart but the best amp I've ever played out of was a Fender Twin. I'm not even a big fan of that sound, I'm more of a Marshall sound guy.

 

[jackthehack]

Not necessarily; I've tried everything and always wind up returning to Fender tube amps; easy enough to recreate the "Marshall" sound with a little stomp box; can't get the bluesy Fender sound the other way around....

 

[thepriebster]

You're right about that. The warmth of the Fender can't be replicated by a digital stomp box.

 

[Phrygian]

From tweed to blackface, there is nearly something for everyone in that evolution.