Amp problem! Please read!

[Matt Warfront]

Hey all, I am having a HUGE amp problem. I just bought an Ampeg (lead) half-stack from a friend. The problem here is that there is a crackling noise coming out of the right speaker. There are 4 speakers and it is only comming out of the upper right one...I took the amp in and got it looked at (blowing $30) and they told me there was nothing wrong with it. Then, I ran the head through another amp and realized it is a problem with the head because it did that crackling noise through this other amp. So I go to guitar center and described the problem to this guy who said it definently was a tube problem. I got my pre-amp tubes checked by a machine at a electronics shop that said they were fine, plus this guy said it sounded like a power tube problem. So I buy a pair of 6 rating groove tubes and put them in and take them to another shop to get them biased (blowing another $80) and when I got the head back, the problem was excactly the same. I don't know what to do...I keep taking it places and blowing so much money and nothing is changing..it is a VERY stressful situation. Can someone please help? The noise it makes it a crackling noise almost like an overdrive but it is very anoying while playing clean...it also is very noticable with distortion on. Any help with this problem would be greatly appreciated..thanks a lot, take care!

[Tele Master]

Could be a loose solder joint. Age makes things buzz. Turn off any electric equipment where your playing (TV, stereo, computer).

[Lone Ryder]

What's the model number of your Ampeg head? Any idea how old the head is? It shouldn't really matter but what's the make/model of your speaker cabinet? Was the other cabinet you plugged it into also a 4x10, 4x12 or whatever?

LR

[alkaline]

try to get a fender amp cuz they last longer and have a good sound

[Lordathestrings]

Originally posted by Matt Warfront
... The problem here is that there is a crackling noise coming out of the right speaker. There are 4 speakers and it is only comming out of the upper right one...Uhh, lemme see if I got this right... You have crackling noises coming out of just one speaker in a 4-speaker cab, so you take the amp in for a checkup??? :confused:

Dude, get someone to check out your speaker!!!

[Matt Warfront]

Actually, I was just told that the "good/bad" pre-amp tube testers don't work...even if it reads "good" it may still be bad. My last resort is getting a new pair of pre-amp tubes this week. Hopefully that will take care of the problem! Thanks a lot for the replys, take care!

[Lone Ryder]

Yeah Lord O the Strings I thought the same thing but he said he tried it on a different cabinet. Very strange. If that's true then maybe it's a load problem with his amp. That's why I'm curious about the 2 cabinets he tried it on and the amp model. Maybe the amp can't handle a 2 (or 4) ohm load.???????

LR

[Lordathestrings]

But that's my point! If the head is sending crackling sounds to the cab, that sound should be coming from all of the speakers in the cab. :confused:

[hairbndrckr]

I think I gotta agree with you lord... especially since if it is a load problem at least 2 of the 4 speakers are going to either be wired in series or parallel with each other, meaning that if one is going to crackle from a load issue, at least one other should be also. I mean, it's not like he is running a seperate channel to each speaker...it also could just be sheer coincidence that the other cabinet has a bad speaker also. I have seen stranger. I once has a guy come into my shop stating that the radio I put in for him made his headlights on his truck quit working.... After an hour of going over everything that could have possibly went wrong to no avail, I finally checked the bulbs. They both went out at the same time. That is completely unheard of, but it happened...

[Lordathestrings]

LOL... Must'a been all that thumpin' bass shaking the bulb filaments!

((((( :eek: )))))

[hairbndrckr]

:D