What's wrong with my amp?

[wsas3]

MY tube amp stopped working suddenly. I plugged it in at 3:30, stopped playing at 4 to eat, picked it up about ten minutes later and it doesnt work. I plugged into a different amp and its fine. The tubes aren't lighting up or getting warm or anything, if that helps. What the fuck?

[Bassus Sanguinis]

:mad: MY tube amp stopped working suddenly. I plugged it in at 3:30, stopped playing at 4 to eat, picked it up about ten minutes later and it doesnt work. I plugged into a different amp and its fine. The tubes aren't lighting up or getting warm or anything, if that helps. What the fuck?

...okay, how is the fuse? I'd check that first. Does the amp smell like fried dust and electronic components?

[wsas3]

It's fine, no smell

[Bassus Sanguinis]

Checked the amp fuse already? And the tubes are not at all coming to life? No preamp, nor poweramp tubes? Are the tubes old?

ALSO: I don't mean to be a smart ass but CHECK the house electricity fuse and try a diff socket.

[wsas3]

Yeah I checked the fuse, and the tubes aren't coming to life at all. I just changed the power tubes ;__;

[dubkitty]

check the manual; some amps have a second hidden fuse near the mains connection. this gave me no end of concern when the corresponding fuse blew on my Laney and i couldn't find the problem at first.

[devnulljp]

My expert opinion is that it is now fucked.

[Bassus Sanguinis]

doesn't sound too good to me either, though I still doubt it has shorted out since that'd smell. But unless the pre- or power amp tubes have died on You, (due, for example, the tube sockets crapping out - I once had this) or the transformer is fucked I can't start guessing what's wrong with it.

If there is a second fuse - there usually is - and it's designed for the end user to maintain by himself at home, then do that. Refer to the manual, find one from the internetz if You haven't got it. Otherwise, take it to the amp doc.

Tube amps should never be serviced by anybody who doesn't know exactly what he's doing, so... have it checked. DO NOT even open the chassis unless You know for fact what to avoid touching, since the chances are You get shocked. Badly. A friend burned his fingers pretty nasty with an amp turned off and taken off the wall!

[tuffteef]

My expert opinion is that it is now fucked.

[wsas3]

Yeah I think it's pretty fucked as well. I'll just take it to a guy , I don't want to fuck it up even more with my poor amp knowledge

[D.o.S.]

To drive it home: Take it to a tech.

Tube amps are expensive, deadly, and generally something not to be fucked with when you don't know what's up.

[Bassus Sanguinis]

To drive it home: Take it to a tech.

Tube amps are expensive, deadly, and generally something not to be fucked with when you don't know what's up.

That pretty much summed up the post above, yeah.

...but in the best case, if You try to look on the bright side, having the amp maintained every time by the same guy can eventually lead to a percentage off the price and asking a few questions every time deepens Your understanding of the amp. Perhaps.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHPOzQzk9Qo[/youtube]

[D.o.S.]

Dude, having a tech in your stable, as it were, is fucking essential. I always bring my gear to one dude. It helps to have a relationship beyond "yo, I herd you fizx teh ampz an' geets, brah."

[rfurtkamp]

Will echo the 'don't open it physically and start licking stuff' suggestions.

Unplug the unit, take the tubes out, reseat them. If you have, say 2 power tubes, swap their positions so the one that was in #1 is now in #2, etc.

Also try your old tubes.

You did keep a backup set, right?

[wsas3]

Yeah I have the old tubes, they're pretty old though but i'll give em a try. the amp has 4 power tubes.