Hey guys- I got this TE Twin- all solid state that has a volume issue.

Sound comes out but it is very weak- not distorted or crackly or anything... just very "far away" and quiet sounding.

I also have a TE 1x12 combo that works great. I ran a patch from the effects loop send of the good amp to the return of the bad amp and the volume becomes normal (LOUD) on the bad amp but it is a dry signal that responds to the good amp's eq (but no reverb comes through- either the good or bad amp's). I can control the volume of both amps independently of each other.

I tried reversing the patch- send from the bad amp to the return of the good amp. While sound comes through- it is weak just like in the bad amp.

Any ideas on where to start looking for the problem?

Thanks.

Chews.

This was working great not long ago. I had it serviced and several caps replaced but recently, I turned it on and there was a loud hum for about a second before the fuse blew. Replaced the fuse twice with the same results. Any thoughts on what might be the culprit? Have multimeter. Thanks- Chews.

Hey all. Got this Randall and it is AWESOME but the reverb doesn't work. When I turn up the reverb, through the speaker- I can hear the springs sloshing around in there when I hit the amp or jostle it but there is no actual reverb signal attached to the guitar signal. Nothing seems to be driving the springs but I can still hear them when they clank.

At first I thought it was a lose wire. One of the two leads from the same RCA cable was broken off (or possibly cut off on purpose) from where it was soldered to the circuit board and I resoldered it. I figured that had to be it. I just soldered it back to the place where it looked like it used to be connected but there was no difference. 

On further inspection- It looks like several capacitors have been replaced and *possibly* a small cap/resistor was removed altogether from the area on top of the board directly over where said reverb wire connects on the opposite side of the board. I'm wondering if this missing cap could be the culprit and if so- why would someone just remove it?

In the pictures of the circuit board- the missing cap is directly between and above the second and third knob. The underside just shows where the wires for the tank come out.

I also hooked up a different reverb tank just to rule out the tank being the problem and it is not. Does the same thing on another tank that I know works.

Any help with this would be appreciated.

Thank you-

Chews

So- what if a dude was to want to set his Randall Commander head on top of his Lab Series L5 212 combo and run the both through the L5's speakers and use like an ABY box to switch between the two or even blend them?

Neither of these amps are channel switching amps so they don't have clean or dirty tones at the press of a button. I'd like to try to use the Randall for dreamy cleans and the L5 for punchy distortion but run them both through the L5's speakers so I don't have to lug another cab around.

Is this possible and relatively easy to do?

Thankie.

Chews. :cheesy:

Got one of these today really cheap. It's dirty as heck and looks like it's been sitting in someone's garage for the last 20 years but it fires up and sounds incredible! When I first started playing though, the volume slowly dropped down to a very low level even with everything maxed. It sounds fine for the first few minutes then it just kind of slowly and gradually drops off. I read online somewhere a suggestion to bridge the effects loop with a patch cable and THAT WAS IT! :tu: Jammed on it for about an hour and never did get it up over 5 because it is now SO loud!  :dbtu:

Do I have to keep the loop bridged or should a good cleaning take care of it?

I plan to crack it open tonight and check/clean it out and at least replace the stock speaker with a WGS Reaper 30 I have handy.

Does anyone have any experience with this amp? Thoughts? Suggestions?

Chews

Second post due to file limit restrictions. These are Service and Schematics documents.

I just got a Lab Series L6 bass amp in very good condition for a great price. The kicker is that the original service documents were in the original envelope glued to the cabinet! Documents include Description/Service instructions, schematics, circuit board diagrams and parts listings. I know these amps are rare but somebody may find these useful.

Just when I was worried I wouldn't have some new problem to fix... :dbtu:

I recently put a new set of WGS speakers in my Lab Series L5 and the magnets are so strong, they are distorting my reverb!

If I have the reverb up anywhere over 2, I get a harsh, clinky, metallic echo/delay effect then it goes to normal reverb sound. I assume this is the spring vibrating temporarily against the tank because the magnet has pulled it out of center and so close that it is vibrating against it at higher settings. I pulled the tank out while still connected and it works fine. I put it back in and shifted it over and away from the speaker magnets as much as I could and it is better but still there over 2.

Is there a material that can be used to easily, cheaply and effectively shield the tank from the speaker's magnetic field? Or is there something else I could do short of building a separate reverb tank unit?

Thanks.

I have an opportunity to get a Gibson Skylark GA-5T with a blown transformer locally for $100 or maybe less. Seller says the transformer *may* be all that is wrong with it but it may not. He says he can't be sure if anything else is wrong but he knows for sure the transformer is toast. If that is all that is wrong with it, I can surely replace the transformer myself.

I've read pretty good things about these amps and have seen them listed in GC used inventory for as little as $300 and as much as $500. I'd like to have a cool old vintage tube amp and one that I might be able to fix-up myself inexpensively then have some opportunity to sell for at least what I put into it. But I don't want to get stuck with something that could cost $300 or more just to get it working.

Any advice? Is it a good gamble or should I pass?

I'm going to look at it Monday.

Thanks.

Hey- just got this head about a month ago and has sounded great up until yesterday and today- a few times the volume dropped and made a fuzzy/farty sound but came back to normal within a few seconds. Sometimes it did this but did not return to normal and I switched it off and back on and it was fine. Sometimes it sounds a little crackly or static-y too often just before it drops in volume. 

Checked all connections to the amp and effects, guitar, etc and I'm pretty sure it is the amp.

Any ideas what to check first? I'm no certified amp tech but I can open it up and clean, solder and probably replace something if necessary.

Thanks.

Anybody know what kind of switch will work in this?

I picked up a basic SPST on/off switch at Home Depot but it doesn't work.

The original works but it is starting to fail. Sometimes it clicks but doesn't actually switch.

Thanks.

Just got one of these and I love it. A little dirty but otherwise seems to work beautifully.

The only thing so far that gives me some concern is a LOUD clanking from the reverb tank when the head is moved even just a bit while it is on.

None of my other amps seem to do this- I mean, you can hear the springs jiggling and all but this is LOUD- like firecracker loud.

The simple solution is to just not move it - or turn it down or off if I need to shift it around but I wonder if this is normal for this model or might there actually be something amiss?

Thanks.

New to the forums- I've always appreciated solid state amps if for no other reasons that they are cheaper and more reliable. I own a Peavy Express and Rage 158, Trace Elliot Super Tramp, Lab Series L5, Yamaha G100 II head- all solid state. Had a David Eden bass head solid state too that sounded great.

My latest find is a funky late 70's Stage 65 by Univox. Not a top-shelf amp by any means at the time but the cleans are surprisingly good. I put a WGS Reaper in it and it really blossomed!

Here's a video of me reviewing it: http://youtu.be/uAq5mzFLtMQ

Let me know what you think. I may be able to pick up a 2x12 combo on the cheap here soon too.