Hi, I am new here. Also, I just purchased this amp knowing it had this problem. I checked the power transformer between the 2 black wires is reading 177 Volts. But I don't think my volt meter is exactly accurate. I hooked up a light bulb load tester, I built, to see if I could isolate the problem area. But it just gets so bright immediately I shut the power down . So do you guys have any idea what could be the problem with this fender amp ? Or any thing that I could check ? I would appreciate any help .