80s Marshall No Gain-5215

[eichaan]

Hi: 

I recently bought a vintage 1987 Marshall Fifty Split Reverb (model 5215) from the local used gear shop.  I REALLY like this amp a lot, but one issue is that the gain only works on "10".  In other words, from 0-9 the gain knob makes no appreciable change to the sound, and on 10, it gets totally distorted.  I would love to have a range of gain options.  Does anyone know what I could do?

When I bought it, the tech at the shop removed the chassis and shpritzed deoxit in all of the pots.

Thanks for any help you can provide!

[Enzo]

Perhaps that pot needs more than spritz, perhaps it needs solder or replace.

[eichaan]

Thanks for the tip, Enzo.  How would I know?  Would this be a simple fix for a repairman?

[J M Fahey]

Just replace it.
The shop tech should have done it before selling.
Would not have taken long, since he already opened the chassis for pot spraying.
*Maybe* they can charge a nominal value for the job, since they sold it.
Not for free, but something reasonable, not a full (or half) bench hour either.
But of course we can´t put a price on somebody else´s work.

[Roly]

Welcome eichaan.


If the pot acts like a switch right at the end of its travel then I would also put my money on a faulty pot, and just giving it a spray was a bit optimistic (particularly if it didn't fix it at the time).

User accessible parts such as sockets, pots and switches can get a hard life in the heat of the moment on stage, so wrenched pots are not uncommon, and if it's damaged rather than just dirty then replacement is normally the right course.