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Topics - aoresteen

#1
Hello all!  The Marshall 3210 MOSFET amp was my first decent amp that I bought around 1990 with the Marshall 1965B 4x10 cab.  Never had an issue with it. I sold it in 2000 to my nephew (who I understand still has it) but recently acquired another 3210 (vintage 1990, Y0xxxx) a few months back off of the local Craig's list.  I have yet to plug it in although the seller said he had been using it regularly and had verified that all functions work.





I have both the Marshall 1965A & 1965B cabs that I use with my Carvin VT-50 tube amp head.



The Marshall cabs are 8 ohms each so using them both would put a 4 ohm load on the 3210 amp.

Last night I did a bit of research on the 3210 head's past problems and found out that they have a tendency to blow the MOFETs taking out the rectifier & a few other parts with them.  This seems to occur when you put a 4 ohm load on the 3210.  I always ran my old 3210 with a single  8 ohm cab so I never had the problem.

1. Before I plug it in, should I put a 16ohm speaker load on it first?  Or should I give it a shot with an 8 ohm load?  No way will I start out with a 4 ohm load.

2. As a preventative measure should I replace the MOSFETS with a pair of Exicon 10N20 & 10P20 before I run it with a 4 ohm load?  They are cheap at $35 for a pair.


My current MOSFETs

http://www.ebay.com/itm/282407099589?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

3.  While I am at it, should I replace any caps that have been problematic in the past?  Or just replace them all?  I checked the filter caps.  One read 1980 mf, the other read 2160 mf.


Filter Caps

4.  The board looks clean an un-modded.  No sign of a previous repair.  The ICs are not in sockets - they are soldered to the board.  Should I socket them and stock some replacements?


My 3210 board

5.  Should I beef up the rectifier with an 8 amp one?  Any recommended replacements?

As I plan on keeping this amp for the next 10 years at least, what spare parts should I stockpile?

Thanks!

#2
For the past couple of years the Peavey Bandit 112 Silver Stripe (1996-1999) has been my main amp.  I like the way the Transtube circuit sounds. I've finally gotten it set up the way I want it.



It's paired with the Peavey 112SX external speaker cabinet.  I've replaced the Peavey 1230 speakers with a Weber 100w Blue Dog in the Bandit and a 100w Silver Bell in the external cab.

Next to it is my rack:



The top half is a Samson power amp driving my 1996 Rocktron Chameleon.  The bottom half is for my MIDI guitar.  The Yamaha MIDI interface feeds the Alesis QSR sound module which is driven by a Samson 1U power amp (120a). The cabinet was custom made by J Designs and holds the two Peavey 1230 speakers from the Bandit & 112SX cab.

http://www.jdesigncabs.com/

I added a 1U mixer so I can now play backing tracks through the rig.  I had to swap out the 2U Samson amp for a 1U amp to make room for the Peavey LM mixer.

I made a custom snake to run power and signals to my pedal board.  The length is the same as the Peavey foot switch, about 14 feet.  120v AC power, guitar signal to Bandit, effects send and return cables, guitar to Chameleon cable, and a 7 pin powered cable to the ADA MIDI foot switch are all bundled together.  The pedal board has a power master switch on the top and power comes from below.

Overall view:



All my gigging guitars have their own wireless transmitter on them and they all are on Samson VHF Channel 1.  The guitar signal goes from the Samson SR-2 reciever to the Morley ABC box IN.  Channel A goes to the Bandit, Channel B goes to the Rocktron Chameleon, and C is used for mute/Rocktron XTune tuner.




The main pedal  board has all the boost, distortion, OD, and amp sim effects that go into the Bandit front end (normal guitar input).



Time based effects like delay & chorus are on their own sub-board and go to the effects loop of the Bandit (not shown is the NUX Looper that is all the way to the left, the last device in the effects loop chain).



The ADA MC-1 midi foot switch lets me instantly get 10 different sounds from the Rocktron Chameleon.

So that's a rundown of my rig.  It breaks down into manageable parts that I can carry where as my tube gear is way too heavy.



#3
Amplifier Discussion / SoundTech QM4 PA Head
February 25, 2015, 06:42:24 PM
I have another project I'd like to get done.  Two years ago I picked up a used SoundTech QM4 4 channel PA amp head for my son-in-law to use for rehearsals.  The first time he used it it worked for 20 minutes and then went dead.  They tried it again a few days later and again after 20 minutes the sound wend dead.  They set it aside and used another amp.  It found it's way back to me  so I would like to fix it. Sounds like a cold solder joint or other heat related issue or perhaps a defective component.

All 4 channels cut out so I think the place to start is in the power amp stage.

I was able to track down the schematics - it is in three parts: preamp, preamp2, and power amp (attached).



While I do have a signal generator I do not have a scope to trace the signal through the circuit.

How would you approach finding the source of the problem?

Many thanks!
#4
Amplifier Discussion / Effects Loop Kit for SS Amps
February 24, 2015, 10:33:49 AM
I am looking at putting in an effects loop into my Envoy 110 TT silver stripe.

I've been looking for an effects loop kit for a ss amp and all that I find are kits for tube amps. Here's are some examples:

http://www.metroamp.com/store/index.php ... cpq43vdgf7

http://www.mojotone.com/amp-parts/Mojot ... OyYCSwrPKE


Does anyone know of a general purpose effects loop kit that will work with a ss amp? My budget is $100 or so.


Thanks!
#5
I have a Peavey Envoy 110 TransTube silver stripe (circa 1995) amp.  The lowest speaker impedance load it can handle is 6 ohms.  Is it possible to mod the output stage so that it can safely handle a 4 ohm load?  This would allow me to use an external speaker with the internal speaker (a Weber 8 ohm replacement).

Thanks!
#6
I built a MIDI guitar from a gold Squier:



Full story on this build here:

http://www.squier-talk.com/forum/squier-stratocasters/14351-goldie-part-2-midi-lots-photos.html


Now I'm setting up the amp.  I choose the Peavey Bandit 112 SIlver Stripe and had a new cab made for it to hold the amp and two rack MIDI devices:







The MIDI controler is a Yamaha G50 that will drive the Alesis QSR MIDI sound module.  Output from the QSR will go to the Effects return.  The Bandit 112 will be modded to provide switched 110 AC power to the MIDI rack devices and I will put a set of effect loop jacks on the rear of the chasis for easier cabling.

Next to do is the custom cab with speakers (I'm thinking a 15", with a 12" and 10") and a new pedal board that will control it all.
#7
Amplifier Discussion / 3.5mm jack for 3/8" hole
March 13, 2013, 01:40:46 AM
Does anyone know of a supplier for 3.5mm stero jacks that will fit in a 3/8" hole?

I want to convert the 1/4" jacks on my amp's aux in & headphone connectectors to 3.5mm size.

I don't want to use an adapter that allows a 3.5mm plug to plug into a 1/4" jack.  I have those.  I'd rather just replace the jacks.

Thanks!
#8
Well, as I'm leaving the Orlando area on Thursday, I made a final pass through the pawnshops today to see what treasures I could find.  I hit the last 8 today having been in 12 others on Saturday.

Walking into a Cash America shop, I see a battered Peavey Blazer 158 Silver stripe and after some negotiations I walk out with it for $18.78 plus tax - $20 total





Obviously it's a very rare model as it has a YELLOW Peavey logo:



I'm thinking that it must have beed a custom amp for the Sultan of Brunei with that yellow logo.  The logo alone is worth $26.73 as they are very very rare :) !

It must have been a factory relic as it's missing the all the top corner pieces:



When I looked at the back I knew it was a very hot amp as the rear back has been totally removed to allow greater air cooling to get to the amp.



Alas, when I got it home the disappointments sank in.  It has the following deficiencies:

1.  None of the pots have any scratching sound.  For a relic I expected at leat one pot would be scratchy.  What a disappointment!

2.  Both channels work.  I would expect at least one channel to be out if not both.

3.  The reverb is too strong.  With a relic the reverb should be weak.

4.  The overdrive channel is usable.  The OD channels are supposed to be tinny and scratchy.

5.  It's too loud for my apartment.  These relics are supposed to be for display, not to actully work and make noise.


With these faults I'm thinking about taking it back tomorrow and getting my money back.  What do you think?
#9
Amplifier Discussion / Peavey Envoy 110 - New Speaker!
November 19, 2011, 02:51:44 PM
I bought a Peavey Envoy 110 out of a pawn shop around Dec 2008 for $40.  It's the first generation circa 1989




I made a stand for it out of a bar stool:



Getting these smaller amps up off the floor really helps with the sound.

I also wired in a switched 120V outlet so when I turn the amp on it sends 120v AC power to my pedal board





I also put in a refreshment holder  :) 



It's my pick up and go amp for jam sessions and open mics.

Anyway,  I have always liked the Peavey amp but the speaker just wasn't as good sounding as my tube rigs (they have lots better speakers -Webers, Celstions ect) so I decided to show the Peavey some love.  I ordered a Weber Vintage series 10" 10F150 8 ohm 50w speaker.  Total cost with shipping was $104.

I installed it today and I am extremely happy with it!!  Weber reccomend the 10F150 and it's a great choice.



The speaker is at least twice the weight of the OEM made in Taiwan speaker.  It has a 50oz ceramic magnet.  I've only been playing on it for an hour but it really improved the sound of the amp.  It ROCKS!  I'm sure it will break in nicely like my other Webers have.

In case it isn't loud enough I've set up an Ampclamp with a Shure SM57 to mic it.   :)



http://www.ampclamps.com/wtpro.html


I travel between Atlanta and Orlado and I have another Peavey Envoy 110 - a 2nd generation circa 1995 with the TranTube circuit - in my Orlando apt:





I'm gonna have to get a Weber for it as well.   :)

#10
Amplifier Discussion / Effects Loop Questions
November 09, 2011, 04:12:20 PM
I've never used an effect loop so please bear with me.  I've always just put my effects infront of the pre-amp.   As I understand it, the FX loop:

1. Sits between the pre-amp and the power amp.  When used the signal from the preamp is routed to the FX SEND jack.

2.  The signal then goes to the IN of some 'effect' unit (say a flanger stomp box) and then the OUT of the stomp box is connected to the FX RETURN jack.  The FX RETURN jack then routes the signal to the power amp.

3.  The effect unit is constantly on; no need to hit the foot switch.

Sidenote: Years ago we used to have 'pre-amp out' jacks on some amps (balanced or unbalanced - XLR or 1/4") that would send a COPY of the pre-amp signal out so it could feed a larger power amp or be used for recording.  I guess this was the begining of an effect loop.

Questions:
========

1.  When using an FX loop is the *entire* signal routed out the FX SEND jack with nothing going to the power amp?  Or is a portion of the signal still sent to the power amp?   So if I plug a 1/4" cable in the SEND jack will that mute the power amp section unilt a cable is connected to the RETURN jack?

2.  If I have a 2nd signal source (say another preamp) and connect it to the the FX RETURN jack, will that mute the internal pre-amp signal (assuming nothing is plugged into the FX SEND jack?


Practical Problem:
=============

Here's what I want to be able to do.  I want to have an FX RETURN jack on my amp so I can use an external preamp INSTEAD of the existing pre-amp and have the power amp section run the signal to the existing speakers.

I also want to control it by using a foot switch in front of the amp to change from the internal pre-amp and the external pre-amp.

My amp does not have an effects loop so I would have to mod the amp to install the RETURN jack and cut into the tracce that connectes the internal pre-amp out signal to the power amp.

Is this doable?  Any pitfalls I might encounter?

Thanks!
#11
Amplifier Discussion / Weird advice from Line 6
November 08, 2011, 07:11:18 PM
I want to replace the speakers in a Line 6 Spider III 15 and a Line 6 Spider IV 30 but could not find what the speaker ratings are for either amp. I plan on building an external cabinet with multiple speakers for the amps.

I called Line 6 and asked them what speaker load will the amps handle? The person helping me had to speak with a technician and after being placed on hold I was told that both amps come with 4 ohm speakers so the amps can handle a 4 ohm load.

Here's the strange piece:

I was told not to use a speaker whose *power* rating was greater than the amps power rating (not the impedance rating). The Spider IV 30 is a 30 watt amp so I should not use a speaker that can handle more than 30 watts i.e. a 50 watt 4ohm speaker. Using a higher power RATED speaker can damage the amp per Line 6.

I have never heard of such a thing. I run 50 watt amps into cabinets that are rated for 100 watts all the time with no ill effects (yes impedance is matched - 8 ohm cab to 8 ohm amp output).

How can using a speaker that has a higher *power* rating than the amp damage the amp even when you have proper impedance matching?

Is there something different with Line 6 amps that makes this true?


I'm confused!