So I scored a Peavey XXL head for $75, but the kicker is there's something wrong with the power section. The guy I bought it from said a tech quoted him $60 to fix it so I was hoping it's nothing too major like the autoformer that's in there. I've not really worked on solidstate heads much so I'm going to need some pointers on what's up with this. The preamp works fine, I'm running it into my Heritage VTX's poweramp (which I just fixed prior to getting the xxl :tu: ) at the moment. It sounds good through it, but I would like to fix the head due to the fact that it has this nice power switch on the back so I could kick it down to 25watts to practice in my bedroom late at night. Here's what's going on though. It doesn't output any sound through the speakers. When I turn the volume up all the way and set it to the ultra channel though I can hear it very very faintly playing (and whining type of sound), but not through the speakers, something in the head itself possibly the autoformer? I don't know if that's possible but yeah that's what's going on, seems really odd. Any ideas from anyone out there? I've got no clue where to start. Usually checking the fuses is the first thing if there's no sound I thought, but they're all fine.
First thing to check is if the speaker is actually any good. Check that and let us know what you find out.
Quotecould kick it down to 25watts to practice
The VTX low power mode goes down to 22 watts...but still vey loud...Does this one work differently?
I dunno what the VTX goes to on low power, i know on high power it's 130W. That isn't the point though, the point is I want to fix the head. But yeah even on the low power mode it's real loud and if I want to play at night and not bother roommates even 22W of tube power would be way too much.
Oh and the speakers are good, that's what plugged into the VTX. I figured I'd fix the XXL and if I liked it with the proper power section I might even sell the VTX and buy a speaker cab or two to go with it.
QuoteThe guy I bought it from said a tech quoted him $60 to fix it
Your *best* bet, by far, is get that tech and pay him those $60. No kidding.
Seeing as is it was a long distance transaction that's not an option lol. I guess I can always throw and attenuator at it to drop the volume without losing the tone. You can't just turn the volume down on the master volume on the XXL, your sound just turns to garbage. Either that or run a good pedal into it when I need to play it low. I just thought it'd be nice to fix it if I could figure out what's going on with it.
What is this autoformer you refer to? As far as I know, this amp has a plain old power transformer.
This could be a million things. A bad thermal sensor, a loose wire, and bad impedance switch, etc.
You might not be able to send the amp to the same tech as the guy had, but there are good competent techs all over the country.
Well it has an output transformer like a tube amp would, to give it a more tube-like tone I guess. Peavey called it an auto-former when I asked for a quote on the price when I asked them incase I needed to replace it ($78 btw). I guess because it's an output transformer that's switchable on wattage, not sure how it all works.
Yeah there's a local amp tech I know around here, he's kind of a dick though and basically tells you to buy a new amp if you have a Peavey. He did that a couple years ago when I had asked him about my Heritage VTX and told him what was going wrong with it (turns out it needed new filter caps). But yeah he had told me it was a junk amp and that he was working on one not long before that "it was designed by some crackpot engineer who decided to make and amp that doesn't make any sense and blow tubes every 10 minutes." Said he wasn't even going to finish working on the other guy's amp and told me to sell it for parts and buy something better like a Mesa or a Hughes and Kettner.
Any "tech" who dismisses entire brands of gear out of hand like that doesn't deserve the title "tech" in my book. Drive a little further and find someone worth a damn. Just because he doesn't understand the Heritage doesn't mean it is not a fine amp that thousands of people enjoy and rely upon. If the heritage design is crackpot, then so are most of the Music Man amps that Leo Fender made.
I didn;t realize the XXL had a transformer on the output. it is a solid state amp, and doesn't need the transformer. The transformer may contribute something to tone, or might do nothing more than offer full power out at different impedance loads, but nonetheless, we can remove it and connect a speaker directly to the amp output for testing. it will be the last thing I would suspect either way. The connector to it is far more likely to be trouble than the transformer itself.
For a tech problems like "dead" and "zero sound" are actually usually easier thing to fix than "smoke" or "distorted."
Alright, so I should be able to disconnect the output transformer and still be able to get sound out of it?
Hi ohmy,
Hazata guess try the efx loop trick.
i.e. Loop a lead from Efxout to return.
just fixed an early Peavey special last week (has the auto tranny like yours)
the loop switch contacts where shot.
If no luck then Go with Enzo's thoughts,, You need to establish a Real connection to the power amp output.
if it's like the one I worked on then several switches/ connections happen between poweramp out and speaker.
Phil.
Hi ohmy. A few things :
1) Sorry, I assumed it was an across-the-town deal.
Anyway, you should already know that the most-popular-EBay-phrase is "it doesn't work, but a technician told me it's very easy to fix, for only (insert a very low amount here)" :grr
Car salesmen use the variant: "this car was previously owned by a sweet senior lady, who only used it to go to Church on Sundays" ... and you find a forgotten CD on the player by "Chainsaw Homicide Cannibal Killers" ... :grr
2)Please stick to the amp in question; I was led to believe (until I Googled it) that it was a tube amp, with all that talk about "1/4 power mode", using it "loud because the master sucks", and even mentioning "tubes" .
3) That said, start by testing the loop or power amp in with a known good audio source, as suggested above.
4) Write/call Peavey and ask them for that circuit/schematic.
They're great guys and back what they do.
Quote from: phatt on August 05, 2010, 03:10:03 AM
Hi ohmy,
Hazata guess try the efx loop trick.
i.e. Loop a lead from Efxout to return.
just fixed an early Peavey special last week (has the auto tranny like yours)
the loop switch contacts where shot.
If no luck then Go with Enzo's thoughts,, You need to establish a Real connection to the power amp output.
if it's like the one I worked on then several switches/ connections happen between poweramp out and speaker.
Phil.
Yeah there's a little board that has the output jacks as well as a few switches to change up the Watts, tightness, and ohm selection for the speakers.
Quote from: phatt on August 05, 2010, 03:10:03 AM
If no luck then Go with Enzo's thoughts,, You need to establish a Real connection to the power amp output.
if it's like the one I worked on then several switches/ connections happen between poweramp out and speaker.
Phil.
The effects loop is working fine. How would I go about establishing a
real connection to the power amp output??
Hi ohmy.
We still have a communication breakdown here (No, not Zepp's song)
You state that
QuoteIt doesn't output any sound through the speakers.
Yet you claim that
QuoteThe effects loop is working fine
How wouild you know?
Usually the loop out is the preamp out and the loop in is the power amp in.
If that is not true, coupled to the fact that
Quotethere's a little board that has the output jacks as well as a few switches to change up the Watts, tightness, and ohm selection for the speakers.
, all of this very unusual on an SS amp, it all show us that it's
quite different to most other amplifiers .
To be able to offer you further suggestions I guess you'll have to provide a readable schematic.
Good luck.
PS: call Peavey.
from what I have read...this thing has..pushpull transitors to a transformer mimicking tubes. Sounds like early SS amps sort of...
Until these posts I had thought this thing was an hybrid.
Interesting.
And the "breakdown" seems more like Mellissa Etheridges. :D
I would really like to see that Schematic too...
COmpletely solid state amp.
You can't just unplug the output transformer and get sound, what I mean is that the transformer is not necessary to the circuit, you can connect a speaker direct to the output. You would have to do that inside though, using clip wires or something.
The FX loop might work fine, but the point is not if the loop works as a loop. The point is that the loop jacks have to carrry the signal past themselves, and if the contacts on them that do that get dirty or oxidized, then the signal can't pass. Thus we suggest plugging a cord from FX send to FX return to see.
Yeah, I tried plugging a wire between the effects send and return. It doesn't do anything different. I'm going to get a hold of Peavey later today to get a schematic from them. I know the effects loop was working properly because I can plug the preamp out on the XXL into the poweramp in on my VTX and play it and ran some effects in the effects loop on the XXL. This amp has effects send/return jacks as well as preamp out/power amp in jacks. Sorry if I'm not being clear enough. :-[
Quote from: ohmy!! on August 06, 2010, 08:12:05 AM
Yeah, I tried plugging a wire between the effects send and return. It doesn't do anything different. I'm going to get a hold of Peavey later today to get a schematic from them. I know the effects loop was working properly
*****because I can plug the preamp out on the XXL into the poweramp in on my VTX
and play it and ran some effects in the effects loop on the XXL.*****
Q? DID You Get Sound from Speaker in XXL Amp??????????
IF you did get sound,,,, then highly likely one of those 2 loops (yeah the ones you Forgot to mention) Is broken/malfunctioning.
Then try direct (Working) Cable in "BOTH LOOPS"
ps.. Please please try and stick to the Amp in need of repair :-*
Otherwise it can get extremely confuzzing for those trying to help you.
Remember we don't have your Amp/Amps in front of us. 8|
Phil.
No, no sound comes out of the speaker output on the XXL at all ever. I was saying that I can use the preamp on the XXL when I run the preamp output on the XXL into a different amp's poweramp input and sound comes out of the other amp's connected speakers (speakers connected to the other amp not the XXL). During which, I had some effects pedals looped on the XXL's effects send/return and the effects played out fine. The only way I've been able to get sound is running the preamp into a different amp's poweramp with the speakers connected to the different amp. Like you said you can't see them both so it's difficult to explain.
If I'm talking straight about the XXL head itself with a set of known working speakers plugged into it I get no sound. When I run cables into each of the effects loops (preamp out/poweramp or effects send/return) I still have no sound from the speakers. I have run cables into the send/return as well as the preamp out/ poweramp in at the same time and separately. I hope that clears things up :-[ :-\. I'm going to call Peavey for the schematic now so I'll have that shortly. The only sounds that are being made from this amp are coming from the output transformer, not the speakers.
Thanks for all the input and help so far.
Just got the schematic from Peavey, here they are.
https://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B5zWkfJSuEm8ODViMTJkMGMtNzYxNC00MTMzLTg3NmQtMmZmYmEyMGUxYWM4&hl=en
for whatever it's worth here's a few photos of it now that it's out of the head cabinet:
(http://img706.imageshack.us/img706/9724/img0685s.th.jpg) (http://img706.imageshack.us/i/img0685s.jpg/)
Uploaded with ImageShack.us (http://imageshack.us)
(http://img69.imageshack.us/img69/3271/img0687a.th.jpg) (http://img69.imageshack.us/i/img0687a.jpg/)
Uploaded with ImageShack.us (http://imageshack.us)
(http://img194.imageshack.us/img194/6011/img0688ev.th.jpg) (http://img194.imageshack.us/i/img0688ev.jpg/)
Uploaded with ImageShack.us (http://imageshack.us)
Hi ohmy.
Well, we have advanced a lot, but still no cigar.
Please re-write Peavey, thank them for the nice Power Board schematic they sent you, that it's something but not enough, because you do not have a fuse-burning amplifier, but one which does not, yet produces not sound at all on a known good speaker, so you want to check related wiring.
This schematic does not show the output transformer, the impedance switch, the damping switch or the jack wiring so would they please be so kind as to send the "output board" schematic as well as the amplifier wiring.
Please don't send that piece by piece but whatever they feel will be necessary to fix it. Thanks.
Back to what we have: this is a conventional amplifier (sort of) with some extras:
1) A patented "Tube emulator" front end (U1b, 2a, 3a+b) driving
2) the conventional amplifier (U2b + Q2 to Q7) which just to be special is connected with its output grounded and the audio signal taken from the Power Supply centerpoint. Oh well
3) a slow turn-on mute (FET Q10) which might be muting your signal.
Ask Peavey for what's missing , yet we'll start by checking that the conventional power amp works (I think it does) so to go on we need that extra info.
It is a complex amp, hopefully it does capture some of the Tube vibe.
Good luck and Patience.
PS: nice pictures.
If somebody does want to see them full size but imageshack refuses because "it's not a premium ($$$$) account), just click:
http://img69.imageshack.us/img69/3271/img0687a.jpg
http://img194.imageshack.us/img194/6011/img0688ev.jpg
http://img706.imageshack.us/img706/9724/img0685s.jpg
While you wait for rest of the schemas from Peavey...
Transformer's primary looks like to be wired in between J10 and J11. There's four secondary wires coming out of the transformer, most likely common and three impedance taps. The board houses a selector switch. The condition of that circuit should be rather easy to test.
Note that this power amp is a grounded emitter circuit. It actually grounds the power transistor's emitters, causing output devices modulate the supply rail voltage according to output signal. The output signal is then taken from the center tap of the mains transformer, instead of using that as the common point like in most amps. It's not any more complex setup than a conventional power amp with ordinary emitter output but you just got to understand that you will be measuring things sort of backwards and conventional techniques used with conventional amps (e.g. measuring rail voltage, measuring emitter to common rresistance for shorts etc.) may give "strange" readings that make you scratch your head for hours.
The other half of the output board houses the additional controls. I don't know what the "damping" does (likely it's just a feedback-magnitude control) but basically this is just the plain T-Dynamics power amp circuit discussed in my book (there's a link for free-to-download .pdf on this site). It's shown in a much simplified form in that too. The first versions of that circuit used potentiometers for "power" control. Since then Peavey simply replaced them with fixed resistor values selected with switch. So, the power control is a two-pole switch for alternative resistance values that control gain of amps U2A and U2B. Again something of which's overall condition should be pretty easy to verify, even without complete schematics available at the moment. They either work or they don't.
Read the section of my book that discusses Peavey's tube emulating circuits. It deals with these circuits and may be helpful.
Addtionally, this site hosts some schematics of the first gen. TransTube amps with T-Dynamics. It will likely fill most of the blanks missing from the XXL schematic. Not exactly but still in a manner that gives you the overall picture.
http://www.about-guitar-amps.com/free_guitar_amplifier_schematics.html
You need to register but it's quick and free and you won't receive any spam from them.
OK, if the output transformer sings, that means the amplifier is driving signal into it. SO if nothing gets to the speakers, I'd be thinking the wiring and impedance switch.
Try this. Powr off. plug a cord into a speaker out jack. Set the impedance switch to 16 ohms. Now at the free end of the cord measure resistance from tip to sleeve. You are measuring the resistance of the 16 ohm output auto-transformer winding. If you get open indication, then the switch, wiring, or transformer is open. If you get an ohm or two, then it might be OK. If you get a dead short, it may be a problem, but the low resistance of a good winding is hard to differentiate from a short.
Inside the amp, check this: there is a small board for the output jacks and impedance switch. On the end of this board is a small 4-pin connector to the auto-transformer, and right next to the speaker jacks is a small 3-pin connector to the power amp. The power from the amp comes through a coil with parallel resistor on its way. The amp output is wired to the 4 ohm tap. Select 4 ohms on the switch, and you could unplug the transformer and still get full output. SO) look at that coil of wire and the 5.6 ohm 5w resistor next to it at the end of the little board. Is the solder to them intact? Tug up on the coil a little, is either end broken free? Measure the 5.6 ohm resistor. Since it has a coil of wire in parallel, it should measure shorted. If it reads 5.6 ohms, then the coil is open.
And dismount the little board and look closely at the switch. ANy chance someone bumped the switch knob inwards and pushed the back out of the switch itself?
Quote from: Enzo on August 07, 2010, 05:37:15 AM
OK, if the output transformer sings, that means the amplifier is driving signal into it. SO if nothing gets to the speakers, I'd be thinking the wiring and impedance switch.
Try this. Powr off. plug a cord into a speaker out jack. Set the impedance switch to 16 ohms. Now at the free end of the cord measure resistance from tip to sleeve. You are measuring the resistance of the 16 ohm output auto-transformer winding. If you get open indication, then the switch, wiring, or transformer is open. If you get an ohm or two, then it might be OK. If you get a dead short, it may be a problem, but the low resistance of a good winding is hard to differentiate from a short.
I don't know if this makes a difference but I'm using an analog meter. Whether I have it set to 10x, 100x or 1Kx and I measure this the needle doesn't make a move so I guess something is open.
Quote from: Enzo on August 07, 2010, 05:37:15 AM
Inside the amp, check this: there is a small board for the output jacks and impedance switch. On the end of this board is a small 4-pin connector to the auto-transformer, and right next to the speaker jacks is a small 3-pin connector to the power amp. The power from the amp comes through a coil with parallel resistor on its way. The amp output is wired to the 4 ohm tap. Select 4 ohms on the switch, and you could unplug the transformer and still get full output. SO) look at that coil of wire and the 5.6 ohm 5w resistor next to it at the end of the little board. Is the solder to them intact? Tug up on the coil a little, is either end broken free? Measure the 5.6 ohm resistor. Since it has a coil of wire in parallel, it should measure shorted. If it reads 5.6 ohms, then the coil is open.
The solder is intact, it's pretty tight in there also. The resistor does measure shorted.
Quote from: teemuk on August 07, 2010, 03:45:52 AM
While you wait for rest of the schemas from Peavey...
Transformer's primary looks like to be wired in between J10 and J11. There's four secondary wires coming out of the transformer, most likely common and three impedance taps. The board houses a selector switch. The condition of that circuit should be rather easy to test.
Note that this power amp is a grounded emitter circuit. It actually grounds the power transistor's emitters, causing output devices modulate the supply rail voltage according to output signal. The output signal is then taken from the center tap of the mains transformer, instead of using that as the common point like in most amps. It's not any more complex setup than a conventional power amp with ordinary emitter output but you just got to understand that you will be measuring things sort of backwards and conventional techniques used with conventional amps (e.g. measuring rail voltage, measuring emitter to common rresistance for shorts etc.) may give "strange" readings that make you scratch your head for hours.
The other half of the output board houses the additional controls. I don't know what the "damping" does (likely it's just a feedback-magnitude control) but basically this is just the plain T-Dynamics power amp circuit discussed in my book (there's a link for free-to-download .pdf on this site). It's shown in a much simplified form in that too. The first versions of that circuit used potentiometers for "power" control. Since then Peavey simply replaced them with fixed resistor values selected with switch. So, the power control is a two-pole switch for alternative resistance values that control gain of amps U2A and U2B. Again something of which's overall condition should be pretty easy to verify, even without complete schematics available at the moment. They either work or they don't.
Read the section of my book that discusses Peavey's tube emulating circuits. It deals with these circuits and may be helpful.
Addtionally, this site hosts some schematics of the first gen. TransTube amps with T-Dynamics. It will likely fill most of the blanks missing from the XXL schematic. Not exactly but still in a manner that gives you the overall picture.
http://www.about-guitar-amps.com/free_guitar_amplifier_schematics.html
You need to register but it's quick and free and you won't receive any spam from them.
Thanks, I'll register and read up on it!
Good guess.
Follow the wiring backwards until you find where you lose continuity.
Don't skip the obvious, as in: you get to a switch, it is "on", you assume there is a path for electrons there, you skip it and go on ... maybe that switch is dirty or broken. And so on.
What happens if you unplug the auto-transformer completely, set the amp to 4 ohms. Still no sound?
There should be a yellow and a blue wire from the main board over to the output jack board. That is the main output. Follow the yellow wire back, I think it should go to the main board, then from there back to a thermal breaker on the heatsink. Check that thermal breaker, it should measure continuity between its terminals. It opens when it gets real hot. If it is stuck open, you get no sound.
Can you get clip wires on those yellow and blue wires? APply a test signal to the power amp, doesn;t need a lot, just enough to hear when it works. Now clip some speaker on your bench to the yellow and blue wires where they come off the main board. Got sound?
Right next to where those wires connect are two power resistors - 0.33 ohm 5w. Make sure they are not open. They should check like a short.
For testing, you can connect one side of a test speaker to ground, and with a clip wire on the remaining speaker terminal, probe the yellow wire, then either end of the thermal breaker, then back to J12 from the second terminal of the thermal.
Quote from: Enzo on August 07, 2010, 11:56:57 PM
What happens if you unplug the auto-transformer completely, set the amp to 4 ohms. Still no sound?
There should be a yellow and a blue wire from the main board over to the output jack board. That is the main output. Follow the yellow wire back, I think it should go to the main board, then from there back to a thermal breaker on the heatsink. Check that thermal breaker, it should measure continuity between its terminals. It opens when it gets real hot. If it is stuck open, you get no sound.
Can you get clip wires on those yellow and blue wires? APply a test signal to the power amp, doesn;t need a lot, just enough to hear when it works. Now clip some speaker on your bench to the yellow and blue wires where they come off the main board. Got sound?
Right next to where those wires connect are two power resistors - 0.33 ohm 5w. Make sure they are not open. They should check like a short.
For testing, you can connect one side of a test speaker to ground, and with a clip wire on the remaining speaker terminal, probe the yellow wire, then either end of the thermal breaker, then back to J12 from the second terminal of the thermal.
Yes, still no sound. The other things you guys mentioned I'll go through and check after I get off work tomorrow. I'll let you know what I find out.
Thanks :tu:
Well, I'm getting tired of this bugger >:(
Go get your chainsaw, start it, and ... :trouble
No, I'm kidding, not yet ... although sometimes it looks like the only option left.
Let's strip it to its bare bones and start from there.
We'll test the bare power amp, no bells or whistles:
solder a wire to the union of R26/R49 and the other one to the union of R32/R41 ; these are your speaker wires, solder them to a jack or, if long enough, straight to the speaker, which should be "free", no other leads connected to it.
Now go to pin 6 of U2B.
One leg of Q10 goes there, lift it (as in solder suck the pad, carefully pull that leg from the hole and leave it "in the air"). You've just removed the mute.
Now turn the amp on, then off , the speaker should click or thump (normal awakening of most SS amps).
If so, lift the right side of C21 , turn amp on and brush the free end with your finger, you should hear hum on the speaker.
In case nothing happens, oil your chaisaw, fill up its tank, and leave it in plain sight of the amp, just to show it you are serious.
Good luck.
Quote from: Enzo on August 07, 2010, 11:56:57 PM
Can you get clip wires on those yellow and blue wires? APply a test signal to the power amp, doesn;t need a lot, just enough to hear when it works. Now clip some speaker on your bench to the yellow and blue wires where they come off the main board. Got sound?
Sorry I didn't get back to you guys sooner, I've been busy with some work and other projects. I'm testing the amp now, first thing I've done is connect clip wires to those yellow and blue wires and a speaker, sure enough it's playing through the speakers. Also maybe the rep at Peavey didn't know what they were talking about with this amp because after I had asked about the missing parts of the schematic they said this amp had only one transformer and that was the power transformer.
OK, as expected then the amplifier works, just the signal is not making it through the output jack board.
You clipped to the yellow and blue wires and got sound. Leave the blue wire clip in place. now remove the other clip from the yellow wire, we will be using the test speaker now as a signal tracer. Follow the yellow wire over to the jack board. See where it connects to the jaqck boad through a plug. Touch the clip to the terminal that gets the yellow wire. SOund? Move teh clip wire to that 5.6 ohm 5w resistor next to the coil of wire. Touch it to each end. GOt sound at each end of the resistor?
At this point the sound goes to the impedance switch for routing through the output transformer. At 4 ohm setting the switch directs it to the jacks directly. But it DOES still go through the switch. A bad switch or a switch with bad solder can still interrupt things.
With the jack board sitting so you can access the solder side - dismount it from the chassis if you need to - look at the end connection of the coil of wire and follow the copper trqace to the end of the switch. Also note the middle terminals of the switch have a trace to the jacks. The switch must connect these two together for sound to happen. So touch your clip to the end terminal of the switch, the one from the coil of wire. Now touch to the center terminal of the switch, the one with the L shaped copper trace that feeds to the jacks. Got sound there?
What we did was use the speaker with one end connected to the blue wire, and stepped point by point down the path to the output jacks. Once we find the point that has sound on one side and not the other, we have discovered the break. My money now rests on the switch.
Quote from: Enzo on August 09, 2010, 08:40:34 PM
OK, as expected then the amplifier works, just the signal is not making it through the output jack board.
You clipped to the yellow and blue wires and got sound. Leave the blue wire clip in place. now remove the other clip from the yellow wire, we will be using the test speaker now as a signal tracer. Follow the yellow wire over to the jack board. See where it connects to the jaqck boad through a plug. Touch the clip to the terminal that gets the yellow wire. SOund? Move teh clip wire to that 5.6 ohm 5w resistor next to the coil of wire. Touch it to each end. GOt sound at each end of the resistor?
At this point the sound goes to the impedance switch for routing through the output transformer. At 4 ohm setting the switch directs it to the jacks directly. But it DOES still go through the switch. A bad switch or a switch with bad solder can still interrupt things.
With the jack board sitting so you can access the solder side - dismount it from the chassis if you need to - look at the end connection of the coil of wire and follow the copper trqace to the end of the switch. Also note the middle terminals of the switch have a trace to the jacks. The switch must connect these two together for sound to happen. So touch your clip to the end terminal of the switch, the one from the coil of wire. Now touch to the center terminal of the switch, the one with the L shaped copper trace that feeds to the jacks. Got sound there?
What we did was use the speaker with one end connected to the blue wire, and stepped point by point down the path to the output jacks. Once we find the point that has sound on one side and not the other, we have discovered the break. My money now rests on the switch.
Yep, I have sound at all the places mentioned.
Wait I think I was looking at the wrong one, the L shape that connects to the outputs has no sound.
the ones marked there.
http://img705.imageshack.us/img705/1218/img0685rc.jpg
if i put a clip between these two i get sound from the speaker outputs.
http://img716.imageshack.us/img716/9724/img0685s.jpg
Seems like the impedance selector switch is broken then.
You most likely also get input when you directly short between that "L"-shaped trace and top left or bottom right pins of that switch. Those two would be the other impedance selections.
Yes teemuk. Peavey lists the switch as $9.41 so at least it's not an expensive fix.
I thought I mentioned this earlier, but now that you know it is the switch, look CLOSELY at the switch. The way the switches are usually constructed is the metal frame has little tabs sticking out the bottom, and those tabs are bent under the little piece of material that holds the contacts and terminals. If something smacks the little knob, it can push out the back of the switch by bending those tabs. Then the switch will no longer work. Sometimes such a damaged switch can be saved by putting it back together and bending the tabs tight down with pliers.
At this point, what is there to lose? The switch is coming out one way or another anyway.
And switch or no switch, if you want to play the amp while waiting for a new part, temporarily tack solder a little piece of wire between the switch terminals to complete the circuit.
Peavey is great about having parts for their products.
Whether or not it is the case for your switch, that same sort of pushing out the bottom damage happens to sliders on m,ixers all the time. Most times they are easily repaired.
Now that you say that, as I'm messing with it now it feels a little loose compared to the other switches so I'll take it apart.
Looks like it had popped off before, it's missing a metal piece in the switch that bridges the prongs for selection.
Quoteit's missing a metal piece in the switch that bridges the prongs for selection.
Well, you've found it !!! :tu: :tu: :tu:
Great now you have an amp that you might be able to use at home...at night...without a court appearance.... :tu:
You might try running the thing that way into a nice small 10"' (or two)for good tone at low volume...
I do that with my Carvins (carvin only makes 100watt SS amps)
My personal favourite for this is an old Sound City 2X10 ported cab (especially for recording) with Alnico 10s.
but...
At house volumes the 10" Crate Gx20M 10" sounds almost as good.(and much cheaper)
Definitely, even through the 2x12 eminence legends I have it sounds much better at low volumes. Of course I can keep using these during the day when nobody's home and just blast it, which I've been doing the past 30 minutes or so. I'll probably go for a 1x10 or 2x10 for lower volumes like you said. This thing really has a lot of different tones you can pull out of it between the watt selector and damping switch (and the 9 different channel selection). When you switch the damping down to loose it sound a lot more tube-like. It's pretty cool! :tu:
The 3 clean channel selection on it are basically all different sounds I could get out of my Heritage clean channel. Honestly, they probably could have had all the cleans in one channel and added a parametric like on the heritage and still have the same sounds. The classic selection under the lead channel also sounds like the heritage's lead channel. I'm debating whether to sell the heritage now or not, but I'll probably keep it.
I'd keep the heritage...It has one trick that a lot of people never think of...you can freeze the sweep of the phaser at a particular spot . I use that on stage to mimic a strat quack when I'm using a 335 or LP instead of changing guitars.
It's a versatile piece of equipment and has been my backup for a long time. I also use it's power amp via the DI output on my 50 Watt JCM sometimes for outside venues for extra push. (through 2 old Sunn Beta cabs)
mix and match time :D
Yeah the sweep on the phaser is what makes the heritage amp special, a lot of people won't play it without it. I was running the XXL preamp through the poweramp on it. It doesn't really match that well with it though (when you crank it loud its not bad), I think the XXL sounds better with its own poweramp now that I'm using it.