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Hello and a question about a Line 6 Spider 3

Started by Mattharrier, February 04, 2020, 06:53:46 AM

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Mattharrier

Hi folks,

I'm fairly new to the guitar world, and I'm certainly no electronics genius. I won't be building an amp from scratch or anything like that so hopefully my questions will be few and simple!

I have acquired a Line 6 Spider 3 amp, and while everything seems to function as it should (plug guitar in, hit strings, noises come out and change when knobs are turned), the LCD screen doesn't work. No display, no backlight.

If I take the control panel off and have a look, a) is there any chance I might kill myself and b) am I likely to be able to get a replacement screen and swap them over?

I know that a new screen wouldn't fix the issue if it's something else (and short of an obviously broken/damaged connection I don't have the knowledge to diagnose anything), but does anyone know these amps well enough to offer any insight?

Cheers,

Matt

joecool85

First off, welcome aboard!

Second, while I'm not familiar with these specific amps, my guess is that it is a loose connection causing the issue.  I would suggest unplugging the unit, then opening it up carefully and seeing if anything inside is disconnected or loose.  While there shouldn't be any dangerously high voltages present inside this amp, always exercise caution and keep from touching any capacitors (specifically the leads on the bottom).

Good luck!

P.S.  If you need help, post pics of the inside and we might notice something!
Life is what you make it.
Still rockin' the Dean Markley K-20X
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Mattharrier

Thanks Joe cool, I'll have a look when I get time. I'm hoping it's as easy as a loose connection, but we'll see!

Mattharrier

Well, I had a quick look tonight, and while I can see four Allen bolts that look like they should allow removal of the whole amp unit from the cabinet, it isn't as simple as that. There are two plastic corner protectors that look like they need to be removed first, but they appear to be held in place by the instrument panel that they appear to in the way of!

Any general tips to disassembling combo units? I've attached a photo of the front of the panel if that helps.

willpirkle

#4
The cabinet does not come apart. The chassis of the amp slides out through the slot/back. Take out the two screws, one on each side, near the top. Lay the amp on its side (speaker perpendicular to table) and remove the top 4 chassis screws. Being on its side, the chassis will not fall down. Then you can slide the metal chassis out, like pulling a book out of a library shelf, from the back side. After that you will need a way to support it while working on it. Not sure if the last Spider I took apart was a v3, so the screw locations may be different, but it was pretty easy to work on. Hope that helps.

Mattharrier

That does indeed help, thanks very much! It was quite late last night so as soon as I realised it wasn't quite as simple as I thought, I put it back together and left it alone for another time!

I think it may be beyond my abilities, but if I can get it out I can at least take the top panel off and have a peek inside. I'll have another go at the weekend and let you know how I get on.

willpirkle

Cool! :) Bonus - there is no top plate on the chassis. When you pull it out, the top will be open and you can immediately look inside.

Mattharrier

I finally found time to take a look, and it's much simpler than I thought (I didn't realise this until I'd already made it more complicated!).

The bolts in the front didn't need to come out at all, and there's a plate at the top of the front panel of the cabinet, which looked like it was attached to the amp, but wasn't.

Long story short, I got it open, sadly couldn't see any loose connections, so put it back together again. The screen still doesn't work, but the good news is that the amp still does.

I'll see if any local shops will take a look without charging the earth, but otherwise I'll keep an eye out for a Shortboard (which has its own screen), and carry on as I have been in the meantime.

Thanks for the advice everyone.