My Amp took a Dump at a Gig

I always bring a spare amp which has come in handy quite a few times when the starter amp just started going bad...I am always grateful to have a spare.Tube amps in particular are fragile and you never know when trouble can arise.

 

You have a great attitude in spite of the equipment failure. I like how you focused on the good things. Inspiring. Wish I could do that after my challenging stage-problems. Backups are where it's at. They call me Redundant Randy, or Spare Sam. I even have a 9V in my gig bag. Don't use pedals lately, but I've put a smile on a player who needed one at a gig.

 

Sounds like an excellent gig despite the amp woes. Another backup option, which can work well if you know there is a good PA and engineer, is to carry a good Amp-Simulator (e.g. Sansamp) which can go straight into the PA. One of my best gigs I remember was through a JD10 into the PA, after taking time to get a good monitor mix including the guitar. I've only tried a couple of analogue sims, don't know if the modelling ones are as good.

 

I have brought a back up amp to every gig but one in the last 10 years. Guess which gig I had amp problems? It was so Murphy's law all you could do was laugh about it. Never again though! I pack a blues jr in addition to my main amp for the night every time.

 

Things to check on your PR: reverb cables - make sure they are pushed in good...top and bottom.

Also check the speaker wires, make sure the power cable didn't pull one loose. And if it has a plug in speaker wire, make sure it's seated good. (can't remember if it plugs in or not).

Plug in your guitar cable and unplug it several times real fast in jack (could be a dirty jack).

Sorry about your amp, hope it's a simple fix. Sounds like you're having fun though.

 

Sounds like you had a really good night. Gotta love playing live music, and that high that it gives you. Is there anything better?

 

The Deluxe 112 Plus is a decent enough bit of kit. I have one that used to be my main working amp. It's not my favourite any more but it's loud, clean, unsurprisingly Fenderish-sounding, reliable, completely giggable and I still bring it out from time to time.

I sometimes have a back-up amp with me, just in case, but I haven't needed one yet. On other occasions, as Miff suggests, my Zoom G3, which lives in my car, would serve the purpose as it can be connected directly to the PA. I used it for my effects for a while, but not any more as I prefer my regular pedalboard. However, it's a handy safety-net.

 

Wait a sec. Your over and 50 aren't you even going to try changing a tube or two? At least the preamp tubes.
I expect this sort of thong with the younger guys but us old farts used to have to start cars with out electronic fuel injection on cold mornings with manual chokes !
You should be able to swap a 12ax7 or 12at7.

 

Ah, well, there you go. In my experience transistors very rarely cease to transist...

 

Dispite amp failure a good night. I really miss not playing live anymore and my band really also did a nice version of Simple Man. Good memory's.

Enjoy the gigging.

 

Glad you had a good night anyway.

 

A bad night gigging is better than a good day at work every time.

 

With an amp that old, something has to give.

The good news: it is still running.
Makes it a lot easier to diagnose.

She'll be back and, screaming with the best of them in no time.

 

Based on an old B&W episode of Dragnet I saw when I was a kid, I think it's a little bag of heroin.


IIRC, Sgt Joe Friday was looking for drugs at a cocktail lounge, questioned the guitar player, tipped his Fender tweed upside down and a tiny bag of smack fell out that looks just like the one you're holding.

You don't forget things like that, you know what I mean?

Not to make you paranoid or anything.....