Non-techie seeks clues on 5E3 clone

[woodman]

I've got a Tweed Deluxe clone I haven't used in a couple of years. Today I turned it on and got only silence. Checked the fuse, it was blown, replaced it.
The amp fired up, but got only a faint, distorted sound, like a 1-watt amp with a fuzztone. (It didn't blow the new fuse, though.)
Swapped out the power tubes but got the same fuzzy result.

Do any of you more tech-savvy guys know what these rather vague symptoms might indicate? What other low-bore troubleshooting can I try before searching out an amp tech? (I'm in a new location and my longtime trusted guy is 150 miles away now.) Many thanks for anything you can offer!

 

[JPKmusicman]

Maybe try swapping out pre-amp tubes as well. Anything after that requires going inside and dealing with lethal voltages. If you've never done that I'd take it to your amp tech if tube swaps don't fix it. Some people would use a non-conductive instrument to push on live components to check for bad connections but I would not advise if you've never worked on amps before. If it worked fine before and blew a fuse after sitting a couple years, maybe a bad cap or resistor. Hard to tell from the information given. Maybe post a high res pic of the guts. Someone here might see something unusual. Just beware of the charged caps with lethal voltages that remain after the power is removed.

 

[Tele-Mania]

You probably should pull all the valves and remove the chassis from the cabinet. This will allow you to inspect the wiring and other components that are presently not visible to you. I would assume the fuse has blown out for a reason. You may have a burnt resistor or some obvious problem inside. If you cant see anything obvious then have a good smell around in there. If something has been getting hot and burning prior to the fuse blowing then you may find an area in there that smells burnt. If there is nothing obvious then you would have to start measuring voltages with a multi meter. This would mean powering up the chassis with the valves removed. There are dangerous voltages inside the amp that could kill you as I'm sure you already know. If you get this far and don't feel you have the required skills or confidence to go further into it then it's time to take it to a tech. I have been building and repairing valve amps for many years and can tell you that 80 - 90% of valve amp faults are usually obvious and easy to find. I wear HV gloves these day when working on live equipment as I have been hooked up on the DC high voltage a few times and it aint pleasant. Safety first alway and take your time. There is no harm that can come to you just having a look around inside. As JPKmusicman said above, be aware of charged caps. Let the amp sit powered down for half an hour or so before getting into it. This will allow the caps to discharge. Many modern amps have bleed down resistors on the caps so they discharge in a matter of minutes. Good luck.

 

[2L man]

Too many possibilities to say what cause that symptom. Now when fuse does not burn first troubleshooting step is voltage measuring. Use schematic which has marked typical voltages or voltage chart which are plenty in internet. Often there are differences because of tolerances and different Mains voltage but if any difference comes high that stage must be examined more.