Sometimes you don't need to know anything

[charlie chitlin]

...to fix something.
This is why I encourage people to at least TRY.
Sometimes you can just open it up and say, "Well, heck...THAT ain't right."

 

[Gaylord Amsterdam]

What did that sound like or was it not even reverberating?

 

[Peegoo]

"There's yer PROBLEM, lady!"

good catch.

 

[Engine Swap]

...to fix something.
This is why I encourage people to at least TRY.
Sometimes you can just open it up and say, "Well, heck...THAT ain't right." View attachment 1078477

This type of thinking led me to a career in engineering. I knew I had made it when I stopped having parts left over after a repair.

 

[Engine Swap]

What did that sound like or was it not even reverberating?

Sometimes it’s hard to put a label on a problem…

 

[charlie chitlin]

What did that sound like or was it not even reverberating?

There was a tinny/clangy sound that had oscillations instead of being even.

 

[MickM]

I got a free 100W bass combo amp that was "broken".
Was loading horse feed into some cowgirl's truck and saw what I thought was an amp. (laying face down) I asked what it was and she said a bass amp that she just tried to sell to GC but they said it was broken/didn't want it(said it made a fluttering sound) and asked if I wanted it at no cost. I figured good cab,knobs, maybe speaker and drug it home.
Plugged in the P-Bass and it sure enough fluttered or flapped. I reached into the slot/port on front bottom of the cab and there was a good 2 inches of tolex hanging and flapping away. Removed the back and removed the offending flapper with one clean slice with a box cutter and winner winner chicken dinner, no more flap.
I'm not sure but I think it's a Crate or something of that level. Plenty good for my limited bass adventures especially for the price.

 

[radtz]

I assume you pulled the label up some more so both springs have label.

 

[Gaylord Amsterdam]

There was a tinny/clangy sound that had oscillations instead of being even.

I bet a noise rock band would pay big money for that. One time my old bass player had a cabinet with blown speakers that had the most amazing fuzztone, I tried to buy it off him but it was under warranty still and he returned it.

 

[printer2]

I bet a noise rock band would pay big money for that.

Grunge?

 

[Gaylord Amsterdam]

Grunge?

Noise rock is hard to describe and even harder to listen to for most folks. Its kinda like free jazz with distortion, feedback and modulation pedals. Some cool stuff can come out of it, but definitely not for everyone but I will say there are some very talented creative players in that genre.

 

[charlie chitlin]

All buttoned up and sounding great.
I loves me a 6G15 Fender Reverb!
I just have to label one of the knobs TS, so I can remember which is the Tone Suck knob

 

[Singin' Dave]

About maybe 15 or few more years ago I had a similar story to the one MickM shared above.

Back when Craigslist actually seemed to fairly regularly have some finds, I come across a listing for "Fender Amp - Broken" for $200. I click on it and lo and behold I see a picture of a '65 bassman head with matching 2x12 cabinet about 2 miles from my work, with a request in the listing to not email but call the seller.

My heart stops and I call the seller, this very nice woman who knew nothing about amps, not sure where she got it and was just coming in from doing work on her house when she caught my call on her inside phone. I said "I can be there in 10 minutes with cash in hand", and she said c'mon over.

Breaking all traffic laws en route, I get to her house in like 7 minutes, certain someone will beat me to the amp, but the amp is there when I arrive. "It turns on but doesn't make any noise and I have no idea what's wrong with it". Darn good cosmetic shape.

I know regardless of what it needs its worth WAY more than asking, which I tell her is the case. She says "I get that but your here and I don't want to deal with it, just want it gone". I said at least let me give you $300, gave it to her, loaded the amp in my car and drove straight to my rehearsal space nearby giggling like a child.

Once in my sanctuary, and knowing enough not to mess with any internals as a neophyte, started checking it out. Grabbed a speaker cable to connect head to cabinet, flipped the switch (I understand that was risky in and of itself), RCA tubes all light up as does power lamp. But yeah, no sound, not even pot scratching or caps popping.

Well I think, I'll just take a look inside the cabinet then get this thing over to my tech. Speaker wires are disconnected from the speakers in the cabinet. My heart jumps. Connect them up and - SKRANG! Beautiful BF bassman tone! Holy smokes I almost fell over.

Played it for like 2 minutes and still took into my tech who did about $200 of work replacing usual caps, 3 prong etc and going over it but said "Great amp man!".

Sometimes the Gods smile on you... Wish I still had it - sold it many years later when I was in a bind.

So yeah -moral of the story is check the simple stuff man! Is it plugged in?

 

[memorex]

If you glued the label back down, good for you. If you cut out the offending portion, you just devalued your amp by $100.

 

[brookdalebill]

Eons ago, when I was a road musician, I learned a lesson/trick.
When I put my Twin Reverb in the equipment trailer, the reverb always quit working.
The road vibration (of sometimes hundreds of miles) would make the reverb transducers in the tank break contact.
I learned to take the tank out at the end of the (usually) two week stand.
I’d wrap it in a towel, and put it in my luggage, which rode in the somewhat less bumpy bus.
Thanks for listening.
P.S.
Knowing nothing is my stock-in-trade!

 

[charlie chitlin]

Eons ago, when I was a road musician, I learned a lesson/trick.
When I put my Twin Reverb in the equipment trailer, the reverb always quit working.
The road vibration (of sometimes hundreds of miles) would make the reverb transducers in the tank break contact.
I learned to take the tank out at the end of the (usually) two week stand.
I’d wrap it in a towel, and put it in my luggage, which rode in the somewhat less bumpy bus.
Thanks for listening.
P.S.
Knowing nothing is my stock-in-trade!

This is a 6G15 outboard reverb and it has the thingy that licks down the tank.
I once saw a Hammond organ that had a very simple lever that could be flipped to lock down the pan inside.
The tanks always have holes in them and one of these levers is super easy to make with a bit of coat hanger.
My mid '70s outboard Reverb sports one.
Yeah... I bet 75% of reverb trouble comes from the amp bouncing around in the car.

 

[charlie chitlin]

Eons ago, when I was a road musician, I learned a lesson/trick.
When I put my Twin Reverb in the equipment trailer, the reverb always quit working.
The road vibration (of sometimes hundreds of miles) would make the reverb transducers in the tank break contact.
I learned to take the tank out at the end of the (usually) two week stand.
I’d wrap it in a towel, and put it in my luggage, which rode in the somewhat less bumpy bus.
Thanks for listening.
P.S.
Knowing nothing is my stock-in-trade!

This is a 6G15 outboard reverb and it has the thingy that locks down the tank.
I once saw a Hammond organ that had a very simple lever that could be flipped to lock down the pan inside.
The tanks always have holes in them and one of these levers is super easy to make with a bit of coat hanger.
My mid '70s outboard Reverb sports one.
Yeah... I bet 75% of reverb trouble comes from the amp bouncing around in the car

 

[24 track]

Occam's razor (also known as the 'law of parsimony') is a philosophical tool for 'shaving off' unlikely explanations. Essentially, when faced with competing explanations for the same phenomenon, the simplest is likely the correct one.

a few years ago I was given a Korg M50 synth , the store threw it out , it had an intermittent problem , an known issue from the factory involving a surface mounted device capasitor change , I ordered the part on line , and while waiting for its arrival I opened the synth and noticed the part had already been replaced , then O noticed a white wire falling out of a molex connector , I re soldered the wire back into place and its now 4 years later this unit is still playing with no issues , this was an $1100.00 synth back then and they threw it out .

Good on you for finding the solution!

 

[charlie chitlin]

Occam's razor (also known as the 'law of parsimony') is a philosophical tool for 'shaving off' unlikely explanations. Essentially, when faced with competing explanations for the same phenomenon, the simplest is likely the correct one.

I've had several close shaves with it.
I've only heard parsimony to mean miserly.

 

[marshman]

Given the LETHAL voltages in our tube amps, I never suggest people poke around in them if they don't know what they're doing. It has worked out for me personally on a few occasions, though.