How do i fix my tube amp that won't turn on??

[Chuffy puff bro]

I've been saving up for this amp for a couple months now and just got it two days ago and I absolutely love it..but...went to play it this afternoon through my boss gt1 multi effect pedal and a foot switch. Turned the amp on then a couple seconds later activated the in built tuner on the gt1. For those of you not familar with the gt1 to activate the tuner you have to press both of the tone switchers at the same time, so sometimes it will jump up to my next tone called royal lead which is incredibly high pitch and loud for a split second then go into the tuner making a high pitch pop sound. After this happend i tried to tune the guitar but wasn't getting a response, then i soon realised that the guitar wasn't plugged in at all.

 

Plugged the guitar in then realised the red light wasn't on, I tried turning it on and off again, changing power points, changing amp cords, guitar leads, but nothing. It just killed itself. So i really need help.

 

Is it likely to be a blown fuse??

The speakers or the power tubes??

And would this kind of thing be covered in warranty???

I'm gonna call up the place i bought it from in the next day or two.

I'm pretty annoyed that it happened so easily. I'd really appreciate any kind of help or advise. Usually i always have my guitar lead in before I turn on the amp, but i feel like that should not blow my amp and the pop from the pedal switch wasn't super loud either...but I don't know I'm no expert.

 

Thanks guys!!

[Mikeo]

I've been saving up for this amp for a couple months now and just got it two days ago and I absolutely love it..but...went to play it this afternoon through my boss gt1 multi effect pedal and a foot switch. Turned the amp on then a couple seconds later activated the in built tuner on the gt1. For those of you not familar with the gt1 to activate the tuner you have to press both of the tone switchers at the same time, so sometimes it will jump up to my next tone called royal lead which is incredibly high pitch and loud for a split second then go into the tuner making a high pitch pop sound. After this happend i tried to tune the guitar but wasn't getting a response, then i soon realised that the guitar wasn't plugged in at all.

 

Plugged the guitar in then realised the red light wasn't on, I tried turning it on and off again, changing power points, changing amp cords, guitar leads, but nothing. It just killed itself. So i really need help.

 

Is it likely to be a blown fuse??

The speakers or the power tubes??

And would this kind of thing be covered in warranty???

I'm gonna call up the place i bought it from in the next day or two.

I'm pretty annoyed that it happened so easily. I'd really appreciate any kind of help or advise. Usually i always have my guitar lead in before I turn on the amp, but i feel like that should not blow my amp and the pop from the pedal switch wasn't super loud either...but I don't know I'm no expert.

 

Thanks guys!!

 

Many modern tube amps have an internal fuse.

Since fuses don't blow that often, many modern amp manufacturers have stopped putting fuse access on the outside of the amp.

 

You will need to pull the chassis and find out. You should also have a Digital Volt Meter handy.

 

You might want to have a small screwdriver handy to put the fuse and test it.

 

If it is the fuse, replace it with the recommended manufacturer fuse.

 

Use the proper screwdriver size to remove the screws or you might mess up the screw heads.

 

This is where I would start.

If you don't have any tools, bring it to the repair shop.

 

 

[daddymack]

No, do not attempt to service it yourself. If you have no experience working on amps, be aware there are LETHAL voltages present.

 

Servicing an amplifier should not be done by inexperienced people...and you might well void your warranty!

 

The amp is new, so anything like this should be covered under warranty, but if it was me, I would call the place you bought it, tell them it is not working and that you are bringing it in and expect a replacement to be waiting. As you did not tell us the make/model, or the seller, there isn't much more I can suggest. Put it back in the box and take it in.

 

But again...DO NOT GO POKING AROUND THE CHASSIS WITH A SCREW DRIVER!!

 

[Mikeo, I'm surprised at you!]

[DeepEnd]

Listen to daddymack. If you bought the amp from an actual shop and only two days ago it should have some sort of warranty even if it was used. It's hard to tell from your description but it doesn't sound like you did anything that would void the warranty. Do Not try to fix it yourself.

[1001gear]

Brand new, tried to use doesn't work, help. No other information. Trollolalt come to mined. Try fixing a tube amp is pretty bad advice for a message board though.

[daddymack]

give him the benefit of the doubt...but I'm keeping an eye on this thread either way, since there is a 'conflicting' set of advice.

[Mikeo]

No, do not attempt to service it yourself. If you have no experience working on amps, be aware there are LETHAL voltages present.

 

Servicing an amplifier should not be done by inexperienced people...and you might well void your warranty!

 

The amp is new, so anything like this should be covered under warranty, but if it was me, I would call the place you bought it, tell them it is not working and that you are bringing it in and expect a replacement to be waiting. As you did not tell us the make/model, or the seller, there isn't much more I can suggest. Put it back in the box and take it in.

 

But again...DO NOT GO POKING AROUND THE CHASSIS WITH A SCREW DRIVER!!

 

[Mikeo, I'm surprised at you!]

 

I hear ya, but you'll need a small screwdriver to get the chassis out and maybe one to easily get the fuse out.

 

This guy, might just want to bring the amp back to the shop he got it from.

 

 

[daddymack]

yeah, IF he has experience with tube amps, then he likely already has the tools...but since the amp is only a couple of days old, he's better off taking it back than opening it up and possibly voiding his warranty.

[Cornholio Farquarth III]

Should have just gotten a Line6 and been done with it.

[Danocoustic]

corney

shuddup corney

[Danocoustic]

 

I hear ya, but you'll need a small screwdriver to get the chassis out and maybe one to easily get the fuse out.

 

This guy, might just want to bring the amp back to the shop he got it from.

 

 

...and if he gets across the filter caps, he could hurt himself badly.

 

Mike, I love ya like a brother, but this is bad advice.

[WRGKMC]

He didn't even list the brand or type of amp so advising him to do anything besides take it back to the dealer is the only sensible solution.

 

Of course having him make sure the power outlet had power would definitely be advisable. Tube amps draw allot of current and maybe he has the amp on an overloaded power outlet.

 

Fuses don't just blow without a reason and simply replacing them doesn't fix the underlying problems that made them blow in the first place. In fact I've Never seen and amp simply blow its fuse where it could be replaced and run normally again. Tube amps typically use slo-blo fuses that wont blow with a simple voltage spike. They have to see a continuous over current condition and those conditions don't magically fix themselves.

 

A dead pilot light might indicate a lack of AC, switch, fuse transformer or DC supply depending on where the lamp gets its voltage. If the tubes aren't lighting up then its likely got no secondary Transformer voltage. If you don't have an obvious cracked tube, then fixing it is not a job for an amateur to tackle. Send it back and get another.