Acoustic 470 head

urb · #1 01-07-2013, 11:38 PM

I just bought this off of craigslist , guy told me it is messed up but works. I gave him ten bucks and didn't bother to try it out. Today I hooked it up to my Musicman cab and plugged it in . All kinds of scratchy noise. I mean a lot. I started turning the knobs back and forth . they started cleaning up. I plugged my Bass in , sound is coming out. Scratchy but there. I play with the knobs some more and all of the sudden , BOOM! A C note rattles all of my windows and walls. I pull the plug out of my bass.
Then a hear a crack. Something has collided with the side of my house. I go to my front door and I see my neighbor outside. I ask him , " Did you just throw a rock at my house?" He yells , " Mother****er I can't ****ing sleep!" I said sorry , as I have many a time before and walked back inside.
This piece of junk I bought has piqued my interest now. I know nothing about these amps. There is a row of circular metal housings on the back of this amp. the scratchy noise sounds like bad tubes. I am asking if maybe this solid state amp has a tube preamp setup and that is what is causing the scratching?

BogeyBass · #2 01-08-2013, 12:00 AM

no tubes in that amp, you can clean the pots but do not clean the sliders.

As far as your neighbor I can have my cousin Vinny stop by and have a talk with him. He is a collector likes to talk about baseball bats or his small collection of revolvers. In fact he tends to carry them in his trunk at all times and would love to show them to him.

What do you mean? you cant sleep

billgoodwin · #3 01-08-2013, 05:56 AM

$10?...holy crap-ola..you suck!

just kidding of course

.

solid state amp, probably just a bad cap or two. My 150 head had similar problem when I first got it and my tech just replaced one of the caps inside, now it will peel the hide off of ya'. You got a monster and a monster deal. My neighbors love me too

Acoustic - The Mother of all amps, nothing else matters!

urb · #4 01-08-2013, 07:22 AM

I have 40 bucks in this set up. 10 for the head and 30 for the cab. CL is a godsend for a gearslut like me. You have to be diligent and have the funds when it gets posted.

billgoodwin · #5 01-08-2013, 09:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by urb

I have 40 bucks in this set up. 10 for the head and 30 for the cab. CL is a godsend for a gearslut like me. You have to be diligent and have the funds when it gets posted.

that's usually the issue I run into - no extra funds when I run across stuff. Cool looking Musicman cab too.

Gremson · #6 01-08-2013, 09:34 AM

That is a bitchin amp. I've got one too. Sounds great, but I've got a wonky intermittent problem as well. Sounds similar to yours, just not as bad.

Great score!

stettoman · #7 01-08-2013, 09:41 AM

I bought my first Acoustic (a 370 w/2 301 18" folded horn enclosures) in 1982. The band I was in quit running bass guitar through the PA that same day. I've owned three 370s in my life and will own more if I find them. Harvey Gerst was THE man @ Acoustic, a better ss bass amp was never devised, although some lighter ones might have been nice.

If I remember correctly (and sometimes I still do), the 370 originally sold for around $1500 new in the 70s...That is JUST the head. Not sure of the 470 or Jaco's model, the 360...So $10 for a serviceable Acoustic is a major. Pat yerself on the back and go find a good tech to check it out! The Acoustics have HUGE electrolytics in them, and will sometimes dry out over time.