Ampeg SVT7-Pro loud POP and BUZZ when shutting off

BullHorn · #1 10-07-2012, 05:51 PM

I just wanted to see if my Stingray's battery is still alive (at 2am), so I turned on my 7Pro at a very low volume and tried it. Worked great.

As I turned the amp off, 2 seconds later, there was a LOUD *POP* sound that probably woke up half the neighborhood (We have alot of air-raid sirens to warn us from rockets that are fired from Gaza so people are trained to wake up and run to bomb-shelters on a daily basis). 5 seconds after that noise, the amp made an even louder *BUZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ* noise which quickly faded out. I unplugged the amp from the AC socket and don't plan to touch it till morning.

Mind you, I've already had issues with a 7Pro (the cutting out stuff) and had it replaced by the Israeli distributor under warranty. This is completely new to me, I don't remember hearing about this new issue anywhere on the internet. Of course, I already sent Ampeg a very unsatisfied email.

Help.

LowBassDub · #2 10-07-2012, 07:07 PM

Make Note: Must stop buying Ampeg and Fender junk.

B-string · #3 10-07-2012, 07:23 PM

Could have been a one time thing? Have you tried it again?

countrybass007 · #4 10-07-2012, 07:43 PM

Make sure you always turn thw gain and volume knobs to zero before tuning your amp off. Some amps I've used seem to have sort of a delay in the actual shutoff after you hit the off button, causing a loud pop. Turning the knobs to zero stopped it. Hope it works for you.

BullHorn · #5 10-07-2012, 07:57 PM

I always turn the volume to zero before shutting off as courtesy to powering it on next time without having it at extremely loud volumes. I never bothered lowering the gain knob before.

I'll only be able to try it again in the morning, everybody is asleep now.

vin*tone · #6 10-07-2012, 09:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by countrybass007

Make sure you always turn thw gain and volume knobs to zero before tuning your amp off. ...

? huh ?

Sliide90027 · #7 10-07-2012, 09:26 PM

So sad.

Some companies and designs only persist due to Name Brand, when really great stuff gets run out of the Market.

arai · #8 10-07-2012, 11:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sliide90027

So sad.

Some companies and designs only persist due to Name Brand, when really great stuff gets run out of the Market.

Ain't that the truth

Musicman20 · #9 10-08-2012, 12:45 AM

I sincerely hope it isn't another duff!

Josh Pelican · #10 10-08-2012, 12:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LowBassDub

Make Note: Must stop buying Ampeg and Fender junk.

This amuses me.

BullHorn · #11 10-08-2012, 08:51 AM

I just tried it again. I followed the recommendation to turn the gain and master to 0 as well.

There was no loud *pop* noise this time but once again, after ~5 seconds there was a very loud *buzz* noise.

LowBassDub · #12 10-08-2012, 10:23 AM

Don't these things have loudspeaker protection in them, like a normal power amp does?

You could end up blowing out a speaker.

JimmyM · #13 10-08-2012, 11:29 AM

I used to have an SWR SM-500 that would put out a whistling sound through the PA if you turned it off and the PA was still on. The amp worked fine, though. Electronics are a funny thing.

So regarding some of the uninformed comments in this thread, go back in time to 2008 when the former head idiot of LOUD was running Ampeg into the ground and see if name recognition helped them back then when they almost went out of business.

bassguppy · #14 10-08-2012, 11:45 AM

it's the Iranians messing with your power grid.

Musicman20 · #15 10-08-2012, 12:09 PM

If it really is dead, or on its way out, personally I'd give up and try something else.

BullHorn · #16 10-08-2012, 12:17 PM

I'm still waiting for an educated (or possibly a copy-pasted) response from Ampeg technical support but I'm afraid of trying it again,As LowBassDub said, I don't want to blow a speaker or the head. Maybe I'll just do it one more time and record it on a camera.

arai · #17 10-08-2012, 02:50 PM

You really don't want to blow your speaker.
Recording it with the camera could help but it probably needs to go to a techs bench for an informed decision.
But if you get someone to poke around in there you may void the warranty?

Can you swap this one and hope to get one of the good ones?

BullHorn · #18 10-08-2012, 03:09 PM

I don't think there's one of the good ones because they are all the same design. It's a C00 and the problems are just never ending. I think it's time to move on to a different brand. :|

johnk_10 · #19 10-08-2012, 03:13 PM

mine has never done that, and i've used mine ALOT (for hours every day). unfortunately, with your luck, it seems that any brand that you buy is going to have issues.

arai · #20 10-08-2012, 03:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BullHorn

I don't think there's one of the good ones because they are all the same design. It's a C00 and the problems are just never ending. I think it's time to move on to a different brand. :|

Might be cheap parts issue. Some are good some are bad. Who knows.
There was obviously some design issues otherwise they would not be up to revision E.
But others do seem to have pro 7s that they say work flawlessly. So that makes me think of inferior parts.