Bassman 300... Help with Tubes going bad!

[silvertripper]

So I got my Bassman 300 Pro by means of Fedex today. The amp is in physically new condition. I plugged up, took it off standby, and noticed 1 of the tubes the plates were glowing red, another tube did not glow at all it stayed "cold". So I moved the tubes to different sockets and the problems followed the tubes, not the sockets. I tried to bias and I cant get it any lower than .150... the manual says it needs to be .100. So I went my rocking music store and picked up 2 matched GT's Golds. Came home and plugged the tubes in.... now a different tube has its plates glowing red. What the heck is going on here?

Im getting frustrated here... can someone shed some light on what might be the problem? Or are these tubes just bad?

Serial number is CR-324***, maybe someone can tell me how this is as well.

[silvertripper]

well?

[RickenBoogie]

You bought used? First thing I'd do, every time, is take it in for a good old check up, and have an amp tech, with the knowledge and the tools, do it right. Always worth the $$, in fact, I consider that part of the price.

[John D]

Originally Posted by silvertripper

well?

Is it hooked to a speaker cab (with a good cable)? If not, get it hooked to one fast.

[RCCollins]

Originally Posted by RickenBoogie

You bought used? First thing I'd do, every time, is take it in for a good old check up, and have an amp tech, with the knowledge and the tools, do it right. Always worth the $$, in fact, I consider that part of the price.

Yep. You have to think of a tech check at the very least when you buy a used amp. Heck, it's probably a worthwhile investment when you buy a NEW amp!

[silvertripper]

Im dropping it off tomorrow at the shop. I'm just wondering if fedex dropped it? Maybe something inside is jacked up? The dude I bought it from already paypal'd me the money I spent on the tubes. I really don't think the seller is screwing me, I think fedex let it drop. Nevertheless I'm heart broken. But hopefully my tech can fix the problem... Whatever is causing the tubes to fry.

[jastacey]

I'd take it to Reid Walker ( 713-789-5296 ), he's on 11th street, in the heights, I believe his bench fee is $50 per hour ..... are the 3 lights by each set of tubes glowing red then turning green, when switched out of stand-by?

[silvertripper]

Originally Posted by jastacey

I'd take it to Reid Walker ( 713-789-5296 ), he's on 11th street, in the heights, I believe his bench fee is $50 per hour ..... are the 3 lights by each set of tubes glowing red then turning green, when switched out of stand-by?

The all are red on standby.. once its off standby and their is voltage they are green. The manual says this is normal though.

Im taking it to Diamond in the morning ( http://www.diamondamplification.com ), I have a old friend who is their builder and he'll personally take care of me. If he's backed up for more than a week I'll try Reid Walker.

Man I hope its not irrepairable. I did get 1000.00 insurance on the head and already started a claim with fedex.

[Stumbo]

Originally Posted by silvertripper

I'm just wondering if fedex dropped it?

Of course they dropped it. IME, they throw everything around like ping pong balls (as do all the shippers)

It's supposed to be packed to take a 3 foot or 6 foot fall w/o damage, from what I remember.

Unless the case is cracked or there is visible exterior damage, how will Fedex (or anyone else) know how it received internal electrical damage? It may have been shipped that way, despite what the seller tells you. Or not.

Good luck.

[silvertripper]

Luckily...our unlucky... The shipper had fedex pack it.

[jastacey]

Here's a thought, how old is the amp ... Fender does have a 5 year transferable warrenty ... I've had bad GT tubes right out of the box, you might want to try to use known good tubes ... as your saying the issue follows the the tube, meaning if the tube that is red-plating, is on the left side, when you move it to, let's say to the right side, it still red-plates?

[silvertripper]

Originally Posted by jastacey

Here's a thought, how old is the amp ... Fender does have a 5 year transferable warrenty

Its 4 years old. I checked the website and it states 5 year warranty to original purchaser.

[insomniac2295]

I used to have a Fender Bassman 300. One of the tubes malfunctioned and that ended up frying some of the wiring inside the head. I think it ended up costing me about $400 to fix it.

Like the Rickenboogie said, take it to a good tech and have them look it over. It'll be worth the money to have it done right.

[jastacey]

Is the person you purchased the amp from, the original owner? the terms indicate that the original owner can transfer the balance of the warranty to a subsequent owner, provided the original receipt is available ... it's a long shot, but worth a try

[jastacey]

Here's another repair place, that I've had friends have had good experiences with
Morrow Engineering
2900 Katy Hockley Cutoff Rd B 207
Katy TX 77493
281-725-3827 (phone)
281-391-2998 (fax)
morroweng@hotmail.com

[silvertripper]

So I took it over to Diamond, my buddy rchecked it out, replaced tubes.... and now we're rocking!

[BassmanPaul]

Originally Posted by silvertripper

So I took it over to Diamond, my buddy rchecked it out, replaced tubes.... and now we're rocking!

With a matched set I hope!

[cheezewiz]

Congrats. Those really are great sounding heads.

[silvertripper]

Matched set... I'm looking forward to settling in this evening and working on some tones.... Oh.. And some tunes!

[redbeard1206]

Just a quick comment. I own one of these heads and while I've never had that same problem, I've seen where someone else has, I believe it was on the gear review for the head. They said they would highly recommend having a cooling fan installed on the back grill because their tubes would get too hot and messed up some of the internals.