Evans vintage amp - but it's broken...

[Neoprog]

Hello guys and gals,

This is probably my first post on here as I've been lurking for a while but never got the nerve or need to post anything. Let me introduce myself for a bit: I'm 21, Dutch and I've been playing bass for about two and a half years. I've been reading this forum because it's provided me with a lot of help on improving my playing and figured now might be the time to ask for some advice.

A while ago I got a vintage (I guess..) amp combo from my uncle who also plays bass. It sounds awesome to my inexperienced ears and I absolutely love it.

However - it kind of broke down about a week ago. I switched it on, and it instantly popped off - the light on the amp went out and the sound died down. Now I know basically nothing about electronics, but I figured it might just be a fuse and thus, easily replaceable. A new fuse however produced the same result - when switching on, a slight 'pop' was heard and it instantly died again.

Some specs - it's an Evans EB-401 amp / cabinet combo thingy doodah. 40W and the (for me at least) regular bass/middle/trebble + master and volume knobs. I've never abused the volume knob; since I only play at home with it (it weighs a ton!) it's not been beyond 4 out of 10. It's probably some 25 years old, was stored in a garage and generally not used being to played on I guess .

I have a roommate who studies engineering who says it might have been peek voltage (or something? I don't know this stuff) since at the exact time it died, some other utilities in the house broke down (like the router). Since a new fuse didn't fix it, I guess my amp is the cause and not the victim here.

I really don't have any money whatsoever, so buying a new amp is not really an option for me. If you guys have any tips that might help me figure out what's wrong with it, your help is greatly appreciated!

[BassmanPaul]

Trouble shooting across the internet is problematic at best but we can try. Firstly is the amp tube or SS?

[lowphatbass]

Evans amps can be pretty nice, not super common or well know here in the US. I suggest you wait until you can afford bring it to a shop to be repaired. Trying to repair it yourself may cause more damage to the amp and you can also hurt yourself quite easily. EVEN IF THE AMP IS NOT PLUGGED-IN TO THE WALL YOU CAN STILL BE SERIOUSLY INJURED!

The fuse keeps blowing because it is doing it's job and protecting the more expensive parts in the amp from being overloaded and burned-up.

[B-string]

Schematic would be really helpful. Like Paul asked tube or SS? Could be shorted rectifier diodes, shorted power supply caps as it is at least 25 years old. I'll try a search for it.

[RickenBoogie]

Maybe not the answer you want, but unless you are an experienced amp tech, (and I gather not), you really have no other choice but to bring it in for service. They should at least give you a good estimate for a nominal bench fee. Fixing it yourself is both a bad idea, and potentially more expensive problem. good luck to you though.

[Neoprog]

Thanks for all your replies! So far you've been really helpful - at least now I know what I can and can't do.

Originally Posted by BassmanPaul

Trouble shooting across the internet is problematic at best but we can try. Firstly is the amp tube or SS?

It's a tube amp.

Originally Posted by lowphatbass

Evans amps can be pretty nice, not super common or well know here in the US. I suggest you wait until you can afford bring it to a shop to be repaired. Trying to repair it yourself may cause more damage to the amp and you can also hurt yourself quite easily. EVEN IF THE AMP IS NOT PLUGGED-IN TO THE WALL YOU CAN STILL BE SERIOUSLY INJURED!

The fuse keeps blowing because it is doing it's job and protecting the more expensive parts in the amp from being overloaded and burned-up.

That's what I gathered. I just hoped I was wrong and it would be a quick fix . I was a bit scared of opening it up, but I'll certainly keep my hands off it now.

I've no idea whether my uncle has any schematics of it left, my guess is he doesn't. I'll ask him anyway. A quick google search also turned up nothing.

I guess I'll have to have it repaired then. Any ideas what this might be going to cost?