Quote:
Originally Posted by chicagodoubler  Howdy
My SWR Redhead has been getting fuzzy on gigs though the amp and preamp clipping lights rarely ever come on, and there's no loss of loudness.
Excuse me for being a moron. Is this a preamp tube issue or does she need to go to the doctor?
Thanks. |
More details please. When, for how long, how loud, settings, what instrument?
I had a tube go bad on a pre-fender SWR 350 silver face (basically the same amp as yours). The distortion/fuzziness occurred intermittently and was more likely when vibration could reach the head, i.e., when it was sitting on a cabinet.
It actually sounded like toasted drivers, so I idiotically shipped the 210 cab to have it fixed. I'll bet the SWR tech got a good laugh when I told him that once I tried sitting the head on a padded chair that problem pretty much went away.
I swapped the tube out and all was well. However, the sound of the tube was a weird midrange crinkling sound that would either fade out slowly, or at times cut in and out. I believe it was what is called microphonics, when an ambient vibration or shockwave create extreme distortions in the waveform the tube sends to its output. That may be all wrong, but in any case, a tube swap is not expensive, and if you have a pal with a tube amp or tube pre, a temporary swap might answer the question for free.
