Help with Eden WT800 distortion (I think)

mst3k · #1 03-17-2010, 01:56 PM

Hi all!

Quick story: I bought a used WT800C about three weeks ago; the serial number dates it from 2008. Tested it out, sounded great, and bought it.

Since then, the sound quality has suddenly deteriorated. When I took and home and played it that day, I set up the amp properly as instructed by the book, turning down the master, turning off compression, and setting the gain based on the "set limit" light. It played beautifully, set at 12 o'clock.

Now, if I turn the gain anywhere past 9 o'clock, I get what I think is distortion -- it sounds like ppppbbbbbbbbbttttttttt. (Can you tell I'm new at this?

) If I set it up properly again, 12 o'clock (where the light blinks, still) it's unplayable -- it sounds terrible. At 9 o'clock, it's really really quiet, even if I turn the master way up.

Any ideas on what's up?

I tried a new tube. I couldn't find a Ruby 12AX7 in town, but found an Electro Harmonix 12AX7 and swapped them, but no luck. I tried a different bass (an active Ibanez bass), no luck; different cabinet, no luck; different channel, no luck. Same with different cables.

I'm rather disappointed at present.

Rick Auricchio · #2 03-17-2010, 02:41 PM

Turn off the amp, grab a guitar cable, and run the 1/4" plug in and out of the FX send and return jacks. These jacks have internal switching. A common problem is that they get dirty and ruin the signal.

If you want to do a really good job, squirt a bit of contact cleaner onto the plug before doing the old in-out.

mst3k · #3 03-17-2010, 04:19 PM

No luck. I've also discovered that I get the distortion when I play through headphones as well, with no speakers connected, and doing this I found that I can't turn the dial to 25%, either.

Son of Bovril · #4 03-18-2010, 03:01 AM

hmmm that means the fault is in the internal signal path somewhere :-(

Munjibunga · #5 03-18-2010, 03:10 AM

Put it in stereo mode and check to see if the problem is on both sides. If yes, it's probably in the preamp. If it's on one side, then it's in the channel. I troubleshot my WT-800B, and guessed correctly that I had a power transistor out on the right side. I took it to the shop and they fixed me up just right.