Killed my Hartke 3500 Fri night - help!

[Lazylion]

I tried my Sansamp out Friday night, looking for a bit of overdrive. I wanted to see if the sound would be improved by running it into the power section of the 3500 thru the effects return jack, bypassing the Hartke's preamp. Never tried this before, but I saw a friend of mine running a similar setup a couple of weeks ago. It worked well for him, so I figured I'd give it a whirl.

Per his recommendation, I set the Sansamp to the "SVT" setting in the manual, which includes the volume set at about 2 o'clock. On the back of the 3500, I had the effects send/return knob all the way toward return. Gain knob for the power amp section was at about 3 o'clock. I was playing my Squier VM Jazz, passive pups. Speakers were a pair of JBL 1x15s. I've used these speakers and the Hartke together hundreds of times, never a problem.

It did sound very good, but during the last song of the second set, the sound began to fade out, and finally disappeared altogether. I didn't see smoke, didn't smell burning... (I had to run home and pick up another amp rig. Luckily, it was close enough that I made it home & back in 20 minutes.)

I hooked the 3500 up at home yesterday, without the Sansamp, and all it will do is a sizzly, fizzy noise, barely audible at max volume. Not 100% dead, but mortally wounded. I've had it for several years, haven't had a problem before now.

Does anyone know what the problem would most likely be? Maybe the signal from the Sansamp was too hot? What should I look for when I open it up, other than a big burnt spot (that didn't smell much)?

[Stinsok]

Does it have that noise with both preamp sides?

[username1]

I used to run a sans amp vt pedal through the return on a hartke 3500 with no problems. I'm wondering if your tube just happened to die at the same time? If not the tube i would take it in and get an estimate for repair. If the repair bill is too high i think i would be tempted to just get a hartke lh500 to replace it with.

[Lazylion]

Originally Posted by Stinsok

Does it have that noise with both preamp sides?

It has a nearly total lack of noise with either preamp side, if that's what you mean. I was bypassing the preamp, so I'm pretty sure the problem is in the power section.

Originally Posted by username1

I used to run a sans amp vt pedal through the return on a hartke 3500 with no problems. I'm wondering if your tube just happened to die at the same time?

You mean the preamp tube? It wasn't being used at the time, how could it cause a problem?

[Bassflute]

Originally Posted by Lazylion

I tried my Sansamp out Friday night, looking for a bit of overdrive. I wanted to see if the sound would be improved by running it into the power section of the 3500 thru the effects return jack, bypassing the Hartke's preamp. Never tried this before, but I saw a friend of mine running a similar setup a couple of weeks ago. It worked well for him, so I figured I'd give it a whirl.

Per his recommendation, I set the Sansamp to the "SVT" setting in the manual, which includes the volume set at about 2 o'clock. On the back of the 3500, I had the effects send/return knob all the way toward return. Gain knob for the power amp section was at about 3 o'clock. I was playing my Squier VM Jazz, passive pups. Speakers were a pair of JBL 1x15s. I've used these speakers and the Hartke together hundreds of times, never a problem.

It did sound very good, but during the last song of the second set, the sound began to fade out, and finally disappeared altogether. I didn't see smoke, didn't smell burning... (I had to run home and pick up another amp rig. Luckily, it was close enough that I made it home & back in 20 minutes.)

I hooked the 3500 up at home yesterday, without the Sansamp, and all it will do is a sizzly, fizzy noise, barely audible at max volume. Not 100% dead, but mortally wounded. I've had it for several years, haven't had a problem before now.

Does anyone know what the problem would most likely be? Maybe the signal from the Sansamp was too hot? What should I look for when I open it up, other than a big burnt spot (that didn't smell much)?

and it may have just been a coincidence. Beyond that, I don't know, but good luck with it.

Cheers,
Cameron

[Lazylion]

Originally Posted by Bassflute

and it may have just been a coincidence.

Yeah, could be. Can't rule out Murphy's Law!

[Pilgrim]

I don't know of any way the Sansamp could have damaged the amp. It's something else that failed and the Sansamp just happened to be connected at the moment.

Shop time.

[Lazylion]

^^ Gaahh! I hate shop time!

[Jim C]

Too bad it's NAMM weekend or Mr. Hartke would probably have driven down with a scope and soldering iron. Article about him and his products in Bass Gear Magazine is fantastic.
Oh, and totaly coincidental IMO.

[jerseyrichSnr]

Did the same with an Eden some time ago. Took it to a repair man and he replaced the return jack, which was stuck open.

[billfitzmaurice]

Originally Posted by jerseyrichSnr

Did the same with an Eden some time ago. Took it to a repair man and he replaced the return jack, which was stuck open.

+1. Try running a cord from the send to the receive jack. Also make sure you didn't turn the return volume off.

[Standalone]

Originally Posted by billfitzmaurice

+1. Try running a cord from the send to the receive jack. Also make sure you didn't turn the return volume off.

I see numerous threads that basically have given the same advice. Also try and plug/unplug something in and out of your send and return jacks, then power up again and see how it goes.

Sometimes you can stir up some latent corrosion or get a switch in the jack stuck somehow, and it just needs a good arthur fonzarelli kick to get going.

[Scotte_4U]

It sounds to to me like you burned out a resistor cheep fix but the only way to get the right answer is to take it to a tec.

[Lazylion]

Originally Posted by billfitzmaurice

...make sure you didn't turn the return volume off.

You are a wonderfully smart guy. Bless you for sharing that with dopes like me.

You guessed it! I never use the effects loop, and evidently I don't know how it works. A twist of the knob fixed my "problem"! The amp seems to be back to normal. Everybody feel free to go like this: I deserve it.

So I guess it just overheated? It's never done that, even at outdoor gigs in the sun on hot summer days. Must have been that scalding version of Black Magic Woman we were playing, with a VERY long Gypsy Queen on the end! Yeah, that was it! That 4-note bassline can be brutal after 10 or 15 minutes...

Sorry for the false alarm. Guess I should read the directions, LOL. At least I avoided Shop Time. For now.

(PS: thanks to the other folks who offered possible solutions, too.)
(PPS: could really have used a facepalm smiley here...)

[Plstrns]

Well while the fx return jack guys where on their game, Bill had to go and ask about the obvious.

When I read it, I was all over the jack too.

[Plstrns]

Kinda reminds me of one customer's car that was towed into the shop. It just stopped running...

We figured out an hour later it was out of gas.

[Johnny Crab]

This facepalm's for your use:



Now that we've covered that,

GLAD YOU AMP IS OK !!!!!

[Lazylion]

Originally Posted by Plstrns

Kinda reminds me of one customer's car that was towed into the shop. It just stopped running... We figured out an hour later it was out of gas.

Ouch, that hits a little close to home; my car is in the shop getting a new transmission right now! >$2300! Thank goodness I won't have an amp repair bill to add to that!

Originally Posted by Johnny Crab

This facepalm's for your use:
(pic snipped)
Now that we've covered that, GLAD YOUR AMP IS OK !!!!!

Thanks Johnny! Love the Star Trek double facepalm! That would be me and my bandleader. I'm the one with hair.

[Standalone]

Whatever you were feeding your power amp might have been sending more low bass through than it was used to, which makes it work harder. This would = easy overheating when pushed.

The onboard pre might have a High Pass Filter that takes out subsonic stuff, while your sansamp probably doesn't.

[Plstrns]

Originally Posted by Standalone

Whatever you were feeding your power amp might have been sending more low bass through than it was used to, which makes it work harder. This would = easy overheating when pushed.

The onboard pre might have a High Pass Filter that takes out subsonic stuff, while your sansamp probably doesn't.

A) See double facepalm.

B) Read rest of thread.