To my wits end /Ampeg problems - input requested

[danstefl]

Morning all - It's been awhile since I posted but I'm to my wits end and just wanted to reach out and see if there was an input I could get based on my situation. I'll give you the readers digest.

Ampeg SVT 6
Ampeg PR410hlf

Hooking up for sound check at show - Turn on my amp, turn up my volume, play 3 notes waiting for my turn to check - goes silent. I all of a sudden have no output. No pops, no crackles no nothing - just goes silent. DI the amp and nothing.

Drop the head off at my local shop (In St. Louis) and they go over the SVT 6 and find broken soders and some ground screws that came loose (one fell out). All was put back into place and benched checked and everything checked out fine. Got to practice and plugged it all in - no output. The head does work now.

The problem seems to also be with the cab and I'm baffeled how I could have a problem with the HEAD AND CAB at the same time. I'm getting only sound out of the horn of the cab, and it's crackly and extremely quiet. I get nothing out of the drivers. I opened the back panel and nothing is burnt and both fuses are intact.

I'm absolutley stumped on what it could be - and what culd have caused it.

I do not have a power conditioner - I need one.
The Ground screws that were shook loose internally - curious on if that could have caused any sort of surge to the cab and fried the internal board
Checked all cables with other amps - all work fine.
Head works fine with another cab and with DI

AH FUHQ I didn't check the Speakon cable - but I did run a seperate head to the cab (not with that cable) and it was the same result.
I'm a bit broke now since I had the head looked over and worked on -

any ideas?

[CL400Peavey]

You dont need a power conditioner. A power strip will do the same thing for less money.

How do you transport your gear? Could it have been dropped?

[danstefl]

Gear is transported via a trailor - it is always moved by myself and another band member, always. I know for a fact it wasn't dropped. The Tech said the problems with my head were "normal" from a heavily used amp but also stated the case I have it in isnt made for shock absorbtion. This tells me the vibrations from my cab helped with knocking stuff loose in the amp.

The cab is what baffels me - I got 3, maybe 4 notes out on stage before it all went silent.

I'm wondering when the ground screws (whatever screws tehy may have been) came loose or fell out inside the head if that possibly could have sent a power surge of some kind to the cab and fried the internal board in the cab. I just dont get why I am getting ZILCH from the drivers and a tingy, crackly, soft signal from the horn only.

[Technotitclan]

Check the connections inside the cab. Could be something at the attenuator came loose or possibly (a little far fetched) a connection on all 4 of your speakers came loose.

[danstefl]

Originally Posted by Technotitclan

Check the connections inside the cab. Could be something at the attenuator came loose or possibly (a little far fetched) a connection on all 4 of your speakers came loose.

From what i could tell when I removed the back panel all connections wre solid. All wires going into the clip that attaches to the board were intact. all soders were intact. All wires running to the drivers and horn were connected and intact. Both "lightbulbs" on the board had their filiments (spelling).

This just sucks. I have a show friday and saturday and spent my extra money to have the head looked over and "fixed".

[danstefl]

Originally Posted by Crater

Well obviously there's a problem with your cab too. Sounds like the drivers became disconnected somehow and only the tweeter horn is connected. I doubt there's an "internal board" inside the cab, usually on a bass-with-tweeter setup there's not a real crossover but instead the tweeter is connected in parallel to the woofers via a non-polarized capacitor.

Quit scratching your head about how/why it happened, open it up and fix it.

It is pretty obvious, I just with the problem causer was obvious.

See 2:41, it shows the board that comes out on the backside. All wires were intact, all connections looked good. The sound/tone coming from the tweeter horn wasn't right. It was muffled, quiet, cracky...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruhWV_IVu8s

[jlepre]

I'm assuming you tried the head with another cab to make sure that it still works right? If so, then why not take the cab to the same guy and let HIM take a look.

[YuppyPunk]

Have you done a battery test to make sure the speakers are working?

[danstefl]

Originally Posted by YuppyPunk

Have you done a battery test to make sure the speakers are working?

Found the thread - I did not do this. There are a few steps I probably should have done last night prior to getting pissed and taking it to my car, including this Battery test.

[danstefl]

Originally Posted by jlepre

I'm assuming you tried the head with another cab to make sure that it still works right? If so, then why not take the cab to the same guy and let HIM take a look.

$$$ Bench fee + repair/labor. I can't afford it right now. Yada yada.

[BassmanPaul]

This test is easiest to do with a 1/4" phone plug speaker cable plugged into the cabinet. Using a 9V battery, place the plug at the free end of the cable across the terminals of the battery. This should produce a healthy clunk from the cabinet. If you just get a scratchy sound from the tweeter then likely the woofer voice coils are toast.

[BassmanPaul]

OP if you fill out you profile properly we would have an idea where you live. You say a tech in St Louis so I guess you're in Missouri. There are lots of knowledgeable folk on this site, some of which are in your area and might possibly step up to help you personally. With the minimalist profile you have provided we just don't know how much help you might need.

Fill out your profile - none of us are trying to track you down for nefarious reasons.

[danstefl]

Originally Posted by BassmanPaul

If you just get a scratchy sound from the tweeter then likely the woofer voice coils are toast.

Could this have been caused by some sort of surge from the head? This is where I'm a bit perplexed - there wasn't any sort of bang, spike, clunk when it went silent at the show - it simply went silent. Could the drivers/voicecoils have fried at that moment everything went silent without any sort of warning sign or sound of any kind?

[BassmanPaul]

YES! and YES!

SVT6PRO: Output capability 1100W at 4Ω

SVT 4x10hLF 4Ω impedance, power handling 500W. Most times that is the thermal handling of the drivers, or the point at which they begin to melt. Typically a driver will run out of excursion, its maximum cone travel before damage, at about half of its thermal power rating. I think that you were asking too much from the 4x10.

[danstefl]

Originally Posted by BassmanPaul

YES!

Awesome. I already had to have a speaker reconed about 6 months ago and that wasn't very cheap.

I would hope I would have heard a volume surge, or a thunk or something - Learn something new everyday.

So I need to run the battery test and ensure the speakers are working. Beyond that, I dont know what to do but hope I can get someone to let me borrow a cab for the show or just run DI.

FUHQ.

[danstefl]

Originally Posted by BassmanPaul

OP if you fill out you profile properly we would have an idea where you live. You say a tech in St Louis so I guess you're in Missouri. There are lots of knowledgeable folk on this site, some of which are in your area and might possibly step up to help you personally. With the minimalist profile you have provided we just don't know how much help you might need.

Fill out your profile - none of us are trying to track you down for nefarious reasons.

done

[danstefl]

Originally Posted by BassmanPaul

YES! and YES!

SVT6PRO: Output capability 1100W at 4Ω

SVT 4x10hLF 4Ω impedance, power handling 500W. Most times that is the thermal handling of the drivers, or the point at which they begin to melt. Typically a driver will run out of excursion, its maximum cone travel before damage, at about half of its thermal power rating. I think that you were asking too much from the 4x10.

It's the Pro 410hlf, not the SVT 410 hlf. The research I did and found before buying basically laid out this was the cab of cabs and could handle most anything thrown at it. The two together are an excellent combo.

I shouldn't believe everything I read!

600 watt/1200 program -

LF Drivers: 4 x 10” Cast Speakers
Voice Coil: 2.5”
Magnet Weight: 56 oz
HF Driver: Horn/Driver
Voice Coil: 1”
Magnet Weight: 8 oz
RMS Power Handling: 600-Watts/1200 Program
Frequency Response (-3dB): 33Hz - 18kHz
Usable Low Frequency (-10dB): 29Hz
Crossover Frequency: 4kHz
Nominal Impedance: 4-Ohms
Sensitivity: 96dB
Maximum SPL: 124dB
Dimensions (W x H x D inches): 26.25 x 30.75 x 18.75
Weight: 128 Pounds

[BassmanPaul]

Originally Posted by danstefl

done

Now that wasn't too hard was it?

There must be a place in your city where you can rent a cab for the show. I feel that you must be playing pretty loud to kill a 4x10HLF. While I have had no direct experience with that cabinet I have read that they are pretty tough. You might want to consider either an 8x10 or a second 4x10HLF. If you go the re-cone route be sure that the speaker company uses the correct kit for the drivers. If they don'y you'll end up with a crapshoot. Good luck for the future.

[danstefl]

Originally Posted by BassmanPaul

Now that wasn't too hard was it?

There must be a place in your city where you can rent a cab for the show. I feel that you must be playing pretty loud to kill a 4x10HLF.

I will have to look around for a rental cab.

Your assumption is safe. I do play hard and loud. Maybe I need to chill out a little bit. I appreciate your replies.

[BassmanPaul]

Originally Posted by danstefl

Your assumption is safe. I do play hard and loud. Maybe I need to chill out a little bit. I appreciate your replies.

You're most welcome.

I hope that you wear good hearing protection. My hearing has been significantly impacted by my fifty years as a working bassist. We didn't know back then what we knows today.