Old Hartke XL Cabs Question
 

I have 2 Hartke 410 XL cabinets that I bought new back in the late 80's (with the "Transient Attack" badges). They have been sitting unplayed since at least the mid 90's. They were in a bedroom, so they were not exposed to any temperature or moisture extremes.

I figure it's about time to sell them, so I plugged them in to see how they sound. One of them sounds fine, but the other has an issue. The sound is clear on attack, but if you sustain a note, a subtle hiss or distortion can be heard. The noise is not constant, it comes and goes, and sometimes crackles a bit.

I'm not very well versed on the technical side of amps, speakers, and such, so any suggestions of what's happening (or might be happening) to cause this would be appreciated. The cabinet has never been opened or speakers removed.

Thanks!

Corrosion on the connections maybe ?
Over the years it might have developed some crap around the speakers connection internally.
Just quessing, it happend to me a while ago.I had cabs under the house for years then when i tried them they fuzzed out.What happend was that mold had biult up around connections & speakers.

I can't help on the explanation, but I also own 2 Hartke 410XLs of similar vintage and one of them developed a problem like you describe. The cabinet had been sitting unused for a year or two when this happened.

I just kept playing it and the problem went away. Maybe 20 hours or so of total playing time to get it to stop? That was over 10 years ago and the problem hasn't returned.

Great cabs, by the way. A bit heavy to schlep and you can't push them too hard, but tone for days.

I'd second this for starters. That much time, corroded connections, etc. They may not be visibly rusty or anything, but still, a good cleaning of wire connections, etc.

Ok, I'll get in there with some contact cleaner and see if that does it.

Thanks for the replies!

Corrosion in the gap that the voice coil seats in on the magnet. Like what's been stated that it may go away with use.

...or dust/debris in that gap.

Ok, now my lack of technical knowledge is kicking in.

"Corrosion in the gap that the voice coil seats in on the magnet."
"...or dust/debris in that gap."

Can I address/fix this, and if so, how exactly?
Thanks!