Peavey Amp Question

[floridagatorfan]

I have an older Peavey Basic 112 combo amp that i use when practicing around the house and use occasionaly when practicing with my band, When i play through it it makes a crackling sound if i mess with any of the knobs on it, especially the EQ knobs, i have to keep all of them turned all the way down to keep it from doing it, the volume and gain knobs do it to if i turn them, i thought the speaker might have been blown so i changed out thr 12 to another one i have that is also 8ohms that i know is good, because it sounds good in my other small combo amp, so i guessing the head on the Peavey might need a good cleaning inside, if i take it apart and have a look inside what should i look for to determine if this is the cause, will there be corrosion or something in the pots? Also what do i use to clean it with and how do i do it, I absolutley hate the tone i get from the other combo amp, so i would really like to get this Peavey going again, Thanks for your help

[MNAirHead]

search contact cleaner & pots

[Russell L]

Yep, the pots get scratchy with dust. Can be tricky to get to them, depending on the arrangement. Spraying them usually fixes it, though, although the condition can come back. Be careful with the spray as it can sometimes hurt paint or some plastics.

[nashvillebill]

I also have an older Basic 112 that I use as a bedroom practice amp, and if its not used regularly the pots do get crackly. IIRC there were 4 screws on top that are removed to slide the amp head out of the cabinet. I think I pulled the speaker also and unplugged the wires from it. The handle maybe had to come off too to let the amp slide past.

Once its out, spray Deoxit into the openings in all the pots, work 'em back and forth a few times. Then Faderlube can be sprayed in 'em too to lube them.

While you've got the speaker out, stuff the box with fiberglass or the nylon batting that sewing stores sell, this will help the speaker sound better.

I substituted a Peavey Scorpion Ultra speaker--with something like a 20 lb magnet--and that really helped the sound, it is more efficient than the stock speaker too.

[floridagatorfan]

ok guys thanks for the help i will have to try this

[MNAirHead]

I know your amp VERY well... well worth fixing up...