Crate BT-350 problems

I've got a Crate Bt-350 and had an issue of it cutting in and out ... it turned out to be a couple of bad solder connections ... I read some were, that some of the Crate product lines had those issues . and when I took my amp in, for repair, my tech knew exactly what the problem was ... get the amp to a good service tech

 

+1 to getting service. I loved that amp, for all of the complaints the company gets, the tones with the tube pre were beautiful. I never had a problem with mine in the 4 years I had it.

Good luck.

 

Yep, SLM era Crates and even some SLM era Ampegs had some solder cracking issues. A good tech can sort it out, and generally it's not a costly situation to have looked at and repaired.

 

With these BT-350's be careful removing the top cover when you swap out the tube. There is a ribbon wire that connects to the EQ board that can be bent back and solder connections bent/broken if you try to slide the cover back rather than lifting it up and off.

To the OP, take a look at the ribbon cable I'm talking about and you might find that to be the culprit (at least for the EQ issue).

 

I had one of those BT-350's, and I HATED IT. I now even still have a grudge against the guy who sold it to me, 10 years later.

With mine, I could not turn past 6 and 5 respectively, on the amps gain and volume controls without making the amp go crazy clipping..

Anyone else had this problem??

 

I liked mine. I never had any gain/clipping issues that I would describe as unusual. It was a sweet sounding amp.

 

Unless you have a dirty contact in the 4k EQ slider it's likely a solder connection on one end of that ribbon.

A tech can easily re-flow the solder or add a jumper for that one freq band.

 

Once you get the issue resolved .. drop a Tun-Sol 12AX7 into the preamp tube ... let it burn in for 10-12 hours and the tone will really open up ...at least that is what happened when I did it to my amp ... it's a good sounding amp for small to medium sized gigs ... but the amp runs out of headroom after 5 or 6 on the master volume ... for larger shows you'll need to have a larger amp or PA Support .. I run mine with a 4x10 & 1x15 cabinet set-up

 

What I mean by letting it burn in is hook-up the head to a cabinet, turn the head on, volume to lowest setting, and let it sit ... I found that this makes a huge differance in the newer tubes being produced, IMHO ... don't be afraid to change out preamp tubes ... insearch of your tone !!!!

 

Hello everyone. I'm kind of new to TalkBass. I enjoy reading all the forums and picking up advice and tid bits. Until recently, I have been fortunate in that I really haven't had many problems with any of my equipment. I do have a Crate BT-350, and have loved it since I bought it new in '93 or '94. I have dragged it around through clubs for nearly 20 years. It's like one of my kids. The problem I have right now sort of fits into this thread. The 7-band eq works perfectly, all but the master slider. No response at all. It feels loose within the confines of its shell. I can feel the center detente, but like I said, it does not raise or lower the overall gain output at all. It seems like the gain going through it is passing at its lowest potential. When I turn the EQ off, the overall volume of the amp is substantially louder. I've tried blowing the slider with air, and using a contact cleaner. I'm just short of trying to find a replacement EQ board. To the eye, the solder joints look fine. Any ideas, or other suggestions? I found a number for Crate/Ampeg/SLM Factory direct number 1-800-738-7563. Is this a good resource? Thank you in advance for any advice anyone has.

 

You could try that number, but it is LOUD Tech/ Ampeg now. You might PM Jerrold Tiers here on TB, he was a design engineer at SLM.

 

Thanks for the tip B-string. I will go look for Mr. Tiers. Have a good evening.

 

I talked with SLM/Ampeg factory today. They pretty much concluded the same thing. I ordered a replacement Master Level slider for under 3 dollars. Keeping my fingers crossed that she comes back up. Thanks for your time and info.