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Ouch, my SVT: NYC area Ampeg repair?

K2000

K2000

Nov 16, 2005
1,600
124
Brooklyn
#1
Hoo boy... My SVT went up in smoke last night. Well not exactly, but it stopped working and the whole room smelled like burnt metal. There was a wee bit of smoke but I couldn't tell where it was coming from.

I had the volume at about 10:30, and was hitting it with a Wooly Mammoth (but that shouldn't matter, right?). I played for about 3 hours off and on, with a few short breaks where I put the amp in Stand By.

Then, sizzle. If there was any warning signs leading up to the shut-down, I didn't notice it, with everything else going on.

What's an educated guess re: cause of my amp failure? Tubes looked fine when I pulled the front grill off.

Who is recommended in the NYC area for Ampeg repair? Is it worth the extra effort to go up to Long Island for Jess Oliver (no idea if he even does this kind of work) or to New Jersey (Dennis Kaeger is his name, I think)? It would be a pain to get out there (no car, but maybe i can bum a ride).

I've got a local shop but I really want this amp to be serviced correctly.
 
#3
What kind of speaker cable were you using? Are you sure that it's a speaker cable, and not an instrument cable? I'm sure there's multiple causes, but the one that comes to mind is a no-load situation. When a tube amp runs without a load, it can cause the amp to fry. A faulty speaker cable could cause this.
 
#5
hey K2000... I have a busted amp that I'm trying to get assessed. Googled the address and it's going to be about an hour drive. If all goes well with my plans... I might drive there anywhere within this week but if not... it's going to be next week.
 
#6
TrooperFarva said:
What kind of speaker cable were you using? Are you sure that it's a speaker cable, and not an instrument cable?
Click to expand...

I was using a heavy speaker cable. The cab is kinda old and the input jack on the speaker probably needs to be replaced, because the cable likes to ease out of the jack, just slightly (but the speakers still fire). This could possibly be the problem. If so, I'll replace the jack for sure, maybe with a Speakon if that's easy. I'm not sure that's the issue but it's a possibility.

The amount of time that the amp/speakers stopped responding, to the time I shut it down was like one or two seconds.

One thing I didn't look at yet (d'oh!) is whether the amp's fuse burned up, but I don't think that would explain the burnt metal smell.

I'm also curious if there could be an issue with the power in that room. It's a dedicated practice space (not somebody's rec room) and the outlets (boxes) look new and sturdy, but only two out of the four outlets work. I plug directly into the wall, not a power strip. I didn't test the AC to see if the outlet was still working. I was so bummed out that I packed up and split.
 
#8
Burnt metal could really be anything - Resistors have metal components, fuses, tubes, even Trannies. I think it's likely you destroyed a resistor - but since you indicate a burnt smell - the damage should be clear.

Take the amp out of the chassis and have a quick bird's eye view - you should see any burnt components. if it's simply a burnt resistor - I'll come by and solder in a new one.

If the damage is less obvious - a qualified tech would be a better choice.
 
#10
I pulled the fuse out today, and it was burned up. I've seen fuses where the 'link' was broken, but never one that looked like this:

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

Replacing the fuse is easy but that doesn't explain the burnt metal smell. Would it be foolish to replace the fuse and try to run the amp again? (My guess is yes, that could be foolish).

I wanted to peak into the amp tonight and try to spot burnt components, but I couldn't get the rear guard off... I didn't have a big enough screw driver with me, and I was afraid I'd strip out one of the big screws that wouldn't budge, with the smaller screwdriver I had on hand.
 
#12
The fuse link didn't just open from a simple overload, it exploded due to a short. Chances are you have a shorted power tube that probably took a cathode protection resistor with it, hence the burning smell. It's pretty common, and we see that it SVT's quite a bit, particularly with old and/or mismatched power tubes. Generally, we do a retube, replace the burnt parts, bias it, and it's good to go. Then again, you might have a different issue.

Stop guessing and get it serviced ASAP.
 
#14
lazyone2 said:
User Rating: 5 out of 5 stars (2 ratings)
Central Jersey Music Service
(732) 572-1911
1627 Rt-27, Edison, NJ 08817 Map it | Get directions
Cross Streets: Near the intersection of RT-27 and Suydam Ave

Dennis is the best Ampeg Tech in the area , you should give him a call.
Click to expand...

I actually just dropped my Ampeg SVT 3 Pro off here for repair. They seem like they know what they're doing over there.. I was about to show it to someone who was going to buy it, so I plugged it in to make sure everything was ok, and was all messed up, sigh. There goes the sale.

So what was wrong with your amp?
 
#18
I've had several Ampegs serviced by Dennis Kager. He works for Central Jersey Music Svc. Is quite good. He designed more than one of Ampegs amps, and was one of the original Peggers when Ampeg was in NJ.
 

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