• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join freeLog in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Amp crackling?

I have an ampeg SVT 450 head with a matching ampeg 450 cab.
I brought it back home after band practice and plugged it in. But when I turned it on to play it started crackling randomly. At first really loud, but over time it got softer and now it's pretty much one. But every once in a wile I'll here a little crackle or two.

Has anyone ever had this happen to them before? Or know what this might be from?
I have it plugged in to a PA system, maybe that might have caused it to start this?
 
Can you make it crackle when you smack it? If so, could be a loose internal connection, maybe a cracked etch (trace) on a circuit board. Also try connecting the effects send and return with an instrument cable (could be one of those jacks doing something strange). Those aren't all the possibilities but let's start there.

This head didn't take a physical jolt coming back to your place, did it?