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amp "peaking" out...

Discussion in 'Amps and Cabs [BG]' started by sloppyjaloppy, Sep 14, 2006.

  1. Sep 14, 2006 #1
    sloppyjaloppy

    sloppyjaloppy

    Jun 16, 2005
    australia, new south wales
    my bass rig(peavey 400 4x10" cab run by peavey sessionbass 200 head) has been fine for me for the past year or two and i love it. although since i carted it to my last gig when i set it up at home again the head has been peaking whe its only cranked to 1 or 2. whats up with this? i never push it too hard or anything and its always had a huge sound but i just cant get it without it peaking since then. any suggestions?
     
  2. Sep 14, 2006 #2
    robb.

    robb.

    Mar 6, 2003
    detroit, MI, united states
    are you using an active bass? have you previously used the -10dB input pad? has that setting changed? that's my first guess. apart from that, you may want to take it to a tech to figure out what is wrong.

    robb.
     
  3. Sep 14, 2006 #3
    slyslam

    slyslam

    Aug 23, 2006
     
  4. Sep 19, 2006 #4
    sloppyjaloppy

    sloppyjaloppy

    Jun 16, 2005
    australia, new south wales
    yeah my bass is active, does this mean anything? i've never used the -10dB pad. whats wrong with using an active bass with this rig?
     
  5. Sep 19, 2006 #5
    robb.

    robb.

    Mar 6, 2003
    detroit, MI, united states
    there's nothing wrong with using an active bass with your rig. but it may be that the output of your bass is too hot for the input of the amp. thus, even at very low levels, you're causing clipping.

    the remedy for this is to push in the -10dB pad button on the front panel. what this does is decrease the signal level coming from your bass to something more usable by the amp. what i suspect is that the button has been pushed in, activating the pad. but somehow the pad was deactivated, and you need to push the button back in to restore your sound.

    this should solve your issues. if it doesn't, take your amp to a tech to be diagnosed. or, prepare to buy another amp.

    robb.
     
  6. Sep 19, 2006 #6
    robb.

    robb.

    Mar 6, 2003
    detroit, MI, united states
    there's nothing wrong with using an active bass with your rig. but it may be that the output of your bass is too hot for the input of the amp. thus, even at very low levels, you're causing clipping.

    the remedy for this is to push in the -10dB pad button on the front panel. what this does is decrease the signal level coming from your bass to something more usable by the amp. what i suspect is that the button has been pushed in, activating the pad. but somehow the pad was deactivated, and you need to push the button back in to restore your sound.

    this should solve your issues. if it doesn't, take your amp to a tech to be diagnosed. or, prepare to buy another amp.

    robb.
     
  7. Sep 22, 2006 #7
    sloppyjaloppy

    sloppyjaloppy

    Jun 16, 2005
    australia, new south wales
    thanks heaps for the advice rcz. just one last thing, if i push in the -10dB pad, will i still be able to get the same volume as before, just cranked up a notch on the amp?
     
  8. Sep 22, 2006 #8
    robb.

    robb.

    Mar 6, 2003
    detroit, MI, united states
    you will probably have to turn up the pre-gain, but that's what it's for -- adjusting the input signal to be as hot as possible while still getting the tone you want. then you can use the volume control to adjust overall volume.

    robb.
     
  9. Sep 24, 2006 #9
    sloppyjaloppy

    sloppyjaloppy

    Jun 16, 2005
    australia, new south wales
    thanks so much, your a champ for sharing your wisdom.