Hartke Amp and Speaker issues.....need help!!

[LowEndLumerian]

Alright, I haven't picked it up yet but I talked to my repair guy on the phone he said its all fixed up and sounds great.

Notes from the call:

The pre-amp tube socket had been broken off the board when it fell, same with the input jack.
He put some cleaner lube in the controls
It appeared to have been previously worked on and he said the wiring was all crazy so he relayed the wiring properly
noted the volume control had been replaced, but seems to be working fine
screws on the top panel were stripped, replaced those too.


The speaker, when I dropped it off we tested with the C battery and all the speakers push air
He told me the cab was working fine all the speakers were working.

Will report back once I get it in my hands.

 

[Al Kraft]

Alright, I haven't picked it up yet but I talked to my repair guy on the phone he said its all fixed up and sounds great.

Notes from the call:

The pre-amp tube socket had been broken off the board when it fell, same with the input jack.
He put some cleaner lube in the controls
It appeared to have been previously worked on and he said the wiring was all crazy so he relayed the wiring properly
noted the volume control had been replaced, but seems to be working fine
screws on the top panel were stripped, replaced those too.


The speaker, when I dropped it off we tested with the C battery and all the speakers push air
He told me the cab was working fine all the speakers were working.

Will report back once I get it in my hands.

If you can, I would play it there at the shop before heading home to verify that all the problems you noted were fixed and nothing "potentially intermittent" that you saw earlier but he didn't experience have been addressed as well.

 

[agedhorse]

Alright, I haven't picked it up yet but I talked to my repair guy on the phone he said its all fixed up and sounds great.

Notes from the call:

The pre-amp tube socket had been broken off the board when it fell, same with the input jack.
He put some cleaner lube in the controls
It appeared to have been previously worked on and he said the wiring was all crazy so he relayed the wiring properly
noted the volume control had been replaced, but seems to be working fine
screws on the top panel were stripped, replaced those too.


The speaker, when I dropped it off we tested with the C battery and all the speakers push air
He told me the cab was working fine all the speakers were working.

Will report back once I get it in my hands.

So you bought somebody's basket case?

 

[Al Kraft]

So you bought somebody's basket case?

The good news is that it appears form what was posted that the technician was honest and didn't claim that more work than was actually needed was required.

The concerning part is hearing that a hack had worked on something and could have done damage that has yet to surface. IME this is why good techs hate to work on and have to warrant a repair something that had previously had a hack repair job.

 

[agedhorse]

Multiple issues, including the fall that the amp took plus previous hack repair attempts is what can drive the cost of a repair up. Once somebody has worked on the amp and hacked it up, there’s a whole lot more verification required.

I’m seeing this more and more, unfortunately. A “YouTube education” does not make a person qualified to work on an amp, it almost always results in a more expensive repair.

 

[Al Kraft]

Multiple issues, including the fall that the amp took plus previous hack repair attempts is what can drive the cost of a repair up. Once somebody has worked on the amp and hacked it up, there's a whole lot more verification required.

I'm seeing this more and more, unfortunately. A "YouTube education" does not make a person qualified to work on an amp, it almost always results in a more expensive repair.

I think this might be a reason that a number of tech companies will not sell parts (other than user replaceable consumables/simple R&R components) for their gear to anyone other than an authorized repair facility or technician. IME most electronic components are not returnable because many folks troubleshoot (and I'm being kind) by substituting in new parts to see if problems resolve.

Sadly, many people after "technician in a spray can" inevitably fails decide that perhaps common hands tools and a soldering iron can be used in a sort of "self-guided, internet-informed exploration of the unknown" exercise. IME, while sometimes costly, modern electronic system troubleshooting, accurate fault isolation, and appropriate repair and verification testing are best left to qualified professionals. In retrospect it's always turned out to produce the least costly and most satisfactory outcomes for me and others I know.

 

[eniac]

So you bought somebody's basket case?

Sounds like dating in the twenty-first century.

 

[Faith Nicole]

Often, the damage to speakers from a fall is hidden (not visible).

The general rule is when troubleshooting, is not to break it worse. It see a lot of gear that WAS relatively straightforward to repair before somebody unqualified got into it.

The good news is that it appears form what was posted that the technician was honest and didn't claim that more work than was actually needed was required.

The concerning part is hearing that a hack had worked on something and could have done damage that has yet to surface. IME this is why good techs hate to work on and have to warrant a repair something that had previously had a hack repair job.

I got possession of a nice CB Base station (no laughing, this was a while ago) that had issues. I do well with self-repair so opened the cover. UGH! What a melted burned up traces of messes were in there. I turned it over to someone more expert and got the same conclusion that I arrived at - it was trash. I know my limits, apparently some people don't know theirs.

to OP: I'm glad to hear that you found someone competent .. don't lose their number.

 

[agedhorse]

I got possession of a nice CB Base station (no laughing, this was a while ago) that had issues. I do well with self-repair so opened the cover. UGH! What a melted burned up traces of messes were in there. I turned it over to someone more expert and got the same conclusion that I arrived at - it was trash. I know my limits, apparently some people don't know theirs.

to OP: I'm glad to hear that you found someone competent .. don't lose their number.

It does happen, I do see it but fortunately not too often. When I do, it’s always a more involved, expensive repair.

 

[LowEndLumerian]

Sorry for the long delay on an update here.

My amp is fixed, I no longer have to hit it to fix it . The guy is a wizard.

Unfortunately my speakers appear to be blown, or one of them atleast, when my bass EQ is up too much or even if I just play at a louder volume I get this nasty buzzing sound. I tried my amp on a friends speaker cab and it had no issues.

I got the speakers used, trying to save some $$ but I guess it didn't pan out this time.

I think I caused it myself...while getting the amp fixed, I realized I was not using the proper SpeakOn cable (never heard of it before all of this). I was really only getting about half the wattage with how I had it set up.
When I got the amp back, I was excited to see just how big the sound would be. I took my set up to practice...I almost never go above the 2 or 3 on the volume knob of the amp its plenty loud.
But when we took a break, I decided to test the limits...I cranked the volume and played for MAYBE 3 seconds. it was SO loud

After that I noticed this buzzing started to happen....I'm pretty sure it was because I cranked it, but I would think that should be something that I could have done with no issues, especially for the extremely small amount of time I did it. Could be wrong of course.

I am going to look into replacing the speaker, or just getting a working cab and being more careful w/ it.

 

[agedhorse]

We tried to warn you!

And for those of you who insist that more power is always better because of headroom is always better… this showcases my example to the contrary, with the damage from too much power being caused by a momentary lack of good judgement.

 

[LowEndLumerian]

lesson learned...I think....would y'all expect the speaker to not handle that?? I would think if it was only a couple seconds it would not be a big deal.

I went from 50w combo amp to this 1000w amp/cab set up, so I really am ignorant in how I can/can't push a cab. It was supposed to be a 1000w speaker so I am not sure if I made an oopsie or if I just made an issue that could have already existed worse.

 

[LowEndLumerian]

We are expecting to play a show soon so its likely I am going to just buy another cab since I dont think I can get this fixed in time. Any hot tips?

 

[agedhorse]

lesson learned...I think....would y'all expect the speaker to not handle that?? I would think if it was only a couple seconds it would not be a big deal.

I went from 50w combo amp to this 1000w amp/cab set up, so I really am ignorant in how I can/can't push a cab. It was supposed to be a 1000w speaker so I am not sure if I made an oopsie or if I just made an issue that could have already existed worse.

It's 1000 watts thermal (not mechanical), and assumes with a healthy dose of good common sense and judgement.

There may be additional problems with the cabinet as well, if the problem continues, you should have the tech look at it again.

 

[LowEndLumerian]

I just figured 1000w amp, 1000w speaker, should be no problem!
but....ya know what happens when one assumes.

I talked to the tech, he recommended I should just look at getting another cab. Probably not worth the $$ to get the speakers replaced/rebuilt.
(He was not trying to sell me anything)


Thanks again for the advice and whatnot!
Definitely will *not* do that again haha