Looking for advice...

[bassman7777]

I have an Ampeg BA112 v1 that was given to me that the owner said had a blown speaker. I thought that to be an easy fix, but...
After putting in an appropriate replacement speaker, the amp has what can best be described a a soft crackling sound that comes and goes when played. Also, cuts out sometimes. I am not an electronics guy, so I need your collective smarts to answer a couple of questions:
What do you think can be causing this? Is it worth repairing if the labor would cost more than the amp is worth? Also, the genius previous owner took off the ground from the plug but I can fix that.
Thanks in advance...

 

[hbarcat]

. . . a soft crackling sound that comes and goes when played. Also, cuts out sometimes.


That sounds like a bad connection in the wiring. Check the speaker terminals for loose connections as well as the input jack. If that seems okay, then check the wires themselves for cuts, abrasions, crimps, or other damage.



If you don't find anything just by seeing and feeling, then the next logical step would be to get a friend to play the bass with the amp turned on while you wiggle the wires inside the cabinet to see if that helps locate the loose connection.

WARNING!
Since you said that you're not an electronics guy, I recommend that you DON'T do this due to the risk of being electrocuted. There are safe ways to do this, but that should be left to professionals.

 

[bassman7777]

Thanks for the suggestion. This sounds a little different from a bad speaker or input sound though. Could a capacitator do this kind of thing? Otherwise, I will start digging into the input and output chain.

 

[Lo-E]

If you don’t have any background in electronics you should only pursue fixing this yourself if you plan to use it as a project to learn from.

I’m not saying a novice isn’t capable of fixing their own amp but the process will involve a lot of research (real research… not just asking for opinions on a forum but actually learning about electronic troubleshooting), trial and error (at least one error is almost guaranteed for an absolute beginner) and risk either of personal injury or damage to the amp. If your goal is to take on the task and learn from it, I encourage you to do so.

On the other hand, if your goal is simply to get the amp working so you can use it it will be far more efficient and cost-effective to simply take it to a local repairer and have it fixed. Troubleshooting a noisy amp by committee on a forum will only yield conflicting opinions, guesswork and, ultimately, a wild goose chase.

 

[bassman7777]

That sounds like good advice. I don't need it myself, but I want to get it working for one of my students.

 

[JKB1957]

Whatever it turns out to be, don't throw the old speaker away. It's probably good.