what to tell the tech to look for...

[punkrockmike]

So one of my head, an ampeg svt 2 pro, has had a lot of power tube problems over the two years ive owned it. Over a year and a half, five power tubes have failed. They've always been on the right half of the power section (looking in from the rear). I know i set my rig up properly interms of cables. I started using a power conditioner after a while, but the tubes kept blowing. Every tech ive brought it to has said there is absolutely nothing wrong with the amp. Just power tube faliure. I have another svt, and have never had any problems with it. I run them the exact same way. The svt 2 pro was made in vietnam in 2007. Was this a bad year for ampeg? Could there be a bad solder joint somewhere? What should i tell the tech to check out? I dont want to just bring it in and say "a power tube failed" because he will just change the power tubes. I have taken this amp to all the techs in town, and have found the one i trust the most. I just want to see if there is something i should tell him to check out. I dont really have the funds to afford multiple hours of service time. I love this head and really dont want to give up on it.

 

[Pilgrim]

Those who know more about Ampeg...what about tube biasing?

It sounds to me like the techs you have seen are missing something. You may need to find someone who has better background in this problem.

 

[Mr. Foxen]

Tell the tech the problem you see. If they can't figure the issue from there and by looking in the amp, find a new tech.

 

[BassmanPaul]

! agree, tell the tech precisely what you told us. The problem occurs always on the right side. What you don't say is if the failed tube is always in the same position or happens to more than one tube at a time. All this information is important to the final correct diagnosis.

 

[Joe Louvar]

+1 to all the above.

Hmm, with this happening so many times and with all the techs saying the same thing and if I really wanted to keep the head I’d send it (with repair history) to the factory for repair for the final last attempt of fixing it, and if it failed again after that I would write it off as a lemon and replace it. Good luck.

 

[BassmanPaul]

I tried playing through a lemon once. Every time I squeezed it the juice ran down my leg!

 

[Joe Louvar]

+1. too funny - Led Zep

EDIT: That’s what my dad called a car he had (a lemon), because no matter how many times it went into the shop it still broke or turned sour - like a lemon. So since I dislike intermittent problems that never go away and I call them lemon’s.

 

[BurningSkies]

+1. too funny - Led Zep

EDIT: That’s what my dad called a car he had (a lemon), because no matter how many times it went into the shop it still broke or turned sour - like a lemon. So since I dislike intermittent problems that never go away and I call them lemon’s.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lemon_law

 

[Joe Louvar]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lemon_law

Way cool - thanks Skies.

 

[seamonkey]

I thought Ampeg had a 5 year warranty? (Not the tubes though)

 

[punkrockmike]

Thanks for all the advice guys. I called tech support at loud technologies and they said that its most likely a tube board problem, and told me to bring it to a tech and have the tech call them so they can walk him through some things to check out. Hope this does the trick.

 

[B-string]

Knowing what kind of failure the tubes had would be a big help also. Short from what element to what element, burnout from red plating, heater failure, cathodes powdering into the envelope ect.