Myles, How you doing? I've never used your advice column before.
Here's a real stupid specific question that I'm sure will be impossible to diagnose, but maybe you can tell me where I should look. All my gear is pretty old but stable and gives me what I require so why change?
I have a channel that keeps cutting out at unexpected times. I run stereo.
I have a Boogie Quad preamp. The effect send goes to a patch bay which sends virgin input signals to various rack mounted effects. They go into a Roland Line Mixer and the stereo outputs from that goes back into the stereo effect loop return on the Boogie. The Boogie outputs in turn go to a small Randall RRM 2-80 power amp.
I'll play and if I lose a channel al I have to do is go back and jiggle either the loop return, channel A of the main outs from the Boogie or EVEN TURNING OFF THE REVERB RACK MOUNT EFFECT. I have no idea why these various things effect the channel going off/on. If I disconnect the effects loop all is OK, leading me to believe that it's not the amp particularly, but either in the effects loop, the line mixer output or perhaps the gain staging is set too low?
The sound is sometimes a breaking up sound. Maybe a tube going bad? Sometimes the volume cuts down and then jumps out, as if a jack is being disconnected. Do you think these are all separate problems or is there something you think I should look at specifically?
I hope this makes some sense. I'd hate to just dump all my rack gear at a repair shop without at least a good diagnosis. Help.
