orion_thefallen Posted March 9, 2003 Share Posted March 9, 2003 Hi there Just now my amp stopped working ,well its working but really softly and very muffled and distorted. There was no prior indications that anything was going wrong it just stopped working. Its a trace elliot combo(Commando15). Do you guys think its the speaker or the Amp itself ? Any advise welcome . Thanks There is only two kinds of music , good music and bad music ....oooh and drugs is bad mmmmkay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeorgeR Posted March 9, 2003 Share Posted March 9, 2003 If something electronic blew, you'll be able to smell it. Electronic parts which fail catastrophically have very distinctive smells that are unforgettable. See if you can substitute your current speaker with any other speaker, even a speaker from your stereo, just for the purposes of testing. Good luck. Beware the lollipop of mediocrity; one lick and you suck forever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattC Posted March 9, 2003 Share Posted March 9, 2003 It's the smell of death... ...think funky thoughts... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orion_thefallen Posted March 9, 2003 Author Share Posted March 9, 2003 Tell me about it , we have a gig coming up this Wednesday , and umm? I suppose I am going to have to play into the PA and use some monitors for stage ,sigh - Its not going to be cool. Anyways thanks for the advice! I suspect the coils on the speaker is stuffed cause there is no smell of any kind. How much do you pay for a Celestion speaker 300 RMS ? 15" nowadays ? eish ? Why ? There is only two kinds of music , good music and bad music ....oooh and drugs is bad mmmmkay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeorgeR Posted March 9, 2003 Share Posted March 9, 2003 If you've got a gig coming up that soon you'll probably have to borrow or rent something until you can get this rig fixed. Any thoughts on how and why it might have blown? Beware the lollipop of mediocrity; one lick and you suck forever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orion_thefallen Posted March 9, 2003 Author Share Posted March 9, 2003 Nope that's what I don't understand ,its been fine for the last year and I used different basses on it pedals everything , It wasn't even running really loud. We were rehearsing for about 2 hours but that shouldn't be a problem. One thing though is I have a Active bass and I run it through a passive input ,but I have been doing that for 6 month's now. Sigh I wonder There is only two kinds of music , good music and bad music ....oooh and drugs is bad mmmmkay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fig Posted March 9, 2003 Share Posted March 9, 2003 I'm not familiar with that particular amp, but most amps have jacks on the back for effects in and out, power amp in and out, or something like that. When nothing is plugged into those jacks, they have internal contacts inside that sit closed (until a plug is inserted which will open them) allowing the signal to continue through the amp to the speaker output. Anyway, these jack contacts get gunk/deposits built up on them and interrupt/degrade the signal. So, clean the insides of all the back panel jacks on your amp. Use contact cleaner, or alcohol, or aftershave lotion (it works, it's full of alcohol), or a cleaner of your choice. This has happened to me about three times. I can barely hear any sound, even cranked. 1 minute to clean the insides of all the backpanel jacks, and it's good to go. While you're at it, clean all the input jacks on the front, clean the jack on your bass. Maybe one of your instrument cords? I hope it's a simple fix. Bassplayers aren't paid to play fast, they're paid to listen fast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orion_thefallen Posted March 9, 2003 Author Share Posted March 9, 2003 Thanks will try that when I get home. Its definitely not the cords because we tested multiple cables and instruments , even a clean guitar made the same distorted (is like a radio not getting a proper signal so can sort off here notes in-between all the crackling) just to make sure its not my bass. I do have send and receive sockets so I will check them , but its really odd it happened while I played. There is only two kinds of music , good music and bad music ....oooh and drugs is bad mmmmkay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BenLoy Posted March 9, 2003 Share Posted March 9, 2003 That very problem has happened to me as well. When was the last time you replaced the battery on your bass? Did you plug another instrument into the amp or use a different cable to eliminate the possibility of it being a problem with your instrument? The first thing you must do when you encounter a problem in a signal chain is isolate it. Start by changing the instrument (for this purpose, even the dreaded guitar will work ). If problem still presents itself, try changing the cable. If that doesn't work, try the solution that fig suggested. This happened to my Acoustic Image amp, and some contact cleaner saved me. Good luck. I would recommend contacting Trace Elliot for the location of an authorized service center if the above methods fail to eliminate the problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orion_thefallen Posted March 9, 2003 Author Share Posted March 9, 2003 Yes well I have changed both instruments and cables same thing , I suppose my last resort is contact cleaner and then perhaps a technician. Is there any chance it could be the speaker or a fuse ? When you switch it on/off it also makes a buzz/hissing noise. There is only two kinds of music , good music and bad music ....oooh and drugs is bad mmmmkay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeorgeR Posted March 9, 2003 Share Posted March 9, 2003 If this was a sudden failure, then unlike a bad contact or pot which would in all likelihood give you some early warning through it's operating symptoms, there is no telling just what it might be. If your speaker has a fuse or if something is between the speaker and the amp (say, a crossover) then these should be inspected for damage of course. Otherwise it might be wise to get an estimate from a good tech in your area. At least with an estimate (and hopefully some description/diagnosis of what he/she has found) you still might be able to do some of it yourself, depending on the failure. If I was near you (sorry man, South Africa is a bit far from Canada), I could drop by, give a listen to it and diagnose it for you (I'm an electronics engineering tech in the day job). I do have one thought......if you strike the amplifier with your hand or a shoe (something which will not leave much of a mark), do the failure symptoms change? I'm asking because if there were a loose connection somewhere, this might be helpful in revealing it. Beware the lollipop of mediocrity; one lick and you suck forever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orion_thefallen Posted March 9, 2003 Author Share Posted March 9, 2003 Thanks George ,well no its definatly not changing , I plugged cables in and out for that very reason while it was on yet nothing happend. I suspect the coils on the speaker maybe melted or a cap in the amp itself ,but I will take it to some techies tomorrow to see what they say. Thanks There is only two kinds of music , good music and bad music ....oooh and drugs is bad mmmmkay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orion_thefallen Posted March 10, 2003 Author Share Posted March 10, 2003 It turned out the speaker voice coil was burnt out.I had to repalce that @ R490 or in dollars it was about $60. There's a vidal speaker in there now , are they any good ? My amp seems more clearer now , I use to have a celestion speaker. Anyways at least its working now , and I hope it holds. There is only two kinds of music , good music and bad music ....oooh and drugs is bad mmmmkay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fig Posted March 10, 2003 Share Posted March 10, 2003 Glad to hear it's working again. That's always a bummer when equipment blows out. Party on!....Woohoo! Bassplayers aren't paid to play fast, they're paid to listen fast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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