My brother in law gave me an electric guitar and amp that he has had sitting around for the past 20 years or so. Some of the chrome parts are a little pitted and the strings are down right funky. My concern is the amp. When I plug everything in I do not get much clear sound out . If I play with the volume a little louder I get some crackling and some sound on the top end of it. I suspect there is an issue with the contacts what do I use to bring them back? Is it a faulty volume control? Would it be bad to take apart the amp and investigate? I really don't think that this kit is worth investing much in to so I would love to do this without opening my wallet too wide.
Thanks!
If it's a faulty volume control, then you're going to have to open that wallet. They're not expensive, and it's probably not worth trying to get it open and cleaned up. It might just be damp inside, in which case a few days in the warm and dry might be all it needs.
A :-)
"Be good at what you can do" - Fingerbanger"
I have always felt that it is better to do what is beautiful than what is 'right'" - Eliot Fisk
Wedding music and guitar lessons in Essex. Listen at: http://www.rollmopmusic.co.uk
It could be a dirty volume pot they make sprays for them - it's usually not a take the amp apart kind of fix so it's not too bad. If you are considering servicing the amp yourself please be careful, especially if it's a tube amp, as they can hold lethal voltage even when unplugged. :shock:
Also as Al said I've had some pots straighten out after some time - try sweeping the knob to it's extents a dozen time with the amp off of course. Sometimes the contacts just get grubby.
Cheers! :)
Most new pots are sealed so you can't spray inside 'em. You've got an old amp, though, so they might still be treatable. As was said, they may "clean up" with use. Lots of crackly, hissing noise in old amps comes from electrolytic capacitors that have grown electrically leaky with disuse. If it's not bad enough to make the amp smoke, it often gets better with running it for a while so the aluminum oxide film on the anode re-forms with the operating voltage applied to the cap. Old carbon comp resistors are also notorious for deteriorating and making a "frying bacon" sound. That doesn't get better. Some folks claim to like it. They think it's a classy "vintage" sound. Just old parts crapping out.
"A cheerful heart is good medicine."
It could be a dirty volume pot they make sprays for them - it's usually not a take the amp apart kind of fix so it's not too bad. If you are considering servicing the amp yourself please be careful, especially if it's a tube amp, as they can hold lethal voltage even when unplugged. :shock:
Also as Al said I've had some pots straighten out after some time - try sweeping the knob to it's extents a dozen time with the amp off of course. Sometimes the contacts just get grubby.
Cheers! :)
Thanks for the warning, it sounds like that lethal dose of voltage could ruin your day. The amp has three knobs; volume, EQ, and tube stack. So I guess that one would mean it is a tube amp? Last night it started to work for a while and then got foggy sounding. Overall it seems to be getting better as I use it more.
Hmm. Can't imagine what a knob labeled "tube stack" would do. If it's a tube amp, you'll see the glass tubes in the back. They have little parts that glow orange inside, and they get hot as blazes. Put off a nice smell when they do.
"A cheerful heart is good medicine."
Hmm. Can't imagine what a knob labeled "tube stack" would do. If it's a tube amp, you'll see the glass tubes in the back. They have little parts that glow orange inside, and they get hot as blazes. Put off a nice smell when they do.
Don't some amps have solid state/tube switches? I think the MESA/Boogie Rectifiers had that. You could either use solid state or tube. I'm really not anything close to an amp expert, so Ricochet please correct me if I'm wrong.
Dunno. Never got to play with one that had that option.
What's it say on that amp? Brand name? Model? You may have been given a real prize!
"A cheerful heart is good medicine."
Dunno. Never got to play with one that had that option.
What's it say on that amp? Brand name? Model? You may have been given a real prize!
I definitely do not see anything glowing back there. It is a Gorilla GG-20. When it works it actually sounds better than a brand new Epiphone amp that I had.
Maybe someone could give me a little information on the guitar as well. The only label is up on the head and it says Memphis. It says made in Korea on the back.
I am guessing it is pretty low quality given the country of origin and the vintage nature. It looks like it has two sets of pick ups, a switch and a whammy bar. Anytime I have tried the whammy bar it goes completely out of tune.
The whole package was free so it is better than nothing. Up until the acquisition I only had an acoustic guitar.
It is a Gorilla GG-20.
Gorilla amp thread from a few months ago
I wrapped a newspaper ’round my head
So I looked like I was deep
It is a Gorilla GG-20.
Gorilla amp thread from a few months ago
Wow! Very funny! I have always wanted the best, not necessarily the best worst amp, but nonetheless it is the best. I guess it is going to be like the AMC Gremlin of amps. For some strange reason I always had an eye for the AMCs.
LOL, you got the famous Gorilla amp! :lol:
Hey, all those crackly noises? That's the way a Gorilla is supposed to sound. That is a solid-state amp.
While jokingly called the worst sounding amp ever, I have heard some clips and they really aren't bad at all. But besides being famous for sounding horrible, they are also famous for being one of the most durable amps ever. Crank that baby up and play it for a few weeks. When it starts sounding really bad, it is working properly! :D
If you know something better than Rock and Roll, I'd like to hear it - Jerry Lee Lewis
Now we understand. :mrgreen:
"A cheerful heart is good medicine."
LOL, you got the famous Gorilla amp! :lol:
Hey, all those crackly noises? That's the way a Gorilla is supposed to sound. That is a solid-state amp.
While jokingly called the worst sounding amp ever, I have heard some clips and they really aren't bad at all. But besides being famous for sounding horrible, they are also famous for being one of the most durable amps ever. Crank that baby up and play it for a few weeks. When it starts sounding really bad, it is working properly! :D
Oddly enough it says, "Nothing Screams Like A Gorilla." on the back of the amp. Maybe I am hearing death shrieks.
Sometimes gorillas fling dung. :lol:
"A cheerful heart is good medicine."
