I know this is a guitar forum, but Im having a problem with my year old Peavey VK100 head.
When it is turned on, with a guitar plugged in or not, it makes a scratching noise. Vloume levels do not affect the noise, but it is constant. Someone said it may be a bad tube, any way to diagnose this myslef?
Any help would be appreciated.
Gibson Ls Paul Studio (Black)
Gibson Flying V (Faded Cherry)
B.C. Rich Warlock (Green Tribal)
PRS Paul Allender SE (Purple Sunburst, Bat inlays)
Dean V Acoustic
Peavey VK 100 Head
Peavey Half Stack
Digitech DeathMetal Pedal
Boss Multi-Effect Pedal
It might also be a noisy pot (potentiometer) or dirty contact.
If the level controls don't change anything, try adjusting tone or the other controls.. Any difference?
Maybe a dirty jack on the effects loop? Push/pull a plug in those a few times. Any change?
Maybe one of the switches (bright/boost/channel/gain). Even though the front panel switches aren't directly in the signal path (they control relays) you may be able to narrow it down a bit, or perhaps one of the relays has a dirty contact, and exercising it might clean it up a bit.
If it's none of those, then it may be a tube.
Anyone: was this the Peavey amp that had a history of solder joints on the tube sockets going flaky over time?
I wrapped a newspaper ’round my head
So I looked like I was deep
Pots mainly make scratchy noises when they're being moved, though that's not always the case. Most common noise of loud intermittent scratching/crackling/roaring noises (often called "thunderstorming") is electrolytic capacitors that are breaking down, with surges of current passing through thin spots in the oxide film on the foils. That's commonly accompanied by hum from the power supply filter capacitors drying out, losing capacity and no longer adequately filtering the ripple from the rectifier, but there often are electrolytic caps bypassing cathode resistors and sometimes screen grids, as well as plate supply caps for early stages of the "preamp" that can thunderstorm badly without causing hum. Every electrolytic cap is suspect.
A constant, fairly low level hiss and sizzle often described as "frying bacon" comes from current-carrying resistors, usually carbon comp ones, going bad. Look to the plate resistors and cathode bias resistors for that one.
Paper caps are really bad about becoming leaky to DC and passing positive voltage along to a subsequent amp stage when they're used as coupling caps, misbiasing the following stage and causing nasty distortion.
Electrolytic caps, paper caps, and carbon comp resistors are all parts with limited lifespans that will typically need replacing after an amp gets some years under its belt.
"A cheerful heart is good medicine."
True about the caps, but I wouldn't expect that in a year-old amp.
Unless they had a bad batch from the factory.
what kind of warranty does Peavey give?
I wrapped a newspaper ’round my head
So I looked like I was deep
Excellent point.
I've had "brand new" electrolytic caps off the wall at the local electronics store make some of the most terrible noises ever heard for a few minutes till they'd formed up.
If it's under warranty, talk to Peavey.
"A cheerful heart is good medicine."
Hopefully Peavey knows better than to use caps like these :lol: 
I wrapped a newspaper ’round my head
So I looked like I was deep
