I only have an acoustic guitar, but a friend let me have one of his old amps because I'm planning to buy an electric.
But there is a problem: the amp makes a lot of noise- is sounds like very loud feedback. The amp is a Peavey Rage, with 12W of power.
Can anyone help? If I could fix this problem, it would go a long way in persuading me to go out and buy an electric. To be honest, I have no knowledge on how to work with amps.
Also, does anyone know of any good websites that deal with amp repair?
It's late at night, but I'll get back in a few days to better describe how it sounds. Help, as always, is much appreciated.
"All I see is draining me on my Plastic Fantastic Lover!"
You mean it makes noise when nothing is plugged into it?
First thought would be someone over powered the input. Might want to check for a cold or cracked solder joint, look for any wires that may be loose or not making good contact. If its doing it only when your plugged into it then it maybe the guitar cable or the guitar itself. Is the amp anywhere near anything that it maybe picking up something from say a computer monitor, fluorescent lights, etc..
Does the amp have a three prong plug, meaning check the ground/polarity.
Joe
Now that I've been able to mess around with it, I think I've localized the problem. I'll try to describe it, but remember I'm no pro with amps:
I think it's something with the input, which is a little loose. I've tried several different cords, and it seems to work fine until the plug is disturbed. Then there's a loud "hum" that seems to work independent of the volume control on either the guitar or the amp. I'm trying to be careful with it, because I'm afraid of messing up my ears if I try to push the volume any farther up.
The cheap remedy seems to be to plug in the cord and wrap it with a bunch of tape to keep it steady, but this won't work perfectly, and when I go to college, it would be a great hindrance if the amp always "malfunctioned."
Should I try to fix it or get it fixed, or is it not even worth it to spend more then a few bucks on it? My dad is good with electric appliances, etc, so he might be able to investigate it. If it's okay to use tape to secure the cord in the input, what type of tape should I use?
"All I see is draining me on my Plastic Fantastic Lover!"
Ask your father to have a look at the jack socket. There's either a loose wire (may be a cracked solder joint) or the legs of the socket have been bent, so that the shaft of the jack plug is only making intermittent contact.
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If the jack's grounded by being clamped to the metal chassis (often the case), the locknut might simply be loose. If the jack's contacts are sprung, it might be best just to replace it. They're cheap, and you can get them at places like Radio Shack. Take careful note of what's soldered to which terminals before disturbing anything!
"A cheerful heart is good medicine."
All that advice seems cool, but I don't really understand it. :oops:
Can you guys explain it in simpler terms? Or maybe show me a website where I can see photos, etc of repairing amps?
"All I see is draining me on my Plastic Fantastic Lover!"
There are lots of sites with introductory amp troubleshooting, repair and maintenance info, but I can't think of any with pictorial directions for checking and fixing a jack. That's pretty basic. I'm thinking you might do best to take it to a shop.
"A cheerful heart is good medicine."
