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Amp Blown or Pre Amp Problem?

behemothbehemoth 2,189 Posts
edited December 2010 in Strut Central
hey guys. so i have this acoustic electric guitar. and i just got this early 80's Fender amp. it sounds like the amp works but i'm not getting any sound...

i notice the light on the guitar where the built in tuner is is not on...

does this area also house a pre amp? could it be that i need a new 9V battery in there?

or does anyone with the expertise believe it might just be a busted amp?

any advice is good advice

  Comments

  • fishmongerfunkfishmongerfunk 4,154 Posts
    no tech expert but have you tried pluggin your guitar to the amp with a different cable just to rule that out as a possibility? i can't even count how many busted guitar cords i have had to chuck over the years...
  • behemothbehemoth 2,189 Posts
    crabmongerfunk said:
    no tech expert but have you tried pluggin your guitar to the amp with a different cable just to rule that out as a possibility? i can't even count how many busted guitar cords i have had to chuck over the years...

    yea i tried that.
  • 48volts48volts 18 Posts
    Just replace the battery on the pre in the guitar. The amp is fine. Also just check if the standby switch on the amp in the back by the power isnt engaged.
  • behemothbehemoth 2,189 Posts
    48volts said:
    Just replace the battery on the pre in the guitar. The amp is fine. Also just check if the standby switch on the amp in the back by the power isnt engaged.

    9V replaced. works fine. there is a lot of crackle and sometimes i gotta fiddle with the volume to hear anything. almost like theres a small short. is this an easy wire replacement?
  • SnagglepusSnagglepus 1,756 Posts
    edit ** hadn't noticed your "it's fixed" post
  • behemothbehemoth 2,189 Posts
    Snagglepus said:
    edit ** hadn't noticed you're "it's fixed" post

    yea it was the battery. acoustic electrics run on a pre amp so....

    its an early 80's Fender Reverb Amp (Vibrato)

    if it needs 20-40 bucks worth of work i will do it. beyond that i don't really need it.
  • SnagglepusSnagglepus 1,756 Posts
    behemoth said:
    Snagglepus said:
    edit ** hadn't noticed you're "it's fixed" post

    yea it was the battery. acoustic electrics run on a pre amp so....

    its an early 80's Fender Reverb Amp (Vibrato)

    if it needs 20-40 bucks worth of work i will do it. beyond that i don't really need it.

    Yea ... I didn't chew on that one long enough. I'm thinking "9volt in a pre-amp? Huh?"

    Glad to hear you're at least getting some sound out of the thing. It sounds like either the output on the guitar or the input on the input might need cleaning and/or repair. If there's a crackle and sometimes the volume cuts out, it's probably a pretty simple repair.

    Good luck!
  • 48volts48volts 18 Posts
    behemoth said:
    48volts said:
    Just replace the battery on the pre in the guitar. The amp is fine. Also just check if the standby switch on the amp in the back by the power isnt engaged.

    9V replaced. works fine. there is a lot of crackle and sometimes i gotta fiddle with the volume to hear anything. almost like theres a small short. is this an easy wire replacement?

    Is it a tube amp? You might just need to replace the input and output tubes.
  • threetwosixthreetwosix 270 Posts
    Crackle = dirty pots. Get some electrical connection cleaner and have at it.
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