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Post subject: Did I kill my Tremolux?
Posted: Wed Oct 09, 2019 9:38 am
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Hello everyone,
I'm Max, I'm a new member and in need of some experts advice.
I own an old Tremolux ('61?) wich I bought years ago
I had it serviced from a local tech short after I bought it and it used to work well
and I was very happy with my purchase.
For different reasons the amp has stayed unplayed for a few years until the other day when I decided
to plug it in again.
To my great dismay, when I plugged my guitar to it I couldn't get no sound out of the speaker!
After having tested the obvious (the guitar, the cable, the speaker, the power tubes...) I started to
worry that something baaad may have occurred.
But what could it be? The amp stayed untouched for years
Aware that I wouldn't be able to do any repair that is not replacing a blown fuse, I know that I'll
have to bring the amp to another local tech (the one I mentioned above is long out of business...)
Since I don't know in which hands my amp will be I'd like you to help me have an idea of what kind of
problem I'm dealing with so I know what to expect from the tech diagnosis.
On a closer inspection the amp is not totally silent: I can hear a low buzz from the speaker, wich I suppose is the normal noise of the current flow ( please forgive anything stupid I might say as I have very little knowledge on the matter) and I also can hear the (little) scratch noise of the tone pots when I rotate them.
Symptoms are the same for both channels
Tubes seem to be all glowing as they should
Sorry, there's nothing else I would know how to test unless you suggest something
Thank you in advance for your understanding and help
Max


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Post subject: Re: Did I kill my Tremolux?
Posted: Sat Oct 12, 2019 6:15 pm
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You tried the STANDBY switch? If it has one.


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Post subject: Re: Did I kill my Tremolux?
Posted: Sat Oct 12, 2019 7:40 pm
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Make sure your speaker cable is fully seating into the output jack.

Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY


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Post subject: Re: Did I kill my Tremolux?
Posted: Sat Oct 12, 2019 9:54 pm
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Location: Coastal Bend, Tx.
Make sure the volume control knob is tight on the pot and not free spinning. Turn up the guitars volume.
If none of the above mentioned items were the problem, take it in for a check up. A few years may have added up.


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Post subject: Re: Did I kill my Tremolux?
Posted: Sat Oct 12, 2019 10:54 pm
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sfceric64 wrote:
If none of the above mentioned items were the problem, take it in for a check up. A few years may have added up.


Do some research *BEFORE* you drop the amp off at some unknown tech's shop. The last thing you want is some incompetent clown hacking on that amp. Ask around to find out where the local musicians are taking their gear for repair and pay attention to any horror stories lest yours become one.

Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY


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Post subject: Re: Did I kill my Tremolux?
Posted: Sun Oct 13, 2019 4:15 am
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I agree with what arjay says. if you gig at all, ask fellow musicians where they take their stuff. here in n.w. ohio, I found my tech thru a co-worker. I found that we both played, and he told me about a wiz who works out of his home. I took something to have him work on, and wound up buying a blackfaced 71 twin, as well as a strat that he built, all at very fair prices. his turnaround time is good too.

hope you find someone who can give this treasure the tlc it needs.


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Post subject: Re: Did I kill my Tremolux?
Posted: Sun Oct 13, 2019 5:01 am
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phreddybee wrote:
hope you find someone who can give this treasure the tlc it needs.


+1

The Tremolux is a really cool amp and they sound mighty tasty with a Strat or a Tele (think "Green Onions" by Steve Cropper and Clapton's "After Midnight" era).

Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY


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Post subject: Re: Did I kill my Tremolux?
Posted: Sun Oct 13, 2019 7:19 am
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BMW2002Ti wrote:
You tried the STANDBY switch? If it has one.



If it was a Stanby sw, he won't hear any noise.

"On a closer inspection the amp is not totally silent: I can hear a low buzz from the speaker, wich I suppose is the normal noise of the current flow ( please forgive anything stupid I might say as I have very little knowledge on the matter) and I also can hear the (little) scratch noise of the tone pots when I rotate them.


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Post subject: Re: Did I kill my Tremolux?
Posted: Sun Oct 13, 2019 7:20 am
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Retroverbial wrote:
Make sure your speaker cable is fully seating into the output jack.

Arjay


It is not the cable or jack or speakers, he hear a noise.

".. I can hear a low buzz from the speaker..."


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Post subject: Re: Did I kill my Tremolux?
Posted: Sun Oct 13, 2019 7:29 am
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Starcaster Max.
Look a issue with Phase inverter tube or circuit or Power tubes.

Phase inverter tube are a 12AT7 , the tube close to 6L6's
Remove 12AT7 and put any other 12AX7 and listen the amp. Only one channel will work. Try both.


The pins of the tubes and the base are probably oxidized and do not very well contacts.

I have often seen it in tube amps that have not been used for a long time.

Removing each tube and plugin them may suffice to clean them if done several times. Friction can suffice.
The ideal is also to apply a good contact cleaner like Deoxit. It will also be necessary to unplug and plug the tube several times


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Post subject: Re: Did I kill my Tremolux?
Posted: Sun Oct 13, 2019 6:08 pm
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StarcasterMax wrote:
Hello everyone,
I'm Max, I'm a new member and in need of some experts advice.
I own an old Tremolux ('61?) wich I bought years ago
I had it serviced from a local tech short after I bought it and it used to work well
and I was very happy with my purchase.
For different reasons the amp has stayed unplayed for a few years until the other day when I decided
to plug it in again.
To my great dismay, when I plugged my guitar to it I couldn't get no sound out of the speaker!
After having tested the obvious (the guitar, the cable, the speaker, the power tubes...) I started to
worry that something baaad may have occurred.
But what could it be? The amp stayed untouched for years
Aware that I wouldn't be able to do any repair that is not replacing a blown fuse, I know that I'll
have to bring the amp to another local tech (the one I mentioned above is long out of business...)
Since I don't know in which hands my amp will be I'd like you to help me have an idea of what kind of
problem I'm dealing with so I know what to expect from the tech diagnosis.
On a closer inspection the amp is not totally silent: I can hear a low buzz from the speaker, wich I suppose is the normal noise of the current flow ( please forgive anything stupid I might say as I have very little knowledge on the matter) and I also can hear the (little) scratch noise of the tone pots when I rotate them.
Symptoms are the same for both channels
Tubes seem to be all glowing as they should
Sorry, there's nothing else I would know how to test unless you suggest something
Thank you in advance for your understanding and help
Max


I doubt you have killed your Tremolux.
I'm going to ask some questions that may seem stupid.

What have you been using in the mean time to play your '76 Tele through? Are you sure the guitar is working?

Blonde Tremolux? Head with 2-10 inch cab? You are in Italy, how is it powered? There are several schematics for a 6G9 Tremolux. None of the 6G9 schematics show an export power transformer. None of them show a standby switch, I doubt that is the problem. Do you know which you have? Which power tubes does it have? Is there a tube chart?
stratele52 wrote:
Starcaster Max.
Look a issue with Phase inverter tube or circuit or Power tubes.

Phase inverter tube are a 12AT7 , the tube close to 6L6's
Remove 12AT7 and put any other 12AX7 and listen the amp. Only one channel will work. Try both.


The pins of the tubes and the base are probably oxidized and do not very well contacts.

I have often seen it in tube amps that have not been used for a long time.

Removing each tube and plugin them may suffice to clean them if done several times. Friction can suffice.
The ideal is also to apply a good contact cleaner like Deoxit. It will also be necessary to unplug and plug the tube several times


What Stratele52 is suggesting here is "tube rolling" Very good advice in this situation.

I apologize in advance for not being able to recommend a good tech in Italy.

But I would say that any tech you go to should be able to return any "bad parts" he replaces, especially tubes.

Just my opinion,
vinyl


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Post subject: Re: Did I kill my Tremolux?
Posted: Sun Oct 13, 2019 7:47 pm
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Joined: Thu Aug 07, 2014 3:25 pm
Posts: 1023
Tighten your input jack nuts. They might have corroded or loose grounds. Then tighten up the speaker jacks


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Post subject: Re: Did I kill my Tremolux?
Posted: Sun Oct 13, 2019 8:45 pm
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There must be Facebook group in Italy where OP can ask for a good tech.


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Post subject: Re: Did I kill my Tremolux?
Posted: Sun Oct 13, 2019 8:55 pm
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stratele52 wrote:
There must be Facebook group in Italy where OP can ask for a good tech.

+1

That would be a great place to start.

Arjay

_________________
"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY


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Post subject: Re: Did I kill my Tremolux?
Posted: Mon Oct 14, 2019 3:46 am
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Joined: Wed Oct 09, 2019 8:51 am
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WOW! Thanks you a whole lot for all your replies!!

Yes, I did test all I could test: cables, speakers, switches and so on, I've also removed power tubes one at the time and tested them on my Champ 12.
Did not try with pre tubes, but you bet I will today ;-) Hope Stratele52 is right!...
Also, yesterday I turned it on again and I must say that there is some very weak guitar sound comin' out of the speakers wich goes off when I raise the volume past 7or 8. And that's for both channels, so I doubt it's a pot issue.
Vinyl, the amp it's been used before by me, it has correct voltage and it is loaded with the right tubes.
Guitar is working. The amp is blonde, 2x10 and tube chart reads AA763 circuit (not 6G9, do we have a new issue?..)
Finding a good tech here is not impossible, finding one that is honest is another thing....I'm not saying they're all thief, but given the fact that they are rare they tend to take advantage of it, so that you may bring in an amp with a scratching pot and come out with a brand new set of tubes! :lol:
Back to main issue: my biggest concern is that I've been told that with very old amps that haven't been used for long time if not let to warm up well before switching on, serious damage can be done to the OT.
But I hear (weak) sound from the speakers so my OT should be ok, right?
If only I could get to exclude major damages to the amp...

stratele52 wrote:
Starcaster Max.
Look a issue with Phase inverter tube or circuit or Power tubes.
Phase inverter tube are a 12AT7 , the tube close to 6L6's
Remove 12AT7 and put any other 12AX7 and listen the amp. Only one channel will work. Try both.
The pins of the tubes and the base are probably oxidized and do not very well contacts.
I have often seen it in tube amps that have not been used for a long time.
Removing each tube and plugin them may suffice to clean them if done several times. Friction can suffice.
The ideal is also to apply a good contact cleaner like Deoxit. It will also be necessary to unplug and plug the tube several times


Stratele52,
I should have another 12AT7 somewhere, I could try that...
Another thing: spray contact cleaner on tube circuitry can cause damage (so seems to have happened to another of my amps...) and I've been suggested "rectified gasoline" instead : have you ever heard about?

And again, thank to all of you for your contribution


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