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Post subject: Frontman 15R Quit Today
Posted: Sat Mar 22, 2014 7:19 pm
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I was playing my LP Custom thru my Frontman 15R today using headphones so the volume was not loud and the amp just up and quit! Stopped working. I checked the wall socket, it was fine. I also have a Frontmant 25R, I plugged it in to the same place and connected my guitar and headphones and all was working fine. The red light on the 15R does not light up either so it seems my 15R which is in "Like New" condition just up and quit.

Question - Can anyone advise if this is something I want to get fixed or should I just give it to someone for parts (and I'm sure they will get it fixed somehow for free and it will work fine) and get another small amp for home use? Is this just gone? Can I fix it cheap? Is there a fuse or some such thing to replace? The back is closed up with a panel and I have not taken it apart to look inside. I wouldn't know what to do if I did.

Anyone have a solution other than throw it away?

Thanks, I appreciate any help I can get.

KS
Crescent City, Ca.


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Post subject: Re: Frontman 15R Quit Today
Posted: Sat Mar 22, 2014 7:50 pm
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Unless your 15G remains under warranty there's not a lot to be done with it. Fender does not repair these amps -- they merely give the customer a new one (in the case of a warranty claim) or tell him to pound sand and take a hike. It's possible that you might find a tech willing to take a look at it on your own dime but in any case these 15G's are only worth about fifty bucks on the secondary market -- you might spend twice that on a diagnosis where the repairman ultimately tells you there's nothing cost-effective that he can do.

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: Frontman 15R Quit Today
Posted: Sat Mar 22, 2014 8:36 pm
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Agreed. Sorry to hear that, but it's a cheaper amp and unless it's still under warranty there's not much you can do. It could be a blown fuse, but there are so many other problems that could arise too. I would just get rid of it or maybe sell it for parts on CL for like 10-15 bucks if you want to.


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Post subject: Re: Frontman 15R Quit Today
Posted: Sat Mar 22, 2014 9:34 pm
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Greg665 wrote:
Agreed. Sorry to hear that, but it's a cheaper amp and unless it's still under warranty there's not much you can do. It could be a blown fuse, but there are so many other problems that could arise too. I would just get rid of it or maybe sell it for parts on CL for like 10-15 bucks if you want to.


Just might be the fuse. Are you comfortable pulling the chassis from the cabinet?

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Post subject: Re: Frontman 15R Quit Today
Posted: Sat Mar 22, 2014 9:48 pm
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Thanks for getting back to me on this. I guess I suspected as much. Last question - is there a real possibility that it could be a fuse? If so where would this fuse be? I guess the thing to do is open the back and take a close look huh? If there is no fuse just close it up and move on to just using my 25R. I'm glad I picked that one up last summer when I saw it on Craigs. Oh well, I'll take a look. At least I have a spare speaker and knobs and "stuff". I can always "donate" it to the school or something.

Thanks again for the answers. I do appreciate it. I like having a spare amp so I'll start keeping my eye out and maybe pick up another again one day, or something similar.

Regards all...

KS
Crescent City, CA.


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Post subject: Re: Frontman 15R Quit Today
Posted: Sat Mar 22, 2014 10:48 pm
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Here is a disemboweled Frontman 15G chassis with the subassemblies separated for ease of identification......

Image

I've circled the fuse location in red.

Note that an exposed chassis may contain lethal voltages though the unit might be switched off and unplugged -- exercise extreme caution when working inside. Use only the fuse specified for your amp model as will be marked on the existing fuse.

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: Frontman 15R Quit Today
Posted: Sun Mar 23, 2014 8:42 am
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Retroverbial wrote:
Note that an exposed chassis may contain lethal voltages though the unit might be switched off and unplugged -- exercise extreme caution when working inside. Use only the fuse specified for your amp model as will be marked on the existing fuse.

Arjay

+1 million!!!

I have a Frontman 65r and (knock on wood) it is still holding up nicely. My daughter (who works at a music store) bought it for me a couple of years ago at an incredible "employee discount" price. It still sounds great with sparkling clean tone. The gain/drive channel is okay but a little brittle sounding, as do most SS amps. If the amp suddenly died, I would probably gut it, salvage the cabinet, and toss the components in the garbage. The other previous posters on here are correct. Fender (and/or most quality repair shops) do not service the Frontman series amps. They are actually a Chinese amp with a Fender label and are viewed as "throw away amps", as it would cost more to try to repair them than it would be to replace them with something similar.

Getting back to what Arjay was quoting... IF YOU ARE UNSURE WITH ELECTRONICS AND SCHEMATICS AND STUFF LIKE THAT - - DON'T POKE AROUND INSIDE THE AMP!!! :shock:

{thread within a thread, to support Arjay's quote}
You all might remember my story that I've told. A long time ago, I used to have an old 70's Ampeg VT22 100 watt tube amp. The thing was insanely loud and heavy as a boat anchor! Well, one fateful day, it suddenly died. I remember it making a loud hum, then a loud crackle, and then Bzzzzzzzt... That was it. It died right there.

Stupid me decided to take it apart, with absolutely no clue and no knowledge of electronics and no schematic to go by either. All these decades later, I still have no idea what I touched or what I poked. All I remember is that the unit was off and unplugged. But I got my fat fingers into something and must have made a static charged connection between two still charged up capacitors or transformers or something. Next thing I knew, I found myself dazed and upside-down across the room, in front of the livingroom couch! :shock:

Hell, I think I'm still brain damaged from it! LOL.... :lol:

To the original poster... Take it from someone who's been zapped, and zapped good! DON'T *#&% with your Frontman 15R. Just toss it in the trash and get another one.


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Post subject: Re: Frontman 15R Quit Today
Posted: Sun Mar 23, 2014 9:08 am
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ButchA wrote:
Hell, I think I'm still brain damaged from it! LOL.... :lol:


I think we've all 'been there, done that', Butch.

:wink:

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: Frontman 15R Quit Today
Posted: Sun Mar 23, 2014 10:42 am
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Retroverbial wrote:
ButchA wrote:
Hell, I think I'm still brain damaged from it! LOL.... :lol:


I think we've all 'been there, done that', Butch.

:wink:

Arjay


It is times like this when I simply do not understand why the fuse is not a simple matter to change by unscrewing a little black cap on the back of the amp, and replacing it. The Frontman, new Champion and Mustang lines would be less disposable items if the fuse could be changed like so many older amps. Gotta wonder how many end up in the landfill due to a simple blown fuse that is rendered inaccessible without disassembly.

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Post subject: Re: Frontman 15R Quit Today
Posted: Sun Mar 23, 2014 1:17 pm
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A fuse almost always blows because something is wrong, and mainly to prevent a potential fire. It is a safe bet that if a fuse blows, there is something that needs repaired. :wink:

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Post subject: Re: Frontman 15R Quit Today
Posted: Sun Mar 23, 2014 3:10 pm
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Retroverbial wrote:
Note that an exposed chassis may contain lethal voltages though the unit might be switched off and unplugged -- exercise extreme caution when working inside. Use only the fuse specified for your amp model as will be marked on the existing fuse.

Arjay


Unless the someone is dumb enough to work on the amp with the AC line cord still plugged in, the maximum power supply voltages in a Frontman 15G are only +/- 23 VDC. Grabbing it might make you notice but it won't toss you across the room like a 400+ VDC tube amp power supply will (Yeah. I've been there and done that too.).

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Post subject: Re: Frontman 15R Quit Today
Posted: Sun Mar 23, 2014 3:46 pm
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bluesky636 wrote:
Unless the someone is dumb enough to work on the amp with the AC line cord still plugged in, the maximum power supply voltages in a Frontman 15G are only +/- 23 VDC. Grabbing it might make you notice but it won't toss you across the room like a 400+ VDC tube amp power supply will (Yeah. I've been there and done that too.).


Excuse me but I'm reasonably certain that there's 117 VAC on the primary side of the power tranny.

And that is sufficient voltage with which to kill or injure.

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: Frontman 15R Quit Today
Posted: Sun Mar 23, 2014 4:17 pm
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Retroverbial wrote:
bluesky636 wrote:
Unless the someone is dumb enough to work on the amp with the AC line cord still plugged in, the maximum power supply voltages in a Frontman 15G are only +/- 23 VDC. Grabbing it might make you notice but it won't toss you across the room like a 400+ VDC tube amp power supply will (Yeah. I've been there and done that too.).


Excuse me but I'm reasonably certain that there's 117 VAC on the primary side of the power tranny.

And that is sufficient voltage with which to kill or injure.

Arjay


Might want to read my post a little bit closer. I've even highlighted the key part.

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Post subject: Re: Frontman 15R Quit Today
Posted: Sun Mar 23, 2014 4:22 pm
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I had 2 Frontman 15 G's at one time I sold one for $50, and gave the other one away. They were decent enough to put a modeler in front of however. I just acquired better amps and did not need them any more. I say just get another one off of Craigslist or somewhere like that if you like it enough to replace it.

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Post subject: Re: Frontman 15R Quit Today
Posted: Sun Mar 23, 2014 6:29 pm
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bluesky636 wrote:
Retroverbial wrote:
bluesky636 wrote:
Unless the someone is dumb enough to work on the amp with the AC line cord still plugged in, the maximum power supply voltages in a Frontman 15G are only +/- 23 VDC. Grabbing it might make you notice but it won't toss you across the room like a 400+ VDC tube amp power supply will (Yeah. I've been there and done that too.).


Excuse me but I'm reasonably certain that there's 117 VAC on the primary side of the power tranny.

And that is sufficient voltage with which to kill or injure.

Arjay


Might want to read my post a little bit closer. I've even highlighted the key part.


Sure.

Everybody I know completely buttons up an amp after troubleshooting and repair but before performing an operational test to see if the problem has been resolved. Every screw, every nut, every panel. Tight as a drum.

Sure......

:roll:

Arjay

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