Amp issue

sw67

My MJW has been acting up lately. Every now and then it will crackle and the sound will die but before you can check anything the sound is back to normal. This can happen weeks apart and it works fine most of the time. I replaced the valves after the first couple of incidents . Is it worth taking it to a tech ( Scotland ) or just wait until the issue is bad enough that a tech would have a chance of replicating the issue.

webrthomson

Not sure where you are but Dennis Marshall in Fife is excellent - http://www.dennismarshall.co.uk/

ICBM

I'm sure @martinw will be able to advise what to do, but if it's easier to have it looked at more locally I'd be glad to help - I work from Strung Out Guitars in Glasgow if that's close enough.

martinw

Not sure what that sounds like if it's not valve related.

Perhaps try cleaning the effects loop jacks, or bypassing them with a patch cable.

Beyond that I would drop it in to the esteemed @ICBM

 

sw67

Thanks guys. ICBM - i don't have any gigs in Jan so i will drop it off in early in the month if thats ok. I will pm you with a more detailed description of the issue. Its 5 years old so may just need a bit of a service and i think it sat for a few years unused

Voxman

sw67 said:

Thanks guys. ICBM - i don't have any gigs in Jan so i will drop it off in early in the month if thats ok. I will pm you with a more detailed description of the issue. Its 5 years old so may just need a bit of a service and i think it sat for a few years unused

Yup, I think all valve amps would benefit from a thorough service periodically to ensure you're getting the best from it, especially if it's been sitting a while - but try cleaning all the sockets first with electrical switch cleaner as Martin suggests - from my experience you might just have some oxidisation built up from lack of use.  I think it's also worth checking that the valve seats are clean too, and of course that all the valves are still good.  As Martin built it, it's bound to only be something minor. 

ICBM

Picked the amp up from the shop today. I haven't had a chance to plug it in yet, but I had a quick look under the cover and I can quite definitely say that





this is the BLUEST amp I have ever seen in my life .

sw67

It certainly is