Line6 Flextone 111 XL problem

baldy

This is one of my stepsons amps.
When you switch it on the lights come on for a fraction of a second then go out & the amp is dead.
I have explained the problem over the phone to the local amp "expert" who said that there is no point taking it to him as it will cost more to repair than the amp is worth.
Any ideas or recommendations of a different amp tech I can try in in South Wales ? 

impmann

baldy said:

This is one of my stepsons amps.
When you switch it on the lights come on for a fraction of a second then go out & the amp is dead.
I have explained the problem over the phone to the local amp "expert" who said that there is no point taking it to him as it will cost more to repair than the amp is worth.
Any ideas or recommendations of a different amp tech I can try in in South Wales ? 

Can't help in S Wales but if you can get it to him in Northants, theres a tech who knows these amps inside and out. It doesn't sound like one of their "known" issues.
Have you tried powering it on holding down the A & D buttons for about 8-10 secs (hard factory reset)?

baldy

Just tried that impmann, the lights come on & immediately go off but the "A" button light stays on but the amp is dead ?

impmann

Hmmm, very odd.

I seem to remember (and forgive me its been a few years since I took one apart) that the main board is joined to the User Interface board by plug in ribbon cables. I wonder if one of these are loose/been jolted out slightly. You may be able to slide the amp section out and give the cables a wiggle (technical term) then try again. Make sure it is not plugged in and don't touch any of the caps.

baldy

I have already checked all the ribbon connections, unplugged them then plugged them in again & they all seem fine.
The A channel light will stay on now if I power it up holding A & D down but the amp is dead (all lights come on & immediately go off except for the A channel button which stays lit but you can"t change channels).
If I just power it up without holding A & D down all the lights just flash on for a second.

impmann

I'm wondering if the flash memory has got corrupted somehow. Do you have the facility to hook it up to a computer and download the Flash from the Line6 website?

baldy

I am fairly sure that my stepson has done that already but I will check. 

impmann

That could be what bricked it in the first place... it happens...

Good luck!

baldy

Just spoke with my stepson & he hasn"t tried flashing it from the Line 6 website.
Forgive my ignorance but how would I go about doing that for him, is it straightforward as I am not the best with computers ?

impmann

You need a USB to Midi converter - we used to recommend the Midiman II as it was the most stable that we found (and was what we used). Basically you need to connect it to the computer, download the software download centre from Line6 (called "Monkey") and then you can update it from there.
Its not the easiest machine to update though - in fact, its a pain in the 'arris. Sometimes things can go a bit awry, because of the way the flash is accessed on the board and the operating system of the amp. They could be a bit temperamental.

TBH, if you aren't great with computers, it may be best to get it to someone who could help. As I say, one of my old team from Line6 Service (sadly now defunct in the UK) is doing repair work based in Northants and he does know his onions - I'm sure he'd be only too happy to try to help. I think Yamaha (who now own Line6) have a service centre in Milton Keynes although not sure how much knowledge they'd have of the older gear. Bear in mind, you could drop the chassis and post that - much easier than a socking great big combo! Let me know and I could pass on numbers etc.

Sorry I couldn't help any further.

ICBM

To be fair, the amp "expert" is quite likely to be right - if it's not a software/firmware issue then it could easily cost more to fix than the amp is worth, partly because they're just not worth very much now. If it's even feasible at all...

Good to know there is someone in the UK who will still look at something like this though.

baldy

Hi impmann if you could pass on a number that would be great as my stepson really doesn"t want to scrap it if he can help it as he really likes it (so much so that this is his second one).
Agreed ICBM the amp "expert" may well be right but I was surprised that he wasn"t even prepared to look at it & just dismissed it as a write off straight away unseen.

ICBM

baldy said:

Agreed ICBM the amp "expert" may well be right but I was surprised that he wasn"t even prepared to look at it & just dismissed it as a write off straight away unseen.

Perhaps, but a lot of techs have experience of wasting half an hour or more on this sort of thing trying to get an idea where the problem may be, and then don't feel they can charge if they can't fix it, so they will often cut out the intermediate steps and simply refuse to look at it.

I have a list of amps to which this applies, although this is not one of them - but I had a look at one a few weeks ago to see if it was something simple, and when it wasn't the owner didn't want to spend money on it, so it still sits waiting to be collected...

baldy

This amp guy charges £40 to "look" at an amp so wouldn"t of been wasting his time as I was willing to pay that but he wasn"t interested.
Maybe he has a lot of experience with these amps & was saving me money, who knows. 

Voxman

I used to have a Line 6 First one II Plus. Have you tried an amp reset back to factory settings?

Sorry just seen you tried that.  Have you asked on the Line 6 forum if anyone has had a similar issue...lots of specialist knowledge on there. 

Fretwired

Voxman said:

I used to have a Line 6 First one II Plus. Have you tried an amp reset back to factory settings?

Sorry just seen you tried that.  Have you asked on the Line 6 forum if anyone has had a similar issue...lots of specialist knowledge on there. 

First One .. do you mean Flextone ... :-) I still have one of those sitting around somewhere ...

baldy

I have been given the details of someone by impmann who I am going to send the amp to to hopefully be fixed.

Voxman

Fretwired said:

Voxman said:

I used to have a Line 6 First one II Plus. Have you tried an amp reset back to factory settings?

Sorry just seen you tried that.  Have you asked on the Line 6 forum if anyone has had a similar issue...lots of specialist knowledge on there. 

First One .. do you mean Flextone ... :-) I still have one of those sitting around somewhere ...

Damn that mobile phone auto-correct...yup, Flextone II Plus (I had it with the 1x12 extn cab and floor controller)...but sold it when I got my Valvetronix rig.