New Stiletto Ace 1x12 sound issue

[Dman84]

Hi guys, I am new to the board and I have recently acquired a Stiletto Ace 1x12 combo and I am having some issues. I have owned tube amps and Mesa amps in the past and watched lots of demo videos of the stiletto on youtube before I picked this up and I feel like the amp doesn't sound right.
All of my crunch modes were hard to dial in at first but I have manged to get them sounding pretty good although they are a bit thin in the bottom end. The problem is with the clean channel. This thing is gutless! It sounds like a solid state practice amp. There is absolutely NO bottom end.. I have tried everything I can think of with the eq and volume settings and the clean channel sounds terrible.. My buddy has a Gibson Goldtone 30gvrs. It has the same speakers but open in the back and 2x12, the same preamp tubes and EL84s instead of the EL34s ,however, the clean channel on that amp is pure heaven. The lows have real balls, the highs are crystal clear and everything in between is creamy goodness... Mine is thin and clips almost immediately.

What are my options? New tubes? New speakers? I have heard the v30 isn't the best for this amp.. Any Advice?

Thanks!

 

[primal]

I think something isn't right.

I picked up the same amp a couple days ago and was very impressed with Fat Clean.

As far as low end, simply putting the amp on the floor (I initially had it up in a flight case base) gave it more then enough low end for all settings.

Here are settings I use with my Suhr S-4 in the neck pickup position that sound great to my ears

To keep things simple, try these with the loop bypassed. Your channel volume is now your master as well.

Settings are as you would view a clock
Fat clean
Gain = 2:00
Treble = 1:30 (I keep the treble off for the gain stuff)
Mid = 12:00
Bass = 2:30
Presence = 10:00
Master = To taste

With my Suhr in the neck position this give me a nice clean tone to my ears. If it sounds like something completely garbage and unusable, I'm betting you have a tube going somewhere.

 

[Dman84]

Thanks for the reply. Yes, I am convinced there is something wrong. I have tried everything I can with the settings and my guitars, I have even tried taking the back off and trying it as an open cab.
As for a tube problem, short of buying a whole new set of tubes, I am not sure how to diagnose it. I have tapped them and there is no tube noise. Would it be a preamp problem or a power problem?

 

[primal]

Not really sure. You could call Mesa and see what they say. They have been helpful even with 20 year old out of warranty amps for me in the past.

 

[blaren]

Sorry I didn't see this sooner.
If you haven't diagnosed the problem yet...to eliminate the possibility (the strong possibility) that it's a preamp tube, take a KNOWN GOOD 12AX7 (maybe from your friend's working amp) and one by one, replace your 12AX7s with the known good one.
So like start at V1, the first preamp tube. Remove yours and try the good one in that socket.
No change? Replace your original and move to the next and replace IT with the KNOWN GOOD one.
Once you have tried replacing each of the 5 tubes (one at a time still), if your problem doesn't disappear it's time to move to troubleshooting step #2.

PS. Some weird **** can happen with these and it can be caused by the effects loop. To eliminate that possibility take a short cable and go from the send to return. Also of course try the switch bypass...and often some contact cleaner in the loop jacks can rectify some strange issues.
GOOD LUCK and PLEASE let us all know what you discover.

 

[Dman84]

Thank you for the advice. I will try the swapping the pre amp tubes one at a time.. On the effects loop.. When I hard bypass a bunch of these issues go away.. Not entirely, but things do clean up a bit. However, no my crunch on channel two is just horrendous, it almost sounds like a blown speaker, which can't be the case because the other channel two setting avoid this.

One other new thing is a bad vibrating or buzzing noise when I strum certain chords. I looked in the back and when it does this, I can hold one of the power tubes and it stops. This tone isn't coming from the speaker but from the back of the amp itself. Is there a way of keeping the tub from rattling?

 

[blaren]

Sounds like that might be the retainer. There are a pair of kinda semi-circular springsteel rings that "bite-into" the powertube bases to hold them in. Maybe one is bent away and barely touching the tube base and buzzing? I betcha. You can just bend it in or out.
spray some contact cleaner onto a 1/4" jack and quickly plug in and out of each effects loop jack. Sometimes, strange as it sounds, dirty loop jacks..or oxidized jacks can cause all kinds of weird issues.
I'm gonna do mine tomorrow.

 

[Sergiorms]

Hello..I have a stiletto Ace combo 2x12"..the clean channel sounds thin and most of all...mid et bass control didn't change anything to the sound..meanwhile when i put treble control at zero..i have no sound at all..I change and check all the 12ax7..buy a new rectifier tube...that don't change anything EL34 seems ok..!do you have any idea of what happens there,,,??(I know this forumm is old..but i take a chance since your problem sounds like mine..and may be after 10 years you find a solution..thank Serge from Quebec city!!!

 

[rarebitusa]

With the Treble at zero and no sound hmm. Does this occur on both chans and with all voicings?

 

[Sergiorms]

With the Treble at zero and no sound hmm. Does this occur on both chans and with all voicings?

only on channel one..channel 2 is ok..????

 

[JustPassingThrough]

Hello..I have a stiletto Ace combo 2x12"..the clean channel sounds thin and most of all...mid et bass control didn't change anything to the sound..meanwhile when i put treble control at zero..i have no sound at all..I change and check all the 12ax7..buy a new rectifier tube...that don't change anything EL34 seems ok..!do you have any idea of what happens there,,,??(I know this forumm is old..but i take a chance since your problem sounds like mine..and may be after 10 years you find a solution..thank Serge from Quebec city!!!

The tone stacks occur after v3. Check the tube socket on the board as I suspect you've got a loose solder joint. Considering both your mids and bass do nothing and treble grounds the signal id check around the tube at v3 and then check the grounds and connections between the tone stacks.

Are the master volumes still working? Is the gain? Is the presence?

 

[Sergiorms]

channel1 works perfectly..channel2..mid and bass don't work at all..presence gain, master, volume work...!..with same setting crunch on channel 2..sound superb..and channel1 thinny and weak..! thanks for your help..!
Sergio from Quebec City Canada

 

[JustPassingThrough]

That's confusing.

Channel 1 works perfectly, but sounds tinny and weak? The mids and bass on channel 2 don't work but it sounds superb?

I am at a loss. Hopefully someone else can understand what it is you're trying to say.

 

[Sergiorms]

channel1 works perfectly..channel2..mid and bass don't work at all..presence gain, master, volume work...!..with same setting crunch on channel 2..sound superb..and channel1 thinny and weak..! thanks for your help..!
Sergio from Quebec City Canada

That's confusing.

Channel 1 works perfectly, but sounds tinny and weak? The mids and bass on channel 2 don't work but it sounds superb?

I am at a loss. Hopefully someone else can understand what it is you're trying to say.

ok ..sorry it's me..i speak french..so it's not easy for me.. So ..

-channel 1 don't work as it suppose to be..treble control at zero heard no sound..if i crank it..it works but the sound have no bass...because mid and bass control don't work..!

- the channel 2 works perfectly..i have treble mid and bass

on both channel gain presence and master work fine.

Serge from Quebec Canada

 

[JustPassingThrough]

My supposition is that the connection to ground from the bass or middle pots has come loose, or a 22nf capacitor has failed in the tone stack. There are 2 22nf caps for both the bass and middle controls.

Clean out the pots with contact cleaner and electrical lubricant, as well as all the tube sockets. Should it be a piece of debris blocking the signal this will remove it.

Bon chance.

 

[rarebitusa]

JPT has the right suggestions.

However, this is a crazy longshot thought, but when Channel 1 is selected, do any of the Channel 2 controls effect the sound at all? They obvious shouldn't, if they do they somethings probably going on with the relay matrix.

 

[Sergiorms]

no interaction between channels..! since channel 2 works perfectly ..it's something with channel one..i print all yours advices and bring it to my tech..!thanks ..i'll send news later..
Serge

 

[JustPassingThrough]

It occurs to me it could be the 500pf in the tone stack in series with the treble pot also. It could be whole bunch of things.

Bon chance mon ami.

 

[Sergiorms]

My supposition is that the connection to ground from the bass or middle pots has come loose, or a 22nf capacitor has failed in the tone stack. There are 2 22nf caps for both the bass and middle controls.

Clean out the pots with contact cleaner and electrical lubricant, as well as all the tube sockets. Should it be a piece of debris blocking the signal this will remove it.

Bon chance.

Bingo..you were right my tech(brother engineer!!

My supposition is that the connection to ground from the bass or middle pots has come loose, or a 22nf capacitor has failed in the tone stack. There are 2 22nf caps for both the bass and middle controls.

Clean out the pots with contact cleaner and electrical lubricant, as well as all the tube sockets. Should it be a piece of debris blocking the signal this will remove it.

Bon chance.

Bingo..my tech???(brother electric engineer)..finally test it..the mid pot was loose..! he sold it back..and everything work perfectly..thanks to everybody who try to help me..! à la prochaine...Serge

 

[JustPassingThrough]

Awesome. Thanks for the update. It's nice to be right.