Recto problem...

[UmberHulk]

can anyone help me out with the following problem...

It seems that my recifier which i have had since '98 suddenly is not as powerful as it once was.

it breaks up too early in a nasty/raw sort of way.
The low end is no longer tight.
and like ive already mentioned, it seems like its not as powerful as it once was.


please believe me when i say that Im 100% confident that it is not the tubes.

can anyone give me an idea of what this 'may' be a symptom of?

This amp has been the cornerstone of my playing style and tone for over 10 years.

Playing this thing has now become a chore and its effecting me in a mental sort of way lol.

Thanks,
Mike

 

[Dale B.]

How long have you had the preamp and power tubes in the amp?

 

[Platypus]

I would say power tubes as my first guess, how old are they?

If they're from 98 then I'd replace them no question.

 

[UmberHulk]

since ive started having the problem ive retubed the amp 4 times .
Svetlana 6L6'
sovtek 12ax7 wa's
like i've said im confident its not a tube issue.

is it possible for the sockets to go bad??

 

[tele_jas]

It's a long shot, but could it be your cabinet is finally broken in, or broke in too much?? Maybe try a different cabinet? Have you tried changing rectifier modes (tube to solid state or vice-versa)?

 

[ibanez4life SZ!]

What rectifier setting as you in? Have you swapped ALL the tubes? How recently?

 

[UmberHulk]

What rectifier setting as you in? Have you swapped ALL the tubes? How recently?

bold,
yes, all tubes swapped 3x
as recent as two weeks ago.

 

[kylek]

electrolytic caps?

 

[tele_jas]

About 2 years ago, my Fender Deluxe got all mushy sounding and I got new tubes and it didn't help...... I took it in and got new caps and filters and that fixed it.... Do rectos have both caps and filters? If so, you may check in to getting those replaced?

 

[UmberHulk]

About 2 years ago, my Fender Deluxe got all mushy sounding and I got new tubes and it didn't help...... I took it in and got new caps and filters and that fixed it.... Do rectos have both caps and filters? If so, you may check in to getting those replaced?

now we are getting somewhere....
whats the deal with the caps? are they known to go south after a while?
pallpark on what it should cost.
any resources where i can read up on the subject?

thanks

 

[tele_jas]

Not sure what the cost would be on a recto, but my Deluxe didn't cost a whole lot. I got the reverb tank re-wired, a new trebble pot, and new caps and filters and it was $125 I think?

What about output transformer? I found this on HCAF: http://acapella.harmony-central.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1263746 it's not the same issue as you're having but he said it sounds like a new amp once he replaced the transformer.

 

[UmberHulk]

Not sure what the cost would be on a recto, but my Deluxe didn't cost a whole lot. I got the reverb tank re-wired, a new trebble pot, and new caps and filters and it was $125 I think?

What about output transformer? I found this on HCAF: http://acapella.harmony-central.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1263746 it's not the same issue as you're having but he said it sounds like a new amp once he replaced the transformer.

awsome , that was very informative.
I had a tech actually tell me last week that it may be the output x-former. this just re-enforces that theory for me.

 

[WillShred4Food]

I know I'm really late on this thread, but I really could not help it:

"please believe me when i say that Im 100% confident that it is not the tubes."

"since ive started having the problem ive retubed the amp 4 times .
Svetlana 6L6'
sovtek 12ax7 wa's
like i've said im confident its not a tube issue."

"yes, all tubes swapped 3x
as recent as two weeks ago."

Guys, we make people repeat themselves a LOT on these boards.

Good luck, Mike. The output transformer sounds logical to me. I've also got a 98 Dual that isn't replaceable. So something like that might be around the corner for me.

WillShred