Amp cabinet rattle

[rf7]

I've got a Blues Deluxe on the bench that rattles on low notes with the volume set above 4. I had the chassis out, had the speaker out, had a new speaker in the cabinet, and the verdict was that the cabinet is rattling. Tightened everything up in the cabinet, but I still have the problem. Should I line the front edges of the baffleboard with felt or something like that?

Is there a fix for this?

This guy does not want his amp to vibrate like that. It's not a new amp, early 90's vintage.

[ajeffcote]

I'm far from being an expert,but I have had a little experience in troubleshooting rattles.Look for any worn spots in the grill cloth where it is folded under the grill frame.Look for air gaps between the baffle board and the batten board.It doesn't take much to cause a rattle.

[Enzo]

RUn a signal generator to the input and sweep the frequecy up and down to find the resonant tone. Now let it run like that - with a steady rattle.

Now isolate the problem. You can roll up a magazine and hold it to your ear, or use the cardboard roll from paper towels. Use it like a stethoscope to find where the sound comes from.

Also press on everything. Use your fingers. Press on each side panel, press on the top, press on the back of the baffle board. Press on the chassis - push up push forward, push backwards. Grasp the transformers and push on them. Looking for anything that affects the rattle.

Look where the chassis meets the cab. Can you get a small screwdriver in the crack and wedge a little? ANy help? A common rattle point in combo amps is the top of the grille buzzing the chassis where they touch, something like that here? I know they layout is not like that, but the same idea might be happeneing.

Got a copper strip around the power tranny? Sometimes those rattle. Get a glove or rag and grasp the power tubes firmly. ANy help? SOmetimes tubes rattle.

I have seen plywood with a spot inside where two of the plies lost their glue adhesion, so the plywood wall itself was buzzing inside. A wood screw through that spot MIGHT help. This would be a VERY unusual thing though.

[rf7]

Wow Enzo, thanks for the information! You should write a book on troubleshooting, I'd buy it.

[rf7]

So, the cabinet rattles at about 80Hz, and it seems to originate from the bottom front of the cabinet where the baffle touches the cabinet. I tightened up everything and it still rattles. I replaced a baffle screw that was stripped, but that did not help. I lined the bottom front of the baffle with felt, and it is still occurring. I pulled everything apart and nothing looks bad to me. If I tighten the nuts any tighter, then the washers are going to start pulling through the wood. Any hints on how to stop the rattle?

[tubeswell]

If the wood joints are rattling, only way would be to pull it apart and reglue everything. If the rattle is between the cab and the chassis, apart from tighter screws and screw clamps, then I'd try fridge rubber door seal strips between the metal and the wood