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I agree it seems like it should be a simple matter to isolate a problem with the filament supply, but I found myself pulling out my hair trying to trace things on the PC board without the help of a schematic or layout diagram. It became more a matter of how much time I had put into the repair without any success, with the idea that I couldn't really charge the customer more than about an hour in labor. I am just a small potatoes repair guy, and most of the customers I get are young heavy metal guys with cheap amps and not much money.
I just read the post about the thermistors that fall out of the board, and this amp had that same problem too. Re-soldering those cured some of the problems, but the amp seemed to have multiple problems. At a couple points, the amp was putting out full power no problem, then it would quit, and it seemed like there was something intermittent with the board itself. I did consider hard wiring the filaments, but decided that seemed like a chinsy way to go about it.
In frustration, I gave the amp over to another local repair guru, who came up with the same diagnosis as me: Not Economical to Repair. We investigated getting a whole new PC board from an authorized service center, and they told us that they must be obtained from China, and it typically takes many months to get them. Not an option for my customer.
It sounds like some of the guys here on the forum are pretty well-versed in fixing these things, and I hope to pick up some tips. I probably should have checked here first. I guess I am just an old school guy who doesn't like PC boards! I guess the point of my post was that I'm not impressed with the current generation of tube amps. They don't make 'em like they used to!
I just read the post about the thermistors that fall out of the board, and this amp had that same problem too. Re-soldering those cured some of the problems, but the amp seemed to have multiple problems. At a couple points, the amp was putting out full power no problem, then it would quit, and it seemed like there was something intermittent with the board itself. I did consider hard wiring the filaments, but decided that seemed like a chinsy way to go about it.
In frustration, I gave the amp over to another local repair guru, who came up with the same diagnosis as me: Not Economical to Repair. We investigated getting a whole new PC board from an authorized service center, and they told us that they must be obtained from China, and it typically takes many months to get them. Not an option for my customer.
It sounds like some of the guys here on the forum are pretty well-versed in fixing these things, and I hope to pick up some tips. I probably should have checked here first. I guess I am just an old school guy who doesn't like PC boards! I guess the point of my post was that I'm not impressed with the current generation of tube amps. They don't make 'em like they used to!
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