Help! Can't rock until this is resolved!!

[arete_visions]

Hello everyone, I've been poking around on here today looking for an answer to my problem and have not been able to find one, so I figured I'd make my own post...I'm not really up on the lingo but have a rudimentary knowledge of basic electronics.

So here goes: I have a Hot Rod Deville 4x10 that has been acting strangely, it warms up normally and when I switch it off standby it has a lot of hum, especially when I am not touching the strings of my guitar, but when I hit the strings not much happens! Then, while fooling around with it, I realized it will pick up the string's tones when I am touching the face or the switches! It seems something is going on with the current, but I do not have much idea of how to narrow it down beyond that...any suggestions?

Thanks ahead of time!

[loudthud]

Have you tried the guitar and cord with a different amplifier? Have you tried a different guitar and cord with your amp? Do you have some kind of volt-ohm meter?

[oc disorder]

Hello arete_visions and welcome to the forum.

Hopefully you will have arete audio after joining the forum !
I think loud thud is on the right track should check out leads
and guitars before we put on the waders and jump in !
Although there are lots of posts regarding humming Hod Rod Deville's
on this forum (now that you've joined , the forums search engine is invaluable)
Its possible yours may just have a missing ground on the input.
The early Hot Rods,Deluxes etc used a plastic jack socket with a chrome insert
and when they wern't breaking they often came away from the board
as they are physically held there by the solder connections.
The new ones use this type of jack. (see attached "new style")
Check to see if the input jack socket nut is loose probably is but if not loosen it a bit
and wobble the jack from your guitar lead to see if it remakes the connection.
You could also try running a piece of wire from the guitar lead jack sleeve/cover
to the metal top of the chassis to see if that cures it.
If thats all is wrong the circuit board has to be detached from the chassis and swung
down so you can resolder the jack sockett connections on the other side.
All the knobs, pot nuts/jack nuts have to be removed and the screws taken out
holding the board to the chassis , you may have to cut some cable ties around the
transformer wires to push the board down to clear the chassis lip.
Its a good idea to take some close up photos of it before you remove it incase
something comes adrift in the process.
Then you have a reference when it comes time to reassemble it.
You could also try plugging your guitar into the return socket where it goes straight
into the power amp but will sound very quiet and dull without the pre-amp.
At least you will know if the power amp is working ok.
Hope that helps to get you started.

[stokes]

What loudthud and OC said.It sounds like you are becoming the ground connection when you touch the strings and the amp chassis.Hopefully it is the guitar cord and nothing in the amp,if not the cord,oc has the answer.