"Blows Fuses" and "Is my transformer dead?"

[R.G.]

A moderately large number of the posts to this forum fall into the two classes of
- " My (insert amp here) blows fuses!"
and
- " My amp is dead. It's the transformer, isn't it?"

Both of these are going to (or should ) get the same response every time. For the first, blows fuses, it's going to "build a light bulb limiter to quit blowing fuses so you can debug what the problem actually is".

For the second it's "No, it's most likely not your transformer. It's the transformer only in some fairly rare instances."

As a bit of meta-advice, any time you have an urge to post to any forum about a problem you're having search the forum before posting. You may well find the answer to your problem faster than you would by reciting the symptoms in text.

[Amp Kat]

Ahh, that's much too easy. Then we wouldn't get to read great replies from RG and Enzo.

[txstrat]

I'm right there with you.

[blckmynnse8]

That's one of the things I enjoy about this forum: for the most part it seems to do quality control on itself with only a little active maintenance (at least from what I can see). This place is one of the most civil and useful forums I've encountered (the soap box gets a little crazy though).

And yes, using the search function has provided the answer to so many of my problems that I really don't have much of a need to post at all. I'm just trying to remember to use the "thanks" button every time a person's post proves useful to me.

[defaced]

This place is one of the most civil and useful forums I've encountered

Agreed. This place is great. And I am very much a fan of the search feature; there is sooo much real-world technical information here that you just can't find on paper.

[Enzo]

Gee, there was one a few days ago where the fairly short thread was about some amp and the schematic for it. I posted the drawing in like post #2 or #3, and some new poerson popped in at post #12 asking for the schematic. tboy pointed out that it was already sitting there a few posts up.

Yes, I do wish they would use the search more often.

[Jazz P Bass]

Copy & Paste

How about a copy & paste feature for all the redundant questions?
ie: jumper the effects loop: pull the output tubes & then check that the fuse is still good.
Or a list of equipment that would be nice to see people use.

[Enzo]

I am tempted sometimes to write a piece "advice for people looking for advice." A sort of suggested approach to asking for help as regards contacting people (like me) looking for something. Unfortunately the people who need it would be the ones who would never read such a thread in the first place.


I wish I had a dime for every email I got that started, "You seem to know something about these amps. My model XYZ does this..."

Well then start a freaking thread about it in the forum.

[Euthymia]

I wish I had a dime for every email I got that started, "You seem to know something about these amps. My model XYZ does this..."

Well then start a freaking thread about it in the forum.

Ooh, that's a pet peeve of mine. Why PM me with a tech question when if we discuss it on the public forum so many more can benefit from my answers and what we figure out?

And why deny oneself the benefit of people other than me possibly having the answer, or even a different solution that works as well or better?

[J M Fahey]

Hi Enzo.

I wish I had a dime for every email I got that started,

and

Enzo ....... Posts: 9,817

I guess that would make you 981.70 Dollars richer
Your advice is *definitely* worth many orders of magnitude above that.
Hi RG: problem is that even if you pre-post a long, detailed solution to the exact same problem in the exact same amp, the "customer" will say: "ah! , fine, *but* my own personal problem is ..................... "
How do I know ? ................... don't ask.

[Steve Conner]

Maybe we should have a meta-advice sticky thread for newbies, like many other forums do.

Or a Perl script that stops them from registering here until they've read RG's entire tube amp troubleshooting guide.

[Amp Kat]

Well so much has changed on Ampage from where we are now as to how it was back in the day. The format obviously changed considerably(thanks t-boy) and the population traffic is about 10 fold or maybe even 100. The discussions we used to have (90's) were extreme and at times down right out of control and at other times repugnant but they were complex and full of knowledge. Some of the same posters from back then are still here and some may have changed their name to protect the innocent (lol) but many are gone so thankfully some are still here. I agree though that maybe a forum would be a good idea to keep redundant threads from appearing so much.

[Enzo]

Well, OK, I'll take the $981.

Actually JM I was referring to the never ending stream of people who read all the posts here, then decide they want a personal guidance, so they email direct. AFter alll, this must be a charitable free service I run. I had to turn off the PMs and email link, it got to be too much.

[Bruce / Mission Amps]

Well, OK, I'll take the $981.

Actually JM I was referring to the never ending stream of people who read all the posts here, then decide they want a personal guidance, so they email direct. AFter alll, this must be a charitable free service I run. I had to turn off the PMs and email link, it got to be too much.

I bet we all get the same guy's questions too... ha ha
The ones that make me laugh are kind of like this one I got in an email a few weeks ago before xmas, no joke;
"My amp keeps blowing up and uses all my fuses. I smell something... what do you think is wrong with it and can it be fixed over the phone?"

[Diablo]

"My amp keeps blowing up and uses all my fuses. I smell something... what do you think is wrong with it and can it be fixed over the phone?"

You should have told him that yes it can be fixed over the phone. Just aim the phone at the amp, straighten out the phone chord nice and tight, and I'll take a look at it.