Marshall VS65R problem

[richt81]

Hello,

I am experiencing a problem with my Marshall VS65R guitar amp. The sound often cuts out or is replaced with a humming or crackling noise. I think this might be due to a problem with the guitar inpu socket, but I am not sure.

I cannot find any local music shops that will repair the amp. Does anyone know of anywhere in the UK that will carry out amp repairs? Or is this a common problem that I might be able to fix myself?

Thank you
Richard Thomas

[lowell]

Play the amp. When the issue happens give it a whack on the top w/ your fist. Does this have an affect on the issue? If so then there is a loose connection or bad jack. If whacking it affects it then make sure the effect send/return jacks' nuts are tight. Plug your guitar cable into the effect send/return jacks in and out a few times. This may help clean any dirt that may be in them. If it's a series loop and those jacks aren't working right they can cause loss of signal. Don't forget to check the input jack too... see if its' loose or dirty. If that doesn't help then potentially the 12ax7 tube is bad. Also some of these types of Marshalls have a DC heater supply and the rectifier for those can overheat and cause bad solder joints... but if you don't have tools and skills to do this then I might not attempt to fix it. Try the easy stuff first.

[richt81]

Thanks,

Since posting this I have found someone who might be able to fix it for me, but thanks anyway for your suggestions (hitting / kicking the amp doesn't seem to make any difference!).

Richard