Fender Deluxe 85 may be blown?

[jsd]

Basically I snagged it off of craigslist, Red knob version. I plug into Channel 1 and nothing. unless i turn it all the way up. then i get buzzing and a faint sound from the guitar. the only way i can get a full sound is from the power amp in. Could the preamp be blown? Please help!

[The Dude]

Very likely cold/cracked solder on the input jack.

[Enzo]

Blown is a harsh word. Let us just say it is not working, it could be something simple as a bad jack even.

Plug a spare cord from preamp out jack to power amp in jack, any help?

You have two input jacks, are both inoperative?

Are both 15v supplies working, so the ICs in the preamp all have powr?

[jsd]

[jsd]

Yea i tried to bridge between the preamp out and power and in, still nothing. sorry but im not understanding how to check if they supplies are working, multimeter?

[The Dude]

It does appear that the lower left connection in your picture may be cold. If you look closely, you can see small gaps around the connector. You should follow Enzo's tips, though. It will give us more information to work with. You could have a bad switching jack in the effects loop or any number of things.

Edit: Looking further at your pic, it also looks like the second from the left pad might be broken at the bottom of the pad. It could just be a little "flip" of solder, also. Hard to tell for sure from the pic.

(All in reference to the jack on the left, which I believe is input 1)

[jsd]

so i may be a dumbass. i took it apart to test the power. and as soon as i flicked it on a saw a neon bright flash in the fuse.. no more turning on abilities. its getting the voltage though

[Jazz P Bass]

Took what apart?
It looks pretty apart in the pictures.

[jsd]

I had put a few screws in to hold in place while. i was figuring out what was going on. thanks though

[The Dude]

"im not understanding how to check if they supplies are working, multimeter? "
"a saw a neon bright flash in the fuse......its getting the voltage though"
"i may be a dumbass"

At the risk of offending you, and I'm not trying to do so, these are signs to me that you might want to take the amp to a qualified tech. You've already created more problems than you've fixed. Continued attempts at repair by yourself might cost you more money in the long run, or worse......you could electrocute yourself. Again, I'm not trying to disrespect you, just save you money and/or a trip to the hospital.

[nashvillebill]

OP, where are you located? Perhaps there's someone close to you that can look at it for you, or recommend a reliable tech....NOT Guitar Center or Sam Ash.

[jsd]

I am in the Boston area. Plenty of people around to fix it. not enough money sort of thing, I have little knowledge of this. but some. And Im trying to learn. but yea i will get around to giving it to someone to repair. Thanks for the advice.

[The Dude]

If you are wanting to learn, that's great! I'm certainly not trying to discourage you from that. I'm just not sure jumping into an amp right away is the best way to go. I'd suggest reading up on some basic electronics (and maybe you have) first. Read some of the other threads here. There's a wealth of information. Think of it like basketball. You need to learn how to dribble and shoot before you just jump into a game. Much the same, you need to understand what the basic electronic components are, how they work, and how to test them before you jump in. If you're already past that point, my apologies. There's no way we can know your knowledge/skill level.

[Jazz P Bass]

I am still not sure how far 'apart' this amp was taken.
If the output transistors were removed from the heatsink, the amp should not have been turned on.

[DrGonz78]

Exactly Jazz!! Replace the fuse and build a light bulb limiter... As a way to learn more here. That alone is a great lesson to learn. However it seems that you blew something that could take out a fuse. This is how it starts... Do you have a multimeter to start testing bad output transistors??