Crate BX-25 Intermitent Volume levels

[LuxCahill]

Hi All, looking for some advice on what might be causing the volume level changes while I am playing.

I picked up this little amp as a practice amp (pretty beat up) but the cosmetics don't bother me. I played it a bit in the pawn shop (not real loud - it was a small little shop), it sounded fine. I got home and played it for a few minutes with my own bass guitars and it was fine...not as loud as I had hoped.

The other night we played for a couple hours. About an hour into playing the volume suddenly increased and I thought "that's more of what I had expected" and was pleased but then it dropped back to normal. For the next hour it randomly increased and decreased in volume and became more erratic until I just quit - it was too annoying.

I was hoping it would be a simple part to replace...I don't want to sink a bunch of money into it and I don't want to throw it away...Any Suggestions???

[g1]

I don't think these have an FX loop?
But they do have a headphone out that cuts out the speaker. So give that headphone jack some exercise by plugging in and out of it a bunch of times. Then see if that made any difference.

[LuxCahill]

I exercised all knobs and jacks. On power up the initial volume bobbled a bit (kind of like an echo that increased in volume) and then it settled into the "louder" level of volume. - btw that echo increase in volume seem to happen a lot during that long practice session I was talking about

I don't have time to play it for a couple hours right now to find out if it will start the erratic volume level changes. I did mess with the knobs and jacks a bit while playing and the only odd thing was that once the gain is above 5 the volume level decreases.

I like the louder volume - and I can live with less volume - I just hope the erratic behavior stops.

-no FX loop

[J M Fahey]

Try G1's suggestion.

I'd add the tiniest squirt of WD40 in the headphone jack first, then exercise a plug in/out 10/20 times (takes less than a minute) , it very probably has some crud accumulated at the internal switch mating surfaces.

the only odd thing was that once the gain is above 5 the volume level decreases.

Don't think it actually *decreases* but the compressor/limiter kicks in and may give that impression: after initial pick attack it tames volume down to what amp and speaker can actually handle.

Good, because otherwise you'd have an undesired fuzz box effect.