Yikes! 5150-3

[rectumfryer]

5150 Iii

Thanks so much Enzo!!!

I appreciate your knowledge, and help with explaining. I did talk to Fender today, and they are going to send me some pre amp tubes. See if that does anything. Another thing that happened is, that when I took the amp into this guy the front panel buttons for channel switching only worked when the footswitch was not connected to the amp, and bypassed when the footswitch was connected. Now the buttons do engage the channels by pushing in the buttons even though the footswitch is plugged in.....I wonder if that could be affecting something in a weird way? I told Fender about that too, but they didn't respond to me yet. By the way I'm in Hawaii. I'll probably be sending it to California or preferably to Scottsdale AZ, if I can just send it to Fender. I don't want to take it back to this guy, I know that!

Thanks again!!

[Enzo]

Are there no other professional Fender techs in Hawaii? Even on one of the other islands? Lot closer than the mainland.

[rectumfryer]

5150 Iii

From what Fender told me, I got the feeling this guy is probably the best in this state....and the only one on this island. I think there are two others in the state. I know he knows electronics, but we are talking about a guy who doesn't even play, and when he checks to see if an amp is working he plugs it into a freaking radio and tunes in a ball game, and says, " It sounds good to me, the Lakers are winning"....It's comical, yet scary for the guy on the receiving end. (No pun intended It will be worth it for me to send it to the Mainland, and I asked Fender if they would split the shipping if it came down to it, and they said they could probably work it out.
Any thoughts on the channel switching thing?

Thanks again Enzo.

[Enzo]

You might discreetly ask if he is a gold or silver level tech. And without knowing him, I don't want to go trash talking. If a guy brought me his electronic sax for intonation, I certainly would not look very competent trying to blow through it. ANd I have been banging on the guitar now for 40 some years, and I am still not sure it qualifies as "playing." I may look like ZZ Top, but them I ain't.

I use a stereo tuned to a music station all the time for testing, but I do then always play guitar through it once the overall repair issues are settled. Is his shop in a music store? ASk him to have a guitar player from the store staff check out the operastion when it is in his shop.



Unless we are going to roll up our sleeves and actually repair the switching, all I can say is I'd start by checking the voltages in that circuit. It detects different polarities and levels to decode the switching. A failed diode is all it takes.

[rectumfryer]

5150 Iii

Yeah, I'm not into trash talking. I've just had EXTREMELY bad luck with this guy. I keep hoping that, this time will be better and it NEVER is. The right guy could probably put him out of business with good knowledge and good customer service.
Thanks a bunch for all replies and info!!

[TD_Madden]

Edward clains it's "the cleanest" he's ever played through........huh??

[rectumfryer]

5150 Iii

"the cleanest" ?? well, if that's what he said. I can say that I was blown away with the amp!

[steelhead]

EVH 5150 III Channel Switch "popping"

Hi,
I'm new to the forum and really impressed with the amount of quality discussions. I have a new EVH 5150 III and it produces a loud "pop" when switching channels (manually on the amp as well as with the footswitch.) It is worse when switching from the lowest gain channel (1) to the highest gain channel (3). I contacted EVH support and they told me it is inherent in the design, and it is "just the way it is." Has anyone encountered this with their 5150, and if so, is there any mod that can be done to it to eliminate the "pop" when switching channels?
Thank you!

[rectumfryer]

5150 III

I get the popping sound too. It's not real loud, and sometimes louder than others....I think it gets better the longer it's on. I have found the amp performs better all around the louder you crank it. I sent my first one back and dealt with Fender for quite a while. Took a while but it's been worth it.

[steelhead]

5150 III

Thank you - I'm glad that I'm not alone. I love the amp - the tone is spectacular (to me) - and when I am able, I'll crank it up and see if it is less noticeable. The Fender customer support rep told me that the "loudness" of the pop does not increase with volume, and it is much less noticeable as the volume is increased. Just can't play that loud at home - next time I get it out, I'll let it rip

[rectumfryer]

5150 III

No problem. The loop is pretty unbearable at low volume too. That too seems to vanish for the most part when you turn the volume up. I do love the amp though!!