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Post by ss "Shane" on Aug 24, 2016 8:32:53 GMT -7
Ok, so I had my first gig with my Ghia and it performed flawlessly. I used it for the classic rock stuff and used my Therapy for the modern & old school country.
It was a dreaded outside gig, which I don't like, with scattered showers. My equipment did not get rained on and stayed perfectly safe. After I got home and set up my rig again I noticed that my Ghia was week and distorted, even below 9 o'clock. I turned it off, unplugged my cable from the amp, waited about 5 minutes and powered it back up. The amp sounded fine and still does. Could this be a symptom of condensation?
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Post by Maddog on Aug 24, 2016 8:38:12 GMT -7
Probably just an EL 84 getting ready to croak. Carry a pair of spares, Shane! It will die at the worst possible time. Might also try cleaning the jacks, sockets, and pots with Deoxit. Just FYI, my amps are notorious for making weird noises, but it's usually just my guitar playing I'm told.....
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Post by John on Aug 24, 2016 9:31:53 GMT -7
Might also try cleaning the jacks, sockets, and pots with Deoxit. This is the first thing that came to mind... Especially sockets for the tubes. |
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Post by bgkyt1 on Aug 24, 2016 11:32:52 GMT -7
if you bought the ghia used, and if you clean the sockets and/or replace any tubes, check the socket pins for wear (certain pin sockets looking larger than others) or debris. also, i would suspect the guitar cable and the input jack. i would get that symptom in some amps and just plug and unplug the cord in the input jack a few times.
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Post by simpleton on Aug 24, 2016 12:07:14 GMT -7
The whole," acted strange then fine..." thing made me think .......that's what my friends probably have been saying about me for some years. If I were the amp I'd blame your perspective  but cleaning with with deoxit or EL84 near death symptoms did come to mind like others....not a lot of experience with condensation or humidity affecting stuff. |
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Post by ss "Shane" on Aug 24, 2016 14:15:46 GMT -7
The amp is only about 2 months old, if that. I bought it new. Anyway, I guess I'll get some standby tubes to have on hand and check into the sockets being cleaned. I've been playing off and on just about all day and it's still sounding good. Thanks guys!
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Post by simpleton on Aug 24, 2016 14:54:38 GMT -7
The amp is only about 2 months old, if that. I bought it new. Anyway, I guess I'll get some standby tubes to have on hand and check into the sockets being cleaned. I've been playing off and on just about all day and it's still sounding good. Thanks guys! Maybe it was a false flag....if it's new then I wouldn't think Deoxit. But sometimes EL84's just go bad. Overall I found the Ghia was easy on tubes....my Monza on the other hand was a bit more needy. |
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Post by John on Aug 24, 2016 17:16:09 GMT -7
Doc has said the Ghia is easy on power tubes. ....but that may have nothing to do with the current state of bad tubes being manufactured. If it's a bad tube, ya might have to just switch them out. It's the cost of having a tube amp. But if something's wrong with the amp, you can rest assured Doc will make it right.
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Post by ss "Shane" on Aug 25, 2016 8:28:42 GMT -7
Well, after day 2 of pushing it hard it's still doing fine. With that said, I'm still gonna have some spare tubes on standby. I never remember having to replace tubes all that much of any on my Fender amps, leads me to think tubes just aren't built as resilient as they were ten years ago, or Z amps push them harder. Either way, I know I'll never buy another brand of guitar amp after finding complete satisfaction with Dr. Z. Actually, "complete satisfaction" is an understatement.
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Post by southmusic70 on Aug 25, 2016 8:40:28 GMT -7
I played a new '67 BF Vibrolux Reverb every day for a minimum of two hours per day for three years and never replaced any of the tubes.
The days of that kind of build quality and tube endurance are over, it seems.
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