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Post by wreckandroll on Oct 29, 2018 17:54:21 GMT -7
I actually wondered if it could have possibly been something in the input jack of the amp. I don’t know if you would get a weak signal if there was something wrong or just no signal at all.
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Post by Rockerfeller on Oct 29, 2018 18:11:56 GMT -7
I don't know if you already tried this, but you should make sure you are just going straight into the amp without any pedals. That would eliminate a bunch of things.
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Post by wreckandroll on Oct 29, 2018 18:45:16 GMT -7
That’s what I’ve been running lately and have only run a Tube Screamer into the Wreck right after I got it. It’s been guitar, cable, amp and then I’ve run the amp into the Brake Lite then cab as well as straight into the cab, on both full and half power modes. It’s always the same result, just at different volume levels.
I have run directly into the cab at full power at different volumes all the way up to the max and it’s still lacking that Wreck signature sound that I’ve heard so much.
Just to clarify, in case anybody is wondering, it’s not that I simply don’t like the way it sounds. I’ve had about a dozen tube amps in the last 20 years or so and have watched a lot of videos to sort of figure out what to expect before I bought this Wreck. Almost all the videos have blown me away but this one isn’t sounding anything like that right now. I just thought I would add that in case somebody was wondering if it just wasn’t the amp for me. I know it can sound way better, I just need to figure out how to get it there.
Thanks again!
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Post by Rockerfeller on Oct 29, 2018 18:54:48 GMT -7
I would call the shop. You have tried everything, time to call the people who know and get it sorted out.
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Post by wreckandroll on Oct 29, 2018 19:35:10 GMT -7
I agree. I asked for advice on here first because I was hoping it would be something easy to fix but I just didn’t have the experience to figure it out. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like it’s going to be so straightforward.
I really appreciate all the advice and it really taught me a lot about troubleshooting. I will get in touch with them tomorrow and see what I need to do from there.
Thanks again!
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Post by wraparound (Steve) on Oct 29, 2018 20:04:04 GMT -7
Just a thought for you. I read everything here and you did mention the guitar cable, but you may want to inspect the actual solder connection, if not shrink wrapped, on the cable going from the head to the cabinet. A faulty connection within the speaker cable itself will render a muted response kind of like being half plugged in. Just because a cable worked yesterday doesn’t mean it’s good today. I remember an old car I had that started one minute and then not the next. The battery cable was down to two strands under some plastic shrink wrap!
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Post by mudman on Oct 29, 2018 20:44:09 GMT -7
And silly question, but you’re positive it’s a speaker cable connecting the head to the cab right?
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Post by wreckandroll on Oct 30, 2018 7:11:42 GMT -7
I hadn't confirmed that for sure, but I was using the cables that the seller provided. I just checked with another speaker cable that I own and it didn't change anything. I hadn't thought to confirm that though, so thanks for advising that. The guitar cables are George L's and I tried it with a couple of them, even a newly built one. I even tried it with a different brand cable but no change. I looked (didn't touch) around in the chassis this morning and found out that two or three of the blue components under the tubes look slightly burnt. I will try to include a picture. When I contact Dr. Z today I will send this information as well. It's starting to look like I got more than I bargained for, but I won't make any assumptions yet until I know for sure. I'm not sure these links will work but I'm headed out for the day and will be back later. www.dropbox.com/s/3theoo3e8wrfx4s/IMG_5617.JPG?dl=0www.dropbox.com/s/lbn0s1d59jufdxz/IMG_5618.JPG?dl=0
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Post by Rockerfeller on Oct 30, 2018 7:14:33 GMT -7
I hadn't confirmed that for sure, but I was using the cables that the seller provided. I just checked with another speaker cable that I own and it didn't change anything. I hadn't thought to confirm that though, so thanks for advising that. The guitar cables are George L's and I tried it with a couple of them, even a newly built one. I even tried it with a different brand cable but no change. I looked (didn't touch) around in the chassis this morning and found out that two or three of the blue components under the tubes look slightly burnt. I will try to include a picture. When I contact Dr. Z today I will send this information as well. It's starting to look like I got more than I bargained for, but I won't make any assumptions yet until I know for sure. If that is the case, they will probably want you to take a gut shot of the amp. It isn't that hard to do, but of course it is a bummer to have to go through these lengths to figure out the problem.
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Post by wreckandroll on Oct 30, 2018 7:20:23 GMT -7
I'll take it out and get a better picture of the whole thing today. Yes, it's pretty frustrating to buy such a nice amp only to have issues with it right away. That's not a reflection on Dr. Z by any means. I have complete faith in his work. Something happened to this Wreck and I just need to figure out what and make it right.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 30, 2018 8:20:07 GMT -7
I'll take it out and get a better picture of the whole thing today. Yes, it's pretty frustrating to buy such a nice amp only to have issues with it right away. That's not a reflection on Dr. Z by any means. I have complete faith in his work. Something happened to this Wreck and I just need to figure out what and make it right. I'm not a tech but those little blue resistors look bad to me. I'm sure it didn't leave Ohio looking like that in the first place. It's tough buying used gear.
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Post by mudman on Oct 30, 2018 10:56:11 GMT -7
Is that the screen grid resistors? I’d say at some point a tube went down and took a resistor with it.
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Post by wreckandroll on Oct 30, 2018 11:02:30 GMT -7
I'd say that's it at this point. It might have had a bad tube and then the other damage went down between unpacking it and today. I wish I would have opened it up right when it wasn't sounding right but I'm not messing with it anymore until I talk to the factory.
I submitted a repair request an hour ago so I should hear back before too long.
I've learned a lot about troubleshooting and tubes in general from this experience so it hasn't been all terrible. There are much cheaper ways to learn this stuff, though, but at least it's a small plus!
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Post by Rockerfeller on Oct 30, 2018 12:10:15 GMT -7
The great thing is that once you get it fixed, you are going to love the Wreck!
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Post by bryan0418 on Oct 30, 2018 12:12:54 GMT -7
I have to agree, a tube may have went down and took the resistor with it. I know it is frustrating but I can assure you that the Z Repair Crew will have that amp up and running like new. Not trying to get you to spend more money but you can also have a half-power switch installed while it is at the shop as well. Hope it all works out. It is a great amp and will be with you a long time.
As info, the amps receive an extensive quality check and play test before they leave the factory. Here is a video of how they do it.
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Post by dcarver on Oct 30, 2018 12:14:31 GMT -7
Yeah.... those resistors look pretty bad. Not that difficult to replace, but who knows, there could be some other problems too. A trip to the Doctor's office will have it sounding better than new.
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Post by wreckandroll on Oct 30, 2018 12:20:20 GMT -7
I agree! I don't really mind sending it up there because I know they will give it complete once over and make sure everything is perfect, I just wish I got to play it for a bit first!
It does have a power switch in it and it's wired for speed. I was sort of curious if it was worth having it taken out for the ability to change it or just leave it at speed (or switched to comfort). I have a Brake Lite in it so I could sort of make do without the switch if the comfort/speed switch was ultimately more useful. If it's not a huge difference then I will leave it as it is. I never got to play both sides since it came with the half power mod but it seems like quite a few people favor the comfort setting.
I am very excited about getting it back. I have wanted one badly for about five years but I was in college (went back to school at 30!) and then my wife and I started a family shortly after so it's been a little wait. It will be so worth it though!
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Post by Rockerfeller on Oct 30, 2018 12:25:57 GMT -7
I go back and forth between comfort and speed and honestly they are both amazing. If it was my amp, I would keep the 1/2 power switch and leave it the way it is. The 1/2 power switch makes the amp even more valuable should you ever decide to sell it. If you have not found out yet, it is a loud amp.
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Post by wreckandroll on Oct 30, 2018 12:29:05 GMT -7
I have to say that I am super impressed by the company as a whole. I've been watching the videos every evening since they were posted on this thread. Dr. Z is a huge asset to the music community. There's a lot stuff out there that's built at the lowest price possible and it's nice to know there are builders like him who still have such a high standard.
This is my first Z but I know it won't be my last.
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Post by wreckandroll on Oct 30, 2018 12:35:01 GMT -7
I haven't found that out about it being loud yet! Before I knew something was wrong, I cranked it up and was ready for my Michael J Fox moment! I started realizing something was up after I hit a chord and it didn't quite wow me.
I'm sure the volume drop is part of the tube issue but I hear that a healthy one will shake the walls. When I get it fixed I'll try it again!
I probably will leave it where it is. I won't know for sure until I get it back, but I don't think I'll end up wishing I'd put the c/s switch back in.
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Post by dcarver on Oct 30, 2018 12:46:54 GMT -7
I remember when the 1/2 power mod was announced. There was a lot of debate about which mode (comfort / speed) to have hard wired in. I guess it has a lot to do with how you're going to use the amp, what type of music you play, and whether you want a lot of clean headroom or more of the rich amp overdrive tones. There are lots of threads in the Wreck forum discussing comfort/speed, brake lite, etc.
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Post by daddyelmis (Greg) on Oct 30, 2018 13:49:30 GMT -7
This is my first Z but I know it won't be my last. Z amps are like crack - or in my case, Reese’s peanut butter cups. You have one and you have to have many, many more.
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Post by Chilly Gibbons (Todd T.) on Oct 30, 2018 14:25:42 GMT -7
Those are grid stoppers that have burned and opened up. The larger blue ceramic power resistors are screen resistors. A shorted power tube most likely caused it. Easy fix if that’s all that took the hit when the tubes failed. Don will go through it with a fine tooth comb and will replace various parts as he sees fit to bring it up to current specs if it’s not already there. damn tubes... sorry this happened on day one. I always recommend that if you buy used, slap new tubes in there regardless of what the seller says about the “brand new tubes”.
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Post by wreckandroll on Oct 30, 2018 18:46:53 GMT -7
Gosh, don't say they're like Reese's cups. I know exactly what you mean by that and that's really bad for the wallet! I'm already reading about other models and trying to justify needing that sort of tone, but maybe I should wait until I get my Wreck back before I shop too much!
Thanks, Chilly, for taking a look. I don't know what I'm looking at yet, but I'm trying to learn. Maybe it's best that it happened on the first day so I don't know how good it can sound yet. It might be even harder to do without it for a couple weeks if I knew what I was missing! I'm looking forward to them going over it and giving it a good checkup. A little preventative maintenance never hurts anyway.
Good advice on the new tubes regardless of what the seller says. "New" can mean so many things to people so you never really know. After this I might just start saving a little more and buy new in the future. The difference isn't all that much for some models.
I read quite a bit about the comfort/speed switch and found the poll that somebody posted. Comfort seems quite popular but I'm sure they're both great. I guess I will wait to see what the problem with the amp is first and how much it would be to switch anything around, IF I even think it's worth it.
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Post by premiumplus (Dave) on Oct 30, 2018 19:19:47 GMT -7
I'm glad that you found the burnt resistors, that's an easy fix and you'll be back in business with the amp good as new. The crew at Z's shop is the best. You're going to love your Wreck. I dig mine! And I say that Z amps are more like potato chips...at any rate, I bought my first one in 2013 or so and I now have 12. Congrats on going back to school at age 30! Believe me, I know how hard that is, I went back as a freshman when I was 40 and got my BS in Electrical Engineering 4 1/2 years later (the extra half year was because of the math, it kicked my butt!). But it was well worth it, and now that I'm retired I'm comfortable enough to indulge my love of Dr.Z's amplifiers. You're really in for a treat when it gets back.
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Post by Rockerfeller on Oct 30, 2018 19:38:37 GMT -7
Remember those teenage years when you wished you could have ONE good amp?
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Post by premiumplus (Dave) on Oct 30, 2018 19:44:56 GMT -7
Remember those teenage years when you wished you could have ONE good amp? I used to play through a Sony reel to reel tape recorder with 6" speakers!
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Post by Rockerfeller on Oct 31, 2018 6:21:08 GMT -7
Remember those teenage years when you wished you could have ONE good amp? I used to play through a Sony reel to reel tape recorder with 6" speakers! I think many of us have stories like that!
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Post by daddyelmis (Greg) on Oct 31, 2018 7:13:45 GMT -7
[/quote]I used to play through a Sony reel to reel tape recorder with 6" speakers! [/quote]
In college I played mostly acoustics, but I ran my Mustang through my stereo receiver and then through cheap headphones to distort the speakers. 🙄
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Post by premiumplus (Dave) on Oct 31, 2018 8:33:24 GMT -7
One of the things I love about this forum is how we can take a problem solving thread, resolve it, and then completely hijack it off the rails into a fun loving, reminiscing time about the lengths we'd go to in order to follow our dreams.
wreckandroll, keep us updated on your new to you Wreck. Tube amps truly are the best but sometimes we pay a price when the tube fails catastrophically...believe me, when you get it back it's going to blow your mind. The Z-Wreck is truly one of the very best guitar amps made.
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