Noisy SG Static ?

[Duffy]

Yeah. Spend a hundred on it and not even come close to getting it repaired. I would probably just plan on getting a new one. They are a really nice amp to have, batteries and all.

Vox has this nice new amp out, the 20+ that is less than two hundred and would be money well spent. Has a tube in it. Very nice. Stomps on the DA5 except for the fact that the DA5 rolls with batteries.

A DA5 is really a nice amp to have around. There is no substitute for a good DA5 when it comes to camping, going to the park, etc.

You must live in a distant part, Oldun, around here they sell for 139 US at the big online places.

[oldun]

Yeah. Spend a hundred on it and not even come close to getting it repaired. I would probably just plan on getting a new one. They are a really nice amp to have, batteries and all.

Vox has this nice new amp out, the 20+ that is less than two hundred and would be money well spent. Has a tube in it. Very nice. Stomps on the DA5 except for the fact that the DA5 rolls with batteries.

A DA5 is really a nice amp to have around. There is no substitute for a good DA5 when it comes to camping, going to the park, etc.

You must live in a distant part, Oldun, around here they sell for 139 US at the big online places.

I'm in Australia Duffy, so yes that would be distant from you, I like the DA5's dc power ability, real handy when we get power failures here, since our power supply is now by private companies, and lacking maintenance procedures, power drop outs can last for a few hours several times a year, I usually keep one of those 7amp hour gel cell batteries charged, and have made a connector up to use my cordless power drill batteries or that gel cell battery for the DA5 if needed. The 20+ sounds interesting, although I do have the Epiphone tube amp.

[Duffy]

Oldun, I had no idea you were so far away from here. I don't know what the cost to you means, so many variables unknown to me.

I would avoid the hundred repair cost though.

I thought you mentioned you were looking to get another amp. With the Epiphone you are covered there.

I have always been skeptical of these newer highly computerized and extremely complicated amps, like Vox is fond of making. Finding someone educated enough to diagnose and repair one of the more complicated of these has to be difficult. People with that level of electronic education typically are not working in guitar shops. Plus, the technology is rapidly changing, with new circuits in the amps, and complicated amp modeling and effects processing, etc.

The DA5 is just a simple version of one of these incredibly complicated amps, and has its own difficult to diagnose areas, I'm sure, despite its small size.

I like to try to keep my amp choices fairly simple designs, but even then I probably have more complicated amps than I think I do.

I would like to think that amps like the Hot Rod Deluxe and AC15c1 will be able to be fixed well into the future by ordinary amp techs; but when it comes to things like the VT100 and 20+ I think things are probably at a level of complexity that few are prepared to effectively work on them.

Peavey Vypyrs, Vox Chromies, Cubes, and other highly complicated amps have to be really dificult to get fixed when things other than simple fixes go wrong with them, and there are plenty of things that can potentially go wrong with those highly complicated amps.

They are really neat amps capable of some unheard of things, but with all of that at your fingertips, comes a cost or costs.

There probably is a simple solution to your amps problem, it's just that it hasn't been figured out yet, and we can't just look at it, probably, and see exactly what the problem is.

At least it is working half way decent. Good luck with it.

[kiteman]

If you decide to look at your amp maybe you can do some simple tests. Look at the big caps that's near the power transformer and tap on them. The bad one will probably make noises from the tapping. Those caps will have diodes next to them.

The power transformer convert the house current to AC power for the amp. The diodes convert the AC power to DC power and the caps smooth out the ripples on the DC power operating the amp.

[oldun]

[QUOTE=Duffy]Oldun, I had no idea you were so far away from here. I don't know what the cost to you means, so many variables unknown to me.

I would avoid the hundred repair cost though.

I thought you mentioned you were looking to get another amp. With the Epiphone you are covered there.

I have always been skeptical of these newer highly computerized and extremely complicated amps, like Vox is fond of making.

Duffy, I probably mentioned something like before I spent $100 or plus on my Vox, I would be thinking more in line with replacing it, I would be more confident in working on the Epiphone as I have the circuit for it and there's so much info for it on the net, but I agree these amps today are getting so sophisticated they're getting like our cars, and with my Ford Futura all I can do is refuel, and top up the windscreen washer reservoir, the rest has to be put on a diagnositic computer at the Ford dealer with around a $100 plus per hour, I think if I need to ever go for another amp I would consider another basic tube amp, if you want effects maybe consider the outboard rigs, at least when they play up you should still have your basic tube amp, and I have to say there is a difference in tone from tubes, but that Vox gets so close.

[oldun]

If you decide to look at your amp maybe you can do some simple tests. Look at the big caps that's near the power transformer and tap on them. The bad one will probably make noises from the tapping. Those caps will have diodes next to them.

The power transformer convert the house current to AC power for the amp. The diodes convert the AC power to DC power and the caps smooth out the ripples on the DC power operating the amp.

Yes Kiteman, if it gets to the stage where something just has to be done I'll have a poke around it myself, thinking about your explanation I suppose even the diodes could be the problem, so thanks for these tips they are really helpful.

[kiteman]

Yes, the diodes can leak too but unlikely.

[oldun]

Yes, the diodes can leak too but unlikely.

Ok thanks Kiteman.