paulbass Posted July 6, 2011 Share Posted July 6, 2011 Hi i'm hoping someone out there could give me some advice.I have a trace elliot 1210 combo with a 1518c bass bin i've had it from new 2007 and its been carefully looked after,its my pride and joy! Whilst setting my kit up at a rehearsal as usual no sound was coming out of my amp at all.It switches on and lights up but i'm not getting any reading on the pre amp led at all. It was working fine the last time i used it a week ago and it hasnt been dropped or abused in any way.I've tried different leads,guitars you name it! i simply get no response at all not even any white noise or hiss.Its as if the amp isnt picking up any signal whatsoever. I've recently just joined a new band and have a gig in 8 weeks its real bad timing! i would be really grateful for any advice....thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
escholl Posted July 6, 2011 Share Posted July 6, 2011 does it make any noise at all when you turn it on? a thump, speakers hissing faintly, anything? my guess would be it's something fairly simple, but given your situation I would just take it to a tech, if you know one locally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulbass Posted July 6, 2011 Author Share Posted July 6, 2011 [quote name='escholl' post='1295283' date='Jul 6 2011, 10:08 PM']does it make any noise at all when you turn it on? a thump, speakers hissing faintly, anything? my guess would be it's something fairly simple, but given your situation I would just take it to a tech, if you know one locally.[/quote] Thanks for your advice escholl. I dont get any noise from it at all....i've been told its got to be something from the jack input to the pre amp causing the problem but no idea what.Its a strange one as it didnt give any warning of packing up.No pop,bang or puff of smoke just silence! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
escholl Posted July 6, 2011 Share Posted July 6, 2011 [quote name='paulbass' post='1295373' date='Jul 6 2011, 11:04 PM']Thanks for your advice escholl. I dont get any noise from it at all....i've been told its got to be something from the jack input to the pre amp causing the problem but no idea what.Its a strange one as it didnt give any warning of packing up.No pop,bang or puff of smoke just silence![/quote] if it was just the pre-amp i'd think you'd still get some hiss from the poweramp when you turned it on, along with the usual 'thump' noise most amps make. it might just be a loose connection from the power-amp board to the rear speaker connections -- can you get any signal out of the DI output? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulbass Posted July 8, 2011 Author Share Posted July 8, 2011 [quote name='escholl' post='1295437' date='Jul 6 2011, 11:46 PM']if it was just the pre-amp i'd think you'd still get some hiss from the poweramp when you turned it on, along with the usual 'thump' noise most amps make. it might just be a loose connection from the power-amp board to the rear speaker connections -- can you get any signal out of the DI output?[/quote] i havent used the DI output so i couldnt tell you if there is a signal.I dont get any noise from it at all,the leds above the input gain dont even respond which i find odd.They come on when the amp is switched on for a second but dont register when a note is played....the saga goes on lol! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lfalex v1.1 Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 Take the "amp" out of the combo- have a look inside. If it's anythinglike my old SMX, it'll have push-fit spade connectors in it all over the place. These weren't (aren't?) soldered. My bet is that something's worked loose. That's what happened to mine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Barrett Posted August 5, 2011 Share Posted August 5, 2011 I have EXACTLY the same problem with EXACTLY the same amp of EXACTLY the same year. I contacted Trace Elliot and a nice man there said they'd not heard of the problem - slightly surprising perhaps if it is common enough for you and I both to have it, but fair enough. I've done nothing yet as I'm wondering to whom to trust my beloved amp and wondered if you'd had any success with any of the ideas other people have suggested, before I jump in and see if anyone I'm paying can fix it. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulbass Posted August 5, 2011 Author Share Posted August 5, 2011 (edited) [quote name='Sam Barrett' post='1329040' date='Aug 5 2011, 06:06 PM']I have EXACTLY the same problem with EXACTLY the same amp of EXACTLY the same year. I contacted Trace Elliot and a nice man there said they'd not heard of the problem - slightly surprising perhaps if it is common enough for you and I both to have it, but fair enough. I've done nothing yet as I'm wondering to whom to trust my beloved amp and wondered if you'd had any success with any of the ideas other people have suggested, before I jump in and see if anyone I'm paying can fix it. Thanks.[/quote] Hi Sam, i have taken it to a tech who has a very good reputation and he simply cant find whats causing the fault.He has replaced many parts and it still doesnt work and he still cant understand what has actually gone wrong with it.He has had it for 6 weeks and i'm now at a point where i'm considering writing it off as he has said the repair bill will be very expensive.He too has contacted Trace Elliot and they told him they couldnt help him either. It sounds like a common fault with these models and i'm gutted to be honest.I will never have a Trace Elliot again.It took me years to save up for this amp and i've been let down and lost a lot of money on it...and it sounds like i've got a big 'repair' bill on top. If you take yours in to be repaired Sam let me know how you get on.Good Luck! Edited August 5, 2011 by paulbass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Barrett Posted August 6, 2011 Share Posted August 6, 2011 Thanks for your quick reply. I'm really sorry to hear how you feel. Like you I invested a lot - musically and financially - in the amp and have always been really pleased with it. In fact, mainly because of band changes etc, the amp hasn't been gigged all that much, which makes it much more "new" than its 2007 vintage suggests, which makes it even more frustrating. I had exactly the same experience as you - fine at a rehearsal, carefully taken home, no lights at the next use (which happened to be a gig). Interestingly, although the input lights had failed by the gig, I was still able to play the night by turning everything up full. Now, however, I can get nothing out at all no matter how loud everything is set. The fact I had a semi-failure first is odd - I guess it implies something was sort of failing one night and has since failed completely. I have no knowledge of electronics at all, but the manual suggests the signal travels from left to right. I don't know if it physically does that in the circuitry, but if I'm reading the manual correctly, the signal is processed from left to right, assuming each component (valve, eq etc) is turned on. The fact the input lights aren't lighting therefore suggests that the problem lies right at the pre-amp/input stage rather than anything to do with, for example, the speaker connections. I really don't know what I'm talking about though to be honest, and I don't know how much help it is even if I'm right. I'm going to do two things - I'm going to draw Trace Elliot's attention to this thread because I don't really think it is good for customers or the company if such an identical fault isn't even on their horizon. I'll ask again if it rings any bells too. Secondly, depending on what they say I'll try to see if I can get it fixed. Unfortunately, when I bought the amp I had a good job, and now I have no job, so fixing it is likely to be out of the question for a while, whatever Trace Elliot say. Unfortunately, although they have a generous three year guarantee, you and I seem to be just outside of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevie Posted August 6, 2011 Share Posted August 6, 2011 [quote name='paulbass' post='1329366' date='Aug 5 2011, 10:59 PM']Hi Sam, i have taken it to a tech who has a very good reputation and he simply cant find whats causing the fault.He has replaced many parts and it still doesnt work and he still cant understand what has actually gone wrong with it.He has had it for 6 weeks and i'm now at a point where i'm considering writing it off as he has said the repair bill will be very expensive.He too has contacted Trace Elliot and they told him they couldnt help him either.[/quote] I would be tempted to wonder whether your tech really knows what he's doing. Why don't you contact Trace Elliot yourself and explain the situation? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulbass Posted August 7, 2011 Author Share Posted August 7, 2011 [quote name='stevie' post='1329717' date='Aug 6 2011, 11:11 AM']I would be tempted to wonder whether your tech really knows what he's doing. Why don't you contact Trace Elliot yourself and explain the situation?[/quote] Hi Stevie i have taken my amp to the most highly recommended tech in my area on the advice of fellow musos within my area.I play in 2 gigging bands and both bands,thats 10 musicians all in all cant believe how such a 'quality branded amp' could just fail Granted i havent contacted TE myself but i really dont think they will want to know. In fact i will contact them and find out how good their customer service really is....a friend in need is a friend indeed. Thanks for your reply buddy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulbass Posted August 7, 2011 Author Share Posted August 7, 2011 [quote name='Sam Barrett' post='1329599' date='Aug 6 2011, 09:01 AM']Thanks for your quick reply. I'm really sorry to hear how you feel. Like you I invested a lot - musically and financially - in the amp and have always been really pleased with it. In fact, mainly because of band changes etc, the amp hasn't been gigged all that much, which makes it much more "new" than its 2007 vintage suggests, which makes it even more frustrating. I had exactly the same experience as you - fine at a rehearsal, carefully taken home, no lights at the next use (which happened to be a gig). Interestingly, although the input lights had failed by the gig, I was still able to play the night by turning everything up full. Now, however, I can get nothing out at all no matter how loud everything is set. The fact I had a semi-failure first is odd - I guess it implies something was sort of failing one night and has since failed completely. I have no knowledge of electronics at all, but the manual suggests the signal travels from left to right. I don't know if it physically does that in the circuitry, but if I'm reading the manual correctly, the signal is processed from left to right, assuming each component (valve, eq etc) is turned on. The fact the input lights aren't lighting therefore suggests that the problem lies right at the pre-amp/input stage rather than anything to do with, for example, the speaker connections. I really don't know what I'm talking about though to be honest, and I don't know how much help it is even if I'm right. I'm going to do two things - I'm going to draw Trace Elliot's attention to this thread because I don't really think it is good for customers or the company if such an identical fault isn't even on their horizon. I'll ask again if it rings any bells too. Secondly, depending on what they say I'll try to see if I can get it fixed. Unfortunately, when I bought the amp I had a good job, and now I have no job, so fixing it is likely to be out of the question for a while, whatever Trace Elliot say. Unfortunately, although they have a generous three year guarantee, you and I seem to be just outside of it.[/quote] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulbass Posted August 11, 2011 Author Share Posted August 11, 2011 Just to say thanks to all that replied and gave advice on my issue with my amp.The outcome is that the amp is beyond repair,everything has blown inside including the amps.Its a write-off.Both techs said they have never seen anything like it before and dont know what caused it,they even contacted TE themselves and got no joy,they didnt charge me a penny for their services after replacing many parts. I too contacted TE and they said that there was nothing they could do for me as its not under warranty....its only 4 years old and never been abused.I will never use or reccommend TE again. I have now purchased a RH450 with RS210 & RS212 cabs to help me get over it and its done the trick!...lets hope this rig doesnt pack up! Cheers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Barrett Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 I've actually had an excellent response from Trace Elliot - I'm really pleased. They're having a look at the amp as soon as I get it to them. I'll update once they've had a look. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulbass Posted August 15, 2011 Author Share Posted August 15, 2011 [quote name='Sam Barrett' post='1341205' date='Aug 15 2011, 09:31 PM']I've actually had an excellent response from Trace Elliot - I'm really pleased. They're having a look at the amp as soon as I get it to them. I'll update once they've had a look.[/quote] wow Sam that is good news....thats a better response than i got! Let me know how you get on i'd be interested what the fault was.Well done matey =) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Barrett Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 Excellent news. My amp is fixed. On first inspection the fault wasn’t actually showing at their end but on further examination it has shown up and Trace Elliot have traced it to "an intermittent fault on the plate through board of the pre amp module". Hopefully this info might be useful for any techies who look at other 1210s. I'm really pleased with TE - they’ve provided an excellent service at a very reasonable cost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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