Amp service/ valve in a Trace 1215?

[funkysimon]

Hiya,
I've got a Trace Elliot 1215:
[url="http://www.flickr.com/photos/simongrimshaw/98777466/"][/url]
Hmmm, lovely. However, I bought it second-hand from a chap who gigged it pretty heavily. While everything works fine, as far as I can tell the valve stage doesn't really add much when I turn it on. Does anyone know if the whole amp would go quiet if the valve had blown? Or should I get the whole thing serviced and the valve replaced. And while there's the original guys that ran Trace Elliot who are now [url="http://www.gmaudio.co.uk/"]GM Audio[/url], shipping my amp down to them would cost a fortune I guess. Unless there's a way of taking the main board out from the amp.

So anyway, how often do people get their amps serviced, and any recommendations for amp techs in the Cambridge area?

Si

*edit* - it occurs to me that this should be in the repairs forum; if a mod wants to move it, please go ahead!

Edited May 18, 2007 by funkysimon

[Tinman]

The whole map shouldn't go quite if the valve has gone (I take it that the valve is switchable) If it is switchable, switch it in, turn the blend control up to max and you should be able to tell if it's working. I had a Harke head that blew it's preamp valve and I couldn't tell until I turned the solid state control right down

[Merton]

[quote name='brycebites' post='1263' date='May 18 2007, 10:57 AM']However it might be worth replacing the valve it if it's old. Don't pay someone to do that - it take one minute and is dead simple![/quote]
Yeah, especially in the TE 12-band amps! I did it one afternoon to play and it was fun (Chris, thanks again )

The stock valve is a Sovtek and I have to say I never liked it that much or thought it did much positive to my sound. Now I have played with some others I changed it for one which is much fuller and grittier and nicer....

[funkysimon]

Hmmm, I can't remember whether the dial that controls the valve section is a mix 0%-100% valve tone or whether it's 0%-50%, i.e. the dial brings it to the same level as the solid state. You can turn the valve stage on and off though, and the amp works in both modes, so I assume the valve isn't totally dead.
Eee, and I thought I'd only be worrying about the valves in my guitar amps

[Merton]

[quote name='funkysimon' post='1352' date='May 18 2007, 12:42 PM']Hmmm, I can't remember whether the dial that controls the valve section is a mix 0%-100% valve tone or whether it's 0%-50%, i.e. the dial brings it to the same level as the solid state. You can turn the valve stage on and off though, and the amp works in both modes, so I assume the valve isn't totally dead.
Eee, and I thought I'd only be worrying about the valves in my guitar amps [/quote]
The valve dial on your amp controls the amount of gain the valve cct gives. So the further to the right it is, the more gain and the more clipping. It's a "drive" level rather than a "mix" level.

I reckon the valve will be fine, it'll just be the sh1tty Sovtek stock job. You could do worse than a Raytheon or Svetlana in there instead (IMHO of course!)