mik900 Posted February 14, 2015 Share Posted February 14, 2015 I've had my SVT 3 for approx 6 years from new. Never had any issues... Until recently! Bit of background: I use a Rickenbacker 4003, through a Zoom B2 (just for a little distortion) and a SWR (4 ohm) 4 X10 Golliath cab. I have gain control set at about 2 O clock, (the clip light frequently lighting up) and use the master for overall volume (usually set at 12 O clock). I play in a loud Punk band. I am aware of the discussions around using the gain - not as a gain and it's ok to allow the clip light to come on etc, I've found this works fine and I love the sound I get... So recently the amp kept cutting out - still had power and gain light coming on but no output, it then jumps back to life a few seconds later (which at a gig feels like an eternity) I took it to a well reputed amp specialist, he serviced it and replaced the fan. He ran the amp for 24 hours and it never missed a beat! Thinking problem solved I gigged the amp....same thing happened again, I took it to a second well respected amp company and they ran it for 2 days... No problems found! I've changed all cables, bypassed the pedal nothing helps. At a recent gig it did the same! I then reduced the gain so the clip light hardly came on at all and reduced the master, my overall volume was lower... But the amp stayed on!! I'm a bit happier that I seem to have found the potential problem, but surely this isn't right?? Sorry for the long winded post, I'm really frustrated and hoped someone can shed some light. Many thanks Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subthumper Posted February 15, 2015 Share Posted February 15, 2015 I've worked on quite a few ampegs and they all had solder issues. Every one I get I completely strip down and resolder anything that looks remotely like it could give a problem. Running in the workshop is not the same as a gig, especially regarding heat and vibration. Some faults like this can be a pig to find so I'm sure your techie did all the right things. I've just had a,week myself of amps that refuse to be fixed so I feel their and your pain. Worth getting some the American forums too, just Google your amp and its fault and any threads will come up. Whatever stuff you find out or print up will be appreciated by your techie. Good luck. Cheers Just Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted February 15, 2015 Share Posted February 15, 2015 I don't know about any gain or clip discussions, but if the amp is cutting out and coming back on I reckon you've probably got thermal checks or overheating. If it stays on when you're playing at lower volume then that'll confirm it. I used to run my PRO3 with the master at about 4 o'clock and the gain at about 12 o'clock and never had problems. Maybe your Zoom is pushing the amp over its limit. Have you tried playing without it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mik900 Posted February 15, 2015 Author Share Posted February 15, 2015 Cheers guys. I had the whole amp re soldered a few years ago as my tech said it was an issue. I have tried bypassing Zoom and didnt help. I'm going to try it with gain reduced and use master for vol at rehearsal. No idea what's going on! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted February 15, 2015 Share Posted February 15, 2015 Is the amp in a case with insufficient ventilation? I had mine in an SKB case and I had to cut holes in the inside of the plastic handle plate by the fan to get any air flow out of the amp. The pots on the front and sockets on the back are soldered directly to the boards so that is a poor design, never affected me though, but bad soldering doesn't sound like it is the cause of this problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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