PhoenixBass1 Posted July 23, 2010 Share Posted July 23, 2010 Hi everyone, I have a ashdown bass stack, that this morning (when I was due to record) decided to start making a lot of buzzing and feedback noises. I fiddled around for quite a while trying to figure out what the problem is. I think i've gotten it down to being either the head or the speaker but would really appreciate some help if anyone else has had a similar problem. More info To narrow it down i've moved far and close to the stack and there has been no change. I've tried a load of different input cables and still the same. Unfortunately I can't test the head separately as I don't have another cab, so it's probably one of these or the cable between them which I also don't have a spare for. Any help would be really nice. Cheers in advance, Phoniex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ou7shined Posted July 23, 2010 Share Posted July 23, 2010 [quote name='PhoenixBass1' post='903277' date='Jul 23 2010, 03:21 PM']...I fiddled around for quite a while trying to figure out what the problem is. I think i've gotten it down to being either the head or the speaker.....[/quote] So it's not the wood then, phew. Seriously though we'll need more details. Model , age, what causes the symptoms (playing or just switching it on) etc.. If it's definitly the amp and not a dodgy cable or something, my gut instinct is the valve (if it has a valve front end) is shot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
escholl Posted July 23, 2010 Share Posted July 23, 2010 I'm guessing from your sig the head in question is a MAG 300R? So it won't be a valve then, as this head is all solid state. I can help you narrow it down further and say, if it's just a constant buzzing, it's not the speaker either. It sounds to me like there a broken ground somewhere. Does the amp make these noises even when there is no bass attached? Does turning up and down the preamp level affect the buzzing, and if not does turning the master volume up and down change it at all? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhoenixBass1 Posted July 27, 2010 Author Share Posted July 27, 2010 [quote name='escholl' post='903483' date='Jul 23 2010, 06:54 PM']I'm guessing from your sig the head in question is a MAG 300R? So it won't be a valve then, as this head is all solid state. I can help you narrow it down further and say, if it's just a constant buzzing, it's not the speaker either. It sounds to me like there a broken ground somewhere. Does the amp make these noises even when there is no bass attached? Does turning up and down the preamp level affect the buzzing, and if not does turning the master volume up and down change it at all?[/quote] Yeh it is the MAG 300R. And ok thanks, so that means it's the amp head. The noises are there when there's no bass attached. The preamp varies the buzzing a little and the master volume significantly increases the buzzing when turned up. Any help? Should i contact Ashdown then? Thanks for your help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
escholl Posted July 27, 2010 Share Posted July 27, 2010 [quote name='PhoenixBass1' post='906801' date='Jul 27 2010, 10:51 AM']Yeh it is the MAG 300R. And ok thanks, so that means it's the amp head. The noises are there when there's no bass attached. The preamp varies the buzzing a little and the master volume significantly increases the buzzing when turned up. Any help? Should i contact Ashdown then? Thanks for your help[/quote] Yes, if the preamp varies the buzzing level a bit, and it happens even with no bass attached, then you can be almost entirely sure there is something wrong with the preamp. The good news is it sounds actually like it would be a simple repair, most likely a dry joint somewhere although it could be a failed component. Either way, an easy fix for any competent tech. Yes, I would definitely contact Ashdown, give them a ring if you can, their customer support is well known for being very good so hopefully they will be able to help you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martinbass7750 Posted July 27, 2010 Share Posted July 27, 2010 [quote name='escholl' post='907258' date='Jul 27 2010, 04:16 PM']Yes, if the preamp varies the buzzing level a bit, and it happens even with no bass attached, then you can be almost entirely sure there is something wrong with the preamp. The good news is it sounds actually like it would be a simple repair, most likely a dry joint somewhere although it could be a failed component. Either way, an easy fix for any competent tech. Yes, I would definitely contact Ashdown, give them a ring if you can, their customer support is well known for being very good so hopefully they will be able to help you. [/quote] is it a detachable mains lead? it could be a bad earth connection so if it's detachable try a different lead, or if not open the mains plug and check all the leads are connected and screwed up tight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhoenixBass1 Posted July 28, 2010 Author Share Posted July 28, 2010 [quote name='martinbass7750' post='907498' date='Jul 27 2010, 07:43 PM']is it a detachable mains lead? it could be a bad earth connection so if it's detachable try a different lead, or if not open the mains plug and check all the leads are connected and screwed up tight.[/quote] Thanks but i've already tried it and the noise was still there, I also tried different mains plugs so i'm fairly sure it's not that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhoenixBass1 Posted July 29, 2010 Author Share Posted July 29, 2010 Thanks for your help guys. I took my head to the Ashdown repair centre yesterday, which happened to be just up the road from me. It turned out it was a grounding problem and is all working fine now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.