Hi Tim thanks for the advice. My problem is always money (i.e. trying not to overcharge the customer). I usually just fix the problem and check for anything else really obvious and alert them of that to see if they want to do the work.

Having worked on a fair few of the Hot rod series, they all have the same common faults. Mk 1 through to mk5, none of the issues have ever been resolved!! Ceramics resistors flat against board causing over heating and failure. The worst filter caps on earth that always leak and fail. Solder joints on board mounted sockets crack and fail. Drive switch on amp is cheap and fails. When all of these issues are rectified, these amp are actually very good reliable units. I own and use a 4x10 HR deville. It has been totally reliable since upgrades in 2010.

@@rgbplumbinghilton Hi Richard yes I've seen all those problems too.

@@rgbplumbinghilton I also use a HR Deville 4x10. It's a great sounding amp and stays clean on the clean channel even at higher volume. The issue I am having recently is loud buzzing on the overdrive channel. Is this a common problem with a common fix?

​@Richard56er I would start by taking the board out check for dry joints or just reflow the whole lot.

Thanks Bob!

Made me laugh too "could it bee..sniff sniff, nah" 😂 Buddy was out for nosecandy like bloodhound 😁 Btw, I've heard from other amptechs that thoose amps got an serius temp problem and often need to get fixed due to that.

Thanks Patrick that's exactly what I'm aiming for.

Thanks Alex. YEs I went a bit quiet after Christmas as I was enjoying being less busy! More vids on the way soon. I try to do about one a week if poss.

Thanks Richard!

I had a Dr. Z last week that was microphonic everywhere. Finally pulled the input jacks and found no star washers.

Thanks Greg

Many thanks!

Ooo nsaty. Well done for finding!

Thanks Barry

Thanks I'm pleased you are enjoying them!

Thanks Stephen.

I hope you get yours sorted!

@@stuartukguitarampguy5830 Still trying, things keep shifting. Used to be noisy with only the power tubes (EL84) installed. Now it's quiet in that configuration, only noisy when the PI is installed. I think it's a bad solder joint, but I can't find it. Prodding, wiggling, no joy. Will try freeze spray next.

@@simbotist Ok good luck!

Thanks Ed.

Thanks Gervais. I've got an Orange Matamp OIRST on the bench at the moment with a hum problem. Literally nothing I do changes it by so much as 1% so I'm completely stumped!

@@stuartukguitarampguy5830 Hey - Good luck with all that :-) - have recently been looking into the concept of 'differential scope probes' - might they be of any use in such a situation? - buut... they seem V. expensive: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/hcB0nM1-qa7RpH0.html - anyone know of any cheaper/DIY alternatives? ----------------

I'm pleased! All the best.

Hi Bob Glad you enjoyed it and sorry to keep you up!

Thanks! I took a bit of a break plus had a slew of not very interesting amps/faults.

Evenin' All, now what seems to be the trouble here...

Great thanks.

Thanks Sean glad you enjoyed it.

Hi Jon. Yes that's a cool tip isn;t it? Great for HV arcing issues. Poping V3?? Is that the phse splitter? Quite rare for a preamp valve to go more than once.

​ @Stuart ukguitarampguy I'll correct myself. It is third from the end but in the 6505+ it's a V2 tube active in the lead channel stage. The layout is really odd in those Peaveys. It will be fine for ages (weeks or so, approaching 30-40 hours or so) and then one day pop and it's gone. Clean will still be fine but the lead channel will be dead. I've been through the amplifier with a multi and really don't see anything wrong. Cleaned the sockets, been through the switching circuit in case anything was arcing, found nothing. I think it's one of those things that I have to have the thing apart when it happens to really figure what's going on. One of those fixes itself problems until it happens again. I have a set of Tung Sol in there again, wondering if it was a case of dodgy JJ tubes. I was using ECC83s and have since changed to the 12AX7WA. I have had a few of those JJ EL34s go down in my 100w Marshalls (almost spilled my coffee when I heard you say it too) so wondering if it's just another thing quality wise that JJ are suffering. I'll report back if the Tung Sols go pop though!

Thanks I'm pleased you are enjoying the vids!

Thanks Mark I'm glad you enjoyed it.

Thanks MArk

Hi Frank, yes I learned something here and would be quikcer to clean the board - but it looked so immaculate I was fooled. Still not 100% sure what actually caused this problem.

@@stuartukguitarampguy5830 , I don't mean to sound harsh, but did you get the definition of "immaculate" from Webster or from Ambrose Bierce's "Devil's Dictionary"? from . The rusty, crusty control panel, and the rusty, crusty lower lip of the chassis (near the tubes) were clues that you completely missed. This thing quite obviously had a beer or soda spilled into it (bottled water would not have left much residue nor caused that much corrosion). I would have scrubbed those circuit boards and cleaned the tube socket contacts, and examined/resoldered the connections, *FIRST*.

Thanks David!

Ha ha!

Hi John. Does it change when you flex the board? It COULD be an HT arc - very hard to diagnose over the net!

@@stuartukguitarampguy5830 The board definitely seemed overly sensitive , think I’ve got it licked now, noticed someone else had been in there , found some nasty joints and a damaged trace . Thanks 🙏

well done.@@johnmiller3804

Hi Frankie I'm glad you enjoyed it. I try to avoid using the scope unless I get really desperate! Most problems can be found using fairly simple diagnostic methods.

Thanks I'm glad you enjoyed it.

@@stuartukguitarampguy5830 it was very informative

Are you implying that guitarists drink beer from time to time? I vicious slur.

@@stuartukguitarampguy5830 yeah sometimes they drink beer. I have a fender hot rod deluxe 1 that has a hum. If I go to the distortion channel it goes away, but if I hit the more distortion button it comes back. Clean has the hum as well. Any ideas? My plan was to change tunes and learn to solder to replace the 500v IC capacitors.

@@Beezi. That's an odd. one. A big culprit on these amps are the HT smoothing capos, look for leakage. But I would have thought that would give hum no matter what you selected.

@@stuartukguitarampguy5830 I was testing a few resistors that people say go bad and found a 100k resistor by the phase inverter tube that was testing at 215k. I assume that is causing issues and will replace.

@@Beezi. Yes definitely replace that. It MAY read correct once you actually desolder it.

Sounds like you've done a great job there Don. Well done.

Nice tip thanks. Often it's also just a build up of dirt/grease etc and a good clean gets rid of those unwanted conductive paths.

It's a nightmare when that happens. I really hate it when a customer takes an amp away (usually having driven a fair distance) and contacts me next day saying "Err... it's back...". Aaaagggh!

@@stuartukguitarampguy5830 story of my life! Finally tracked down the fault to the relay K2, intermittent contacts, took about 3 blooming hours to trace :/

@@MreViewer Well done. I'll make a mental note of that one! I hate relays on amps tbh.

Thanks I'm glad you enjoyed it.

Glad you enjoyed it!

Thanks Jacob

Hi, yes agreed and that's what happened in this instance. Slow, methodical hunting.

I work fixing High End Audio for 30 years. Most of the times I found resistors or tubes making cracking noise. But capacitors , solder joins or PCB inclusive can make the same noise. Best Regards.

Glad you enjoyed it Brandon.

I'm selling those toothbrushes for £25 a pop if you're interested....

​@@stuartukguitarampguy5830 - as my Dentist seemed to say to me as he was taking me under his Gas.. "Relax, Sir, : what Wife or Girlfriend would not come out delighted with your 'New Man Look' as you come back fitted with a full set of matched NOS Russian EL34 mouth-pins..." *Shudder" 🙂 -Look fwd to more interesting vids - Best,

Thanks Pete. More vids coming soon!

It was good stuff too!!

Hmm, I feel a sideline coming on....

This amp suffered from more than damp storage, it obviously had something spilled in it. The rust and corrosion was readily apparent.

Yes good point, I hadn;t considered that.

I guess we'll never know!

Great tip thanks.

Thanks Todd

I, ok interesting. When you say tube connectors do you mean the valve bases?

Well done!

Hi Gervais. I have a thing that I only get the scope out as a ;ast resort. 9% of faults can be found by good troibleshooting. But I certainly use it when I need to and get desperate!

@@stuartukguitarampguy5830 thx for reply - how aware of issues might one need to be in terms of low-impedance / shorts when test- shorting nodes to ground (esp. in HV valve circuitry?)

Hi Gervais. Sorry I didn;t really understand the question.

@@stuartukguitarampguy5830 Oh - think I meant like the difference between a 'low current' & 'high current' short - one diagnostic, the other perhaps fire-starting.. 🙄

@@gervaiscurrie6675 , I have a test-probe cable with pointy probes on both ends, for shorting signal to ground or jumpering around suspect parts ---- If I was a newbie I would make sure to have a fuse in line between those two probes, but I've been doing electronics for over 50 years so it isn't strictly necessary for me. Ask me again in 5 years if I've installed an in-line fuse yet, because of my hands getting shaky as my arthritis worsens.....😖

Bit confused. Light bulb? DO you mean the red on/off indicator bulb?

That's very true!

Hmm tricky to say at a distance I'm afraid. Might need an amp tech for that one. Good luck.

Just when you thought it was safe to go into the amp.....

Hi Kadeem Unfortuately crackling is one of those issues that can have quite a few causes.

@@stuartukguitarampguy5830 I realized, haha! Ok well thanks for the feedback. I'll leave it up to a professional. Cheers!

Hi Your comment is not not attached to your original comment which I cannot find, Please carefully explain the issue you are having and I'll se what I can do.

@@stuartukguitarampguy5830 yaaa i dont know what happen there but yes my indicator light do's dim flickering ???

@@meldeer6253 If everything else is ok, then I suspect the actual connections to the back of the bulb. Try moving them around a bit to see if the lamp comes on solid.

thank you ill try looking at that socket it's dim all most noexzistance lol yup i all so noticed that sitting right beside the amp i got a lot of humming so i relocated my amp ???

@@meldeer6253 Hi Mel If the guitar is anywhere near the amp you'll get a lot of hum. Just move the guitar away.

That's strange because after doing that sniff test I was completely out of it for 24 hours....

@@stuartukguitarampguy5830 😂😂😂😂

@@stuartukguitarampguy5830 :)

Yes 'awful' ... I believe that was the word I shouted out a few times....

Fabulous design idea....

Yep. It hasn't come back so far though.

I LIke F&T caps as they are good quality. But I expect there are other makes that are as good too, I just don't know them all.

@@stuartukguitarampguy5830 right on, thanks man. Just got gifted a hot rod deluxe from a friend... Old roomie left it behind so I lucked out on a decent project. Noticed my caps are leaking and a lot of reviews say they're cheapo so I wanted to find a decent enough upgrade.