AMP ISSUE NEED CAPSLOCK TURNED OFF!

[mguilherme87]

Okay, so i have this Bugera 333 tube amp. It is 120w all tube and i got it by a craigslist trade. The amp worked fine for several months, had just been retubed by the previous owner. All good tubes blah blahh...now this thing was loud, like on stage at an outdoor festival venue it would be too loud at idk 3 (out of ten) then at rehearsal one day i set my amp up, go to play and boom not even one half the volume i used to have. I had this thing cranked at 10 maximum and it would not overpower my speaking voice. I changed guitars, went direct from guitar into the amp as opposed to my board, tried a different instrument cable, tried a different speaker cable, nothing. The clean channel was very quiet, the overdrive was a little louder and the lead a little louder than that. Yet still like a 50% volume drop at least. I bring it to my uncles the next morning so he could see whats wrong, and it worked perfectly...He checked the tubes and everything, wicked loud and good, just like new. we fgured electrical problems at my rehearsal space, i go home....stopped working again! i bring it to a amp repairmen, he keeps it at his house for a couple days, test runs it through and through and it works fine for him. no issues. i havent gotten it back yet but what if it wont work for me??? what is causing this? Also, its not the cabinet because as we speak i am using my uncles Egnater renegade 65w head as a backup annd it works fine.

 

[coldandhomeless]

ok same happenned to my carvin v3... next time it happens, punch the top... if it comes back full bore, it is a loosr ribbon cable... take the chassis out and reseat them. but try not to touch anything else. you may die. a little deoxit contact cleaner on the ribbon cable plugs should get u going again.... next time ur amp is acting up, unplug ur guitar and plug it into the effects loop return... if its retarded loud, and then quiet and crappy in the front jack, then u have a faulty preamp tube...

 

[mguilherme87]

Thanks for the advice man, i have a show tonight so hopefully it works. If it does happen again (god forbid) then i will do this. The experience has made me throw my Jemini twin distortion back on my board (who needs a pedal when you have 3 channel tube amp disortion) in case and im debating on getting the EHX Magnum 44.

 

[MetalDestroyer]

I would not recommend poking around in an amp chassis if you don't know what you're doing. Those filter caps store a LOT of charge for a LONG time and I don't think you want 400-600 volts discharged into your body at once. If you MUST, one hand behind your back while in there, wear rubber soled shoes, and have someone near you to take you to the hospital if you screw up. If it is just a loose ribbon, grab a wooden stick and push it back in, thereby avoiding putting your hands anywhere in there.

 

[coldandhomeless]

yeah... one hand behind the back... and touch nothing lol... sorry if i forgot to mention these things lol its kind of a life or death thing. not joking.

 

[Descent]

Try to see that the tubes have not come loose but I think that you might be in need of new tubes. Are all the channels out?

 

[mguilherme87]

The tubes are fine, newer tubes. I havent had any issues with the amp since having it returned to me from the shop. He said he couldnt find anything wrong with it and since then neither have I. So it could have been a fluke. But if it happens again i will let everyone know.

 

[mguilherme87]

Since the last post I have used my amp at rehearsals and several different shows with no issues...This morning i get to our venue, plug in for sound check, no issues. Works perfectly. I leave the amp on,not even standby from 10-2:30. We get on at 2:30 and my amp is doing the same shit it did months ago. Clean channel is at talking volume and lead and crunch a little louder than that. My sound guy said he was getting almost nothing. I went guitar, pedalboard, straight to P.A. Thank god i had a back up overdrive. As i break down at the end of the set i realize....my amp was plugged into a different power strip than i had plugged it into this morning. Wich means before i went on someone unplugged it. while still on and not on standby. and plugged it in elsewhere. This may be the cause. however its still acting up now at home. Idk what to do. Im about to selll it and go back to shitty solid state heads. at least they are reliable.

 

[desmondtencents]

Absolutely not trying to be a dick here but, GOOD tube amps are quite reliable too. I've just seen so many stories about reliability issues with the Bugera stuff. If you're playing gigs then you need to think about your gear as being your "tools of the trade"
You'll never find a tradesman using crap dollar store tools on a job. (at least not if he takes any pride in his work)
Budget constraints can be a bitch but if it's possible I'd say try to offload the defective "tool" and look for something else. You can find 5150's used all day for reasonable prices and they're built like tanks. As long as you find one that hasn't already been abused. Just continue to take good care of it you should have years of rockin out without the constant fear of failure.

 

[Grindspine]

Since the last post I have used my amp at rehearsals and several different shows with no issues...This morning i get to our venue, plug in for sound check, no issues. Works perfectly. I leave the amp on,not even standby from 10-2:30. We get on at 2:30 and my amp is doing the same shit it did months ago. Clean channel is at talking volume and lead and crunch a little louder than that. My sound guy said he was getting almost nothing. I went guitar, pedalboard, straight to P.A. Thank god i had a back up overdrive. As i break down at the end of the set i realize....my amp was plugged into a different power strip than i had plugged it into this morning. Wich means before i went on someone unplugged it. while still on and not on standby. and plugged it in elsewhere. This may be the cause. however its still acting up now at home. Idk what to do. Im about to selll it and go back to shitty solid state heads. at least they are reliable.

It sounds like an intermittent issue, loose connection somewhere could be the culprit.

I would suggest taking your own small power regulator for live shows though. Furman and Monster both make small floor-based power strips. A long time ago, I invested in a Furman AR-1215 voltage regulator/power conditioner. I have never had problems with voltages screwing up my sound.

 

[mguilherme87]

I've decided to ditch the bugera and use my Randall solid state head in conjunction with a few good OD pedals until I save up enough to buy a Carvin V3 or V3m. The 5150iii is amazing but not quite clean enough for me on the clean channel. Distortion is Amazing though!