57Goldtop

Hey! I'm hoping I can get some help with a problem I'm having. Last night I was playing through my Marshall DSL100 head for about 5 minutes. I had to go take care of something so I put the amp on standby for about 15 minutes. When I came back I flipped it off standby and started to play, but all of a sudden I had NO sound. It had been working fine just a moment ago.

I have power to the amp. It turns on like normal and all the tubes appear to be glowing as usual. I flipped through the two channels on the amp but still no sound. I turned the volume all the way up and tapped on the end of my guitar cable, no buzz or static or anything.

I had only been playing for a few minutes when this happened. I tried it again today and I’m still getting no sound. Any ideas what might be wrong??

EDIT: I would like to see if the problem is my speaker cable but I don't have a spare one lying around. I realize it's bad to run a speaker cab with a guitar cable. But would I do any damage to my amp if I ran it like that for just a few seconds to see if I can get any sound? Just to rule out my speaker cable as the potential problem?

__________________
"I used to be with it, but then they changed what 'it' was. Now what I'm with isn't 'it', and what's 'it' seems weird and scary to me. It'll happen to you..."

R45VT

Did you check the HT fuse?

Yes you can use a guitar cable for a quick test.

__________________

57Goldtop

Ok, I ran a guitar cable there for a couple seconds but still no sound. At least that's one thing I can cross off the suspect list.

I just pulled out the HT fuse. It looks fine but from my understanding that doesn't actually mean it's not blown, right? I'll try to run out and grab a few replacement fuses tonight. Hopefully that helps.

So if it turns out that it was the HT fuse, is that something that just happens sometimes? Or is that a sign that something bigger is wrong with the amp? And is there any reason that would happen with flipping the amp on standby for a few minutes, or was that just total coincidence?

__________________
"I used to be with it, but then they changed what 'it' was. Now what I'm with isn't 'it', and what's 'it' seems weird and scary to me. It'll happen to you..."

Cathbard

A blown HT fuse normally means that a power tube has shit itself. When you flip the standby switch it turns on the HT supply so it is indicative of the same thing. Don't you own a multimeter? You can buy something good enough to test a fuse for under $20 these days. There's really no excuse not to have one any more.

__________________
Gilchrist custom guitar
Yamaha SBG500
Telecaster
Ibanez Iceman
Roland GP-8
Quadraverb
Abbey Harmonic II
Marshall JTM45 clone
Marshall JCM900 4102 (modded)
Marshall 18W clone
Fender 5F1 Champ clone
Marshall 1960A

Cathbard Amplification

57Goldtop

Hey Cath... me not owning a multimeter has nothing to do with the cost of one. It has everything to do with me not knowing what the hell I'm doing with one, lol! I've actually been interested in learning more about working with/on amps. I've been modding my own guitars for a while now and I like working on that kind of stuff. But the whole "lethal dosage of current" thing with amplifiers has kept my curiosity in check so far

__________________
"I used to be with it, but then they changed what 'it' was. Now what I'm with isn't 'it', and what's 'it' seems weird and scary to me. It'll happen to you..."

H4T3BR33D3R

All you need to do to avoid shocking yourself is to discharge the caps. You can do that by putting the amp in the on position when it's not plugged in IIRC.



Actually, it's probably not true and I'm not remembering correctly. Just disregard this

__________________






Only at times, though.

R45VT

x2. New tubes and a new fuse.

There are PLENTY of tutorials of how to bias Marshall's...

Be safe- no need to discharge unless you are planning to work on the board.

__________________

57Goldtop

Ok, I'll go this route. I like to do my own work whenever possible so I'll check out some tutorials on biasing. At first I was pissed because I was thinking the amp had newer tubes in it (done by the previous owner). But now that I think about it they're probably coming up on about a year of use. Time flies...

__________________
"I used to be with it, but then they changed what 'it' was. Now what I'm with isn't 'it', and what's 'it' seems weird and scary to me. It'll happen to you..."

DeadlyIllness

You checked the cables right, and any of the jacks?

R45VT

Shit- DSLs are super easy. You just need a voltmeter - there are 2 trim pots for left and right pair. Very easy

__________________

Robbgnarly

Is this the JCM2000 DSL?
I have the DSL100 and I had a cap go in the powersection and it took out 1 of my tubes. My brotherinlaw fixed my amp, but if I would have payed, it would have been $250 ish plus tubes.
He had to jump a few traces to get it working right

Trust me never use anything but SED =C= tubes in it the plate voltage is stupid and the =C= is the only tubes that will last

__________________
2002 PRS CE22
197? Sanox Sound Creator LP clone (GFS Fat Pat)
2009 Epiphone G-400 (SH-4)
Marshall JCM2000 DSL100
Krank 1980 Jr 20watt
Krank Rev 4x12 (eminence V12)
GFS Greenie/Digitech Bad Monkey
Morley Bad Horsie 2
MXR Smart Gate

R45VT

eh? Seriously- as many cheap mother ****ers as there are I think we would see more problems if SED =C= was the only way to go. There are built like tanks for sure but JJs would do just fine with the plate voltage. I would wonder what the caps are rated at before questioning tube manufacturers.

__________________

R45VT

Now that I am home.... lets clarify this TS- was the HT fuse bad?

__________________

Robbgnarly

Actually Marshall shipped the JCM2000 with SED =C= from the factory that should speak for it's self

__________________
2002 PRS CE22
197? Sanox Sound Creator LP clone (GFS Fat Pat)
2009 Epiphone G-400 (SH-4)
Marshall JCM2000 DSL100
Krank 1980 Jr 20watt
Krank Rev 4x12 (eminence V12)
GFS Greenie/Digitech Bad Monkey
Morley Bad Horsie 2
MXR Smart Gate

qvplite

This is my usual procedure when an amp stops making noise:

1 - Check Fuse; if ok move to step 2.
2 - Swap Tubes for Known Good Ones; if still no sound move to step 3.
3 - Take to Shop for Repair

A good tech will usually require a $50-100 deposit and include that amount in the price of the repair including labor and parts. If you're in San Diego I can recommend a couple people; otherwise you'll have to ask around.

57Goldtop

Yeah, I used a simple continuity tester to confirm that I have power at every jack and cable. Everything appears to be working fine.

Yeah the HT fuse is blown. I wasn't able to tell at first but under a magnifying glass I could clearly see a break in the filament.

So any recommendations on replacement tubes (other than the SED =C= as mentioned)? The previous owner was going for a more aggressive/modern tone when he replaced the tubes the last time. I'd actually like to get more of a vintage tone out of the amp if possible. I don't want to spend an arm and a leg though.

__________________
"I used to be with it, but then they changed what 'it' was. Now what I'm with isn't 'it', and what's 'it' seems weird and scary to me. It'll happen to you..."

R45VT

SED =C= is probably about the best quality modern production tube you can get.

JJ's are best value.


That being said power tubes don't change tone all that much. It's the preamp tubes that have an impact.



Robb thinks SED are the only way to go- he has a DSL 100. I personally have never the only SED. They are $$$ where JJs are $$.

I like tube depot for my tubes. Great prices and selection.

Have you found a tube biasing tutorial yet?

__________________

Robbgnarly

I do agree with R45VT you do not need SED=C= tubes, but they are the best. JJ have good tubes and they are reasonable in price.

The 6Ca7 is soposed to be nice in Marshall amps

__________________
2002 PRS CE22
197? Sanox Sound Creator LP clone (GFS Fat Pat)
2009 Epiphone G-400 (SH-4)
Marshall JCM2000 DSL100
Krank 1980 Jr 20watt
Krank Rev 4x12 (eminence V12)
GFS Greenie/Digitech Bad Monkey
Morley Bad Horsie 2
MXR Smart Gate

57Goldtop

Cool, thanks for the advice. I'm not gigging heavily so I'm not looking for the "best" tubes out there. I'm more concerned with overall bang for the buck. JJ's sound like a good choice for me.

So, would it be worth it for me to pick up a set of new preamp tubes too? I know, if it ain't broke don't fix it... but I'm not the original owner and I don't know the full history of the amp. Might be nice to start over with a clean slate.

Any decent-priced preamp tubes out there for more of a vintage tone - classic rock / bluesy rock?

__________________
"I used to be with it, but then they changed what 'it' was. Now what I'm with isn't 'it', and what's 'it' seems weird and scary to me. It'll happen to you..."