Amp Maintenance

James Brown · Post by **James Brown** » 4 Dec 2003 3:11 pm

What is the best way to maintain a amp?Should it go to a shop for an maintenance?
Is there any routine maintenance I can do?

Alvin Sydnor · Post by **Alvin Sydnor** » 4 Dec 2003 3:15 pm

Keep it clean in-side and out. Dirt and dust traps heat and heat is your worst enemy.
Keep on pikin
Alvin

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 4 Dec 2003 3:39 pm

S/S or tube? (There's a big difference!)

James Brown · Post by **James Brown** » 4 Dec 2003 4:41 pm

S/S, Peavey Nashville 400 and a Peavey Nashville 1000

Mike Brown · Post by **Mike Brown** » 5 Dec 2003 7:50 am

There is little or no maintenance required unless you live in cold or damp climate. The main thing is to keep the electronics and speaker in a dry place.

Brad Sarno · Post by **Brad Sarno** » 5 Dec 2003 1:52 pm

Every 5 years or so I think it's a good idea to pull out the chassis and clean the pots, connectors, jacks, and tube sockets if applicable. I like to use the Caig spray can cleaner stuff. They make a blue can that's specifically made for pot's. The red can is good for just about any connection. In Peavey amps, you may want to unplug the plastic molex connectors inside, spray the metal, and reconnect. I've found that sometimes Peavey amps need this after about 20 years. To spray the pot's, you may want to bend the red spray tube so it can reach around where the pot's have an opening. After spraying, turn each pot a couple of dozen times. Clean the reverb connections, input jacks, etc. If the amp is electronically good, this type of maintenance is all you should need.

Sometimes people like to rotate the speaker 180 degrees because years of gravity pulling in one direction can make the voice coil "gravitate" off center.

Brad Sarno<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Brad Sarno on 05 December 2003 at 01:53 PM.]</p></FONT>

gary darr · Post by **gary darr** » 5 Dec 2003 8:20 pm

"Sometimes people like to rotate the speaker 180 degrees because years of gravity pulling in one direction can make the voice coil "gravitate" off center."

Great suggestion and it looks much better than turning your amplifier upside down

------------------
Sho-Bud proII custom,Session 500,American standard Strat,Shecter tele,Peavy Classic 50

Tom Althoff · Post by **Tom Althoff** » 6 Dec 2003 4:16 am

Heat is the villian.

On tube amps wipe the dust off the tubes and oil the fan motor once a year.

On solid state amps if the heat sink is exposed and its developing "cotten candy" dust balls in the fins of the heat sink then vacuum it out or run a pipe cleaner down each groove.

The idea is to transfer as much heat away from the amp into the air.

One trick I developed over the years of restoring old tube radios is to twist the volume/tone/fader/tremelo/reverb etc etc all the way up to all the way down rapidly 10 or 20 times in a row. I have been able to clean a noisy pot that way without having to open up the case. The dust/carbon build up if not too bad will work its way to either end of the control where it will not do any harm. Flushing it out with contact spray is still better but exercising the controls full range certainly can be considered preventive maintenance.

Jerry Erickson · Post by **Jerry Erickson** » 6 Dec 2003 7:51 am

With Peavey amps that have effects loops, it's very important to clean/exercise those jacks as they can get dirty causing the output to be intermittent.

Bryan Bradfield · Post by **Bryan Bradfield** » 6 Dec 2003 11:48 am

Dirty receptacles can appear to be caused by a bad cord. If there is an intermittent signal that goes on and off (crackles & sputters) as one touches the cord connector, it could be the receptacle. I clean these with isopropanol (isopropyl alcohol) on a Q-tip. Clean all of your cord plugs at the same time with isopropanol on a rag.

Bryan Bradfield http://www.members.shaw.ca/DirtyHatBand/