Victoria amp trouble

[CALI68]

I had a gig on the 4th and right smack in the middle of the second set in front of a packed house (and in the middle of Voodoo Child) my brand new Victoria 45410 starts popping and crackling! Oddly enough (and quite like a bad joke) it sounded like there were fire works in there! Thankfully I had my trusty little blues Junior on stage so I quickly swapped over to that and got the gig done. ...sounded great by the way! Really pushed and sweet but I digress.

Anyway, the next morning (yesterday) I ran it over to amp uber genius, Val King (King Amplification) to have him fix it up. I'm not about to send the amp back and forth to Chicago so I'll eat the repair cost. While this whole situation sucks I must point out that this amp sounds so good, SO INSANELY GOOD that I am more than happy to roll with the punches.

I am supposed to pick up the amp early this week after he diagnoses and fixes the problem but in the mean time anyone have any ideas? My guess is that the UPS Guys were less than gentle with this gorgeous delicate creature. Surely it's not the workmanship of Victoria because the amp is a marvel to look at as well as play.

Anyway, I'll have it for next weeks gigs.



-Chris

[teleamp]

More than likely a tube issue, but a faulty part or solder joint could have the same symptoms.

Let us know what the actual problem was.

[CALI68]

I sure will.

-Chris

[riffmeister]

preamp tube crackling and popping is not uncommon. sometimes this can be remedied simply by taking each preamp tube out and re-inserting it (ie, a contact issue between tube pin and socket), or sometimes the preamp tube itself needs to be replaced. you should keep a few spare tubes on hand.....they are very often the culprit in a tube amp with issues.

[sdgvintage]

Seems like new tubes that last for more than a few hours last for a long time, while others die very short lifes. This is why I burn all my amps in for 12 hours + on a variac.

[Miles]

Glad you like it, but no matter how posh a piece of gear is, there are still lemons out there.

Sometimes, working man's gear is the most trust-worthy.

Good luck, hope it's nothing major.

[Brien]

Just a bad tube probably. Always call Victoria first, before you take it anywhere. Mark is very good at walking you through some basic trouble shooting. That is part of the beauty of buying from a small company like Victoria-service. Your amp will be fine.

[CALI68]

Just a bad tube probably. Always call Victoria first, before you take it anywhere. Mark is very good at walking you through some basic trouble shooting. That is part of the beauty of buying from a small company like Victoria-service. Your amp will be fine.


When I first got the amp I had called to ask it there was a way to tame the brightness a bit (turns out all I needed to do was to break in the speakers) and my head was soundly bitten off. In an email exchange latter we cleared it all up and got past that nonsense. I guess I was a bit gun shy to call again and plus I always like Val to check out all my new stuff. It just made better sense. I know good tone VERY well but I know very little about electronics, it's just better all around to have a local pro in the mix.

I in no way want this to be read as a poor reflection on Mark, the Guy is a straight up genius and his amps are legendary.


-Chris

[shally]

maybe so, but if you bought the amp new from victoria, i would expect them to be far more courteous and helpful after the sale..

i bought an amp from kendrick about 10 years ago, and even though i eventually sold it, anytime i called i was either put through to gerald weber himself or to one of his techs..
NEVER was i treated as a pain in their behinds

it is inexcusable for victoria to treat a customer poorly

i do own 2 vickys now.. but both were bought used and had been modified by previous owners.. under those circumstances if i were to call up, i would offer to pay for their advice since they benefitted zero from my purchase..
i have had repairs done locally or for more serious work, i shipped one to paul gustafson at evacuatedelectronics.. i highly recommend him.

[Defendant]

Could be an issue with the fit of one of the period-correct tube sockets. I've had similar issues, but only after swapping a bunch of tubes out. Retensioning solved tit for me.

[CALI68]

Could be an issue with the fit of one of the period-correct tube sockets. I've had similar issues, but only after swapping a bunch of tubes out. Retensioning solved tit for me.

Cool! I'm, sure it's something as simple as that. Could the trauma of shipping cause that?

-Chris

[DavidH]

Most likely to be a tube that didn't quite survive the journey.I've had a PI tube go and create that loud fireworks popping and banging sounds before.It sounds catastrophic but it's probably just a tube.

[CALI68]

I've had a PI tube go and create that loud fireworks popping and banging sounds before.It sounds catastrophic but it's probably just a tube.

Yes, it was very unpleasant to hear. ...but somehow appropriate for the day :)

Damn good thing I had my backup with me!


-Chris

[KazJY]

Voodoo Child the slow blues version, or the heavy one? (forgive me, I had to ask!)

I hope the amp gets fixed up soon. Vickys are sweet-stuff!

[CALI68]

Voodoo Child the slow blues version, or the heavy one? (forgive me, I had to ask!)

I hope the amp gets fixed up soon. Vickys are sweet-stuff!

We do a Hendrix/SRV hybrid type of thing.

-Chris

[straticus]

I've had my share of popping and crackling noises. It was just a bad tube every time.

Hasn't happened at a gig yet though .........knock on wood.

[Red Suede]

Val will definitely find it. He's great.

[J.T. Guitar]

maybe so, but if you bought the amp new from victoria, i would expect them to be far more courteous and helpful after the sale... it is inexcusable for victoria to treat a customer poorly

??? I don't think the OP contacted Mark... (about this problem).

[CALI68]

??? I don't think the OP contacted Mark.

Read post #8


-Chris

[J.T. Guitar]

Read post #8


-Chris

Sorry about that. Let me re-phrase... I don't think the OP contacted Mark, about this problem.

My point is, it's hard to take care of your customers if they don't call to let you know when there's a problem. If you contact a builder and they lie, yell, are disrespectful, or otherwise unresponsive, then, by all means, they deserve to be railed.

[CALI68]

Sorry about that. Let me re-phrase... I don't think the OP contacted Mark, about this problem.

Oh, ok. Yea I didn't because I kinda figured, "what's the point?". I'm not about to ship it back to Chicago from California, I need it for this weekend and based on what everyone has said, it seems like something minor. ....I hope. If not then I'll call.

[J.T. Guitar]

Oh, ok. Yea I didn't because I kinda figured, "what's the point?". I'm not about to ship it back to Chicago from California, I need it for this weekend and based on what everyone has said, it seems like something minor. ....I hope. If not then I'll call.

I bet it's a tube problem. Mark makes quality amps. Best of luck, and let us know.

[CALI68]

Mark makes quality amps.

That's for sure! I LOVE that thing!



-Chris

[CALI68]

Diagnosis:
Bad Power Tube



-Chris

[CALI68]

Here's a shot of the bad tube. You can see the piece that was evidently bouncing around in there:


http://img237.imageshack.us/img237/609/dsc0125lt8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/8839/dsc0126dd6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)


Val replaced the tubes with a new set and did a bias job. ...works and sounds KILLER again! THE AMP IS A TONE GOD!!!

-Chris

[J.T. Guitar]

Nice, enjoy your baby.

[GTRJohnny]

Good thing it didn't blow... I hate cleaning glass out of the back of a new amp..