Distortion after a clean note is played-Solid State Amp

[Bob Langston]

Pardon if this has been addressed, but I have had a similar problem with a handful of old Solid State amps: On the Clean channel, whenever I play a loud note (especially noticeable with bassier notes), there is a distortion/static sound I hear. The first Amp I noticed this was a Carvin SX-200 2x12 combo. I sold that to a shop and the owner said something about "Bad Output Capacitors". Later i got the same issue with a Fender M-80 Pro head. I used several different speaker cabs and got the same thing. Next came an old Kustom head. I am currently using a Trace Elliot Super Tramp Combo, and have started having the same issue. Is this an indication of capacitor failure? Just looking for a little guidance.

 

[J M Fahey]

Very unlikely.
In fact the amps you mention do not even HAVE output capacitors.

Basically:

* if the distorted sound appears at high volume, but dissapears by lowering it, it's typical SS clipping, it's built in.

* if a mid/loud chord sounds fine but when fading you hear a buzzy/raspy sound mixed with it, it's either underbiasing (crossover distortion) or scratching/dirty speaker voice coil.