I fear the same thing happened to both my amps...

[truckin]

Today I went to try my ‘67 Super Reverb and low and behold the output volume has seriously diminished, it was breaking up at 3 on the dial into input 2 with weak humbuckers. Turning the volume up to 4/5, it gets a little louder but at a level that really pails compared to how loud it usually is. This is run with 4x Alessandro GA10-SC59s.

So I plug in my Jim Kelley Reverb and give that a go. Now this amp is usually LOUD loud, like tearing paint off the walls loud. But when I went to turn up the volume it was the same volume (or quieter) than a 5w amp cranked. This is run into a closed back can with an EV.

Now apart from having next to no clean headroom, everything on the amps sounds and functions normally. There’s no burning smell or fluctuations in output. Tried multiple guitars, disconnecting the pedalboard, etc. I suspect the same thing happened to both of them as they both share the same wall outlet and I often run them in stereo. What are some things I should first check before taking them to a tech? I just hope it’s not the OTs... that would kill me

 

[easyed]

Checking the voltage at the wall outlet would worth a try. If it's down around 100 VAC, you could try other outlets or call an electrician.

 

[truckin]

Checking the voltage at the wall outlet would worth a try. If it's down around 100 VAC, you could try other outlets or call an electrician.

Tried a different outlet, still the same volume issue. Will have to try another room, hoping this is the problem and not the amps themselves.

 

[PushedGlass]

Tried a different outlet, still the same volume issue. Will have to try another room, hoping this is the problem and not the amps themselves.

Oftentimes several outlets in the same room are on the same circuit and more than one can have an undervolt because of a fault at or near just one. Last year I reworked every outlet in our living room because there was a bad push-in connection in the first outlet in the string and the push-in connections in the other outlets weren't any better (moral: don't use push-ins).

 

[hank57]

Check the local electric company. Maybe a transformer blew up

 

[zenas]

Check the wall voltage if you have a voltmeter handy. Any other odd things going on with electrical alliances? I'm thinking if it's low enough to mess with a tube amp that drastically, you'd have other things acting up. But I'd still check the voltage just to eliminate that.

 

[Blue Strat]

Transformers are the least likely component to go, ever.

First things first. Are you plugging directly into the amps? If not, do that first. Are all the tubes, particularly power tubes, still plugged in?

 

[JPH118]

I just hope it’s not the OTs... that would kill me

The odds of it being one OT, let alone TWO OTs, is next to nil. I would guess something happening with your home electric.

Have you tried more than one guitar & cable?

 

[CoyotesGator]

The odds of it being one OT, let alone TWO OTs, is next to nil. I would guess something happening with your home electric.

Have you tried more than one guitar & cable?

quoted for emphasis.

 

[truckin]

Volume seems normal in another room but I only had time to try it briefly, will muck around more tomorrow and make sure. At least I could get it up to 3-4 and still have cleans. I definitely have at least some presence of dirty power as the amp was "clicking" in it's new spot. I used to plug in amps all around my house and have never had problems. No local outages on the outage map. Should also add that I have tried all the usual suspects such as changing guitar cable, running direct, different guitars, etc.

 

[J M Fahey]

Unlikely same happened to two amps, at the same time, and for no evident reason.
So there must be something common to both.
As in: already mentioned:
* low wall voltage: get a $10 meter and check it, also useful to check cables, batteries, supply voltage and polarity, no need to be a "Tech" to profit from its use.
* bad cable(s).
* straightb to the amp? (already mentioned) or using anything in between, bsides plain cable? (which is also suspect)
* tried another guitar?
* "user" problems: cold/flu/ear infection (this hits me regularly) , anything clogging ypur inuses, will make "everything" dull and weak.
Think other possible causes, try other amps you have laying around, even old clunkers.

The *proper* non subjective test is to set amp in a Tech bench and measure actual power putput, of course not possible for many.