Re: Trouble with my amp...any guesses on the problem?

On Aug 30, 5:50 pm, "eadg" <don'...@xxxxxx> wrote:
"Mike" <tetri...@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message

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On Aug 30, 10:04 am, "JoeSpareBedroom"
<newstr...@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:



"Mike" <tetri...@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message

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On Aug 30, 8:24 am, "JoeSpareBedroom"
<newstr...@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:

"Mike" <tetri...@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message

news:43af0d69-3f97-40e2-be81-c253993683d9@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I have a Fender Dual Bass 400 amp. It's from the 80s. I
bought used
in 2002. It has been a very reliable amp. This past
Saturday I was
playing it through my usual Hartke 4-10 aluminum cone
cabinet. About
30 minutes into the set, the volume dropped noticeably
(but not
completely) and there was some static. I kept playing
and plucked a
note a little harder than normal and the sound returned
to normal. It
happened again a couple minutes later, and this time I
tried to stand
still to make sure that nothing from the bass or cable
was causing the
issue. Again, the sound returned to normal a few
moments later.
Since it still happened when I wasn't moving I guess
it's probably an
issue with the amp and not the instrument or cable. Of
course I will
probably take it in to be diagnosed and fixed, but just
figured I'd
ask here to see if anyone had any ideas about what the
problem might
be.

Just to re-cap, playing along fine....volume drops to
about half and
the sound becomes staticky. Pluck a note a little
harder than usual
and the sound returns to normal. The issue might not be
related to
the bass or cable since I was not moving around when
the issue
occurred.

Thanks for any advice.

Mike

Don't you have a spare cord, Mike?- Hide quoted text -

Actually I did not have a spare at the time. As I was
packing up at
home prior to the gig one of the jacks came completely off
the backup
cord. The main gig cord I use has never given me any
trouble so I
don't think it was the problem (I only use that cord at
gigs so it
gets less wear and tear). Also, I made sure not to move
around to see
if that helped, but the volume loss/static still happened.
My
experience is that a faulty cable will usually reveal
itself when
being moved around a bit.

Mike
=======

Does your bass have active circuitry? If so, batteries or
battery
connections could be the issue.

Good question.  I meant to mention this in my original post.
The bass
has passive pickups.  I really think it's amp.  I am gonna
play with
it tonight to see if I can recreate it.  I was just hoping
some of the
folks here might have some experience repairing amps and
could weigh
in on this.

Mike

====================

[Responding hastily to a distant bugle call of da da
da-da-da-daaaa]...

Seeing as it's a solid state amp your only hope is a dodgy
pot being the cause so switch cleaner and some repeated turns
on the knobs might work. You could also check the speaker
lead and sockets for a good connection, ditto the guitar lead
and socket. It sounds like a bad connection issue to me.
Lol, I have quite a few 'stand still!' memories ;)

--
SR

Finally had a moment to do some googling about. Check this out
(nothing conclusive, but somewhat similar) -

http://acapella.harmony-central.com/showthread.php?t=1282494

There are 2 posts in the thread, here is the first -

I have been playing through a Fender BXR Dual Bass 400 head for
several years and over the past year the volume has been dropping out
while I play. I use it with a Laney 2x15 and another cabinet with
2x10s. I don't have an owner's manual since it was bought used. Has
anyone heard of ths head and know what I may be doing wrong to cause
this problem?

Here is the second -

That's a bit of an odd duck you've got there, although I still see
them in used shops from time to time. As far as I know, the BXR series
heads were pretty reliable so there isn't an established list of what
usually goes wrong. I'd take it to a competent amp tech. Those old BXR
amps are pretty simple electronically so it shouldn't be a difficult
fix.

.

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