solid state head trouble

[Welschy]

Yo, I got a solid state Ampeg cc140 amp head, recently at louder volumes it will cut out and no rocknroll noise will come out, if I power down then back up sometimes that will help it for a while but it keeps cutting out, its not a cord issue, anyone outhere have a suggestion or knowledge of what it could be, I don't know much about repairing them, specially solid state, any comments would be appreciated, thanks

[dragonworks]

Do you sit the head on a cabinet. If so there may be a loose connection or a "cold solder joint" being jarred by the vibration of the cabinet causing it to cut out. Try playing with the head sitting somewhere besides the cab and see if it happens. It may also be thermal sensitive, does it happen after the amp is warm or right after you turn it on? These may give you some insight into what is going on.

[getuhgrip]

Not familiar with that head. Does it have a tube in the pre section?

[Lt. Bob]

Dragonworks could be right. try putting it on a stand so it won't vibrate. I've seen that happen quite a few times.
Also sometimes when a part is getting weak, It'll work 'till it hits a certain temperature and then fail until it cools. It could be anything, a power transistor, a resistor or anything. If you're a tech, you can open it up and use a heat gun to check which part it is;...hmmm.....I guess if you were a tech, you wouldn't be asking.

[guhlenn]

i use a marshall ss head for rehearsal... i have the same problem there... i always hit it hard , then it works again....... that helps...
but then again the head isn't mine...
had the same thing with a ibanez ss ... again hitting it worked... though i hit it one too many times... now it's fucked...

soo uhm... back to the shop!

guhlenn

[Roel]

Hitting it really is a good idea. Seriously. Trust me on this.

What I really mean: put it on a nonvibrating stand (on the ground would do just fine in most places...) and hit it. This really is the way to find out if you got a loose connection...

But if you're not a tech, go see a tech with it. Ain't no use in hitting it and knowing it's a loose connection if you don't have the skills to fix it. I could fix it for ya. I'm smart, you know?

[guhlenn]

Roel,

are you really that smart? i'm havin trouble believin' that

but honestly, are you a tech? cuz i'm lookin for someone who can build me an amp... schematics supplied ofcourse... and since you live in the neighboorhood (well.... )

We once had a rehearsal with the ibanez (crappy little amp btw, nice sound, but i returned it five times before givin up on that f*cker) where it would keep droppin out... so my drummer used it as some kind of tom, hitting it about 5 times per minute... man that was funny... he had to really pound it yah know... i cuoldn't play because it was gettin too hilarious...

guhlenn

[Welschy]

Cold solder joint, my TV just had that problem, maybe the house vibrates. anyway - yea I put the head on the cab & its usually after if warms up a bit that it happens, so I'm guessing its a thermal/solder issue but I'll mess with it then take it to a techyy, thanks y'all

[bubinski]

Problem: solid state.
Answer : TUBES !!!!!