save my guitar amp

[spy said one]

i have an old Harmony amp that failed on me a while back, and i'd like to be able to fix it myself. in order to do that, i need to figure out what exactly is wrong with it. anyone want to take a stab at troubleshooting?

 

[WhiteStrat]

i have an old Harmony amp that failed on me a while back, and i'd like to be able to fix it myself. in order to do that, i need to figure out what exactly is wrong with it. anyone want to take a stab at troubleshooting?

What model and what are the symptoms? I've got an H400 that's in the shop right now. I won't be able to tell you how to fix it, but I may help you figure out what's wrong with it based on my experience with my own.

 

[Track Rat]

If it's a tube amp, they're generally easy to fix, BUT, they are dangerous as hell if you don't know what you're doing. The internal voltages are anywhere from 200 to 600 VDC and can kill you real fast (even if it's unplugged from the wall). What's the symptoms?

 

[Epicureous]

If the amp turns on but doesn't make any sound one of the easiest ways to diagnose the problem is to open up the case and with a signal running through the amp carefully jiggle each component and listen for changes in the sound (this is exactly what an electronics tech would start with)...

The reason I suggest this is because some PCB's don't have plated through-holes and when you play your amp, which vibrates, the connections vibrate loose. It's a very common problem in all amps- especially lower end models...

So when you're messing with the components and you actually hear a sound change that's your problem area, if you don't hear any sound changes then it's, most likely, an internal component problem. and probably needs to go to a tech...

And if you didn't understand what I was talking about then it really needs to go to a tech...

 

[spy said one]

i'd have to go home and check the model number, i can't remember it off the top of my head. EDIT: it's one of the racing stripe series amps, i'm guessing a 530, which is apparently solid state.

it does turn on, and it does make sound. noise is more like it. just fuzzy, cruddy noise.

it's been sitting in storage since it did that, but i'd like to tinker around with it. i'll get it out again, and come back with some more details!

 

[WhiteStrat]

i'd have to go home and check the model number, i can't remember it off the top of my head. EDIT: it's one of the racing stripe series amps, i'm guessing a 530, which is apparently solid state.

it does turn on, and it does make sound. noise is more like it. just fuzzy, cruddy noise.

it's been sitting in storage since it did that, but i'd like to tinker around with it. i'll get it out again, and come back with some more details!

Mine's older than that (I think) & all tube. It's also just making noise, a loud buzzy humm--might be the same as yours with the difference being SS vs. tube. Any it's being recapped next week. And as handy as I am, I took it to a tech. Don't know if you fell that a 30+ year old SS amp is worth the investment, but I thought my 40+ year old tube amp was.

Good luck!