ellangus Posted June 14, 2017 Share Posted June 14, 2017 My son bought a used BA210V2 from somebody yesterday. We tested it at the seller home and all worked fine. He took it to rehearsal later that evening and used it for around half an hour - all good. He switched the amp off for a short period and when he switched back on there was no sound at all, the light came on but no sound. He switched it off again left it for a few minutes switched back on and it was working again. He brought it back home and so far we have found that the problem continues, we left it on for an hour with no problem. We then switched it off - no sound again, switched off - left it for 5 minutes - switched back on - working again. As it’s second hand and a private sale, we have no warranty. He loves the sound of the amp (when working). Any suggestions would be most helpful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pmjos Posted June 14, 2017 Share Posted June 14, 2017 If you look at the block diagram in the manual you can see that the circuit is the pre-amp, then a set of separate buffers for Aux in, out, headphones, the a limiter before the power amplifier. SO.......when its doing its not working thing.... 1. If you plug in to the headphone socket do you hear anything? 2.If you plug a signal into the aux in or effects return do you get any sound? 3. If you crank everything up full without a guitar plugged in do you get any hiss? IF: 1. You can hear through the headphone socket and not the speaker its the limiter or the power amp 2. If you hear no hiss at all then the power amp input stage is probably faulty 3. If you hear hiss out of the speaker but no signal sound when plugged into the input or the aux in/ effects return its probably the limiter 4. If you hear sound through the speaker when you plug in through the effect return but not when you plug into the main input then the pre-amp is the issue 5. If you get a signal out of the line out (that comes from the final stage of the pre amp) then its the Limiter or power amp. Whatever the cause its something that is 'latching' when its hot. That sounds like a small component failure which a decent amp tech should be able to sort for you. It could be something a simple as a bias resistor breaking down or a small transistor or diode. Its worth taking to a good local repair man, should not be an expensive thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellangus Posted June 14, 2017 Author Share Posted June 14, 2017 Thanks for that pmjos, very helpful. My son said that when he used the xlr output from the amp into the PA it worked - any clues? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pmjos Posted June 14, 2017 Share Posted June 14, 2017 That would mean that the pre-amp is working as this XLR comes out of the final stage of the pre amp. Look at Page 14...... www.ampeg.com/pdf/manuals/ba_om.pdf Looking at the diagram there is a mute between the pre-and power stages - it could be something as simple as an iffy mute switch. Could be input stages to power amp. The diagram shows two separate power amps with limiters one to the tweeter one to the 2x 10 so its unlikely to be 'the' limiter as there are two although they might be on the same bit of circuit board. Again, suggest you take it to a service tech. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellangus Posted June 14, 2017 Author Share Posted June 14, 2017 Spoke to Surrey Amps who do all the non-warranty repairs for the Ampeg distributors in the UK. The chap I spoke to in the workshop asked how old the amp was - I told him I wasn't sure but when I described the issue, he said it's probably around 4 years old and was aware of the problem. He said it was in the power amp and that they could replace the part but there are a number (didn't say how many) of this part and that it would be prudent to replace all of them at a cost of £125 - £135 + VAT along with the cost of collection and delivery (£35 +VAT). Obviously a known issue in Ampeg amps!! I wish manufacturers would stand by their products. Luckily I have spoken to the guy we bought it from and he said he'd be prepared to take it back and give us a refund. I've also spoken to a local amp tech who said he'd charge £30 to diagnose it (which would come off the price of fixing it if we went ahead). He reckons it would be cheaper than Surrey Amps quoted. The seller also said he'd be prepared to to pay £50 toward that if we decided to go down that route. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twincam Posted June 14, 2017 Share Posted June 14, 2017 [quote name='ellangus' timestamp='1497465288' post='3318470'] Spoke to Surrey Amps who do all the non-warranty repairs for the Ampeg distributors in the UK. The chap I spoke to in the workshop asked how old the amp was - I told him I wasn't sure but when I described the issue, he said it's probably around 4 years old and was aware of the problem. He said it was in the power amp and that they could replace the part but there are a number (didn't say how many) of this part and that it would be prudent to replace all of them at a cost of £125 - £135 + VAT along with the cost of collection and delivery (£35 +VAT). Obviously a known issue in Ampeg amps!! I wish manufacturers would stand by their products. Luckily I have spoken to the guy we bought it from and he said he'd be prepared to take it back and give us a refund. I've also spoken to a local amp tech who said he'd charge £30 to diagnose it (which would come off the price of fixing it if we went ahead). He reckons it would be cheaper than Surrey Amps quoted. The seller also said he'd be prepared to to pay £50 toward that if we decided to go down that route. [/quote] Hmm I would be tempted just to get the refund and get something different. Just purely for the sake of reliability. The local amp tech could possibly fix it. But if something goes wrong again or if he can't fix it then its just going to be a hassle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellangus Posted June 14, 2017 Author Share Posted June 14, 2017 [quote name='Twincam' timestamp='1497477697' post='3318605'] Hmm I would be tempted just to get the refund and get something different. Just purely for the sake of reliability. The local amp tech could possibly fix it. But if something goes wrong again or if he can't fix it then its just going to be a hassle. [/quote] I think that the refund is probably the best way - losing confidence in the brand now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiat Posted May 28 Share Posted May 28 On 14/06/2017 at 14:34, pmjos said: If you look at the block diagram in the manual you can see that the circuit is the pre-amp, then a set of separate buffers for Aux in, out, headphones, the a limiter before the power amplifier. SO.......when its doing its not working thing.... 1. If you plug in to the headphone socket do you hear anything? 2.If you plug a signal into the aux in or effects return do you get any sound? 3. If you crank everything up full without a guitar plugged in do you get any hiss? IF: 1. You can hear through the headphone socket and not the speaker its the limiter or the power amp 2. If you hear no hiss at all then the power amp input stage is probably faulty 3. If you hear hiss out of the speaker but no signal sound when plugged into the input or the aux in/ effects return its probably the limiter 4. If you hear sound through the speaker when you plug in through the effect return but not when you plug into the main input then the pre-amp is the issue 5. If you get a signal out of the line out (that comes from the final stage of the pre amp) then its the Limiter or power amp. Whatever the cause its something that is 'latching' when its hot. That sounds like a small component failure which a decent amp tech should be able to sort for you. It could be something a simple as a bias resistor breaking down or a small transistor or diode. Its worth taking to a good local repair man, should not be an expensive thing. Same problem with my BA210v2. Your troubleshooting is helpful. I can hear as normal through the headphone socket, but the speaker have zero sound or hiss at all. Power cycling: power off, cables out, reverse - does nothing. It's a shock as I bought this new have rehearsed and gigged with it maybe 50 times. Sad to see it's a known problem with these units. There is a good amp tech in a nearby town who I've heard about. I'll take it there. And my popping Bloc50B! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassmanPaul Posted May 28 Share Posted May 28 Standard thing to try if the amp has an Effects Loop is to connect the Send and Return with a signal cable to bypass the normalizing contacts on these sockets. They are prone to oxidation especially if little used. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassAdder60 Posted May 28 Share Posted May 28 I have a friend who had the same issue, turn it off at a gig, turn it back on and nothing !! It’s like it shutdowns ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiat Posted June 1 Share Posted June 1 On 28/05/2024 at 14:08, BassmanPaul said: Standard thing to try if the amp has an Effects Loop is to connect the Send and Return with a signal cable to bypass the normalizing contacts on these sockets. They are prone to oxidation especially if little used. Thanks, it's with a local menders, they had a quick look and thought it might be a fuse, which are all internal. It's with their very experienced engineer now, who will try your suggestion no doubt. He specialises in valve amps, which this is not! But I'm optimistic🤞. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiat Posted June 14 Share Posted June 14 (edited) This PDF is the relevant part of the OM for the BA-210v2. The engineer in Horncastle said it took him an hour to get the board out to properly look at it, reliased it's all solid state, which he can't fix - he's a tube man. Before I get the combo back unfixed, I'm thinking if its feasible to add a switch to make the combo a slave cab (with it's 2x10s) and get a head amp. Could that work? The idea is that until I can get the combo's amp fixed at least I could use it for rehearsals with a head. Owner’s Manual - Ampeg BA-210v2 - English .pdf Edited June 14 by kiat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.