Amp/Guitar troubles

Kev M

Basically looking to see if anyone has some advice or experiene to share that might help me out. I've been using a guitar with a solid state marshall, no troubles at all. I've tried to use it with two other amps, another marshall and a blackstar, both tube, and it won't work at all. On the distortion channel you'll get some sound going on, nothing on the clean. With other guitars both amps are fine. There's obviously something wrong with the guitar, but it's weird that it's fine with the transistor marshall... or is the fact that its a solid state amp the reason it works?? Bit of a weird one I know...

kevin65

This might seem like a stupid question, but are you sure the guitar lead you used when playing though the valve amps was OK?

Suggest you try the following:
(1) With one of these other guitars(and a good guitar lead), play it through all three amps to give you an idea of how the sound of the three amps compare and take note of the amp settings.
(2) With your guitar(and the same guitar lead), play it through all three amps using the same amp settings as in (1) and try to compare the output against the other guitar.

Kev M

kevin65 wrote: »

This might seem like a stupid question, but are you sure the guitar lead you used when playing though the valve amps was OK?

Suggest you try the following:
(1) With one of these other guitars(and a good guitar lead), play it through all three amps to give you an idea of how the sound of the three amps compare and take note of the amp settings.
(2) With your guitar(and the same guitar lead), play it through all three amps using the same amp settings as in (1) and try to compare the output against the other guitar.

Yeah the lead is fine, and there's no output to compare, the clean channels have nothing whatsoever, unless it's the solid state which is fine!
This has me absolutely perplexed.

CianRyan

Getting confused with different gain/master volume knobs?
It's not left in stand by?

They're still just plug and play amps.

KeithTS

There is no reason why a guitar would work with one amp and not another so it's the amp settings/lead/head to cab connections/volume on guitar being turned off.

go from the guitar straight into the amp, play around with the amp settings, make sure the head is connected to the cab correctly, give the tubes time to warm up.

CianRyan

Oh, I never even considered he may be trying to play through a head without a cab.
You'd hear the guitar through the tubes if it's maxed out but that's the only way.

**Vai**

Might be your tubes.

KeithTS

**Vai** wrote: »

Might be your tubes.

Not if it's working with other guitars though.

Kev M

Thanks for the input. I have it figured out now, and as people said above, it was to do with a lead... However, and this might also be a weird one, The guitar only works with one lead! I have loads of leads that work fine with other guitars, plug this guitar in and have no sound! Then switch to the only lead it works with and back in business no problem! If I read this I'd think I was joking/semi-retarded, but seriously this guitar only seems to tolerate the one lead, and the rest are definitely all working fine! Even plugging it into a pocket POD only works with the one lead.

Could this be to do with a specific lead type/rating?
I've had about 10 guitars in the last 15 years and this has me baffled!

topcatcbr

Kev M wrote: »

Thanks for the input. I have it figured out now, and as people said above, it was to do with a lead... However, and this might also be a weird one, The guitar only works with one lead! I have loads of leads that work fine with other guitars, plug this guitar in and have no sound! Then switch to the only lead it works with and back in business no problem! If I read this I'd think I was joking/semi-retarded, but seriously this guitar only seems to tolerate the one lead, and the rest are definitely all working fine! Even plugging it into a pocket POD only works with the one lead.

Could this be to do with a specific lead type/rating?
I've had about 10 guitars in the last 15 years and this has me baffled!

Sounds like the connection in your guitar is damaged. Prob by the lead that still works in it. The connectors could be bent out of shape and only make contact with the input that did the damage.

Kev M

topcatcbr wrote: »

Sounds like the connection in your guitar is damaged. Prob by the lead that still works in it. The connectors could be bent out of shape and only make contact with the input that did the damage.

That sounds like it makes sense alright, think it needs a trip to the tech so.

endacl

Kev M wrote: »

That sounds like it makes sense alright, think it needs a trip to the tech so.

No no no! Trip to maplins to buy a cheap soldering iron and a new input jack! Why do people pay to get the most simple jobs done?

Honestly, its the equivalent of paying a mechanic to pump up the tyres on your bicycle...

CianRyan

I haven't soldered a jack in years.
Just bend it back into place and if the connections are dodgy just peel back the wire a bit and wrap them around the soldering points on the jack.
If that fails, then go spend money.

kevin65

Kev M wrote: »

Thanks for the input. I have it figured out now, and as people said above, it was to do with a lead...

Ah, so I was right!

Kev M

endacl wrote: »

No no no! Trip to maplins to buy a cheap soldering iron and a new input jack! Why do people pay to get the most simple jobs done?

Honestly, its the equivalent of paying a mechanic to pump up the tyres on your bicycle...

Simple when you know how . I've soldered when changing pick-ups plenty of times but am not sure how to go about changing the input jack. Now is as good a time to learn as any though I suppose!

endacl

Kev M wrote: »

Simple when you know how . I've soldered when changing pick-ups plenty of times but am not sure how to go about changing the input jack. Now is as good a time to learn as any though I suppose!

Trial and error. Nothing you solder can't be just as quickly de-soldered. Easy-peasy.

KeithTS

What guitar is it, it's a bit more unusual but something else to check is whether it's a stereo jack socket.
Is the lead you're using a stereo lead?
It's easy to tell, If it is it'll have 2 rings on the shaft.

It's a bit coincidental that the socket is bent out of shape by a jack and then only works with that jack as a result, the chances of that are slim in my experience.

zafo

KeithTS wrote: »

What guitar is it, it's a bit more unusual but something else to check is whether it's a stereo jack socket.
Is the lead you're using a stereo lead?
It's easy to tell, If it is it'll have 2 rings on the shaft.

It's a bit coincidental that the socket is bent out of shape by a jack and then only works with that jack as a result, the chances of that are slim in my experience.

I've dealt with a fair few pedals that have only worked with monster cables, or not worked at all, after being used with monster with their bigger jacks that widen the socket.

KeithTS

zafo wrote: »

I've dealt with a fair few pedals that have only worked with monster cables, or not worked at all, after being used with monster with their bigger jacks that widen the socket.

You could very well be right with the diagnosis so, it's something haven't come across before though.
Any problems like this have resulted in intermittent behavior from a connection rather than just working/not working in my experience but if the jack has a slightly larger diameter it makes sense that this could be the cause.

wild turkey

I have a slightly similar problem with one of my leads which has one end is fitted with a Neutric angled jack
Its fine in all except my 2 tele's where it keeps falling out even though the jack is fully inserted & has clearance from the body.