Gear Gremlins

So a few months ago my Peavey Rockmaster tube preamp stopped passing a signal (dead silent). I bought it as a basketcase preamp a year and a half ago for $25 USD so you can imagine the condition it was in when I got it. I did a lot of work to it myself including changing all of the relays to resolve switching and audio problems, clean the switching contacts in it's 10 effects loop jacks, replace a broken pot, replace the missing knobs and rack ears...etc. It came out really nice and worked perfectly for more than a year. During that time I fell in love with the damn thing. It has been my go to preamp for guitar leads when recording because it has a particular midrange bark to it that I really love.

I checked all of the usual stupid stuff like patch cables and switches and everything was fine. Everything else in my rack was working as well so I assumed something I fixed in the preamp crapped out. I found out the relays I used to replace the bad relays with draw double the current of the originals. A tech had advised another guy I talked to not to use the type I did. I figured that was probably the problem. I thought maybe they burned up something in the control circuit that needs to be fixed and they need to be changed again. I've put that off for some time because I'm busy. I just used my Rocktron Plexi for recording and an amp SIM when I wanted something that sounded more like the Rockmaster.

I just pulled it out of my rack an hour ago and opened it up to check the tubes because 2 of them are old Groove Tubes from the '90s that came in it when I bought it. I thought maybe one of them went bad. The tube filaments were all lit but that doesn't really mean anything more than the filament circuit is ok so I plugged in a cable so I could poke around in it and find the problem and heard the hum of an open cable. I plugged my guitar into it and it's working perfectly. I slapped it back in the rack, plugged the same patch cords into it, still fine. I guess I have to chalk it up to gremlins. Some cable just needed to be unplugged and plugged in again. B) I'm thrilled it's working though! Now I need to find a jam to use it in. :D :W

[img]https://i.imgur.com/P28m1dE.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i.imgur.com/Zl0kzC0.jpg[/img]

:W

[img]https://i.imgur.com/KJqlfZU.jpg[/img]

---

Mission accomplished. It's back. :D


[youtube]sB9Yyw05njk [/youtube]

---