Inherited Steel + Amp - few questions

John Sniatecki · From: Gainesville, GA USA

Well - this is my first post! Thanks in advance for your help.

My grandfather passed a few years ago and through a few twists and turns I have recently acquired his Emmons Lashley LeGrande II single neck and a Peavey Session 400 LTD amplifier.

But, before we start, its fair to note that I am a musician (acoustic, electric, electric bass) and have some familiarity with pickups, amplifiers, things musical, etc. However, that is NOT to say that the obvious won't be obvious to me - like, who ever knew that SENSITIVITY equalled post volume??

To my problem:

I brought the rig home and plugged it up. The volume output is VERY LIMITED - I mean like about 10% of what I would expect from an amp of that wattage. I also tried the direct, balanced out into my PA with no luck.

Question #1 - how do I determine if its a) the pickup, b) the amplifier, or c) the old Sho Bud volume pedal?

Question #2 - Can I hook the Emmons steel up to my Line 6 Spider Valve guitar amplifier on clean and troubleshoot the steel that way? I know that amp works?

Question #3 - While the Sho Bud volume pedal has some sentimental value (he used to have a Sho Bud double neck but sold it to buy the lighter single neck Emmons) - I just always remember him playing it and I wanted to use it. How do I tell if the pedal is shot? Looks like a simple enough device? Just try one of my guitar pedals?

Question #4 - These amps seem to sell used for like $300-400 - if the amp is shot, I presume the best approach is simply to buy a used one that works?

Thanks for your time!! I will have tons of other questions regarding the actual playing of the instrument very soon!!

Thanks
John Sniatecki
Gainesville, GA

Stu Schulman · From: Ulster Park New Yawk (deceased)

John,I've got a couple of LTD 400's and they are powerful amps,There should be a ton of headroom and it should be a very clear sounding amp,There is someone on the forum who knows how to work on those amps and he lives in Georgia,"Ken Fox"It would be worth getting it fixed. Winking

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Rick Nicklas · From: Verona, Mo. (deceased)

John, I would just make sure I have a good cord and go directly from the guitar to the amplifier (making sure both gain controls are set low at first). If it is still a low volume then I would check it through your own trusty amp using the same method. I think that should tell you which component needs to be looked at for correction.

All the equipment you have described above should have loads of power except maybe the older foot pedal.

Billy Tonnesen · From: R.I.P., Buena Park, California

Foot pedals are for turning the shaft in the Pot. You probably have a bad Pot or one of the wiring connections may need re-sautering. Also, if a string is turning the Pot, make sure it is not slipping. With proper maintenance, Foot Pedals usually last forever. I have two Fender Pedals from the late 50's and they work just fine !

Michael Robertson · From: Ventura, California. USA

Welcome to the Forum John.
Sorry to hear about your Grandfather.
As for you problem John it’s just a process of elimination.
There are many here to help.
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Marvin Born · From: Ohio, USA

Yes, you can plug the Steel directly into the Line six. Use a known good cord and go directly from the steel to the Line 6.

Start with the volume on the amp low. As the steel may have a higher output than a typical guitar.

You can also plug a regular 6 string guitar directly into the Peavey and play it just like you would using the Line 6. This could give you the answer as to which one is not working properly.

If the steel works into the Line 6 OK, then try the pedal in line. Notice the pedal has an in and out. be sure it is hooked up correctly.

You already know the Peavey has two volume controls so set one to about 5 and the other low to start. Put the tone controls on 5 to begin. That should get you started.

Don't assume the LTD is shot just because it has problems. It could be something simple like a loose connector inside.

Kevin Mincke · From: Farmington, MN (Twin Cities-South Metro) USA

Hi John & welcome to the Forum. It's a great place to hangout & learn! As stated, a process of elimination should put you on the right track.
A) Plug your steel guitar into an known working amp (such as one of your bass rigs) using one cord only that you know is good.
B) Try your volume pedal with a known working guitar or bass rig/amp. Guitar to first input (Top jack toward front) of S~B pedal, the second jack (out) to the input of the amp. Should work smoothly with full travel. Very possible the pot may need to be replaced. If so, I would recommend a Dunlop Hot Potz that Tom Bradshaw sells ( he's on the forum)
C) Try the amp with one cord and your guitar or bass. That amp if working properly should have tons of volume & control. If you suspect it problematic, Ken Fox is the go to guy and does a MOD job on them making a much GREATER preferred amp tonal characteristics & soundwise.
By eliminating/isolating the (3) main potential factors one at a time should point you in the right direction.
Sorry to hear about you Grandpa I'm sure you have some fine memories to recall!

Don Sulesky · From: Citrus County, FL, Orig. from MA & NH

Welcom to the Forum John.

As mentioned above you need to isolate each unit by itself with a known amp and guitar that works.

Then try the steel, the pedal, then guitar and cords to the working known unit one at time.
Don

John Sniatecki · From: Gainesville, GA USA

The steel played through my bass rig (Genz Shuttle) sounds nice and loud, though without much high end.

My strat played through the Peavey Session sounds weak - much like the steel.

Cords have all checked out fine.

The ShoBud pedal works great!

My Line6 is at the church, so I had to make due testing with my bass amp.

So - it appears the Peavey has some issues. The pots are definitely dirty (lots of scratching) and it seems that it simply isn't developing its rated power. It can still overdrive with the Gain up to 10, but the Sensitivity has little/no effect on the overall output. I presume that Sensitivity on 10 and Gain on 5 should be VERY LOUD...its like 2 on my Line 6 by comparison.

So, I'll need to get her fixed...who fixes these amps in Georgia?

Kevin Mincke · From: Farmington, MN (Twin Cities-South Metro) USA

http://www.foxvintageamps.com/

b0b · From: Cloverdale, CA, USA

Since this is an amp problem, I've moved the topic to the Electronics section.
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Tom Wolverton · From: Carpinteria, CA

Ken Fox will fix up up quite nicely. But he may be out of his shop for part of Jan. It is an amp worth restoring. I love mine.
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Jim Peters · From: St. Louis, Missouri, USA, R.I.P.

John, those amps have an inherent weakness, as do many PV amps. The contacts in the pre and power amp in and outputs get dirty. This is very common. Take a cord and plug it in and out a few times on all the jacks. If you have contact cleaner, spray it into jacks first. I'm talking about the power amp in pre amp out.Again, very common problem. Next on the list is the plastic(Molex) connectors on the inside of the amp. If you clean the connectors and the jacks, and still no power, take it to a tech...but those 2 connection problems fix most PV difficulties.
Best luck, JP
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Tim Kowalski · From: Illinois, USA

I have had the same problem with a session 400 and the fix was easy. Try plugging a different speaker into the amp and see if the amp output is okay.

The older BW speakers were notorious for deteriorated foam in the vent of the magnet. Take a flashlight and shine it into the hole in the back of the speaker. You may see that the foam has sunken and fallen into the voice coil. It is possible to disassemble the magnet from the basket and carefully clean out the junk. If you try to crank it up with the bad speaker it will probably melt the foam and make it more difficult to clean.
I suspect that this is the problem since it can happen while sitting in your closet.
Before cleaning the speaker, the amp sounded like it was about 3 watts.
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John Sniatecki · From: Gainesville, GA USA

Cleaning the inputs/outputs and speaker jacks helped a little bit.

Plugging the amp into my bass cabinent (8 ohms) yielded decent volume, but still I think I'm missing some headroom.

Running the sensitivity on 10 and the Gain on 5 should be awfully loud and its now improved to about "4" out of the mythical "11".

David Mason · From: Cambridge, MD, USA

If you've got a bass rig, you may have all the amp you really need for now, especially if it's got a midrange sweep or parametric EQ of sorts. I use an SWR SM500, and those little G-K's are getting popular around here. Do you know if your grandfather was playing it at all? There are some non-good things that happen to the capacitors with age (OK, BAD things) and Ken Fox is at least in your same state. He's sort of a guru around here, re: old Peaveys and any other amp stuff really. And Peavey themselves are one state over.

If the speaker checks out, it's not too hard to pull the head and save some shipping charges if toting it's not convenient. Some pretty amazing stuff can happen when you plug in an amp that's sat unloved for a decade. Like, your house burns down.

Scott Appleton · From: Ashland, Oregon

That amp should be loud as hell .. you have run the amp against another speaker set up and still it seems weak .. you should take it to a pro repair man as indicated
possibly Fox .. anyway should be smok'in loud ..

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