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Topic: Milkman Half and Half reverb not working. |
Karl Paulsen
From:
Chicago
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Posted 21 Jun 2017 6:08 pm |
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I've got a Half and Half 1x15 Combo that doesn't seem to have reverb anymore.
Any suggestions on what I should try before contacting the builder?
I seem to remember this happening before and I think I just unplugged and replugged in the reverb tank cord and it came back, but it didn't work this time. I tried turning the reverb all the way up and down in case there was a switch function but nothing there either.
I don't have a footswitch to plug into it to test it that way.
Please help me.... |
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Patrick Ickes
From:
Upper Lake, CA USA
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Posted 21 Jun 2017 6:23 pm Me too
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I had the same thing happen at my last gig. Wiggled tubes, unplugged/plugged cables, power and stand-by switches on/off. It came back to life, but not a good feeling with an outdoor non-microphone gig. Haven't played through it since.
Patrick |
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Ross Shafer
From:
Petaluma, California
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Posted 22 Jun 2017 5:43 am
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Tim stands behind his products and would almost certainly want to know about any probs on his amps when people have them.
Seems to make sense that he'd be the first person to check with. He certainly knows his amps better than any of his customers.
It's probably something simple as reverb probs often are. I bet he'd be happy to help. |
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 22 Jun 2017 8:00 am
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| What's with the pig? |
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Tim Marcus
From:
San Francisco, CA
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Posted 22 Jun 2017 8:25 am
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...
Last edited by Tim Marcus on 22 Jun 2017 8:53 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Tim Marcus
From:
San Francisco, CA
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Posted 22 Jun 2017 8:52 am
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99% of the time reverb goes away because of an issue that is external to the amplifier. Since this post is going to live on the forum forever - here is a troubleshooting and parts list for all Milkman amplifiers, and it will double for Fender and just about any tube amplifier with reverb.
The reverb circuit consists of 4 external parts in this order:
Reverb driver. This is typically a 12AT7 preamp tube, and its the middle tube in your Half and Half. You can replace this tube by simply pulling it out and putting a new one in.
https://www.tubesandmore.com/products/12at7-ruby
from there, the signal goes through an RCA cable:
https://www.tubesandmore.com/products/cable-rca-right-angle-plugs
to a spring reverb tank:
https://www.tubesandmore.com/products/reverb-tank-mod-4ab3c1b
and back up into the amp where it meets the recovery tube usually a 12AX7:
https://www.tubesandmore.com/products/12ax7a-c5-ruby-tubes
and thats it. Usually replacing one or all of those small items makes it come back to life.
Some of the older Half and Half amplifiers have a 1/4" TRS to RCA cable. If you want to replace that, you will need to contact me for a replacement because those were custom built. Or if you have soldering chops, you can probably just re-terminate the connectors (where the cable is most vulnerable to failure)
If after replacing all external components your reverb is still not working, you can send the amplifier chassis in for repair. Out of all the repair emails that have come through over the years, that has only been the case 1 time. Most of the time I just send parts or suggest customers replace tubes and thats all it takes.
Changing tubes and reverb tanks is similar to replacing a tire on a car. Its not fun, but its relatively easy and its certainly not worth abandoning your car on the side of the road forever when it happens. 
_________________
Milkmansound.com |
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Ross Shafer
From:
Petaluma, California
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Posted 22 Jun 2017 10:39 am
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| Erv Niehaus wrote: |
| What's with the pig? |
That's my beautiful pet Arva....750 pounds of sweetness. Why my avatar?..she's better looking than I am. |
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Karl Paulsen
From:
Chicago
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Posted 22 Jun 2017 10:56 am
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Thanks Tim,
I'll work my way through those suggestions as best I can.
Mine is a more recent (about 1.5 years old) and it has a 1/4 jack on the back, but I can't see the reverb tank end without unscrewing the bag it is in. |
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Tim Marcus
From:
San Francisco, CA
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Posted 22 Jun 2017 11:13 am
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yes, you will need to remove the tank from the bag, which is there to dampen and protect it from anything you might store in the amp (cables, power cable, etc)
Regarding the pig, I have met that pig and its friggin enormous!!
_________________
Milkmansound.com |
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 22 Jun 2017 11:48 am
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750 pounds!!
I usually ship 'em before they get that big.  |
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Ross Shafer
From:
Petaluma, California
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Posted 22 Jun 2017 11:54 am
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| Erv Niehaus wrote: |
750 pounds!!
I usually ship 'em before they get that big. |
Arva's little pals get called for freezer/kitchen duty at about 350lbs. Arva's a keeper though. |
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Brooks Montgomery
From:
Idaho, USA
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Posted 22 Jun 2017 12:02 pm
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| Ross Shafer wrote: |
| Erv Niehaus wrote: |
750 pounds!!
I usually ship 'em before they get that big. |
Arva's little pals get called for freezer/kitchen duty at about 350lbs. Arva's a keeper though. |
...which reminds me of my favorite Sven & Ooly joke, regarding Sven's three legged pig.
Sven's punchline: "...a pig that smart, you don't eat all at once."
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A banjo, like a pet monkey, seems like a good idea at first. |
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 22 Jun 2017 12:19 pm
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| Did you hear the one about the three legged chicken? |
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Steven Paris
From:
Los Angeles
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Posted 25 Jun 2017 5:14 pm
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No
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Emmons & Peavey |
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 26 Jun 2017 7:42 am
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| Well, that settles that. |
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Steven Paris
From:
Los Angeles
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Posted 26 Jun 2017 3:56 pm
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Did you hear the one about the three-legged steel player?
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Emmons & Peavey |
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 27 Jun 2017 8:16 am
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| Was one shorter than the other two? |
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Lee Baucum
From:
McAllen, Texas (Extreme South) The Final Frontier
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Posted 27 Jun 2017 9:43 am
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Lots of helpful information here for Karl.  |
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 27 Jun 2017 10:06 am
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| We try. |
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Steven Paris
From:
Los Angeles
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Posted 27 Jun 2017 3:19 pm
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Usually. Unless, of course, Susie Loomis shows up.
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Emmons & Peavey |
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Peter Harris
From:
South Australia, Australia
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Posted 28 Jun 2017 3:37 am
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At least we've determined that a reverb circuit ISN'T a pig to work on.....
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If my wife is reading this, I don't have much stuff....really! |
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Patrick Ickes
From:
Upper Lake, CA USA
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Posted 28 Jun 2017 9:10 pm Not giving up on this great amp
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Tim,
First off, I would like to clarify my previous post last sentence stating 'I haven't used the amp since'.
All I meant to say was I haven't had another gig or set it up in my room to use it again. You're reference to leaving the car due to a flat tire was probably in response to that. Sorry if you took it that way.
Now back on topic.
Thanks for the amp/tube/trouble shooting info. My amp is a 2 channel and has four tubes but only one 12AT7. Can I assume that is the reverb driver, and can I replace it with a 12DW7 to modify/calm down the reverb?
Thanks for your time replying to our questions.
Patrick |
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Tim Marcus
From:
San Francisco, CA
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Posted 29 Jun 2017 10:23 am
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if you want less reverb recovery, you need to replace the 12AX7 to the left of the little reverb transformer (facing rear) with a 12DW7
leave the 12AT7 in place as the driver.
The 12DW7 has 2 triodes with different gain factors. The first 3 pins are used for the reverb recovery circuit, and will have the same effect on the return as lowering the reverb mix control. The second triode - is the same as the 12AX7 that is already in place so you do not lose any power. Its a handy substitution to get more attenuation in the reverb circuit.
_________________
Milkmansound.com |
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Karl Paulsen
From:
Chicago
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Posted 29 Jun 2017 10:38 am
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An update...
Somehow didn't realize at the time that the reverb stopped working right after the power surge/short/outtage caused by the ATT cable guy who drilled from the inside of my wall right through my electrical riser main (lucky he didn't die I think...) on the outside. Glad I figured this out before fiddling around with it myself. ATT acknowledged their culpability and said they'd fix the riser and any appliances that may have been damaged by the short.
They were over today to inspect the repair that was done last week and it looks like they're going to pay to have my amp repaired!
Anyone have any recommendations for the BEST amp repair in Chicago? |
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Tim Marcus
From:
San Francisco, CA
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Posted 29 Jun 2017 11:41 am
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I have a great dealer in Chicago - Chicago Music Exchange. They do repairs there too. I would trust them over anyone else.
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Milkmansound.com |
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