How to repair Marshall VS65R Valvestate combo guitar amp fix D-lab
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 12 ส.ค. 2016
- This amp came in today from some great guys north of me. They have a band. This amp was purchased off ebay. Received with intermittent audio output. I expected either bad solder connections or corroded effects loop jacks. Turned out to be bad solder connections on both preamp and power amp PCBs. Circuit boards grow bad connections due to vibration and heat cycles. It's like old age, creeps up on ya! Hope you like the video. TD
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This is why consumers revolt.This is a great sounding amp,great engineers were involved here to make this amp-and then ,corners were cut.This makes the bean counters happy.Stock holders are happy.You pay $90 hr or more to a repair shop until you give up and toss it.You are not happy.
For sure ,as long as you have this amp-you will be in and out of what Terry's doing here in the video.
That is,unless you do (resolder) (with real lead) every single stress point on the VERY flexible board.You can very well cause more problems on the board when you reinstall it.
You would be called an amateur ,a greenhorn.
Jim,look what they've been doing at Bletchley. The name 'Marshall' doesn't quite mean what it used to
Terry
Great learning videos.Thank you
Great Video . I had a Different issue than you described , But I did find a bad ground connection on the board and it fix it . This is a great service you provide
Thank you! Now my Marshall vs100rh reverb is fully Operational, thank goodness for this video.
Hey Ferry, my old vs65r had exactly the same problem. Thanks to your quick and precise video it was a really quick repair. Thank you for all!
Damn mobile dictionary lol
Very through diagnosis and strait forward solutions, thanks Terry !
Thanks for those very practical tips. I'm currently working on a solid state Marshall with intermittent problems which I suspect are going to be exactly what you described and repaired.
Great work! I really love watching these videos! Greetings from Portugal!
Fixed mine ..Had the same problem.
Thanks for this great tutorial.!
Good deal man!
Thank you for the video Terry! I juste fixed my VS100, it had the same problem, I'm so happy it's working. Take care!
Hey Terry. Ur an absolute trip bro and a great tech too. Thanks for all the awesome tutorials!! All thumbs up 👍
Thank you my friend. I try to keep it fun and educational. TD
Great stuff here. I learn a bit more from each video. Thanks agaiin
Good job. I always wanted one of those Marshall hybrid amps.
Terry, I have a Marshall valvestate 8040 combo. The guy I bought it from said that there was no noise coming out of it, he took it to guitar center, they said that the board was bad. So I knew I had some work to do. I got it home plugged it in turned it on while moving the amp the reverb springs made a noise that was loud and coming from the speaker, so the pre amp and power amp where working. I plugged a guitar cord into the input and plugged up my guitar, no noise. I then plugged in my Tascam portable guitar trainer (it’s kind of like a rockman) into the power amp in jack and loud and clear sound came out of the speaker. So I then plugged the Tascam into the input, and I got signal. So I knew at that point it wasn’t a problem with the input jack. I figured maybe the tube was bad so I swapped in a new one, the symptoms were the same. I then took a patch cord, plugged one end into the pre amp out, and the other end into the power amp in, plugged my guitar into the input jack, and amazingly it worked normally, both channels. I am trying to figure out where the fault is. What do you think? Also the line out jack doesn’t seem to have a signal.
Hi D Lab. Had a Fender 90 deluxe DSP which also suffered from cracked solder connections on the cement power resistors. Resoldering solved the problem only for a relatively short while. Long term solution was to flat mount them and bend the excess wire flat along the PCB track and solder along thefull length. The fender resistors had no support other than the wire to hold them up!
Nice video, thanks. I was eyeing one of these both for the tube preamp and it has a 12in speaker. Yes the jacks and pots are all stress points... My keyboard output jacks needed to be resoldered. Those type of pots also become really floppy with time and use, and not necessarily easy to find.
Excellent as always!
Nice triple play Terry. I enjoyed all three videos
Thank you my friend, It has been a busy D-lab day
These are some great yips, Terry! Those are always pesky connections, and certainly some of my first suspects after burned resistors and bulged, blown, or leaky caps.
Just fixed JVC amp few days ago that was cutting out. Only broken thing in that japan built amp was solder connections. Every power and data connection on the board had cracked solder and outputs had the same issue. Quick fix and more time given to countdown-o-meter.
Some excellent points there. I'd add a couple more - on largeer components (power resistors, electrolytics, etc) I prefer to insert the component a little bit deeper if possible, just enough to bend the legs level with the back of PCB and ensure a larger area for soldering. Also on PCB based circuits the grounding connections tend to corrode over time hence a star washer is preferable.
You really are the man! Thank you!
Great video thanks, some useful tips and information there 👍🏼👍🏼
I've worked on a few of this model. Major issue with cracked solder joints. mainly due to using lead-free solder. I hate that stuff. It doesn't allow any flexing. I've had to reflow more than 1/2 the connections on the last one I had in for the same issue...cuts out after 15 minutes or so of playing. Kester 44 60/40 always wins! :) PCB's in tube guitar/hi-amps just never cut it... working on these amps inspired me to invest in a Desoldering station with the electric pump...Minimum heat time on the board, and the old component falls out. Great investment. Give me point to point connections any day! :)
Pulled one of these out of a skip with a sticker saying “Reverb stuck on”. Took it home and put a power lead in and it fired up. Indeed, the reverb was always on. I immediately looked on line to see how much it was worth and how to fix the reverb issue. This video came up and I was amazed how simple fixing amps seemed to be. (Spent a lot of money in the past on amps being fixed at guitar village). I was going to open her up and check the soldering on the reverb pot but took it one step further back wiggled the pot around. There was a point where the reverb would stop set on 0. I simply just tweaked the nut under the knob and problem solved. (For now). I will now however, investigate further as I suspect that the wipers on the pot need pushing in properly. I will also now check the soldiering following your advice on this video. You sir, are a legend. Thank you.
Still no issues concerning the always on issue with the reverb.
I will reflow the solder soon...
Wow sweet. Better than new!!
Very good my friend works great ...
Awesome video
Hi Terry, 12voltvids mentioned that the leadless solder often gets bad connections. Don
i like the wow reverb
Thanks Terry. I have about 4 of these various type valvestate marshalls on my bench. Those power resistors always suspect because they run hot and are sometimes mounted really close to the board. Ive had success when remounting to make sure there is space underneath for heat to escape. Do you have any videos on testing these resistors? Curious how to test for dead ones. Thanks again!
Changed the speaker and the tube during the 22 years i've had mine. Still no other problems and she sounds great! But seeing this video, i wonder för how long?
This making me paranoid...
The reason those joints failed is that Marshall cheaped out and used a single-sided PCB. Had they used a double-sided PCB with plated-through holes, those solder joints would have been many times stronger. I suspect the difference in parts cost would only have been around $5.00. This is what happens when a product is built to a strict price point. The marketing department wants to lure customers in with a low initial cost, and then if the amp fails, the customer is on the line for an expensive repair.
Hi Terry!
Very pleased to see your great videos! Congratulations! You did a fine work on both amp repairing and video production...
I was facing some problem with my own, exact same model. Two
capacitors were changed, along with a 12ax7 tube and I was pretty sure the
problem was solved. (Nothing wrong with the tube, except it is old. So I
replaced it with a Russian electro harmonix, cause I was searching for a better
sound for my amp.)
After (I thought) I had it fixed, I had this brilliant idea of searching on you tube, to see if
there is something related to this model, hoping that, taking some advise, I
may avoid any future trouble.
Just when I thought: … The problems kept on getting on my nerves…
Here is what happened:
The first time I switched the amp on, (after the mini service was completed), it didn’t make any sound at all… (No hum, no buzz, no sound)… I switched it off.
On the second try, it turned on, but several seconds later than the usual time…
(I thought: Different valve brand, maybe means longer starting time… ) This time I played, but trying to find out what was happening, I disconnected the gtr cable from the amp’s
input (while the amp was on) and its sound paused simultaneously. (Again no hum,
no buzz, no sound)
So I switched the power off, and started all over again. This time I played for some
minutes but I noticed that there were significantly bigger sound peak dynamics,
coming from my plectrum, than in the past. Then it stopped again and at the
end, I played for the last (?) time, with a huge pop sound (on both channels), triggering
from my plectrum, no matter if the volume level was too low for an explosive
sound like this.
I already re-solder the contacts on the “tube holder” (meaning the base of the tube) and
had its needle holes cleaned, (from its other side), hoping that this was where
the problem was coming from…
Terry I would appreciate if you could give me some directions in order to find out what
the problem is…
Truly yours
Taneo
Ps: 1 This is really a great modification from Marshall solidstate to Fender full tube. You’re genious!!!
Ps 2: Do I have to wait 2 minutes for the tube to warm up? What if I play earlier?
Ps 3: After I saw the video with a closest look, I think you’ve said it all in it. So if
there is no other component that you’d suggest to repair, I ‘ll finally
resolder totally, both PCBS…
Hello, Thanks for the kind e-mail. Yes, sounds like your amp has some of the same issues. Have you pulled the circuit boards and inspected for bad /cracked solder connections?
Hello Terry. Thanks for your rapid responde!!!! Yes I did, but it seems I'll have to expand my inspection. I'll do it and just for the story, I'll keep you informed...Many thanks
Terry hello again! I finally assembled my VS 65, but now there is an audible buzz while it is on... It is a bassy sound like note, not a hiss. It is not that loud, but the amp is not so silent any more. If I unplug the jack from the amp's input, it is quite silent, even if I put the volume knob at high levels. I hope I'm not bothering you, so I'm asking: Is this sound possibly coming from the new pair of capacitors that I've changed?
The specs of the old ones were 50V 2200μF and 85 o C, while the new ones are of bigger diameter and a different heat tolerance, which is now 105 o C . They also have the OX and 4(2) marks on them, which I don't know what it's about. I would appreciate if you could enlighten me a bit. Kind regards John
Hey, do you remember what the voltages of the secondary are? i know the blue and brown pairs are 0-215v and 0-12v, but i dont know what pair is for the heater and what pair for the plate.
Hi . When I press the drive channel button of my VS65R Valvestate , the sound doesn't change at all. It continues like the clean channel , no difference ... Just the led that indicates channel swap will change color . What can possibly be checked ? Thanks.
can smbdy explain me how to open the amp?i really dont know and the guitar jack is in there
i hope you do the weird pots with cleaner as you have the nuts off etc,i did my vs 100 an sprayed cleaner down all stems an worked knobs back an forth an all responded an loosened up good, weird,not like old fender etc with a hole in them that i could tell.....
Great video, super helpful I was able to repair my amp and make it useable again. Is there any benefit to changing the speaker wires in my Marshal 8080. The original wire seems so small but maybe that is not really an issue. Thoughts?
marshall valvestate 2000 avt 275 channel select will not work?
excelente!!!
Hmm.. reminds me of a Hot-Rod Fender... except the California air heads put those hot resistors down on the board where they could cook it. Marshall was right to fly them up, but needed to secure them from moving.
In my case, I was repairing an HR Deluxe for a friend. It had a number of issues.... the speaker had come loose from the baffle too, and rattled the whole cabinet, leaving us with jingling tubes. How nice. It's been a long time since I've bought an amp... I've point/point built most of mine.
Sometimes when I'm playing through the amp it suddenly stops playing and I get a loud hum instead and no sound from the guitar. It's more or less as if I had pulled the cord from the guitar and pressed with my thumb against the jack. I turn it off and on and it will be fine again.
I've also noticed an annoying high pitched sound when I strum and I don't know if this is related. It's something like a ring or a whistle.
Could the cause be the same type of problem you're talking about here?
congratulations! your shop looks like a medical center
I have a vs 100h, I haven't used it in a while and I recently plugged it in and it's screaming at me with all the volumes turned down. Any idea what this is?
Excellent video my friend! please could you tell me the code of the amplifiers IC2 IC3 IC6 IC7? There is a service manual scanned but some parts are not readable. Thank you in advance.
Hello!I need your help.I have Marshall valvestate vs65r and I have a problem with channel 1 the clean does not work at all when the green light comes on. can you help me with your experience! thank you very much
nice video! I have a problem which is that when I connect any fx pedal the noise gets too loud. This doesnot happen when I plug the guitar straight to the amp. Any tips? Tks.
Do you discharge the capacitor
how about marshall valvestate 10? do it have a valve aswell?
I have prob on my VS65, when startup it sounds like bad valve for 20 seconds, then sounds fine and plays fine, switch it off and start again does same
I've owned a VS8040 for over 12 years and it's worked fine for the most part. However, I didn't use the other inputs except the one for guitar and pedal and the volume almost started to "pop", the sound stopped, then suddenly returned... I thought it was ECC83 but it wasn't. Then I got DeoxIt spray and every 15 days I would spray the contacts in the remaining inputs, wait half an hour and life returned to a small "forty". A stupid design oversight by an engineer, I would say.
What's the average length of time for this to happen? On an amp that is used for an hour everyday. Just wondering because I have been learning electronics repair and have noticed these symptoms throughout my life but had no electronics experience then, and my amp cut out on me twice then I quit playing it and haven't checked it out yet, and I played that one for at least two years straight at about a constant 75% volume with two foot pedals, a distortion and a compressor, and I noted that the compressor seemed to have a higher output if that mattered. Anyways, anytime your bored :)
So.... I have one of these. I have an issue though.... on the volume pot for the overdrive channel, the pot came loose and essentially needed replacing. When I pulled the pot off of the circuit board, some of the copper tracking came with it for the pad where the pins actually enter the board the for a few millimeters from there. Does anyone have any advice on how to fix that without having to replace the entire pc board? I have another marshall pc board from a different amp that is essentially garbage that I may be able to pull some tracking from and attempt to replace it....but that's as far as I've gotten. I'm certainly open to suggestions.
Great shirt DLab, is that the only one you own?
Have you ever done any work on a Marshall code 100 combo? I am trying to figure out why there is a constant buzzing, even when nothing is plugged into it. Is the one with the x2. 12” speakers. I could really use somebody’s help with this thing.
I have an 100 watt valvestate marshall amp with a single 12 inch speaker that was made in england...I dropped the chassis the other day because I was thinking about changing out the 12ax7 tube in it. Maybe upgrade it..well I won't need to do that because the guy that had it before me had taken the original tube out and put in a Mesa tube which I'm sure that isn't what it came with..someone please correct me if I'm wrong....I love the amp but the one thing I don't like about it is that sometimes when the amp is just idle it will start picking up some kind of radio frequency... lol..not sure if there is a fix for that but would love to know...mine is a pretty rare bird because it has a grey grill cloth on it...I haven't seen to many like that around..I have googled it but couldn't find out alot about it..I would like to know what the story behind the grey grill cloth is and if they were a short run or not... thanks...J.T. 🎸🎸🎸
Does anyone know a good source for replacement potentiometers for these guitar amplifiers?
Thank you for this video.. I have the same amplifier and today, while I was using it, at some point no sound came out, even though it remained on... why?
That's actually the problem he fixed
Uhm... same problem on my VS100R and same issue on loose resistors... I'm searching my old tin soldering iron to check the connection too...
Hi Terry! Could I get in touch with you regarding a power issue I'm having with my vs100? I'll pay you for your advice :)
Gavin
Does anyone knows how to get that speaker lead clip off the bottom of the chassis?
How much $$$ for the repair? Have a vs265 that I'd like to drop 2 new 12"s in, but it needs a thorough internal check up first.
Thanks for an interresting series of videos. I'm trying to fix my Valvestate VS265 - there's a loud pop when I turn it off, and also there's most likely a grounding issue (there's quite a bit of noise from the amp). I've noticed one of the boards in it (the one with the "guitar in" plug), have a "soldering point" called "GN1" - I would believe this is a ground point, but it's not connected to ground and never was either. Could I connect that to ground or will that break something?
I would highly recommend lifting the circuit boards and inspecting them for cracked solder joints.
I'm having the same problem! a loud pop when I power the amp off except it's on a solid state peavey!
my valve state needed new pots. They are so small and can't take much.
HI Terry, I worked on a 100 version of those and the pre-amp board was literally stuck the the front panel. I had to take a small hammer and ooh so gently tap on the pot shafts to break it free. They are a great sounding amp. But looking at the schematic I really don't see what tube does that a SS component wouldn't do. Do you find that wave soldered boards are prone to cracked joints as on this amp? Keep them coming. :-)
The tube is configured as a DC coupled cathode follower which provides a low impedance signal to drive a tone stack. The way it's designed means that grid current clipping adds even order harmonic distortion, making the amp sound (a little bit) more like a tube amp.
Dis guy sounds like he could be the movie tombstone
I have a Marshall VS100 that powers on but is dead. The power LED is lit but nothing else. I have narrowed the problem down to the +15 volt source but can not find where it is generated. Have you seen this problem?
Yes, check the 2- 5 watt power resistors on the PCB, they have cracked solder joints.
Terry, I'm in Saginaw, but don't worry I don't carry a gun, well not most of the time. Good to see you fairly close, I expected Texas or Portland or BFE. Any way would like some service on an amp (or two) What is your procedure for accepting work?
Yes Sir, can help you out. Are these tube amps? My contact e-mail is thru d-labamps.com. Drop me a line and we can arrange a meet up. TD
Marshall expected way too much mechanical integrity from a wave- soldered board, you really need to pile on the solder to hold anything of mass or subject to torque- and wave soldering does just the opposite by design.
Can contact cleaner fix the gain problem on a Valvestate 8100? Everything seems to be in good shape just an old amp that has lost its "marshall crunch". It doesn't crackle, buzz, or pop when it's on, it just sounds dull and weak
Lizet Sanchez Best way to fix it is petrol and matches, works every time
Nice massive low voltage power transformer. Too bad with thes circuit board amps that
it takes longer to take it apart rather than repair it. nice to see adequate heat sinks on the power o/p transistors..some brands cut back on heatsinking and often that leads to premature failures.
It must be the kind of RoHS compliant solder they use these days on the wave solder machines? This spec is used by a lot of manufacturers in Europe to ensure their waved soldered pc boards meet green environmental disposal mandate when it comes to lead and other environmental sensitive metals uch as mercury, antimony etc.
for domestic and export to other countries.
The power resistors need a additional mechanical kink on each lead
right at the top of the circuit board for a better mechanical connection (acts as a
standoff), at the solder pad underneath, rather than just inserted straight in.
The ROHS compliant solder seems to crystalize with heat causing loose conditions.
If you need someone to screw things up, call the EU.
hey sir , can you take a look at my marshall vs100 ? I've changed out most of the capst new , all power resistors are fine and re soldered . the issue is , it is running fine but there's maybe like a 60hz hum , it's maybe 5 % but I would like to use it to record . it is driving crazy. I have a bugera 6262 and it super quiet , and boss 50 which is even more quieter when you roll down the guitar volume . happy holidays man .
I just bought this amp for a very reasonable price, hadn’t been played in a lot of years. Plug in and after around half an hour later all we get is static buzz and no guitar connection. Is it likely that these problems may be the cause? Might have to replace the valve and solder the connections..
Nice haircut
Where are you located?
Battle Creek, MI
What causes the solder connections to go bad? Moving the amp? Or something else? Because I'm thinking since that's primarily a solid state amp there's not much heat involved.
Yes, vibration from moving + the internal speaker is a source. Heat is generated by the power supply step down resistors. Plus circuit boards do not provide a good mechanical bond. The solder tries to provide that function, but it is soft and will wear causing cracks, eventually failing. It would be best to have a preventative maintenance sch'd to inspect+ clean, hopefully catching the bad connections before amp or heat damage occurs. TD
I have a Marshall VS 2000 AVT275, when I plug an effects pedal into the rear effects send, nothing is happening. I came on here and type "Effects Send" not working on Marshall avt 2000 and I get nothing. Is there ANYONE here who has had this problem, and found the fix? Please do share..
you mean effects return? The effects loop jack issue is pretty common on these. Issues with jacks needing use or contact cleaner...
Well, I mean "Effects Send", which is where you plug in whatever effects pedal you want to use. From my understanding, if you have lets say, a board of 5 effect pedals, that's the input for plugging it in. 2 years ago a group came to perform at my church and asked if the guitarist could use my amp to plug in his board and initially I was going to remind him this Marshall already has an array of useful effects. But he said he had his board of effects setup and doesn't like to change amp setting. And that is was no a problem, that he would use the "Effects Send" at the rear, that's what its for. He added, you don't usually plug an effects board thru the front main. So last month I was attempting to test my pedals and neither the send or return works. Everything up front works fine.
Nonetheless I will attempt to open it up and inspect it. Its the only way to be certain.
the effects send is an Output. the effects return is an input
your guy if he wants to bypass the amp has to plug in the effects return. the send is for effects that modify the amps built in sound.
Maybe try playing before disassembly.
Sweep frequency is hardly a final test without a real guitar.
Guitar at full volume is final test
Yeah, big guy. You tell him!
Lead free solder 😡