brand new T2 buzzing please read

Synergy/MTS Forum

Help Support Synergy/MTS Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

elementmetal

Active member
Joined
Aug 5, 2008
Messages
33
Reaction score
0
Location
Wigan UK
Hi all
as you may have seen in previous posts I have been very happy with the tones of my new T2 however when I switch from standby into play mode it has a VERY loud buzz coming from all the speakers. This isn't just on the gain channels but on the clean also. This makes it difficult to record with.

I have an mxr smart gate which cleans up the gain channel a bit but not fully and it won't shift the buzz on the clean channel.

This isn't normal is it?

I compared it to the clean channel and gain channels on my G2 and my g2 is practically silent in comparison.

I'm running this thing into my old G2 cab which is rated 300watt at 8ohms mono so cab is fine for running the head through.

Can anyone confirm if this head needs a repair or looking at already as the clean channel should not be buzzing like this surely.

I've tried swapping leads between head n cab, guitar leads and also different guitars at different distances and volumes some with emgs some with Seymour Duncan etc. Still the buzzing there.

Can anyone shed any light?

Thanks in advance
 
Forgot to mention it made a crackling type noise using the clean channel at band practice last week. Only did it a couple of time. At first I thought it was my leads of bad guitar jack socket but it wasn't plus I was standing still and not even playing anything.

Any help from anyone with similar would be appreciated cheers
 
have you got some spare valves to try out in it? the crackling is a hallmark of valves going, and buzzing could be a side effect too...
 
I haven't tried anything as yet. To be honest this is my first "tube" amp as i've always been used to the ss Randall and prior to that was using a valvestate Marshall (years old).

Can you get the tubes from pretty much any guitar shop?
I guess its simply a case of unscrewing the back panel and unscrewin the tubes (like a light bulb i take it) and just replacing like for like?

Which tube do you recommend i look at replacing and which location is it out of all of them?

Thanks
 
Hey,

Ebay is the best place.

You want Electroharmonix brand (just because they are pretty reliable and low microphony) and want 3x 12AX7 and 1x 12AT7 - normally the brand owner will add their initials into the code but they are the same tube so like a 12AT7EH = 12AT7.

As for changing tubes, no taking off the back is necessary, the real essential is making sure you are completely unplugged from the mains..

1. take off the front grill
2. Twist off the silver coverings for each tube (4), they're similar to a bayonette fitting
3. Just pull the tubes out by hand and don't be shy about it, you may need to give a bit of a wiggle as they can be stiff.
4. Put the 12
5. Very important - put the 12AT7 in the BACK 'raised' fitting

The reason I emphasise is that according to a particular tech who contracts out for US Music Corps they retrofitted all UK T2's and V2's with 12AX7's instead of AT's on the power section (back fitting) because 12AT7's are less reliable and the amp could handle it (AX7's are higher voltage in some way or another apparently), but my first T2 had one of these in there and suprise suprise, the power amp was damaged and there were no design notes or version notes in the accompanying manual to say this is the case (and Randalls customer Svc suggested that was a bad idea too)...

- Randall designer guys, if you're on here please correct me if I'm wrong with this, I am just dubious when there is no versioning documentation stating that this is the case...

I imagine in the short term there was no difference apart from higher gain but in the long term putting the wrong bit in normally fries gear!

6. Put the 12AX7's in the front mounts
7. Put the grill back on
8. Plug in, make sure you give the amp a bit of time to warm up, a few minutes is normally good
9. Kick arse

When putting your tubes in, try to do it with the protective paper supplied with the tubes. The oil on human skin can cause hot glass to distort minutely reducing the tube lifespan.
 
Thats great info cheers. Could do with being in the manual all that.

Before I read all that I emailed Ranko at soundtech (is that the guy you deal with? I've had him fix my old G2 before also a guy called Stan Lawrence back when Randall distributed through Rock Solid in UK).

As its only 3 weeks old i'm just waiting to hear back from them with regards to a repair/tweek under warranty.
 
Hey,

No problem. Stan Lawrence was the bloke I dealt with before, seemed ok and was very helpful (although he did sell me a set of dodgy speakers that blew within 3 months of low to medium use at a particularly high price... but even then he made amends by getting them reconed)

I had the G2 as well, seems like a pretty popular amp here in the UK, always found mine a bit quiet though!

Cheers,

Dan
 
Brand new T2 being delivered (hopefully) tomorrow after place where I bought this one from agreed to replace.
Hopefully this one will be good to go
 
Right,

Got my new T2 delivered. The buzzing gone, MUCH quieter (hardly audiable). The amp sounds good/great/**** hot

Thank ****!

Much rocking ahoy :twisted:
 
my V2 had this going on in the Tube Channel...

I stock JJ Tubes, so I just popped another one in and it was gone..

Just so you know...

Tubes are VERY fickle. I sell LOTS of Tube amps.. and they all have bad tubes from time to time. ENGL even sends a spare power tube and a spare 12AX7 with thier amps just in case for me to swap out when they get to the store.

this is not a Randall problem.. Tubes are just lightbulbs in a way.. they can just "be funky"

Nick
 
Top