Jeff, Bruce, or Anybody: Weird Tourmaster 4212 sounds HELP!

  • Thread starter Thread starter Len Rabinowitz
  • Start date Start date
Len Rabinowitz

Len Rabinowitz

New member
My Tourmaster is making some strange sounds on channels 1 and 2.

I recorded it and attached the recording.

It sounds to me like a bad tube.

According to the manual, V1 is the only tube that has anything to do with Channels one and two.

It's a new tube in there, but I swapped tubes and got the same result.

It does not happen on 3 and 4 that I can hear.

This only started in the last few days. Could one of the other tubes act in a way that only affects 1 and 2?

Could it be a power tube?

Maybe the tube socket?

HELP! I don't like my beloved Tourmaster acting up!

I removed my original recording and put in a louder one without me talking. I think you can hear it more clearly here. It does not sound good.

:confused: :cry:
 

Attachments

Hi Len...Wow....That's a weird noise for sure.....Is it still doing that??? Wish I had an answer for this....FWIW....If it was a power tube, I think you'd have the issue in all 4 channels....You know what it could be is the phase inverter.....the pre amp tube closest to the power tubes...try swapping that with say the reverb tube and see if the sound goes away...
 
Yeah, it's still doing it. I would also think that the power tubes would do all four channels. I'll try what you suggest and see what happens.

:cry: :cry: :confused: :confused: :gethim: :doh:
 
Len Rabinowitz":3380hvpi said:
Yeah, it's still doing it. I would also think that the power tubes would do all four channels. I'll try what you suggest and see what happens.

:cry: :cry: :confused: :confused: :gethim: :doh:
Click to expand...
Len....How do you like your JM4 looper???
 
The Looper is the one I have spent the least time with to date- but I like it a lot so far.

I am in the process of trying your suggestion, but I think you are on it. I'll let you know.

:rock:
 
I think you nailed it. It seems to be the Sovtek that was put in V8 that was bad. I am not tready to declare victory completely yet, but I think that was it.

What does the phase splitter do? Why would a bad tube only hit two channels, at least as far as I could hear?

Thanks! :thumbsup:
 
If changing the phase splitter tube seemed to fix it, that must be a coincidence that it stopped. I'm sure it will return. The phase splitter is in the power amp and would affect all channels.
Which knobs affect the loudness of the very strange noise?
Which knobs don't affect the loundess of the noise?

Please be 100% sure of your answers. This will tell us which tube, if it is a tube, is causing it. I can't imagine what else could cause such an odd noise.
 
You were right, Bruce- It came back.

I can tell you this for sure:

1. It started after the new preamp tubes were put in.

2. It only occurs on chs 1 and 2. I don't hear it on 3 and 4. I have checked and re-checked this numerous times.

3. In both channels the only knob that seems to affect it is the volume knob. I'm not sure that tells us anything as I think it is just turning the volume of the entire channel up and down.

4. The voicing switch didn't do anything.

5. The red power jewel light was fluctuating. I wonder if that might be significant? Could this be a fuse or some kind of power problem?

Thanks for your help. I have to admit this is starting to worry me.
 
A few more observations:

-The jewel light is definitely fluctuating. I don't recall this occurring before I changed the tubes. Assuming it isn't a bad light or connection to the light, that indicates to me fluctuating power.

-Upon checking again, it seems to me that the EQ controls affect the tone of the sound but not the volume of it. That says to me that they are working.

-I did not do any re-biasing. I am under the assumption that you only re-bias for power tubes, and I did not change those.

I am not even sure this is a tube problem at this point. Maybe we should get away from assuming it is a tube problem.

I don't know how this amp is constructed. Is it possible that, when changing the tubes, I might have loosened or disconnected something that powers or grounds the first two channels? That would explain the intermittency. Remember it started after I changed the tubes.

I actually had to turn this thing on its head to get all of the tubes in. I try to be careful but I might have clunked it a bit and knocked some things around. It's possible.
Thanks for your help!
 
Len...If it happened AFTER you changed the tubes, and it's only in channels 1 and 2, try changing out or switching just the first 2 preamp tubes....I had an issue with mine on Ch 3 and 4, and after driving myself nuts :doh: :doh: , I figured out it was from V2!!!!
It has to be something like that...try switching one tube at a time, then testing the amp again....Get a flashlight...that will help...I sort of doubt you did anything to the sockets or the amp..They really are built pretty well...
 
Ok this may sound presumptuous but did you try putting the old tubes back in the amp and verify the noise went away? That might be a good step to take. Just because the tubes are new does not mean shit!
 
It's not presumptuous at all. I was going to try that tonight. I will do so and report back.

Thanks!

Len
 
OK, the problem continues. Here's what I did:

At first, I put all the old tubes back in and turned it on. Noise gone. Yippee!

Then I said "let's put the new ones in one by one until I find the bad one."

When I got to V3 I put the new tube in and the sound came back. I said "That must be it. Let's put the old tube back in and we should be OK."

I wasn't. The sound was there with the old tube.

At that point I did the following:

1. Put all the new tubes in. I am starting to think this is not a pre-amp tube problem.
2. Just for the heck of it, shuffled the power tubes and re-biased the amp.

Throughout all of this my jewel light continues to fluctuate. That started when this problem started. It seems also like the noise doesn't happen until the amp fully warms up.

I am starting to think that this might be some kind of power supply/connection/maybe grounding problem.

Do you have any more suggestions I can try myself?

If it has to go into the shop, can that happen in the Boston area? The thought of shipping a 95 pound amp is not making me happy.
 
The one issue with the jewel light is just that a faulty jewel light and thats it. Give Bruce a little time to respond he is in flight to Cali and I have made him aware of what we are trying to do.
 
Will do. Let's get this fixed right.

When I re-biased the power tubes, the output was low- read about 100. I re-biased it back up to about 120. Not sure if that tells us anything. It had been a few months since I had re-biased the amp.

'preciate the help!
 
I am just bumping this back up to the top to get Jeff's or Bruce's attention. I need to know what to do.

:confused: :cry:
 
Hi Len...Changing the bias from 100 to 120 won't have anything to do with the issues.................just for the hell of it, did you try switching the power switches on all the channels a bunch of times on the back???...just a thought....sometimes dust gets into switches
 
Having 2 purring felines, believe me, I would often like to do that!

However, Nate nailed it. V3 was the culprit.

YYYAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!

Got my 335, channel 2 with a little hair on it- My favorite. It nails that '50's tone that us old farts grew up with!

:D :D :thumbsup: :yes: :rock: :rock: :worship: :inlove: :boxer: :cheers: \:D/
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top