Rebel 20 issue

[Clem]

Hi all..

First timer here..

I bought my Rebel 20 head about 2 months ago and I'm very impressed with it. However, a few weeks ago, it started to act up on a certain Gain setting. With the Gain knob just about the letter "G" (very much like the Gain setting in the 'Blues Deluxe' setting in the manual) the amp really sounds like crap. Regardless of how any of the other knobs are set, as long as the Gain knob is in that exact position, the amp sounds awful. I've also noticed that the 'clean' setting isn't as clean as before either.

The odd thing is that it only sounds the worst whenever I switch to the bridge p/u -- no matter what guitar I use. I have tried with my HB, singles, P90, all the same when on the bridge p/u with the Gain knob in that exact setting! I also have several other amps and tried them all with no problem. I also tried the amp through 2 other cabs that I have but the problem still persisted.

I have been communicating with Nate and, as he suggested, plugged the guitar directly into the return of the loop effects. All is fine when going through the loop return.
Nate then suggested changing out each pre-amp tube in turn as he suspected it might be one of those tubes. I did that and the problem persists. I called the store where I bought the amp and they told me that it's the output transformer..? I know little to nothing about electronics but, it seems to me, that if it was the output transformer wouldn't that also affect the sound when plugged into the loop return..?

In any case, can anyone provide any insight on this issue? Has anyone else experienced anything like this? Please help as I really like (liked) this amp..!

Thanks.

 

[BadBluesPlayer]

You did the right thing to talk with Nate and follow his instructions. Whatever you do, do not call the store and ask them to help you figure out what's wrong with the amp. They will mess you up.

Just wait until Nate or somebody at Egnater can follow through with your problem. Keep after them. In the meantime, check those tubes again. Try switching them around between the 3 different tube sockets and see if that changes anything. It really does sound like it could be a tube problem.

 

[Clem]

Thanks for the reply, BBP...

Here's a follow-up..

I had one 12ax7 tube that pulled out of an old piece of gear I had and when I tried switching that one around there was no change. However, yesterday I brought the head to the store where I bought it and tried a one-to-one comparison with their floor model. The floor model had a tinge of what I was experiencing but mine was significantly more pronounced. The store manager was convinced it was a pre-amp tube but I explained to him that I tried switching out one tube at a time with no change. He then gave me 3 Ruby pre-amp tubes (free!) and told me to pop them in when I got home. Well that was the first thing I did this morning and now the amp sounds much better overall. I still get a hint of that 'sound' when I set the Gain to that setting -- but really nothing compared to like it was before. The amp really rocks now..