The Sig:X is down..

  • Thread starter Thread starter midnightlaundry
  • Start date Start date
Glad the OP figured it out, it seems.

I’ve owned a Sig: X (twice), Deliverance 120 (twice) and older Pittbull UL - non EQ.

The Sig is a great amp but I found it didn’t have the low end balls of the other two. I wish Fryette would release a quad KT88 version.

The UL beat the Deliverance in my opinion. I regret selling the UL. I was hoping to find a newer UL with the EQ and more switches but they are pricey.
 
The new UL is in the works. Maybe it will come out this year.. LOL
 
strungout82 said:
So it looks that without help from Fryette my SigX is a brick. I'm writing my last desperate email and hope for the best. Wish me luck guys ?
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What exactly is the problem?
Also, sign into SLOCLONE That forum is a bit dead and it might take a day to get a reply, but those guys over there know amps.
 
midnightlaundry said:
What exactly is the problem?
Also, sign into SLOCLONE That forum is a bit dead and it might take a day to get a reply, but those guys over there know amps.
Click to expand...

This is the email I sent yesterday to fryette support.

Hello sir,

this is my last desperate attempt to get my broken Sig X working. My tech guy has been working on it for a very long time. I had even borrowed another SigX head from my friend and he had made some progress with it. But he could not do more without your help. Here are his notes about the problems with the amp.

He had to replace several resistors in the poweramp section - TIP50, LM317, Zener diode. But there are 3 problems.
1. The high voltage drops cca 100V down every second on R152 and then return back to full voltage when all tubes are in. When he take out both PWR tubes or one - two ECC83s (V1 - V5, doesn't matter which one), the high voltage stays high on R152.
2. There is 180V voltage drop across R150 (22k measured) and only 30V across R152 (3.7k measured, even with 3.9k tried). Only 1V drop between legs of LM317 (new one).
3. The GAIN II boost RED LED stays on all the time and GAIN II boost YELLOW LED stays off all the time. The channels could be switched but the RED boost LED is lit even when the yellow channel or clean channel is selected.

In the e-mail attachement are his notes about measured voltages. He had done over 10 hours of diagnosis, parts replacement, valve measurements, voltage measurements, basic schematics drawing. But he is now at the end with ideas. He would be very glad for your help or partial schematics (power section, output section, channel and boost switching).

Could you please help us? Or do you have any official service center in Europe? I'm really desperate now. If there is a fee for your help I am willing to pay it.

Thank you
 
midnightlaundry said:
Not sure what happened, but the 3 Heat Sinks in this pic are Voltage Regulators.. The Heat Sinks are live with voltage so be carefull.. The left is in the 500vdc range, the right is 325vdc and the lower right is 12 or 14 vcd range for the Relays I'm sure.. I would check those. Don't get shocked!

https://www.rig-talk.com/forum/threads/the-sig-x-is-down.295982/post-3793244
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So two of the voltage regulators were replaced and the other checked. Still the voltage fluctuates and the red channel boost is stuck.
No reply from the fryette support yet. I even offered to buy a new pcb if possible but got no response on that. I'm really getting mad about Fryette. They make amazing amps but good luck if something goes wrong. This whole situation really sucks.
 
What exactly happened when you stated having this problem? Were you playing and a lightening bolt hit the house??

When I had my problem, I was messing with the Bias, and that one Resistor in the Bias chain went rogue..
 
midnightlaundry said:
What exactly happened when you stated having this problem? Were you playing and a lightening bolt hit the house??

When I had my problem, I was messing with the Bias, and that one Resistor in the Bias chain went rogue..
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The amp was working but there was quite a hum. So I checked the power tubes bias with probes and there was a huge mismatch between them. So I took the chassis from the headshell and put a new tubes there. Then when I hit standby switch there was a big spark somewhere in the poweramp section of the PCB and the problems started. The R152 resistor got smoked and the white 5W resistor above it probably too. I turned it off and took it straight to the tech. But the amp was obviously repaired before and it was not very good job - a lot of stripped screws and bad soldering...
 
Hum is in the power supply. I wonder if a Filter Cap shorted out.. Those blue resistors are the Dropping Resistors in the Power String I think.. When you said power comes back when pulling Tubes I immediately thought Power Supply..

I had that happen in a Mesa Power Amp that was like 7 years old, and it took out some Power Resistors and the Choke..

choke hold.JPG
 
stephen sawall said:
Fryette services everything they ever made.
Last I heard it is four people. That includes Steve and his wife. They are often slower at replies because they are busy doing something else.
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Yeah, like shooting 2 hour videos on a basic amp service that shouldn’t take that long (I know, I know, he’s educating along the way)…and often isn’t even one of their amps….?

Gotta say I’d be putting my product support ahead of a fun YouTube presence. Now if Steve has hired enough bodies so he can do whatever he likes for public relations and fun then absolutely. I know I’d be flustered if I’ve had something there a long time or they’re not answering me and then get an alert and a new Fryette video pop up, of him discussing the circuit of a JMP for a few hours. Knowing that it probably took most of the day to just shoot it…..”Nice info on the Cathode follower in that Carlsboro video Steve, oh wait, is that my 3 weeks gone, Classic on the shelf in the background!?”

Most of this said in jest, Steve’s a good guy from my experience, as long ago as it was, but many good guys don’t run their business as well as they should for the end user experience.
 
midnightlaundry said:
Hum is in the power supply.
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Could it also just be that the power section CMMR is gone to crap because of mismatched tube DC current, so the push and pull halves aren't canceling out the hum anymore? OP did say that the bias was apparently very mismatched.
 
skoora said:
Yeah, like shooting 2 hour videos on a basic amp service that shouldn’t take that long (I know, I know, he’s educating along the way)…and often isn’t even one of their amps….?

Gotta say I’d be putting my product support ahead of a fun YouTube presence. Now if Steve has hired enough bodies so he can do whatever he likes for public relations and fun then absolutely. I know I’d be flustered if I’ve had something there a long time or they’re not answering me and then get an alert and a new Fryette video pop up, of him discussing the circuit of a JMP for a few hours. Knowing that it probably took most of the day to just shoot it…..”Nice info on the Cathode follower in that Carlsboro video Steve, oh wait, is that my 3 weeks gone, Classic on the shelf in the background!?”

Most of this said in jest, Steve’s a good guy from my experience, as long ago as it was, but many good guys don’t run their business as well as they should for the end user experience.
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Those videos are old.
 
Yes, I've known several folks with issues around lack of Fryette support. I will never buy another Fryette product as a result. I had an issue with my Power Station which I wound up troubleshooting myself due to their lack of response. It better last 100 years now lol.
 
So there could be light at the end of the tunnel for me. I wrote a post about my problem on the Fryette FB fan group and got a response from the Steven Fryette himself. They are getting together some kind of tech support for the EU region but it will take them some time. And one kind guy sent me contact for tech guy in Greece that has some experience with VHT/Fryette amps. So I get some hope at least.
 
skoora said:
Maybe but so are a history of complaints about service.
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Yes but I see the same from virtually every other company large or small. Most of them eventually in most situations take care of the issues.
 
Rev 1 of the sigx. I think the diagram is not correct. Potentiometers have wrong names. The gain 1 and gain 2 potentiometers are not in the right places... (go to the manual of the amp and you will understand that these potentiometers are not in the right place.)
Sheers.
 

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