Crate GFX-1200h effects problem

[bcrichplatinum]

Hey guys i'm new to this site.

I've been using a crate GFX-1200h half-stack for about 2 years now.. haven't really had too many problems with it.. its got good sounds and it was very affordable.

Recently the effects have just stopped working out of nowhere.. not just 1 of them but all of them. I'd like to take it to a shop to get it fixed.. but i fear the repair bill will be almost as much as what i paid for the amp itself. I'm pretty sure it's an easy fix but i just don't know.. if anyone could help me it'd be much appreciated

[newey]

bc-

Hello and Welcome to G-Nutz2!

I don't have a clue about your problem, sorry to say, but someone else may be along with some answers.

One thing to check, though- Do you have a footswitch to trigger the effects? If so, try unplugging it, a bad switch might be the culprit.

[reTrEaD]

Feb 27, 2012 23:32:19 GMT -5 bcrichplatinum said:

I'm pretty sure it's an easy fix but i just don't know..

Most repairs are easy fixes, if you know what's wrong. But determining the root of the problem requires understanding how the circuit is supposed to function.

Since this is a solid state amp, it's less dangerous to troubleshoot than a tube amp. You won't have anything more hazardous to your life than the line voltage. Still, line voltage is dangerous enough.

It's unlikely the problem will something visually obvious. In most cases, you'll need the following:

- a solid knowledge of basic electronics.
- test equipment. (at minimum a voltmeter, but a signal generator and oscilloscope may also be necessary)
- a schematic.

I doubt you'll find an electronic copy of the schematic for your amp online. LOUD technologies has paper copies available for most of their Crate amplifiers, expect to pay about $15. But I have heard some of them are poor copies and are nearly unreadable. If you can link to an electronic copy, there are some here who might be able to talk you through some preliminary tests (no promises). Otherwise, you'll be on your own.

Working without a schematic, would be like taking a long complicated trip without a roadmap. Worse actually, because you won't be able to ask local residents for directions.

Wandering about blindly is likely to cause more problems than you have now. Instead of a working amplifier with no effects, you could find yourself the proud owner of an anchor.


If you do take your amp to a shop, take it directly if possible. Many music stores outsource amplifier repairs. So you'll pay a fee to the music store on top of cost the store pays to the shop who actually did the repairs.

[bcrichplatinum]

Thank you guys for the quick replies.. and yeah i forgot to note that this has actually happened before... i asked my dad to fix it and he said all he did was switch the speaker cable output to the other side (I only had 1 cable at the time and this amp requires 2 to use all 4 speakers) and it worked again..

To answer your question newey.. no i do not use any footswitch. I guess i'll call an amplifier repair place to try and get an estimate.. but if it's too costly i think im better off buying some sort of multi-effect pedal, because this amp only had like 6 different effects anyways

thanks

[reTrEaD]

Feb 28, 2012 21:50:06 GMT -5 bcrichplatinum said:

Thank you guys for the quick replies.. and yeah i forgot to note that this has actually happened before... i asked my dad to fix it and he said all he did was switch the speaker cable output to the other side

You might want to check carefully where the cables are connected on the rear panel. There are two jacks for the speakers. It should not matter (in terms of the effects working) which one or both of these are being used. There are also two jacks for footswitches. One for the channel select / gain footswitch, the other for the effects footswitch. If you mistakenly plugged a speaker cabinet into the jack for the effects footswitch, that might disable the effects.