Roadster Blows a Fuse during New Years Gig!!!

[TheBlackman]

Ok, the topic says it all i guess, but good thing i keep a spare amp with me!

Running my 2x12 combe and 2x12 roadster extension cab, using the 2 4-ohm outputs as recommended. Second set the amp sounds kinda harsh and then power goes, no loud pop or anything, just shuts down. I pull out the fuse and it let go...of course, no spares and even the sound guy didn't have any. Now, looking at the fuse which came with the roadster its a 3amp fuse...the manual says to use a 4 amp slo-blo fuse, so i'm wondering if running the 4 speakers was too much for the 3 amp or if its a tube problem, haven't gotten a new fuse yet so i can't really trouble shoot. Figure someone here would have some advice on what to look for. Anyone? Oh, and happy new year to everyone on the board!

 

[Gear-Monkey]

97% of tube amp malfunctions is a tube problem. It only takes one faulty tube to pop fuse...

Or could have been a power surge.

 

[Jonberrier]

It could also be low voltage. My roadster started sounding funny and then went down. I looked over at my power conditioner and it was reading 88 volts. Plugged it into another outlet reading 116 volts and replaced the fuse worked great after that. I'm not sure how that works, but it happened.

Peace

 

[stash49]

Replace with new fuse, and have some spares on hand-always, as well as a couple 6l6 and 12ax7s-I always do and have solved problems between sets that way. The fuse will blow againg-a faulty connection to your foot controller can blow a fuse-which means a capacitor is toast. Most likely a tube is going-switch everything to 50 watts and see what happens-then to 100-if it blows at 100 but not 50...that will tell ypou which set of powere tubes to look at-the faulty one will look faulty-glowwing red, etc. You may have a preamp problem which would manifest in some other function not working right. You should still be under warrenty-take advantage of that by going ASAP to a certified Mesa tech.

 

[TheBlackman]

It could also be low voltage. My roadster started sounding funny and then went down. I looked over at my power conditioner and it was reading 88 volts. Plugged it into another outlet reading 116 volts and replaced the fuse worked great after that. I'm not sure how that works, but it happened.

Peace

I replaced the fuse with a 4-amp slo blow (there was only a 3 amp one shipped with the amp) and there's no problems now. Oh, did i mention that the sound guy had plugged me in to a 200' extension cord!!!!! Great if I were only using a whipper snipper, but i'm thinking this caused low voltage, and i did have it on bold setting. I'll add a good quality extension cord to my gig box as well as the spare fuses. Thanks folks.

 

[KoskineN]

Interresting thread for a tube noob like me!
So a noob question for you here: where do I get this king of fuse?
Is it available only at Mesa dealers or I can get some at any electronic supplies stores?

Thanks!

 

[MusicManJP6]

Electronic store should have a pack of them. They can read the writing on the fuse and make sure you get the right type! Same thing happened to my Peavey XXX. It ended up being a power tube that just QUIT. It was not glowing at all. The tubes were out of a Mark IV that I picked up. They were of unknown age, so I took the XXX's new GT's out and put them in the Mark IV...

 

[TheBlackman]

Interresting thread for a tube noob like me!
So a noob question for you here: where do I get this king of fuse?
Is it available only at Mesa dealers or I can get some at any electronic supplies stores?

Thanks!

Well the two local music shops and long/mcquade didn't have any, sent me on a 1/2 scavenger hunt to places like home depot, future shop, and i ended up finding them at the Source, so i bought all 6 they had in stock, under $15 total.

 

[domct203]

Well the two local music shops and long/mcquade didn't have any, sent me on a 1/2 scavenger hunt to places like home depot, future shop, and i ended up finding them at the Source, so i bought all 6 they had in stock, under $15 total.

$15 for 6? :shock: Wish I had seen this thread sooner

http://www.radioshack.com/product/i...&sr=1&origkw=fuses&kw=fuses&parentPage=search

Dom

 

[Hailstorm350]

yeah thats a horrible price for fuses, fuses are very cheap, and they should be easy to find at any hardware store or electronics parts store, ie osh, ace, home depot, radio shack. etc...
Mouser Im sure would have those fuses even cheaper than radio shack which I prefer to call rip off shack.

 

[fishyfishfish]

A .50 cent fuse saved my Dual Rectifier from 220 volts that the sound company had me plugged into. You can never have enough!

 

[disassembled]

I would never go to radioshack for a good price on ANYTHING but it looks like you got ripped off a bit for the price you paid. Go to mouser.com or alliedelec.com for your electronical part supplies. It might be a good idea to invest in a power condition like a furman or even going a step further and getting something like an UPS would go a long way in protecting your investment without costing much. The UPS can keep your tone more consistent as well if you get one with voltage regulation.

gear monkey:

where are you getting your statistical data?


Greg

 

[TheBlackman]

Yeah, I probably paid higher than most would due to when i'm at...smalltown canada lol! not a whole lot of places to shop here and the nearest mesa dealer is about a 5 hour drive away. I'll order some online to stock up.