[ramenwolf]

Few months ago I bought a Fender Jr. Blues Combo tube amp. Sounds great and had really good tones.
Well this weekend friend of mine was over and jamming than my amp started popping sound. At first I thought it was my cable, but than i took out all the cables but the amp still had that popping sound. Later I pull out the tubes and put them back. Next morning the popping sound went away and my amp return back to normal. But then few days later until now, the amp sounds really horrible, any time I turned up some bass but it has this really fuzzy and sounds really distorted and muddy.
For me this is my first tube amp so I assume it's either the speaker (but I don't even blast my amp that loud) or it's the tube...but my amp is brand new. My friend said it could be the tube. I took it back to Sam Ash where i bought it, but they were no help at all and said that just the way the amp sound, plus their warranty suck, I would never buy anything form them again if i get warranty.

So now wondering if you guys ran into this problem. Should I replace my tubes?

[allthumbs]

Sounds like you need the tubes replaced. Euro Tubes makes some good tubes for the junior. You can get 3 different sets depending on the style you play. The louder you play, the faster the tubes need to be replaced. About 3 to 5 years seems to be average. If you have bought the amp recently it may be something else. Check the speaker cone and see if it is ripped.

[Stratrat]

Since the sound went away for a little while the next morning, I'd guess that it isn't the speaker. My bet is that the tubes are trashed. Even though the amp is relatively new, you still could've just gotten a set of bad tubes in it.

[fly135]

I'd write to Fender and tell them that Sam Ash said their amp is supposed to sound bad even though it sounded good when you bought it. My Fender Pro Jr started making popping noises right before one of the EL84 tubes shorted and blew the fuse. This should be fixed under warranty.

[scotty_b]

Valves may not be covered under warranty - though Groove Tubes used to offer 90 days on their products. It should have the standard 12-month warranty otherwise. Sam Ash are just being jerks - which is not uncommon in music shops around the globe from my experiences.

[Stratrat]

Originally Posted by scotty_b

...Sam Ash are just being jerks - which is not uncommon in music shops around the globe from my experiences.

It's also not uncommon for the big "chain stores" like that to have a lot of low-wage, commission-driven employees who don't know much about guitars or amps working there. When I go into Guitar Center, I either already have a very good idea of exactly what I want to buy, or spend time playing with things myself to work it out....the employees are rarely able to offer any useful suggestions. I bought a Fender Deluxe Reverb amp from GC several months back....got it home and the reverb didn't work. I took it back, and the guy at GC plugged it in, strummed a guitar through it and said it sounded fine to him. I had to show him where the reverb control was and demonstrate to him that it wasn't working.

Don't count on Sam Ash for help. Try changing the tubes and see if that works. If not, it could be a bad solder joint on the PCB or something else inside the amp, which would be covered by Fender's warranty. If that's the case, contact Fender and get it worked out if Sam Ash won't exchange it for you.

[Dewy]

For the record Valves = Tubes... same thing, some folks don't know that.

The Amp has a problem, the manufacturer's warrenty should cover that. If the problem is A tube, then you'll need a reputable tech to pinpoint the issue and repair it.

Unlikely all of the tubes have gone bad at once, unless there is an issue with the power supply, or you've severely dropped it at some point while the tubes were hot.

If your not getting satisfaction where you purchased the amp I would contact them via mail or phone and inform management of the issue, then proceed to seek satisfaction through the manufacturer.

Odds are, management @ Sam Ash will offer to set it right before it gets back to Fender.

[ramenwolf]

Thanks guys for all your comments. Last night the amp keeps getting worst, I will take it to a a guitar amp techinician and if it's not the tubes I will contact both fender and sam ash. I mean, I wonder why sam ash wont just replace it, it wont be that hard for them since they are store and can talk to fender much easier.

[coldethyl]

Originally Posted by fly135

I'd write to Fender and tell them that Sam Ash said their amp is supposed to sound bad even though it sounded good when you bought it.

That's a good idea! I don't think Fender would be too impressed with Sam Ash's statement regarding the current state of the amp.

I'd even go as far going back into Sam Ash and telling them that you would be contacting Fender and telling them what was said to you.

There's lots of "shonky" business people out there unfortunately.
I had a guitar tech at a local GC do a full set up for me on a guitar a while back and when I returned it to him complaining of the guitar buzzing etc,(sounding worse after the set up than it did before) he said that guitars are supposed to do that.

Needless to say, he won't be getting any of my business again!

[scotty_b]

Originally Posted by ramenwolf

I mean, I wonder why sam ash wont just replace it, it wont be that hard for them since they are store and can talk to fender much easier.

Sometimes you find the salesperson just doesn't have a clue - or doesn't give a stuff. Going above them to management can do wonders - or if you need to, be prepared to go to whatever legislative body handles consumer affairs such as this.
I contacted the Australian office (called 'Consumer Affairs') when I purchased a Carvin amp that was a piece of crap from day one. The store I purchased it from were less than helpful, and after I had taken it back 8 times in 9 months I went to the legislative body and they handled it from there.
The manager from the store actually called me and made all sorts of threats to me, so I went back to the lady handling the case and informed her. She rang the manager whilst I was there, and put him in his place by threatening him. It was lovely.
They ended up letting me go in and swap the amp for the equivalent monetary value of any other amp on the floor.
I hope Fender US are more helpful than Fender Australia, as they are terrible when it comes to customer relations.

[tjmilian]

Hi ramenwolf-

Sounds like it's probably the tubes. I work at Sam Ash. Sorry you didn't get the help you needed. Email me at tj.milian@samashmusic.com and I'll make sure you get taken care of.

[P-90]

This really makes me miss the days when every little electronics store and half the drug/variety stores would have tube testing machines which customers could pop their tubes into. It made finding the bad tube a cinch, so you didn't waste $3 buying a 6L6GC when what you really needed was a 12AX7.

I wouldn't even know where to look for one of those now.