JCM800 "faint" sound at full 10

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sonofmickel
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JCM800 "faint" sound at full 10

Post by sonofmickel »

Solved, thanks Xtian!
Solution for very weak volume JCM800:
Check 470 ohm PI tail resistor, you just may have put in a 470k!

Original thread...
New JCM800 build using old parts.
Voltage looks good all around, 20v high everywhere with 125v at the wall.

Master at noon and preamp at noon:
The tone coming out of the speaker cab is "good", sounds like a nice Marshall JCM tone, but is VERY quiet.
Sorta of sounds like listening to a cranked amp from outside the studio or like a "direct" to the board kind of tone.

So I believe the inputs are good, the input pots and tone controls all "act" like they should.

Could it be a bad Output Transformer?
It's a Classictone 50 watt Marshall style ot.
Last edited by sonofmickel on Tue Jan 28, 2025 1:58 am, edited 1 time in total.
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xtian
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Location: Chico, CA
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Re: JCM800 "faint" sound at full 10

Post by xtian »

sonofmickel wrote: Mon Jan 27, 2025 11:23 pmCould it be a bad Output Transformer?
Extremely unlikely. I see you were asking about a "listening" device, so you've asked yourself the question, "Where is the signal vanishing?" A scope is perfect for this.

A common error is swapping the 470R PI tail resistor with 470K (as an example).
I build and repair tube amps. http://amps.monkeymatic.com
sonofmickel
Posts: 162
Joined: Sun Jan 13, 2008 4:56 pm

Re: JCM800 "faint" sound at full 10

Post by sonofmickel »

Thanks, I'll check for a mis-specced component

The amp "sounds" exactly what I think...JCM800 just really quiet. The bite is there and the karrang, and the tone is very mids, nothing out of proportion... tone pots work correctly as well.

B+ 430v, biased at 40v tube 4/ 37.8v tube 5, slightly out of balance KT77s

Tube Voltages with a looper pedal playing constant clean riff
V1:
1. 299
3. 2.9
6. 255
8. 2

V2:
1. 193
3. 1.2
6. 342
7. 192
8. 192

V3:
1. 383
2. 189
3. 6.39
6. 383
7. 189
8. 6.38

V4:
1. 40
3. 430
4. 428
5. -35
6. 430
8. 37

V5:
1. 37
3. 431
4. 428
5. -35
6. 430
8. 37
sonofmickel
Posts: 162
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Re: JCM800 "faint" sound at full 10

Post by sonofmickel »

Xtian, thank you!

It was the blasted 470 ohm vs 470k tail resistor!
I had the 470k in there.

Loud and proud.

Now, what mods....
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xtian
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Re: JCM800 "faint" sound at full 10

Post by xtian »

Haw! Awesome.

I like to add a switchable cathode bypass cap on V1b, so you can get a little crunch out of the Low channel.
I build and repair tube amps. http://amps.monkeymatic.com
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Reeltarded
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Re: JCM800 "faint" sound at full 10

Post by Reeltarded »

😂


"Not all 470s" The bumper sticker.
Signatures have a 255 character limit that I could abuse, but I am not Cecil B. DeMille.
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