Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I am thoroughly non-technical, especially when it comes to amps. So bear with me here.

Got my brand new AC-30 Custom Classic in July. Never gigged - in fact, it has sat in the same spot since I got it. Turned it on a few weeks ago, was letting it warm up. Started to hear odd sounds coming from the amp - I walked over to it, looked at the top, and the "power" light was fading, until it went off.

Now the amp no longer turns on. I checked the power cable - it was fine. I had an electrician check the only fuse I could get to without opening up the amp, and it too was fine.

Obviously i'm dissappointed, the amp has been babied and it STILL managed to give me trouble within only a few months. I'm going to try taking it back to where I bought it and going through warranty, but anyone have any ideas here?

I am betting that you have a bad GT-5AR4 / GZ34 rectifier tube. I am surprised that you did not blow a fuse with this problem. I am not expert though and I will be interested to hear what they have to say regarding your description of the problem.

I would guess it would be a bad rectifier tube too. If it is at all similar to my Korg (made in UK) AC30, there will be a bank of fuses on the board and some of them may be blown. They should replace those fuses and give you a new rectifier tube.

Thanks guys. I got the names of a few authorized Vox repair shops here in the NYC area, i'll be sure to post here when I find out what the problem was.

Sometimes I wonder if tube amps are more trouble than they're worth. On the other hand, I haven't come across a solid state amp that I like either.

Try removing the rectifier tube and reinserting it. It might just be loose or otherwise not making a good connection.