Official Blackstaramps Forum

Hey guys,

could anyone please help me out troubleshooting my Artisan 30 Head.
I bought this head second hand and for a couple of weeks everything was ok. It sounded killer. Then it started to make this crackle/popping noise. It starts to make this noise some 2-15 minutes after you switch it on. As you turn the volume up, the crackle gets louder. You can only stop it if you hit the standby switch. Then you switch it back on and it's ok for some 2-15 minutes. Then it starts all over and it's very annoying. I can't play it any more because of this. And it's a pitty because it really is an awesome sounding amp. Please help me troubleshoot the problem. I'd appreciate any advice since taking it to an amp technician isn't possible for now.

What I did so far:
The power tubes are ok because I put the 4 EL84 tubes of the Artisan into a Peavey Classic 30 Tweed and it had no issuse. The 4 EL84 of the Peavey Classic 30 Tweed went into my Artisan 30 and the crackle was the same.

Thanks.

Here's a clip of how the amp does the crackle.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-trzKN3jTEk

If its not cables or power tubes or interference from other electric devices, then pre amp & rectifier tubes is about all you can check, then its of to the tech. you could try gently tapping a tube with a pencil to see if it changes the sound.