LTD 400

Jeff James · Post by **Jeff James** » 6 Aug 2007 8:08 am

I am a begineer steel player & picked up a older LTD 400 awhile back. Is this the same amp as the Session 400? Also, the reverb does not work on this amp. With it turned all the way up, you can hear it making noises, but it doesnt work properly. All verified that all the cables were connected properly. Is it worth it to get it fixed, or should I just buy an RV-3 or Holy Grail? If so, do they sound as good as the origonal on-board reverb? Thanks

Darvin Willhoite · Post by **Darvin Willhoite** » 6 Aug 2007 8:29 am

I have an LTD400 I bought new in 1980, and the reverb sounds very good in it. I would definitely get it fixed, it may be no more than a bad spring unit, or a bad connector somewhere. I wouldn't trust anyone but Peavey's service department to work on it though. You can take the chassis out of the cabinet and send it to Peavey. It usually only takes a week or two, and their prices are very reasonable. They will check for any other problems while its on the bench too. Great folks to deal with.

Stu Schulman · Post by **Stu Schulman** » 6 Aug 2007 10:57 am

Jeff,I have one of those...It's a great amp,I think it has about 220 watts.My reverb goes out when I whack a loud chord it just stops and then fades back in,I'm getting ready to send it back to Peavey to get it fixed,I've thought about a Holy Grail but I've got a couple of friends who have had problems with the power adapters on the grail.Send it to Peavey and have them go through it,it will be worth it.By the way Peavey has the best customer service that I have ever seen.Stu

Tony Prior · Post by **Tony Prior** » 6 Aug 2007 11:11 am

Great amp, first remove the amp from the cabinet, clean all of the connectors including the reverb connectors.

Clean the 1/4 inch input/output jacks as well, don't forget them.

Dirty connectors for these older PV amps is common and will create issues that seem worse than they are.

If you still have issues after cleaning ALL of the connectors, , then send it off to PV, it will be worth it.

This is an excellent amp you have.

good luck

tp

Jeff James · Post by **Jeff James** » 6 Aug 2007 11:47 am

Thanks for the tips. I will pull the chassis & clean everything I can. I know this amp sat for a long time before I bought it. Plus, it took a fall at one time & broke off the fuse holder. I replaced the fuse holder & it worked. There may be something knocked loose inside for the reverb. I will take it apart & make sure there is nothing obvious going on. Glad to here that folks like these amps. It should fill my needs for many years. Thanks again for the info.

Steve Schmidt · Post by **Steve Schmidt** » 6 Aug 2007 3:34 pm

I have a 76 LTD and a 76 Session. The first thing I would do is just remove the head from the chassis and do a visual inspection. If my memory servers me right, there is a black single wire that plugs onto a pin. I had that fall off one time and it caused the reverb to quit working. Also, Ernie Renn turned me onto this, these amps are prone to getting bad solder connections. Again I had the reverb going flakey. Two weekends ago I removed the preamp board and laid it on my work bench and blanket soldered every connection with a good pair of cheater reading glasses that magnified my work. I could see many joints that were questionable. The amp works great now. These 2 amps are truly my favorites. Because of the weight, I prefer the LTD, however the Session having the larger cabinet has a little larger sound. I know that there is another thread about the JBL's in these. Both of mine have the JBL's and they both work great. I have played some very loud gigs. These amps are keepers.
Steve

Stan Paxton · Post by **Stan Paxton** » 6 Aug 2007 4:45 pm

Jeff, in my opinion, you should definitely keep it. My understanding is that the LTD400 & the original Session 400 are the same amp with different cabinet size. I bought one of the very early ones, & like it the best of any other amp I've had. All the above advise is good; be worth your while to send it thru Peavey factory: good service, fast, reasonable price.

Jeff James · Post by **Jeff James** » 6 Aug 2007 5:31 pm

Thanks for the info guys...well, got home this evening & pulled the chassis...sure enough, there was a wire that was completely loose from the "pin". The wire had a plastic connector that slid over the pin. Pushed it back down & now we have reverb. Guess it came off during a fall (think it just fell back, not actually fell to the floor). According to the tag on the back panel it origionally came with a JBL. It now has a Black Widow. This amp sounds great (to my newbie ears). Glad to know that I have an amp that I can keep forever & not need to upgrade anytime soon. PLus, I just gave 225.00 for it, so that dirt cheap compared to what I have paid for guitar amps. Thanks again to all.

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LTD 400

LTD 400

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