The Steel Guitar Forum

Jack, my Nashville 400 is losing power spontaneously. I've monkeyed with the molex connector for the reverb and it seems to stop it for a while. Any long-term fixes?

John, if it's "losing power" it shouldn't really have anything to do with the reverb I/O connector. If it's just losing the reverb signal or noisy (with the reverb control turned up) then it's in the connector. I'm still having intermittent problems with the one in mine too and I'm at the point of installing a different type of connector (soldering/wiring something different to the molex chassis pins for a connector) however I haven't settled on a different type yet. The ideal would be a connector with gold plated connections and it wouldn't be as expensive as you think.

The problem is mechanical/electrical connection. The mechanical part may be solved by gently squeezing the female pin slightly to help with the mechanical contact (solder could be applied to the pin to build it up slightly but solder makes a poor mechanical connector and you wouldn't be in any better shape than with the bare pin). The electrical, can be merely spraying contact cleaner on both the male and female pins.

I don't use my Nashville 400 as often since I have the stereo system. However, whenever I do use it, I "reseat" the plug (unplug and plug in the connector) to avoid any potential problems.

I guess I'll have to come up with a "Stoner Mod" for that connector.

John;
I had a half power situation with my
'Nash 400,and I went nuts trying everything
and I finally called John Hurd,an old PSG
builder and repairman.The first thing he
asked was,had I been doing any filing or grinding in the vicinity of my steel?
I had and so he told me to put masking
tape over the pickup magnets and pull it off.
I did this and instantly,my volume came to full blast.apparently,steel filings connect
end to end and build a n almost invisible
chain between the pick up and the strings.
JUst something else to try.
Jake Doell

John;
In the mid '80's I had a Nashville and a Vegas that both did the same thing. When you mess with the reverb connection, you're probably moving something on the circuit board that temporarily re-connects itself. My local tech went thru them and found two things: 1). Over time the solder connections had weakened, he redid almost all the connections. He said that Peavey uses a solder bath and after a while they need to be resoldered. Especially, if they ride in the belly of a bus, like mine do. I take my current amps in about once a year for resoldering, if I need to or not. Better safe than sorry. 2). The connector in the back of the amp for either the pre-amp out of the power amplifier in, (I don't remember which), has a switch on it and the contacts get dirty.
Just a couple of things to try. Good luck finding the source of your problem!

------------------
My best,
Ernie

The Official Buddy Emmons Website
www.buddyemmons.com
<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Ernie Renn on 01 May 2000 at 06:47 AM.]</p></FONT>

John; I've had a similar problem with my old (83) NV400. I called Mike Brown for suggestions. He said something similar to what Ernie mentions... That the patch in/out jacks in front, and the pre-amp out, power amp in jacks in back have switches and this often presents problems. Mike's idea was to try this experiement; Plug a cable into the front in/out jacks (out and then back in), and the same for the rear jacks. If that "fixes" it, there's your trouble.

Best of luck! -Dave

I always advise that the mechanical switching jacks such as the POWER AMP INPUT or the RETURN jacks be checked for proper functioning, as these are mechanical and of the switching type. Sometimes, switching contacts can become corroded and prevent the signal from passing. Spraying contact cleaner can sometimes solve this, but other times it may require that you replace the jack.

Please contact our repair technicians here at the factory for further advice. They can be reached at Peavey by calling (601)483-5365.

John, I Have the same problem with my
Nashville 400. The first time it happened
about 6 years ago I took it to the local
music store, and they charged me 50 bucks
to clean it. That solved the problem for
about 2 years then it happened again. This
time I went to Radio Shack, bought a can of
contact cleaner for 5 dollars, took the amp
apart myself and cleaned it good and it lasted another 2 years. Hey, I just thought
Time to clean it again before it happens.
Good Luck

------------------
Bob Myers Derby S10 3&4

Mike, the problem he was describing was in relation to the reverb I/O connector not to a jack in the amp. He was referring to me with the "jack".

Thanks Jack, I misunderstood which 'jack' he was referring to. Thanks for your help.

Mike and Jack;
Doesn't the plugging something into the jack open a set of contacts to disconnect something? Pardon my stupidity on the topic, but I didn't use the jacks, so I don't really know what they did anymore. It was one of the problems my tech found, though.
Good luck, John!

------------------
My best,
Ernie

The Official Buddy Emmons Website
www.buddyemmons.com

Yes, the POWER AMP IN jack on the back panel and the IN jack that's part of the PRE EQ PATCH section on the front panel are both switching jacks.