Looks like I need a new amp...

[Crusoe]

Something odd is happening with my amp. It works with headphones plugged in, but I need to push the jack plug in firmly. There's just nothing coming from the speaker. It's only a cheap Harley Benton HB-20R, so i'm not upset about replacing it. I might get the Fender Mustang LT25. If anyone has any ideas as to what the issue might be, please let me know.

[Dad3353]

43 minutes ago, Crusoe said:

Something odd is happening with my amp. It works with headphones plugged in, but I need to push the jack plug in firmly. There's just nothing coming from the speaker. It's only a cheap Harley Benton HB-20R, so i'm not upset about replacing it. I might get the Fender Mustang LT25. If anyone has any ideas as to what the issue might be, please let me know.

 

In many amps of the sort, plugging in the headphones cuts the speaker, so that one may listen without disturbing others. Normally, when the headphone jack is removed, the speaker circuit is re-established. I would suggest that this is possibly the issue you're facing, and that a simple replacement of the headphone jack socket would fix it. Does this help..? 

[Crusoe]

Thanks Dad. I thought it might have been something like that. I'm not sure if the headphone socket can be replaced. I took the amp out of the cabinet and the headphone socket seems to be glued to the circuit board. It's only a very cheap amp, so probably not economically viable to fix. The alternative to a new amp is that I just use my Fender Rumble bass amp. The guitar sounds a little muddy through it, but it works.

[Dad3353]

40 minutes ago, Crusoe said:

... the headphone socket seems to be glued to the circuit board ...

 

It's probably not simply glued; it will have solder tags that go through the board to be soldered the other side. For any decent tech, it's an easy fix, and all the easier if it's already out of the cab, so it may be worth popping into your local secret underground electronics lab and asking nicely if someone could operate on the poor thing. At worst, the 'switched' part of the socket could be shorted out, so that the speaker is always 'on', and another, in-line switch fitted to the speaker wires (one similar to those fitted to bedside lamps or similar...), so that it may be muted when using cans. Just a thought. 

 

Douglas

[Crusoe]

This is the phones jack from inside.

[Dad3353]

2 hours ago, Crusoe said:

This is the phones jack from inside.

 

Any chance of seeing the solder side..? 

 

It wouldn't hurt to send an email to Thomann, asking if they could supply one as a spare part.

Edited October 26, 2023 by Dad3353

[Crusoe]

8 hours ago, Dad3353 said:

 

Any chance of seeing the solder side..? 

 

It wouldn't hurt to send an email to Thomann, asking if they could supply one as a spare part.

 

[Crusoe]

I don't think they are designed to be repaired. 

 

I'm really torn. I can use my bass amp and have a few pedals I can plug in, but there's no reverb on it and doent like getting nice, new shiny amps?

[Dad3353]

Well, it looks like an easy and quick enough job for a decent tech; the fiddliest part is taking all the knobs off and freeing the board from the front panel. I know what I'd do, but I've been a technicien for many decades, which helps. Do you have any savvy buddies that know how to do electronic DIY..? Your call (and the 'Blackstar' amps are very nice; I've recent acquired a nearly-new ID:Core 10 (£99 + £10 shipping from Thomann or Amazon.co.uk...) which suits me well as a 'go-to' practice amp ...). A shame, for such a piddling little fault, though. 

Edited October 26, 2023 by Dad3353

[Crusoe]

Unfortunately, I don't know anyone with that sort of expertise.