Mode 4 Issue

[Jizzmasterzero]

Was wondering if someone may be able to help with an issue my friend has with his Mode 4.

His cooling fan seems to be rubbing against something which isn't a problem at loud volume :party but at a low volume it really gets on his nerves as he can hear it over the sound of the guitar, has anyone else had this problem and if so was it easy to fix?

[surfnorthwest]

Only cure for a Mode 4 is below. Seriously it should be easy to fix, just open it up and make sure everything is tight and it is not rubbing against anything. If that does not work it could be that the fan itself has something loose and my need to be replaced... a good computer store would have new fans that would work.

[Jizzmasterzero]

I like your style

Even though my Amp is only a 50 watter, my friend is so jealous that it sounds a million trillion times better than his.

I love the 2266 loads but I still want a JCM800. Am I just being greedy?

[gtrman]

I like your style

Even though my Amp is only a 50 watter, my friend is so jealous that it sounds a million trillion times better than his.

I love the 2266 loads but I still want a JCM800. Am I just being greedy?

No you are a wise amp owner.
The JCM800 is a totally different beast and would give you Marshall Crunch like no other amp can.
I have the JCM800 reissue ... and today I just bought a JCM800 2204 ... talk about beeing greedy

[MKB]

+1 to Surf's suggestion on checking for obstructions with the fan. Also make sure the fan is free from being clogged with dust. Marshall may have installed a filter on the fan, if so that probably needs to be cleaned. Finally, you may want to check to see if the fan bolts are too tight or not tightened to the same torque. I've worked on equipment with plastic fan housings, and if the screws were tightened improperly the housing would change shape and the fan blades would contact the housing.

But on the Mode 4 being junk, I don't know.. Alex Skolnick with Testament said it was the best Marshall amp ever made.

http://www.marshallforum.com/marshall-a ... -four.html

[youtube][/youtube]

[ClubAndCountry]

If there's *any* question whatever that the fan isn't working right, stop using the amp and replace it. If it sticks, the amp is toast. Best of all, replace the fan and then sell the amp before anything else bad happens. Apologies if this doesn't go down well with anyone who owns one, or any colleagues of SteveD's who may have been responsible for designing it. It's just my opinion, but I will not work on these amps any more because I cannot guarantee they won't fail and I don't want to be the last to have been inside.

Regardless of what it sounds like (which personally I don't care for either), the Mode 4 is a failure waiting to happen. The power section is nothing more than four Valvestate AVT series/MG series IC power modules. I've seen so many failed ones of these I've lost count... and two Mode 4s so far with burned out ones. (Or perhaps incinerated is a better word.) Regardless of their supposed built-in thermal and short-circuit protection, IC power modules like this are just not as reliable as discrete-component power sections in real-world use. Sadly they are becoming pretty much standard in most cheaper solid-state amps.

The whole amp is just a glorified Valvestate really - with four times as many of the parts that most often fail in the ordinary Valvestate models. And I actually quite *like* Valvestates for what they are, and what they cost - but they are not quite professional quality amps either in tone or reliability. I would not personally own any amp with this sort of power stage design, especially not one that relies on effective fan cooling.