If you are someone who is passionate about guitar and music, you must understand that a good tune or sound from a guitar can be better felt with the right equipment to use it with.
Guitars are a tricky musical instrument, and at times, you may think that your guitar playing skills are not thoroughly enjoyed by audiences.
As you begin your musical journey, you will find that many types of amps and pre-amps can help the quality of the music you want to produce.
The primary purpose of amps is to amplify the sound quality and ensure that it doesn’t sound distorted or out of pitch, especially with electric guitars.
Specifically, if you aim to set your hands on electric guitars, they sound better when connected with amps.
You will find that there are different types of amps available in the market; some are more popular in comparison to others because of their high-quality sound production features.
Marshall amp is a renowned name and the most sought-after amps out there. As an existing or aspiring musician, you must know the benefits of using an amp with your electric guitar, it can give your audience a better listening experience.
You can also feel a prominent difference between creating music with or without the use of amps. Guitars come with different features that you can choose from per your requirements.
Similarly, Marshall has various amps you can opt from. One of the most commonly used models of Marshall amps is the Marshall MG100DFX.
This model of Marshall amps is widely popular because it gives musicians the edge of stability, utility, and performance under one amp. Yet, like most musical instruments, there can be some problems you might have to face with the Marshall MG100DFX amp.
As good as this amp is, some common problems may arise from time to time but rest assured, these problems are known to be easily solvable.
These are some of the common issues you might face with your Marshall MG100DFX amp and tips on how you can resolve such problems on your own!
Common Marshall MG100DFX Problems
1. Loud Whirring Upon Startup
Among the few common problems you might face, one thing you are most likely to come across is a loud whirring sound from the amp for a short time but from time to time.
Over the years, the Marshall MG100DFX model tends to get old and make unusual sounds for a minute or two. The whirring sound tends to disappear, and your amp with go back to playing the sounds as before.
This problem usually occurs when a fuse blows out within the amp, the wiring has gotten loose for one reason or another, or your amp has some grounding problems that require to be fixed as soon as possible.
It is recommended that you get the amp checked, and it would be an added bonus if your Marshall MG100DFX is still under the warranty of Marshall; the company can efficiently resolve this issue for you.
However, if your amp is no longer under warranty, you will have to take matters into your hand, and you can start by checking the amp and carefully making sure all the grounding connections are perfectly set, and you do not spot any loose wiring inside or at the back of your Marshall MG100DFX amp.
If you notice that there is a loose wire, you can quickly fix it, and if the grounding connections have some fault, you can try taking them out and reconnecting them to your amp.
2. Compatibility Problems
It is also likely that your electric guitar doesn’t have suitable compatibility and connectivity with the Marshall MG100FDX amp. Marshall is an old brand, and you may use a guitar or other more modern instruments than this amp’s model.
It could also be possible that you are trying to connect your guitar to the amp with the wrong wires and cable; you can easily fix this by researching and learning to plug in the wires and cables in the ports.
You can instantly tell the difference between the wrong and right compatible connections.
When the wires and cables are incorrectly plugged, this can cause the amp to stop working, and you will be able to get the amp working as soon as you fix the connections with the correct ports.
This could be your first experience using amps with your electric guitars; you can learn how to set it up with time and practice.
You should not worry about your Marshall MG100DFX being a faulty device; compatibility also plays a vital role.
If you have bought the amp first, you can consider purchasing the guitars that are easily compatible with it, or if you already have a guitar and feel that this amp is not compatible with it, then you should not invest in the Marshall MG100DFX amp.
Marshall is a trusted brand when it comes to amp and pre-amps, they give warranty of their products as they know that such problems can surface.
The best part of the warranty is that you can utilize it whenever you want and even if you find a slight fault in your Marshall MG100DFX amp.
It is better to get your amp fixed by the company that manufactures them instead of trying to fix it on your own, this could result in newer problems.
3. Not Turning Up
Every musician’s biggest nightmare is for their instruments or electronic devices to stop working during a concert or performance.
You can have a mini shock if your amp has trouble getting turned on and remains in a dead state despite how much you try to get it turned on.
This is something you would want to keep a check on and avoid such a problem. This problem can occur if your battery has died out or isn’t installed correctly.
You can keep trying to turn on the amp, but it won’t unless you ensure the battery is correctly installed.
If your battery has become old and worn out, it would be wise to replace your amp’s old battery with the new one. Usually, the battery life is long, but it can vary on how often you use your amp and for how long.
An incorrectly installed battery will also not let your Marshall MG100DFX amp turn on even if you have made sure all the ports and plugins are correctly plugged in, the amp will be getting voltage from the wires, but the battery will be unable to pick up the voltage if the battery is improperly installed inside the amp.
4. Heated Fan
Another common problem that is likely to happen is heating the fan in your Marshall MG100DFX amp. If your amp suddenly stops working after working for hours, it could mean that the internal fan is heated up.
You can easily verify this by either feeling any warmth or heat at the back of your amp, or you could open the amp and see that the internal fan is too hot to touch.
When you use your Marshall MG100DFX amp for continuous long hours, the fan can get exhausted and heat up. You can eradicate this problem by ensuring you give your amp a break of at least 10-15minutes every 2-3 hours.
Since the Marshall MG100FDX is an old model of the company and you are using modern electric guitars with it, even if they are compatible, likely, your amp cannot withhold the power of your electric guitar and cause the amp’s fan to get heated and entirely stop the amp from working.
You can also keep your amp open for some time for fresh and cool air to get in and cool down the heated fan.
Another thing you can do is use external exhaust fans that can provide airing to the internal fan from the outside; this can also help you keep the fan of your amp cooled.
If you amp blows fuses its blowing as there is too much voltage or current and will protect the circuit and components higher in the chain of the amp from being damaged. Make sure firstly you using the correct spec fuses and if its normal or slo blow fuse. If it blows a new fuse then something wrong with the power transformer or what voltage its getting from the wall socket.
Amp blows fuses nothing looks burned or blown.