The amps are designed to augment the audio signals to make sure the audio output is sufficient. Having said that, Egnater has designed a Tourmaster 4100 as a flagship amp that has sufficient power to play country, classic, blues, metallic, and rock music.
The controls are user-friendly and simple because there are various channels to create different types of sound. Moreover, there are gain, contour, and volume knobs to help you control the music output. However, before you purchase this amp, there are some problems, which must be considered!
How To Deal With Problems On Egnater Tourmaster 4100
- Overheating
This is a tube amp, which means overheating is a common occurrence. It’s safe to say that it’s a design error with which the amp heats up if it’s used for too long. An overheated amp fails to power up, and even if it turns on, it adds weird noises to the music.
When the amp overheats, you must turn it off to make sure its internal components come back to the regular temperature. Secondly, the installation place can directly impact the temperature. For instance, if the amp is placed in a tight corner or enclosed cabinets, the heat produced by the unit won’t be cleared out, resulting in overheating.
So, make sure that you install the amp in an open area to ensure it has sufficient airflow around it. In addition, when you have to play, turn on the standing fan and put it on the back side of the amp to keep it cool.
Last but not least, make sure you don’t put the amp around radiators and stoves as these devices produce heat, which can increase your amp’s temperature as well.
- Crackling Sounds
In case your amp is producing crackling sounds, the first step is to check the tubes because dislocated tubes are the most common reason behind crackling sounds. Whenever the amp produces a crackling sound, you must turn off the amp immediately and inspect the tubes. If the tubes are damaged, you must get them replaced.
However, you should always hire a professional for installing the new tubes. The new tubes must be KT66, 6L6, or 5881-type tubes as these are the only compatible tunes for this amp. To prevent damage to your amp tubes, make sure you don’t operate the amp if you haven’t connected the speakers.
That’s because operating the amp without speakers can damage the tubes as well as the transformers. Last but not least, you must use a heavy-gauge cable for connecting the speaker to the amp.
- Fluctuating Power
When you turn on the amp, and the power connection starts fluctuating, the first step is to check the power cord and make sure it’s tightly connected to the back of the amp as well as to the power outlet.
In addition, if the power cord seems bent or has fraying, it’s recommended to replace the power cord because internal damages can cause power fluctuations. On the other hand, if changing the power cord doesn’t work, there could be come loose soldering points on the amp’s circuit.
For this purpose, you have to remove the rear chassis of the amp to gain access to the internal circuit. If you identify some loose soldering points, add more solder to ensure the circuit connections are made properly (it’s best to hire an electrician to add new solder as it must be done neatly).
Secondly, you must check the plug you are using. This amp comes with a polarized plug (this plug has two blades, and one is usually wider than the second one). In most cases, this plug doesn’t fit the regular power outlets installed in homes, and people opt for replacement plugs, which negatively impacts the power connection.
Instead, it’s recommended that you hire an electrician to install a new power outlet that connects with the polarized plug. Also, you must not use extension cords and power strips with the amp as it also results in power connectivity errors.
Last but not least, make sure that the AC selector switch that you are using is set to the correct voltage according to your location.
- Insufficient Gain
This tube amp has been designed to support a variety of music genres, and hard-rock music is one of them. However, if you aren’t getting sufficient gain in music, it’s recommended to check the inputs. There are two inputs for instruments on this amp, and the “high” input is hotter.
So, it’s recommended that you connect the audio source to the “high” input port to receive maximum gain. On the other hand, if your guitar has a higher pickup, it’s best to opt for “low” input for a cleaner headroom.
- Music Discrepancy
If you are producing music and have connected this amp to the audio system, but there are discrepancies in the music output (undesired highs and lows), you must check the channel you are using.
This amp has been designed with four channels, but the “clean” channel is the best choice when you want to create smooth tunes and error-free music. In fact, the clean channel provides an array of classical tunes. Also, you can set the switch to the “modern” position for punchy music.
- Harsh Overdrive
People who like playing classic rock and sweet blues music often complain about the harsh overdrive produced by this amp. If you have a similar issue, it’s recommended to enable the vintage 2 channel.
This channel is designed with more gain, which means the overdrive will be mild, which helps produce clean, classic rock and sweet blues music.
- Unable To Play Classic Rock Tunes
Since this tube amp produces classic as well as heavy metal music, many people depend on it for producing music tracks. However, if you are unable to play the classic rock tunes on this amp, you must check the channel because overdrive 1 is the only channel that supports this genre.
It’s recommended that you reduce the gain on this channel to create classic rock tunes. Keep in mind that higher gain on this channel results in a saturated and modern tune. On the contrary, you can also increase the mids through the contour control for creating loud metal music.
- Muddy Sound
If this Egnater amp is creating a muddy sound, you must check the master reverb, master density, and master presence controls. That’s because these controls provide the treble and bass boost, which means you can boost the bite and depth without losing the definition/clarity.
However, you must use these controls at high volumes sparingly because if these controls are overused, it results in a muddy sound. On the other hand, if you want punchier and tighter bass, it’s recommended to select the lowest setting on the density control.
- Shrill Sound
The shrill sound is usually produced when you crank up the presence control. In addition to the shrillness, excessive presence boost also results in excessively bright music. For this reason, you must use the presence control sparingly and always increase it slowly to find a balanced music area.
- Overbearing Low End
The overbearing low end on this amp is caused by an excessive density boost. Keep in mind that it not only damages the sound output but also damages the speakers. For instance, the speaker might break up or cause premature burnout. In addition, it can upset the bass, so make sure you don’t crank up the density control too much.
- Footswitch Is Not Connecting
With a variety of inputs on this amp, it can be used to connect the footswitch. However, various users have complained about the connectivity issue. In most cases, the foot pedal controller or a footswitch fails to connect when you use a regular MIDI cable. Instead, you must opt for an eight-pin DIN cable for connecting the footswitch.
The Bottom Line
This amp by Egnater is one of the most versatile tube amps in the market, but it’s susceptible to errors like other electronics. These solutions should help you fix minor performance issues. However, if you still have some issues, it’s best to take your amp to an authorized repair center.