davesintexas Posted June 6, 2013 Share Posted June 6, 2013 Hey, I sure could use some help on this. I have a Spider IV 75 watt amp. The amp got soup poured into the brain via the screws that attach the handles to the top of the case. I need to remove the brain from the cabinet and clean it out and make sure there is nothing connecting up to something else. I have contacted Tech Support and they told me to remove the screws from the top and push it backwards front to back., Only one problem. The brain is attached to a thick metal plate that has 5 RED screw heads that I see and that plate is wedged into the amp's box top and bottom. There is NO way to remove those screws so the plate no longer stops the brain from sliding backwards and out of the case. AND the only way that I see is to actually split open the case at the top where the top and side are Jigsawed into one another. Also the Speaker cover cloth is mounted to a board and that board is also part of the problem in that it jigsaws into the bottom of the brain and is in between the plate and the brain being removed from front to back., Has anyone removed this before? Is there any trick of device that I am not aware of to get the brain out of the case? The way this looks is that the brain was bolted to this metal plate that the controls stick through and that metal plate must be removed from the sides of the case before that brain is going anywhere. So, that means splitting open the case at the top so that I can actually push the entire board that the brain is attached to via that plate and slide the top out of the jigsaw'd top and sides woods. Any help would be appreciated. THANK you,djohnsontexas@yahoo.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toneman2121 Posted June 7, 2013 Share Posted June 7, 2013 i can't offer any advice on dis-assembly but i'm fairly certain there's a way to remove it without resorting to destruction. can you photograph it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davesintexas Posted June 9, 2013 Author Share Posted June 9, 2013 Im not mistaken unless there is some very well hidden trick there is no way to remove this brain without taking the cab apart. You see you can not push it backwards. There is that thick metal plate that is attached to the brain at the top with 5 red screws. You can see them and how they are holding the plate to the brain. You can not go forward because all the edges are within grooves stoping it from moving forward. I THINK since no one has an answer for me I am right and there is no way other than taking apart the cab. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davesintexas Posted June 10, 2013 Author Share Posted June 10, 2013 Well, thats really helpful. All I asked Tech Support was IS THERE A WAY? They write back...sorry we cant answer that it's against policy. So, the answer must be NO. And since that's the answer and the way I was treated I will be sure never to purchase anything made by this company ever again. I really sorry that I ever supported these amps not knowing that this is the way that the higher watt amps are put together. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toneman2121 Posted June 10, 2013 Share Posted June 10, 2013 are there not screws on the top of the cabinet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichKay Posted February 3, 2014 Share Posted February 3, 2014 Hi - I know this is an old post but thought it deserved a correct answer as i'm sure many people would like to carry out their own repairs without huge Bills. Unlike Spider III the IV version has no screws on the sides. Here is the method to release the amplifier and brains box. Remove the 6 black screws from the top of the amplifier cabinet, these are securing the unit. Remove the 2 front (Top) corner protectors. OK - You'll notice that the unit is still firmly fixed to the cabinet ! This is where we all get stuck and are told to do various things like undo all the bolts & control knobs, remove speaker grill or vandalise the box ! Not so, there are NO concealed screws, torc bolts, hidden plates of magic catches. Quite simply, the metal front panel is part of the amp unit (not the cabinet) , the top of the panel is folded in flush with the roof of the cabinet, this is where the top screws anchor the front and most importantly - In 9/10 cases this is also glued (probably to reduce vibration) The best way to release it is to use two normal table knives - one as a lever the other as a cutter. starting from top left gently slide one knife between the top of the front panel and the cabinet and lever until you have a small gap , then carefully clear the glued sections. repeat this along the whole length of the panel. once done disconnect the speaker wires and the unit will slide out through the back of the box. On re-assembly it's up to you if you glue it back ! Hope this helps. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arislaf Posted February 3, 2014 Share Posted February 3, 2014 Good work RichKay, thank you for sharing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
radatats Posted February 3, 2014 Share Posted February 3, 2014 Well, thats really helpful. All I asked Tech Support was IS THERE A WAY? They write back...sorry we cant answer that it's against policy. So, the answer must be NO. And since that's the answer and the way I was treated I will be sure never to purchase anything made by this company ever again. I really sorry that I ever supported these amps not knowing that this is the way that the higher watt amps are put together I don't really know ANY manufacturer of electronic gear that will give the user instructions on taking their units apart when there are no factory identified user serviceable items inside. There would be huge liability were anything to go wrong. We are always free to do it ourselves but only an authorized service center wil be given the factory instructions. May not be what you want to hear but if that is your policy, to not buy from any manufacturer that won't give you that level of instruction, you better start building your own stuff... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chetsizonu1975 Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 where can I get a replacement cloth front for my spider IV 120? I have a hole I wanna fix it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davesintexas Posted January 14, 2015 Author Share Posted January 14, 2015 Hi - I know this is an old post but thought it deserved a correct answer as i'm sure many people would like to carry out their own repairs without huge Bills. Unlike Spider III the IV version has no screws on the sides. Here is the method to release the amplifier and brains box. Remove the 6 black screws from the top of the amplifier cabinet, these are securing the unit. Remove the 2 front (Top) corner protectors. OK - You'll notice that the unit is still firmly fixed to the cabinet ! This is where we all get stuck and are told to do various things like undo all the bolts & control knobs, remove speaker grill or vandalise the box ! Not so, there are NO concealed screws, torc bolts, hidden plates of magic catches. Quite simply, the metal front panel is part of the amp unit (not the cabinet) , the top of the panel is folded in flush with the roof of the cabinet, this is where the top screws anchor the front and most importantly - In 9/10 cases this is also glued (probably to reduce vibration) The best way to release it is to use two normal table knives - one as a lever the other as a cutter. starting from top left gently slide one knife between the top of the front panel and the cabinet and lever until you have a small gap , then carefully clear the glued sections. repeat this along the whole length of the panel. once done disconnect the speaker wires and the unit will slide out through the back of the box. On re-assembly it's up to you if you glue it back ! Hope this helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davesintexas Posted January 14, 2015 Author Share Posted January 14, 2015 Yes, once I removed the top of the cab I not only saw glue but I also saw ONE short wood scree that had to be the only thing holding the head inside. It sure didn't belong there but there it was. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thespianator Posted August 14, 2015 Share Posted August 14, 2015 Hi - I know this is an old post but thought it deserved a correct answer as i'm sure many people would like to carry out their own repairs without huge Bills. Unlike Spider III the IV version has no screws on the sides. Here is the method to release the amplifier and brains box. Remove the 6 black screws from the top of the amplifier cabinet, these are securing the unit. Remove the 2 front (Top) corner protectors. OK - You'll notice that the unit is still firmly fixed to the cabinet ! This is where we all get stuck and are told to do various things like undo all the bolts & control knobs, remove speaker grill or vandalise the box ! Not so, there are NO concealed screws, torc bolts, hidden plates of magic catches. Quite simply, the metal front panel is part of the amp unit (not the cabinet) , the top of the panel is folded in flush with the roof of the cabinet, this is where the top screws anchor the front and most importantly - In 9/10 cases this is also glued (probably to reduce vibration) The best way to release it is to use two normal table knives - one as a lever the other as a cutter. starting from top left gently slide one knife between the top of the front panel and the cabinet and lever until you have a small gap , then carefully clear the glued sections. repeat this along the whole length of the panel. once done disconnect the speaker wires and the unit will slide out through the back of the box. On re-assembly it's up to you if you glue it back ! Hope this helps. YES! Thank you it worked. I found that using a 1 1/2" putty knife along with a 4" drywall knife worked well, as they're thinner than my food knives and slid right in there. I super glued the collar back onto the assembly and will try that until the replacement arrives. I must say that it is a very poor design. Good that the assembly floats off the main PCB so that is not strained but very bad in that the plastic assembly is very very cheap and almost ensures that the jack will break if one snags the wire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edrowland Posted September 12, 2015 Share Posted September 12, 2015 On my amp, there's no glue. There is a foam tape strip along the front edge that seems to stick to the top of the cabinet in places. Running a thin blade along the top front edge of the brain released it easily. There were two spots where the foam tape had stuck to the top of cabinet. No need to run along the entire edge. I put a pillow on the floor,and flipped the amp onto it's back so as to cushion the fall if the brain were to come away quickly. It was pretty obvious when I'd run the knife through the spots where the foam tape had bound to the top of the cabinet. Once the stuck spots are cleared, the entire brain slides out pretty smoothly. My guess is that once I remount the brain with screws on the top, the mostly-undamaged foam strip will continue to serve the purpose for which it was intended. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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