Blocking Dostortion?

[JoeTele]

Hi,

I finished normal channel only BF Super Reverb build in August. I'd noticed some occasional crackling but given pedals in the chain, etc. I never really thought much of it. Long story short, I now realize that if I really dig into a note, in can cause clipping, which will then reduce the amp's volume for awhile. Sometimes, it will teeter very briefly on the point of cutting in and out, resembling the audio clips of blocking distortion I've found online. Mostly, though, it will just stay at the lowered volume, which actually doesn't sound bad if I just bump the volume on the amp. Eventually it will return. Thing is, this can happen when the amp's volume is low,even on about 1, and sometimes I can't get it to happen at all.

Could this be blocking distortion, and should the tips for troubleshooting that be considered?

When I "can't get it to happen", could it be because the amp stayed in "low power mode" while it was shut off? Even with the reduced power, it's still way more amp/power than I've ever owned and can seem plenty loud if I don't actually hear the drop.

Thanks!

JoeTele

[tubeswell]

if it is blocking distortion then either a grid stopper or reduction in the coupling cap thereto (or both) should fix it.