Would a lack of insulation at the ends of the wires potentially cause this? Some of the ends have gotten a bit burnt from soldering.... besides that, I have re-soldered everything and they are all shiny, concave connections. There is a bit of brown flux on most of them though.
I would be happy to use the repair service... this has been an issue that I have had the displeasure of dealing with for about 4 years now... but I have 1 hesitation. I bought the speedball upgrade, which I planned on installing when I got the base model up and running.... At this point, it is pretty clear that I suck at DIY kits, and if I was to get the standard kit repaired, and then installed the speedball, I would probably have to send it away again (since it is only repair, and not assembly). I live in Canada, so the exchange rate + the shipping for 2 rounds of fixing my mistakes would be pretty high (basically at the point where I could just buy another amp).
In any case, thank you very much for your help.