DAVIDSON AMPLIFIER REPAIR :: REPAIR INFO
Website Update June, 2009
I have added more detail to explain the difference between routine service and bench fee charges,
so that people getting their first amp repair will feel welcome and understand what they are paying for.
If you don't know if your amp is tube type or transistor type, just tell me the exact name of it or send pictures
of the front and back of it. I'm sorry, but I can't help people whose home is outside of the county.
Please read carefully, and ask if you don't understand.
Jon Davidson, Metro Nashville and Davidson County, June 17, 2009
For repairs email info@davidsonamp.com . New customers must include their full name,
and street and town of residence.
WHAT I FIX:
Almost all vacuum tube type
guitar
amplifiers made in the USA, England, and Canada, including Fender, Marshall and Peavey. Make sure your Vox or Ampeg amp is not Korean, Chinese, or Vietnamese. Fender amps made in Mexico are no problem. Fender amps ranging from the 1949 Pro, through Tweed, White, Brown, Black Face, to Silver Face, plus the Blues DeVille,
Blues Deluxe, Hot Rod DeVille, and Hot Rod Deluxe roll through here constantly. I have fixed thousands of Fender amps, and thousands of other amps, too. No SVTs or insanely huge tube bass heads until further notice.
DAVIDSON COUNTY RESIDENTS ONLY!
New customers must be residents of Davidson County. Always include your full name, street, and town when emailing about amp repair. Exceptions? Friends of Billy in Murfreesboro, Dave in Kingston Springs, or John or Mike in Clarksville.
UP FRONT CHARGES
$50 Bench Fee on Amps That Don't Work, Make Bad Hums or Scary Noises, Or Are Partly Broken
If the amp is broken, partly broken, or getting ready to break, it will require expert diagnosis. I can't always
just "look at" a circuit and spot the trouble in 20 minutes. I have 15 years professional experience, and built my first amp
in 1985, so I can do a lot of things quickly, but there is always paperwork, emails, special parts ordering, etc. even on a quick repair.
So there is a
non-refundable bench fee of $50, which is applied to "Repair Labor" on all
completed repairs. I can not promise a firm estimate on intermittent problems, or guarantee repairs on intermittent problems.
$50 Routine Service or Retubing on Amps that Work
If the amp works but just doesn't sound as good as it used to,
you can choose "Routine Service". Routine service includes cleaning the jacks, controls and interior plug connectors
on transistor type amps, or cleaning the jacks, controls, tube sockets, tube check and power tube bias adjustment
on a tube type amp. There is an additional charge for remounting/regreasing power transistors. No remounting on FETs, (nothing to do with tube amps in case you're wondering). When that work is done, both tube and transistor amps will be bench tested to make sure that power output and total harmonic distortion and noise
are at reasonable levels for the age and type of amp. A detailed numerical THD report will cost extra.
Retubing is the same as routine service plus the cost of the tubes. I may ask you for tube payment in advance. It is best to replace power tubes as a complete set. I prefer not to replace preamp tubes unless they rattle, hum or produce excessive noise in a preamp stage, in order to preserve your original tone, save money, and protect the environment. By the way, "valve" is just the British word for "tube". "Tube" is the correct word to use if you speak American English.
The $50 charge for routine service does not include diagnosis, or an estimate, on either tube amps or transistor amps.
. Routine service does not include diagnosis beyond a tube check/estimate, or detailed numerical THD reports.
Routine Service and Bench Fee combined on one amp is usually discounted. The combo is $55 on Fender tube amps from 1949-1980
which includes Black Face and Silver Face guitar amps. The maximum combo charge is $75 and that applies to large tube bass amps and vintage amps that require special care such as copper panel, candy panel or grey panel Vox AC30's, SimmsWatts, HiWatts, rarities, and all amps with a plate voltage in excess of 525 volts.
APPOINTMENTS:
You will need to make an
appointment to
drop off your amplifier. While-you-wait
service is not available. Weekday afternoons are best, some Saturdays.
$50 Bench Fee
collected in
advance. An additional deposit for parts may be required.
9.25% TN sales
tax on electronic repairs and parts.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Email: info@davidsonamp.com
Please
list the make and model of your amp, what's wrong, and a couple of
convenient times for you to
come in. If you are a new customer please list your full name, street and town where you live. Emails are usually answered promptly and in some detail.
Attachments of
photos, scanned bills, schematics, etc. are very welcome.
DAVIDSON COUNTY RESIDENTS ONLY!
New customers must be residents of Davidson County. Always include your full name, street,
and town when emailing about amp repair. Jon Davidson is deeply committed to serving the local musicians and taxpayers of Davidson County,
all 607,000 of them. It's a big job. I can't help the world!
Thank you for your interest in Davidson Amplifier Repair,
Jon Davidson, Music City, U.S.A., June 17, 2009
