my amp sucks
Paul Sanwald
after about 2 years of abuse, my fender blues junior seems to be on
its last legs. it makes all sorts of weird noises and has this odd
tube problem (the amp only works if I take one of the big tubes out).
I was very happy with it when it worked, but now it seems to be on the
blink and I frequently end up borrowing amps for loud gigs.
My question is this: what's the average life expectancy for an amp?
should I worry about getting it fixed, or just buy another one? every
amp tech I've talked to wants $50 just to look at the damn thing, and
I am hesitant to shell out the bread if they're going to tell me it's
not worth fixing. I am considering getting a polytone or clarus as a
replacement amp, as tube amps and subways and hand trucks don't really
seem to mix. has anyone tried out the clarus combo amps? do they sound
as good as the raezer's edge/clarus combination? I tried
--paul
Pat Smith
american tubes. They cost alot but they last
Thom_j.
the crap out of that amp head and still kept ticking nicely when
I finally broke down and sold it... I got as much as I paid for it
when I sold it too.. just my 2c thom_j.
> My question is this: what's the average life expectancy for an amp?
> --paul
Dan Adler
> I am considering getting a polytone or clarus as a
> replacement amp, as tube amps and subways and hand trucks don't really
> seem to mix. has anyone tried out the clarus combo amps? do they sound
> as good as the raezer's edge/clarus combination? I tried
>
Paul,
For city gigs nothing beats a Polytone Mega Brute. Under 20 pounds, 8
inch speaker, 80 Watts, great clean sound, two inputs (I've played two
guitars through it), reverb and "sonic circuit" with a wide pallate of
sounds. Rudy's carries them in stock usually.
My other Polytone MBII has lasted for over 10 years of gigging around
the city without any problem ever - but now it just seems so heavy to
me relative to the Mega that I just use it at home...
Good luck,
-Dan
http://danadler.com
http://danadler.iuma.com
Tom Jaffe
there to help.
"Dan Adler" <d...@danadler.com> wrote in message
news:820e87.020524...@posting.google.com...
Greg D
> hey y'all,
> after about 2 years of abuse, my fender blues junior seems to be on
> its last legs. it makes all sorts of weird noises and has this odd
> tube problem (the amp only works if I take one of the big tubes out).
> I was very happy with it when it worked, but now it seems to be on the
> blink and I frequently end up borrowing amps for loud gigs.
>
> My question is this: what's the average life expectancy for an amp?
Barring electrical strikes or PCB burnout, there is no reason that a tube
amp can't last nearly forever with proper maintenance.
>
> should I worry about getting it fixed, or just buy another one? every
> amp tech I've talked to wants $50 just to look at the damn thing, and
> I am hesitant to shell out the bread if they're going to tell me it's
> not worth fixing. I am considering getting a polytone or clarus as a
> replacement amp, as tube amps and subways and hand trucks don't really
> seem to mix. has anyone tried out the clarus combo amps? do they sound
> as good as the raezer's edge/clarus combination? I tried
Personally, I'd re-tube (about $60-70 in tubes) to see if it fixed it and
then I'd sell it and get what I really want.
Greg
>
>
> --paul
Stan Gosnell
> hey y'all,
> after about 2 years of abuse, my fender blues junior seems to be on
> its last legs. it makes all sorts of weird noises and has this odd
> tube problem (the amp only works if I take one of the big tubes out).
> I was very happy with it when it worked, but now it seems to be on the
> blink and I frequently end up borrowing amps for loud gigs.
>
> My question is this: what's the average life expectancy for an amp?
A lot longer than 2 years. I have a 70's Fender, & it's not even
'vintage'. A hard-wired tube amp should last almost forever, but you do
have to replace tubes now & then. SS amp components will last much longer
than tubes, but when they do go it's harder to replace them - in general,
you can't replace the components, you replace an entire circuit board.
With tubes, you can replace individual components rather quickly. The amp
itself should last indefinitely.
> should I worry about getting it fixed, or just buy another one? every
> amp tech I've talked to wants $50 just to look at the damn thing, and
> I am hesitant to shell out the bread if they're going to tell me it's
> not worth fixing. I am considering getting a polytone or clarus as a
> replacement amp, as tube amps and subways and hand trucks don't really
> seem to mix. has anyone tried out the clarus combo amps? do they sound
> as good as the raezer's edge/clarus combination? I tried
That's a question only you can answer. The total price for repair
shouldn't be that high, unless the tech 'saw you coming', as we say down
her in the Great State. Repair should be much cheaper than a new amp, but
if you're unhappy with the amp, maybe a new one would be a better choice.
For carrying around, SS is the way to go, IMHO. The ONLY reason to have a
Fender tube amp, IMHO, is because you can't live without that sound. If
you really love the sound you're getting with the Fender & want to keep it,
repair is easy. OTOH, if you can live with a different sound, you might
want to shell out some bucks for something lighter & more reliable.
--
Regards,
Stan