Hoffman Amplifiers Tube Amplifier Forum
Amp Stuff => Tube Amp Building - Tweaks - Repairs => Topic started by: Davidg on December 24, 2012, 10:45:19 am
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Been taking in some repairs and got a 1974 Marshall 1987 50 watt in the other day and wanted some opinions on a couple of things. (1) Is $225 bucks too high for a cap job?-owner had taken it too another "tech" previously for a hum issue,tech told jim he needed a cap job and would have too have $150 up front for parts via paypal and then when he pup a couple days later he charged another $75 for labor.Tech replaced 3 can caps with F&T and bias cap (that couldnt be seen) with Tiawan cap no bypass caps were touched and he never addressed the hum issue cause owner brought it to me and it was just a tube and a little bit of lead dress causing hum.And even worse the "tech" put one of those stickers "for servicing call--" right on the back of a vintage Marshall that was flawless!Is this wrong or am I? I didnt even charge the guy cuz I felt bad for him. (2)Also is 108 volts on first side of V-1 too low in these? He was in a rush and let him get it for a gig but that has been nagging at me-OPINIONS PLEASE :dontknow:
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One of the guys here that fixes amps as a living will be able to tell you for sure but....
Unless you have to pull/lift the eyelet/turret/PCB board to get at 1 of the cap cans and even then that's seems like a lot of money to me. And like you said the guy didn't even address the hum issue which you did easily. Our host Doug charges $16.50 for a F/T 50uF/50uF/500v cap. So that $49.50 + say ~$5 shipping would be $54.50, + a buck or 2 for the bias cap. So $225 - $56.50 = $168.50 for an hour or so of work?
the "tech" put one of those stickers "for servicing call--" right on the back of a vintage Marshall that was flawless!
That was probable common back in the 60's/70's but.... I wouldn't be too happy about it now.
To me 3 things stand out as red flags here;
1. Didn't address what was asked to be fixed?
2. Over charged?
3. Took the liberty to share his service sticker for return business because his work is soooo good?
To me add them up and I get the felling he thinks a little to much of himself and he thinks knows better than the customer to bother to listen and since he's so much smarter than the customer and his work is soooo good he deserves the big $$'s?
Yeah right. :l2:
I think you just got yourself a new customer my friend and you deserve it. You listened and fixed his amps problem. :thumbsup: Keep it up, you'll get more by being honest and actually fixing what needs to be fixed and not what you think needs to be fixed, 2 different things sometimes. But people with big egos can't or won't see it.
Brad :icon_biggrin:
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Thank You for your kind reply Willabe. You said exactly what I was thinking and is the reason I started taking in stuff although my time is limited.I live in south central Kentucky and there is no one within a 2 hour drive that knows anything about tube amps,and it seems the few that do know a little are untrustworthy at best.An experience like this is what got me into this to begin with and it really ticks me off when someone is taken advantage of like this.The customer was totally clueless about amps and the guy took him for a few bucks just cause he could.The sticker is what really burnt me up though it is like adding insult to injury.The last Marshall I had here was similar deal guy had it retubed supposedly but had 4 different brands of tubes in it and none were new.He didnt even bother to change one of the preamp tubes cause it still had the Marshall tube it came out with.Oh well enough grumbling it just bothers me greatly-Merry Christmas to all who see this!
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I've seen 'techs' put stickers on amps before and it also burns me.
Here's a picture of a Peavey Classic 50 that some 'tech' put his sticker on.It's a really a wonder that this amp even works.
I am seeing stuff like this on a regular basis these days.Nothing surprises me anymore.
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Oh man what a mess! Yuck! :laugh: I'd be scarred to play through it. :w2:
Brad :icon_biggrin:
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The parts upcharge was steep.
The labor charge was probably reasonable. 8 years ago, the average going rate for electronic labor (in a music store) near me was $50/hr, with a 1 hour minimum.
In general, the rate kept piddly-stuff away, but keep in mind the time spent taking the chassis out and re-installing is included in the "labor" time. Also, in a music store, only part of that $50 is sliced off to pay the tech.
Just think: the sticker is a perfect way for your friend to remember the guy's name and information to warn everyone he knows not to deal with that tech...
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I don't know if I would say $225 is to high or not , it depends on if the tech is doing complete cap job or not . High Voltage caps are around $14 a piece and the signal caps average around $1 piece , also it takes a minute to do the job . price the parts needed to do the job and add about 2 to 3 hours(because that's what a shop is charging you for it) at $45-$65 a hour. Myself all I really make on cap jobs is 20% above parts cost and $35 for my labor.
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The fact that you are having to correct someone else's poor work is evidence that the "deal" wasn't a good one for the Marshall owner....but, he met you somehow and he can once again be proud to play a nice piece of history....kind of a thoroughbred in horse terms i guess?
You might just hint to him that a Sharpie and 10 sec. can put the "real" techs name and number on the sticker.....or keep some Goo Gone on hand....it really does work wonders and it smells like citrus (extra janitors benefit).
Like we tell the elementary kids at the school where I am the bldg. super, "pat yourself on the back for being responsible and doing the right thing."
:icon_biggrin:
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Personally, I would say it's a little high. The shop I do some contract work for charges 60/hour (45 to me, 15 to store) with a markup on parts (up to 150%). I would probably charge it as a 1 hour job. The bigger issue is that it didn't fix the problem and so might have been unnecessary cost. Reminds me of a recent Blues Deville repair where a tech in another town put new tubes to fix the amp, but it still sounded "wrong". Noticed one of the power tubes was not even lighting up. Re-flowed all the solder contacts for both tubes and dropped the bias 20 mA to get it back to factory spec. The other tech should have noticed the priblem and adjusted bias for the new tubes. I was glad it took me less than 30 minutes to make the customer happy and he didn't have to pay too much to fix somebody else's incompetence. I also made sure to discuss with the customet about biasing for new tubes and to quit pulling the tubes every time he transports the amp (stressing the connections). I may not be the greatest amp tech, but I do take pride in my work and want to make sure the customer is happy. That's the difference - I don't need a sticket. They remember me and they tell other players.
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Thanks Guys! I really try to give anyone the benefit of doubt and dont like to criticize til I have walked a mile or two in someone elses shoes as my old man used to say but it just really seemed like that guy took the kid for a ride esp using quality caps on the outside cans and changing bias cap with radial mounted illinois brand and not touching any of the bypass caps and then told the kid that marshalls are just noisy when he complained about the problem not being fixed, the amp was hissing so bad you couldnt even talk over it with volume on 2.Thanks for justifying my aggravation at "tech".Getting to crank up an old plexi for a few and putting a smile on a fellow players face was payment enough for me.Now maybe I can get started on my 18 watt!