Markbass warranty repair.

[musicman666]

A few weeks ago or so there was a thread on 'Markbass warranty repair mess'....can't seem to find it now,but the OP was having a difficult time getting his amp repaired. A little over a week ago my Little Mark III started blowing fuses when ever I turned it on. I believe it was caused by my tuner,( it happened when I was clicking tuner off and on while setting intonation, there was a loud pop every time I would engage-disengage tuner). Anyways I clicked the link on the Markbass website that listed their warranty repair centers. I contacted the repair center in my state,(VST in so-cal). I e-mailed the company on a Friday with all the appropriate paper work and got a reply the following Monday with my RA #. I sent my amp out that following Friday and just got it back today! It seems they just replaced one of the boards in it. Works fantastic so far! Fortunately the whole process was very fast and painless for me. I can only hope Markbass warranty repairs for others go as smooth as mine. Thought I would share!
Thanks!

[BassmanPaul]

Thank you for sharing this. So often all we ever hear of are the negatives.

[B-string]

Yes, only one in ten will post the good, 9 of ten will post concerns. Nice to hear good for a change

But of course some here believe it could not have failed in the first place as MB products never fail

[musicman666]

^^LOL...
A quick question? Does anyone think it is possible that my tuner had caused this failure. It happened exactly like I had described in my post. I have the Korg pitchblack tuner. When I use it between my bass and amp it pops when switching it on and off. Quite loud too! Anyways not using this tuner right now...maybe I will send it in,(still under warranty)! LOL

[B-string]

I seriously doubt the tuner caused any problem. At least no quality amp would be affected adversely, your speakers are probably are not digging it though.
Definitely send the PitchBlack for repair as that is not normal. Guitarists I have pointed them to (including my current band) have never heard a pop at all.

[ArtechnikA]

Originally Posted by musicman666

A few weeks ago or so there was a thread on 'Markbass warranty repair mess'....can't seem to find it now

For reference, it's here: MarkBass Warranty Repair Mess
I'd speculate that the SoCal repair center may be better staffed, equipped, and supplied than some in other parts of the country. The variability and unpredictability (read: lack of coordination) was one of the major points in that thread - not that the amp required service in the first place.

[chrisdski]

I just had my MB LM2 repaired at Virtual Sound Technology
(http://www.vstservice.com/t-markbass.aspx). They are the national service center for MB. I give them 5 stars. They called me the day they received the unit with a diagnosis and repair estimate (bad power board, bad gain pot and busted speakon), fixed it with 3/4 hour labor, and shipped it back the next day (1 week turn around door to door). All told for parts/labor and return shipping was a smidge over $200. Anyways, I would highly recommend these guys if you need a MB repair.

[sloppy_phil]

I have a LMIII and use a Korg Pitchblack tuner as well... Haven't experienced this phenomenon myself, but I guess now I'll keep an eye/ear out for it.

Glad to hear things went well! Indeed, it seems the negatives are the ones I'm always reading about...

[musicman666]

It kinda makes sense that we would usually only hear the negatives. People in need looking for help and resources. That's why I posted my great experience with VST after reading some bad reviews. I continue to use my Korg tuner with amp......no issues so far!

[Russell L]

Thanks for posting. It gives me hope that it would go well for me when, or if, the time comes. (I love my LMIII, but I know anything can fail, no matter what brand it is).