Is this something I should have reasonably expected as being a repair?

Bassbuster · #1 06-04-2011, 12:10 AM

I've had my Fender Bassman 150 amp for awhile now and the power light which is also the power switch stopped lighting up. I took it back to the shop and they sent it to their local repair guy. Anyway, it comes back and just over two weeks later it goes again, so once again I send it back. It got returned to me today and instead of fixing the light in the switch, he just added an led light just above the switch. Is this something repairers will normally do if they can't fix the problem? He hadn't even consulted me about it and I feel like he has defaced my amp by drilling a hole and sticking a huge led bulb there. I've included a picture of what the bassman power switch/light looks like normally and included a picture of how mine looks now. What am I supposed to do now? Do you think it will have devalued the amp?

bolophonic · #2 06-04-2011, 12:22 AM

Holy cow. That is a party foul of legendary proportions.

WilliamSandoval · #3 06-04-2011, 12:40 AM

JimmyM · #4 06-04-2011, 12:42 AM

I don't think I'd be happy about it, no. Will it kill resale value? Maybe a little. Would I accept it? I don't think so.

1n3 · #5 06-04-2011, 01:25 AM

This repair is unconventional. It may have been easier and cheaper than replacing the lighted switch, but to do this without your consent was overly presumptuous, and unacceptable, IMO.

I can't say what I'd do if I were in your shoes, because it would depend on my history and relationship with the shop.

By coincidence, I have the same amp, with the same problem; discovered just last weekend. Haven't gotten around to pricing a replacement switch yet.

southpawpa · #6 06-04-2011, 01:28 AM

That's some serious B.S. right there.
I would be installing an led in that guy's forehead about now.

JimmyM · #7 06-04-2011, 01:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by southpawpa

That's some serious B.S. right there.
I would be installing an led in that guy's forehead about now.

I would like an LED installed in my forehead. Then when I get up in the middle of the night to go to the can, I won't trip and kill myself.

Plstrns · #8 06-04-2011, 02:03 AM

There is a bright side, pun intended

He now owns it.

Consider your amp under his lifetime warranty. Or he'll just refund the repair money plus some to make you go away.

I'd just have him put in a black power switch (on his dime) though. Call it a one off, and be done with it.

It would look good then, so I'd be happy. If it was a classic, not so much.

AntAir267 · #9 06-04-2011, 02:15 AM

It doesn't look bad at all, throw in a black power switch and I don't think anyone will care.

fhm555 · #10 06-04-2011, 02:40 AM

Did the repair tag read " repair power on indicator light" or did it read "replace power switch"?

Personally, I would be happy my tech was knowledgeable enough to know the lighted switch was a chronic problem, and what to do to make the problem go away, and took the initiative to solve the problem for me once and for all, but that's just me.

washburn_it · #11 06-04-2011, 04:52 AM

I used to work as a rep. tech and I had often to "find" different solutions due to various reasons (spare parts out of stock or customers who wanted their amp fixed for "yesterday") but when I had to modify the "layout" of an amp I always asked for the customer permission so as to avoid complains.
In your case I don't know why the tech didn't simply replace the "lighted switch" that is usually available to an "electric supplies store" (<= I apologize if that is not the right translation).

Regards,

Roberto

fhm555 · #12 06-04-2011, 04:57 PM

Maybe the LED in the OEM switch keeps getting blown by a spike on power up so a more robust LED is needed to keep it from blowing so often?

southpawpa · #13 06-05-2011, 09:26 AM

If it was my amp & the tech asked first about he way he intended to repair it, I would have no issue. Any unconventional repair w/o asking the owner first is bad form to me though.

Jeff Scott · #14 06-05-2011, 09:53 AM

As most here has said, you should have been informed before any modifications were done to the amp. I, personally, would ask for the repair drone to give you a new amp as what you got back was not the same amp, in a sense, that you gave him to repair.

ButtUglyJeff · #15 06-05-2011, 11:20 AM

Not that value should be an issue, but that was the incorrect repair...

cnltb · #16 06-05-2011, 11:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bassbuster

I've had my Fender Bassman 150 amp for awhile now and the power light which is also the power switch stopped lighting up. I took it back to the shop and they sent it to their local repair guy. Anyway, it comes back and just over two weeks later it goes again, so once again I send it back. It got returned to me today and instead of fixing the light in the switch, he just added an led light just above the switch. Is this something repairers will normally do if they can't fix the problem? He hadn't even consulted me about it and I feel like he has defaced my amp by drilling a hole and sticking a huge led bulb there. I've included a picture of what the bassman power switch/light looks like normally and included a picture of how mine looks now. What am I supposed to do now? Do you think it will have devalued the amp?

Not sure about value of this amp, but I would not accept if something like this happened to me.

Never_grew_up · #17 06-05-2011, 11:37 AM

No chewing gum or duct tape? What kind of Rube Goldberg repair doesn't include chewing gum, duct tape, or at least a bent paper clip?

Did you buy it new? was this a warranty repair?

Tevatron · #18 06-05-2011, 11:51 AM

I would bet the guy thought he was doing you a favor. Rather than replace it again, with a cheap switch, probably made for pennies, in China. He took the extra precaution of adding an LED light that he felt was more reliable. On your little Fender combo, I believe that is a fine fix. I would really hope that if you had taken him an original 70s SVT, or something similar, he would check with you first before altering it.

SBassman · #19 06-05-2011, 11:55 AM

It was poor of the guy not to discuss it first, but, it's done.

You people who say you wouldn't accept it, what do you mean by that?

PhiDeck · #20 06-05-2011, 12:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fhm555

Maybe the LED in the OEM switch keeps getting blown by a spike on power up so a more robust LED is needed to keep it from blowing so often?

More likely that the power switch has a neon lamp in it. The latter have finite life, sometimes flickering for months before they die altogether.

An LED (and resistor) across 115V is not practical. At 20 mA LED current, the series resistor would dissipate over 2 W. Even a high efficiency LED would require too much dissipation inside the switch.

Running the LED from a low voltage DC output of the power supply solves the heat problem, but runs into UL/CSA safety considerations if built into the power switch.

The best solution is an unlighted power switch and a separate power indicator LED operated from a DC supply, which is what you now may almost have. As suggested above, replace the power switch with an unlighted one.