Ampeg tubes ..

There must have been other things wrong with it. Won't they itemize the bill?

 

Oratio-
Something doesn't sound right. You need another opinion from a licensed Ampeg repair shop.
I bought an Ampeg B15 last year...made in 1967. It came with the original tubes and they were working!
I would be leery of a shop that points the repair finger at a 'consumable' item that you have to pay for. You might need to communicate directly with Ampeg.

 

To the OP: You're being very naive.

I'm assuming you bought it NEW 6 months ago? if so, the price for the repair and the explanation is absolutely unacceptable. It cost me $500 to get my 74 SVT retubed and then some. The tubes were original when I purchased it last year. Unless you dropped it or something the tubes should last years and years.

You sent it to where you bought it -- that's good. Again, what they are asking is completely unacceptable. If it were me, I'd tell them to keep the amp, give you a full cash refund and I'd never do business with them again.

The *least* they should do is give you a new one that actually functions as a new one should.

 

Hi, Oratorio.

A bad tube that passes as a working one in an amplifier, will usually fail within a few hours. Even the worst Russian tubes I've used have lasted at least 3 years after that "damn, I wonder if it'll blow" period of 5 hours.

A set of Chinese tubes should cost about 200€ and a set of "better" ones about 350€. So in other words, something really happened with that amp, I'd guess the OT or PT went limp.

In either case, the amp should still be under warranty and both problems should be covered with that warranty.

I wouldn't pay them a cent, or a krone in Your case, until they come with a believable explanation just why this meltdown isn't covered by the warranty, and why they shouldn't honor it.

You have a consumers dispute board in Norway, if I'm not mistaking? I'd suggest that You contact them if the shop won't co-operate.

Regards
Sam

 

I would be irate if I were in your position. I'm actually getting angry just thinking about the BS customer service you are experiencing. The amp is likely a lemon.

 

They need to send the amp back to Ampeg, give you a functioning one, or at least give you store credit so you can buy a decent amplifier. If you settle for less, well, I'll be nice until I hear how this gets resolved.

 

The amp does NOT "eat tubes". That explanation is what really boils my blood. I would go over there and threaten to eat one of them. They damn well better take you seriously. They were serious they gave you a BS explanation and a nice bill to boot, weren't they? grrrr.

 

You're not hearing me: It's not a matter of WHY you have to pay that much. Six months old and still under warranty? you WON'T pay a dime! they sold you a defective amp.

either way, let us know how this works out. best wishes.

 

The amp was defective. That's a $2000 amplifier, four months is and UNACCEPTABLE amount of time for it to work before it explodes and you have to pay half the value of the amp to repair it. Call ampeg directly. Pick up the phone and tell them what the store told you, see what they think about it.

 

Dress entirely in black, Wear a Burzum t shirt if you can borrow one.
go in the shop with a rather obvious baseball bat sticking out of a carrier bag containing random other shopping. Walk up to the counter, put the bag on it, when the sales person asks if he/she can help, suddenly develop a huge facial tick, you know, contort your face and blink one eye rapidly stammering and grinding out the words as if through agonizing pain, "I would like you to organize a new free replacement SVT please" then feigning a sudden "brain tumor like" shooting pain in your temple start beating your temple with the but of the the palm your hand again contorting your face wincing and making whistling and growling noises. Then as suddenly as it came on, go straight back to normal and act as if nothing has happened, if things get sticky about the free replacement Restart the facial tick and stuff, absentmindedly occasionally stroking the handle of the bat helps a bit too.
It also helps if you look a bit like Count Grishnak I suppose.
Tell us how you get on.

 

Loud Technologies - wonderful company (insert "fart of sarcasm" here)

 

I know my old mate Nick Barker got a job playing drums for Dimu Borgir
at one time, not in them now. My family is from originally from Norway
from the tribe the Wuffing arrived here in 860AD.
Perhaps you need a battle axe and a cover yourself in wode like a berserker.
Regards Mark Fairfax-Harwood Aka Herewode
We are reformed Beserker's, took up agriculture instead.