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

[edbass]

If it wasn't warranty work, and I doubt it was based on the age of the amp and the 90 day Fender bulb policy, what does the entity you paid the money to say about your lack of satisfaction as a customer?
Have you complained to them, or just posted about it on an internet forum?

Although it was probably a logical way to deal with your problem, I can't imagine that anyone would accept that repair; unless it was discussed and agreed upon before completion.
So in hindsight, you really shouldn't have taken it home with you when you went to pick it up. You should have told them you would pick it up and pay them for it once they repaired it correctly.
I would suspect that since you paid for and accepted possession of the repaired amp that it may be too late for any recourse against the vendor, other than whatever “goodwill” they are willing to extend to make you happy.

But all that said it doesn't seem catastrophic, and it's not like it's a vintage B15 or an old Marshall they hacked up. You have a functioning amp, and although I don't know much about the New Zealand used gear market I doubt the repair will have any effect on any future resale value.
At this point it probably would be best to chalk it up as a "live and learn" event; but I don't think I'd spend ANY more money with the vendor in question.

 

[meatwad]

Have you complained to them, or just posted about it on an internet forum?

This is the best response so far.

I see the repair as a solution, possibly even an upgrade, for a problem that would probably reoccur in the future anyway. And yes, when you left the premises with the amp, you pretty much accepted the work done as acceptable. Especially one so visible. My .02.

 

[Nightlyraider]

While I'd be bummed if someone drilled a hole in something classic, this hardly fits the bill of catastrophic or even damaging to resale.

I'd echo the suggestions to maybe put in a black switch so you don't have two "lights" right by each other, but if that were done I sure couldn't tell that it was modified. You could list it on ebay or a classifieds auction and unless the customer had a stock one right next to it, they could use it forever and never know any better (nor care).

I might not go back to that amp tech again, but I sure wouldn't expect him to replace a used amp with a new one.

 

[Sneakypete]

Hmmmm....unconventional repair and he should certainly have asked first but worse things happen at sea - as my old granny used to say. Look at it this way - there probably isn't another one like it in the world!

 

[lbwdog]

I'd be livid if it was a vintage amp that will have an appreciated value, but on this one, I'd probably be ok. Who knows, this may even be the Fender recommended repair since I've seen two or three others post about the same, recurring problem.
I would have had to say something about not being consulted with any modification though.

 

[Phendyr_Loon]

That's a bummer about your amp. Sometimes I don't know what amp techs are thinking when they do repairs, they should've asked before doing that kind of mod.

I had a vintage Oliver B120 in the shop for a rattling noise. The tech was a local shops "amp guy". I go to pick up the amp and found that the "tech" removed the Oliver logo plate and relocated in the middle of the front cloth grill, thus putting four 1/8" holes in the original cloth.
I asked why it was relocated in that spot and the shoP told me it was the only way to stop the grill from rattling. I got it home and it still rattled, it wasn't the grill at all but a loose bracket which hold the amp chassis in place. It was an easy job to hack up my vintage gear and didn't even fix the problem, and a pitiful excuse for a repairman who is out of business now anyway.

 

[BurningSkies]

That's nothing. I took my silverface Fender Twin Reverb in for service to make it more dependable and it came back blackfaced...I've never had the courage to take it to another tech to see if it was done correctly. I haven't used it as stage gear for a decade so it wasn't a concern, but it's in use now, so I really need to get what was done sorted.

 

[lbwdog]

That's nothing. I took my silverface Fender Twin Reverb in for service to make it more dependable and it came back blackfaced...I've never had the courage to take it to another tech to see if it was done correctly. I haven't used it as stage gear for a decade so it wasn't a concern, but it's in use now, so I really need to get what was done sorted.

It really came back with a black panel? How does it look?

 

[BurningSkies]

It really came back with a black panel? How does it look?

No. Supposedly blackfaced internally.

 

[Doufuss]

I have the same amp. I had the same problem.

I took it to Backline here in Vancouver (go 'nucks!) and it came back working exactly the same as new.

Your repair guy has no idea what he is doing, and he was lucky he did not electrocute himself.

Find the authorized Fender guy and never let this other guy touch your stuff again.

 

[Doufuss]

The fix cost $75 incl. tax. I got an itemized bill with exactly what he did to it which was a new switch and a couple resistors, plus bench time.

 

[lbwdog]

There's obviously a design/parts problem if the failure is as rampant as it appears. That's why I think Fender might have recommended this particular fix.
Even so, you're probably better off than to have it keep breaking.

 

[lbwdog]

No. Supposedly blackfaced internally.

Back around 1972 I loaned my '67 Gibson Melody Maker (Pelham Blue) to a friend to gig with. He kept it over a year, and returned it to me stripped, and refinished in a walnut stain!

 

[BurningSkies]

Back around 1972 I loaned my '67 Gibson Melody Maker (Pelham Blue) to a friend to gig with. He kept it over a year, and returned it to me stripped, and refinished in a walnut stain!

"friends" do mysterious things, especially when they assume a loan is a gift. That's why I bought our singer/riddim guitar player a Les Paul Jr. rather than loan him my rare Tele.

I never did get any explanation as to why the amp tech did a major invasive mod on my vintage amp without consulting me.

 

[Bassbuster]

I have sent them feedback voicing my discontent but I probably won't pursue it much further as I guess there isn't really that much that can be done, I just want them to know that I'm not happy with the 'repair'. I probably should have checked over it before I left the shop but I didn't really think about it. I didn't have to pay for it as it was under guarantee from the last time I had taken it in to be repaired so I just thanked them, grabbed it and left.

 

[meatwad]

I had a certified GK tech repair my old 400RB, and on the second try, he did some mods that made that amp KILLER. Seriously, what he did was absolutely nothing to complain about, and warranty covered it. Sometimes techs take matters into their own hands, and it is a good thing. At least in my situation it was.

 

[Jeff Scott]

I had a certified GK tech repair my old 400RB, and on the second try, he did some mods that made that amp KILLER. Seriously, what he did was absolutely nothing to complain about, and warranty covered it. Sometimes techs take matters into their own hands, and it is a good thing. At least in my situation it was.

They should never do that without first consulting with the customer. That is my only issue with this whole situation, the solution works, but in doing so it did deface the front panel.

 

[meatwad]

Well, my point was that, in some case-by-case situations, mods done by techs can be a good thing. When my CL went in for repairs, a different tech (from the GK story) took it upon himself to clean up a lot nasty solder joints left behind from the factory, at no extra cost. Perhaps not a "mod", but he could've left them as-is so a problem could develop down the road.

 

[1n3]

There's obviously a design/parts problem if the failure is as rampant as it appears. That's why I think Fender might have recommended this particular fix.

Lighted switches are normally trouble-free. If these are going out very frequently, it tells me that Fender sourced a too-cheap component. I'd expect their recommended fix to be switch replacement, hopefully with one of higher-quality; NOT putting a new LED in the middle of panel lettering, where it's an obvious kludge.

Even so, you're probably better off than to have it keep breaking.

If the switch itself had failed, perhaps. Here, the cure seems worse than the problem.

They should never do that without first consulting with the customer. That is my only issue with this whole situation, the solution works, but in doing so it did deface the front panel.

+1. To those who think the amp's low status makes this a trivial matter... easier said when it's not your amp. Techs should not alter a customer's product without approval. BurningSkies' Fender is another good example of this. Unfortunately, I know of another guy who had his silverface Fender amp "blackfaced" without approval. This is arrogance and bad judgement, IMO.

 

[tramp]

I have the same amp and my light has burned twice. I recently bought a new switch and will be replacing it soon. Does anyone know of a speaker replacement for this amp that the holes would match up perfectly?