I agree. If this amp is from a production run with a known design flaw GK should make it right. Otherwise, warranties end and that is that.
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Let down by GK!!
- Thread starter blindeddie
- Start date
I agree. If this amp is from a production run with a known design flaw GK should make it right. Otherwise, warranties end and that is that.
look, i'm not doggin' GK. i love all my GK gear. i think they make great stuff. i've played alot of other stuff over the years and i just like GK better. i have alot of their stuff and it has all been extremely reliable. all i am saying is that i think they shouldn't charge me to repair this head. i totally understand there were issues with this batch. and i understand that when you put out a new product, that sometimes it takes alittle trial and error to work out the bugs. no sweat. i still love this head as much as all my other GK equipment. i just want it fixed. and in fact, i guess i'm just going to send it back and pay for it myself. that's how much i like it. all i'm saying is, i don't think it would put them out to take care of it for me. this is a $500 product, so whatever parts are needed can't cost that much, and when i called, the tech new what i was experiencing, so i'm sure it's not gonna be difficult to figure out what needs to be done. i mean, if someone bought a similar amp at a pawn shop and they fixed it for free, i don't get it? i know everybody talks about Mr. Gallien being a great guy, and i'm sure he is. but i talked to someone in customer service and they definitely were not!
Was it confirmed that your amp has this known design flaw? Or that the recall was to fix something that is inside your amp that failed? If yes to either, then I agree with you. I'm not too familiar with that particular amp, so I have no idea if they shipped multiple revisions fixing previous flaws.
If no, then I side with GK.
If no, then I side with GK.
it was confirmed that there was a certain batch that had this issue. and if you wanted to send yours in, they would fix it. unfortunately, i didn't have a clue about this. mine was great and i was loving it, so i had no reason to go searching for threads about it here on talkbass. i was a happy camper. and i didn't realize there was a issue until it died the other day, like i said before, it just took mine alot longer to die. and honestly, i'm not mad. stuff happens. i've had alot of success with GK and couldn't be happier with my tone AND the reliabilty (for the most part). i'm just going to have to bite the bullet and pay for the repairs myself. BUT, i think i have the right to expect a simple repair without having to pay for it. so, i will send it back and maybe send an email to Mr. Gallien and see what he thinks. i really think that this is more of a problem with the customer service than the product. i've read alot of things about Mr. Gallien going above and beyond to help out his customers. but an employee may not have the authority to do so. so, i just thought that if i brought it to their attention, maybe it might make a difference.
Do you actually think they come up with a design, go immediately to production and ship them to the dealers? That's not how it works in ANY industry. This could be a problem caused by the manufacturing facility, a bad part run, hell- it could be a problem with the wave soldering station. That's not GK's fault, but it becomes their problem.
If someone in CS is rude or nasty, ask for their supervisor but be cool, calm and collected. If you reacted strongly by hearing "No", it's on you.
It's out of warranty- I don't understand why you think "they should" fix it for you without charge.
Just wondering, how far out of warranty is this head? Even with a known issue, there has to be a point at which it's just been too long. Everything wears out with time. On the other hand, you'd like to see a company help folks out if something is just a few months past warranty with issues like this.
I couldn't agree more! But at what point should the company STOP doing these things? I mean, if the warranty expired last week - no big deal and I would be absolutely in favor of the company "helping a guy out". Same thing within a month or 2.
But if the warranty expired a year or so ago? I mean, at what point does the customer actually bear responsibility for not doing their "due diligence"?
Unfortunately, at times it depends on the contact person you are speaking to at the company and how you deal with them. Milage can vary. If you can convince someone to help you out, they can be very accommodating. When a company puts out a product, they factor in warranty costs over the life of the product. Anything above and beyond costs them money in exchange for good will. If they help you, because you have gone public, others will be lining up at their door wanting the same level of service.
It might help to write them a letter. If you call the company you can obtain the name and email address of the manager of customer service. If they ask why, just tell them that you want to send an email concerning a problem you are having. The letter should describe your problem and include your serial number and a copy of the bill of sale. State that you are aware that there were some units that had similar issues and that the company recognized that there was a problem and repaired these amps. Ask if you can confirm if your amp falls into this group. Then enquire if they would consider extending your warranty to cover the repair. It never hurts to try contacting them a second time.
It might help to write them a letter. If you call the company you can obtain the name and email address of the manager of customer service. If they ask why, just tell them that you want to send an email concerning a problem you are having. The letter should describe your problem and include your serial number and a copy of the bill of sale. State that you are aware that there were some units that had similar issues and that the company recognized that there was a problem and repaired these amps. Ask if you can confirm if your amp falls into this group. Then enquire if they would consider extending your warranty to cover the repair. It never hurts to try contacting them a second time.
I bought a MB2-500 from a guy on ebay. Shortly after, it blew up when I started it up on a very cold day. It was out of warranty, but since I had heard of the "recall" (not really a recall), I contacted GK (they don't answer emails on these issues) through the Parts Dept and was told they would replace the head. However, the best deal I could finally get after talking to one of the main guys was that they would replace it for $150. That was less than a year ago. The replacement has since blown up, but I think it was my fault this time. I went back to the RB series amps and have greater confidence in their reliability.
Is yours within that batch? I'm sorry it you already posted it and I missed it.
what's the serial #?
The first 3-4 revisions of this head had consistent failure rates that seemed to abate with revision 5. Unfortunately this was a great sounding head that was just dogged with persistent issues. I don't know if it was a design issue or a manufacturing issue or what, but it was a royal PITA to GK I'm sure, and they may just be at a point where they can no longer justify the bottom line to keep replacing these units.
It has been years since the original issues crept up, and GK went over and above with replacements at the time, but you may be just a bit outside of the window of opportunity. There was never a "recall" and it was always a case by case deal.
IME the way you enter into this goes a long way to determine the response. When I had issues, I contacted Bob and I told him up front all of the parameters of my situation. I told him I was not the original owner and where I had gotten the head. I also told him that I didn't expect them to treat me like a warranty case. My courtesy was met with the same.
The first 3-4 revisions of this head had consistent failure rates that seemed to abate with revision 5. Unfortunately this was a great sounding head that was just dogged with persistent issues. I don't know if it was a design issue or a manufacturing issue or what, but it was a royal PITA to GK I'm sure, and they may just be at a point where they can no longer justify the bottom line to keep replacing these units.
It has been years since the original issues crept up, and GK went over and above with replacements at the time, but you may be just a bit outside of the window of opportunity. There was never a "recall" and it was always a case by case deal.
IME the way you enter into this goes a long way to determine the response. When I had issues, I contacted Bob and I told him up front all of the parameters of my situation. I told him I was not the original owner and where I had gotten the head. I also told him that I didn't expect them to treat me like a warranty case. My courtesy was met with the same.
GK offered FREE updates with each revision. Many TB'ers took advantage of the offer. Hell, some changes were even made from TB'ers suggestions. Like any product that is out of warranty, it will cost to get it fixed. There is a good chance your problem may end up not being related to any of the revised issues. The beauty is, it weighs next to nothing, and will be very inexpensive to ship to an authorized repair facility. There is no need to bring it somewhere local. It may just end up being a very inexpensive repair.
As a side note, I own the same amp with the very last revision (AO7)before it was changed to MB500. Mine has been flawless for years. If it broke tomorrow, I would have it fixed without question.
As a side note, I own the same amp with the very last revision (AO7)before it was changed to MB500. Mine has been flawless for years. If it broke tomorrow, I would have it fixed without question.
BIG...HUGE...+1!!!
I tried two MB2-500 heads in the store.
The first one wouldn't power up.
The second one died as I was auditioning it in the store.
Roughfully alittle over a year ago I found one that worked and I bought it on the spot, absolutely LOVED the sound!
It died Saturday night.....................
Thank God I had the ole 28 year old G.K. 800 in the box truck...it saved the day!
I only hope G.K. will do me right and I don't now have a 3.8 pound paper weight.......
I just sent G.K. a e-mail on my issues with my MB2-500, hopefully I'll hear back since I've been a long time G.K. user and promoter of their heads, (I bought my first G.K. head in 1984).
I'll post when/if G.K. let's me know anything so others will know.
I totally Agree that's what i did. i had an early model MB2-500 that i didn't have problems with my amp. One day my red light just started flashing repeatedly during normal play, so just to be on the safe side i went ahead and sent mine back to the factory. I got an 07 version and its been flawless ever since and i've had mine revised amp for over 3 years. I had read on Talkbass about all the problems people were having with the early models and the GK was switching any flaw models so i took full advantage!!!!
I would have thought that GK would have some sort of standard fee for repairing one of these amps. The repair is most likely a simple board swap or possibly a replacement amp if that is the cheaper route. I infer from the OP's post that GK's CS just told him the amp was irreparable. If that is correct GK should be ashamed of themselves for not looking after their customers.
If the amp has a one-year warranty that just expired and you paid for it with a credit card, your credit company may cover the cost of warranty repairs for another year--my cards have that feature although I've never tried to use it. Good luck, BobBIG...HUGE...+1!!!
I tried two MB2-500 heads in the store.
The first one wouldn't power up.
The second one died as I was auditioning it in the store.
Roughfully alittle over a year ago I found one that worked and I bought it on the spot, absolutely LOVED the sound!
It died Saturday night.....................
Thank God I had the ole 28 year old G.K. 800 in the box truck...it saved the day!
I only hope G.K. will do me right and I don't now have a 3.8 pound paper weight.......
