Loud replaced my PF-50T

[RoadRanger]

Oh please! That was fixed years ago. Mine actually fixed itself. Don't know why, but I no longer have that problem.

The one I bought a couple years ago still couldn't deal with being run WFO into a 4 ohm load V4B/SVT style. That was a couple years after the problem was supposedly mitigated (and not fixed IMO anyways). OTOH sounded awesome into an 8 ohm load. I also had an early one that I sold into a nice 8 ohm home .

 

[Sound&Fury]

@Engle did it sound anything like this? A short clip I just made (kids were in the room)



Picked up a PF-50T last Friday. Played it two times (absolutely love the tone!), but after about 15 minutes of playing it started making this sound.
I have used the same cab (Barefaced Super Twin) with my V-4B and PF-800 and never heard something like that before.

 

[Engle]

@Engle did it sound anything like this? A short clip I just made (kids were in the room)



Picked up a PF-50T last Friday. Played it two times (absolutely love the tone!), but after about 15 minutes of playing it started making this sound.
I have used the same cab (Barefaced Super Twin) with my V-4B and PF-800 and never heard something like that before.

No that’s not the sound. Mine sounded like feedback, but quiet.

 

[Sound&Fury]

Ok, thanks for checking!

 

[Engle]

@ToddOfThunder asked about my rig in another thread and I realized I hadn’t posted anything about the replacement amp - which developed the same problem:

Again tapping on the driver tube, it seemed microphonic. The other Ruby 12AU7 did the same. Rather than returning the replacement amp, I ordered a JJ ECC82, installed it and the noise is gone. Maybe there was a bad batch of Ruby 12AU7s?

 

[primusfan1989]

There was no explanation given of what the problem with the original one was. Anybody have an idea why they would opt to ship a new amp rather than fix mine?

It seems to be the trend with most modern technology for it to be cheaper to replace something than it is to fix it.

 

[JimmyM]

It seems to be the trend with most modern technology for it to be cheaper to replace something than it is to fix it.

Also takes less time for the end user and saves the sale.

 

[Engle]

It seems to be the trend with most modern technology for it to be cheaper to replace something than it is to fix it.

Agreed, but I’m not sure if a PF50T can be considered modern technology...
I can’t complain about Loud’s service, but if I got two Ruby 12AU7s that oscillate, its possible the original amp just needed a tube to be replaced.

 

[primusfan1989]

Agreed, but I’m not sure if a PF50T can be considered modern technology...
I can’t complain about Loud’s service, but if I got two Ruby 12AU7s that oscillate, its possible the original amp just needed a tube to be replaced.

My point is that in an amp that is all PCB boards compared to something that is hardwired like the old days, a hand wired amp can be fixed more often than not, nobody want tot take the time to troubleshoot and repair a PCB board (and I don't blame them)

 

[JimmyM]

My point is that in an amp that is all PCB boards compared to something that is hardwired like the old days, a hand wired amp can be fixed more often than not, nobody want tot take the time to troubleshoot and repair a PCB board (and I don't blame them)

Sorry man, but that's not true at all. Any Tech worth a crap can fix amps with pcbs and they do it all the time. The only time they do full board replacements is when it's more cost-effective to replace the entire board versus doing a repair. And unless your amp costs about three or four hundred dollars, that's pretty rare.

 

[primusfan1989]

Any Tech worth a crap can fix amps with pcbs and they do it all the time.

Sorry, I guess I should clarify...Ampeg has no interest in troubleshooting a faulty PCB, its not worth their time, they'd rather replace the board or the amp in certain cases (where they then can fix at their pace and sell as a b-stock item).

I also never said a Tech wasn't able to, only that they don't want to (every tech I've known would rather work on a hardwired unit compared to a unit that utilizes wave soldered PCBs).

 

[JimmyM]

Sorry, I guess I should clarify...Ampeg has no interest in troubleshooting a faulty PCB, its not worth their time, they'd rather replace the board or the amp in certain cases (where they then can fix at their pace and sell as a b-stock item).

That's a problem? Sounds like a good thing to me.

I also never said a Tech wasn't able to, only that they don't want to (every tech I've known would rather work on a hardwired unit compared to a unit that utilizes wave soldered PCBs).

Not my problem.

 

[beans-on-toast]

Fixing a PF-50T or a PF-20T is about as simple as it gets. The problem is, who is going to fix them? You’d be surprised how few employee are on staff in companies like this that perform customer service type tasks.

The business model sometimes extends to selling broken amps to an authorized sevice center third party who resells these reworked amps on ebay and offers their own limited warranty. This can be more cost effective than hiring a crew of people to service amps in-house. If the amp is new, as far as the customer is concerned, it is better to simply replace it.

 

[agedhorse]

Sorry, I guess I should clarify...Ampeg has no interest in troubleshooting a faulty PCB, its not worth their time, they'd rather replace the board or the amp in certain cases (where they then can fix at their pace and sell as a b-stock item).

I also never said a Tech wasn't able to, only that they don't want to (every tech I've known would rather work on a hardwired unit compared to a unit that utilizes wave soldered PCBs).

I WAY prefer to work on PCB based amps, they are easier to troubleshoot and repair. I do this all the time too.