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Tube amp repair in SE Michigan

Discussion in 'Amps and Cabs [BG]' started by seanlava, Nov 11, 2005.

  1. Nov 11, 2005 #1
    seanlava

    seanlava

    Apr 14, 2005
    Hey fellow Michiganders! (and northern Ohioans) Can any of you recommend someone who does tube amp diagnostics and repair, in Southeast Michigan/Northern Ohio? I live in Ann Arbor, and am having a tough time finding someone who does this sort of work. The only music repair shop in my town is the venerable Herb David Guitar Studio. They have a legendary repair shop, but their turnaround time is pretty slow. I need to find someone who is not only competent, but speedy, to fix my ailing Mesa Boogie Buster bass head.
     
  2. Nov 11, 2005 #2
    rpatter

    rpatter Supporting Member

    Sep 18, 2004
    Sherrill, NY
    Sean,

    Try Overture Audio down on South Main street (it's a mile or two north of Stadium). They may not be able to repair it themselves, but they should know of a good tube tech in the area.

    Ralf
     
  3. Nov 11, 2005 #3
    Tim Cole

    Tim Cole

    Jun 12, 2002
    Findlay, Ohio
    Speaking from experience; DO NOT take it to someone who isn't specialized and experienced with your amp. I'd take it to an authorized Mesa repair center. Saving a buck or two in the end can cost you a grand or two.
     
  4. Nov 12, 2005 #4
    TrooperFarva

    TrooperFarva Guest

    Nov 25, 2004
    New City, NY
    Call Mesa directly. They can recommend a good service tech in the area.
     
  5. Nov 12, 2005 #5
    burk48237

    burk48237 Supporting Member

    Nov 22, 2004
    Oak Park, MI
    Sean, There's a place in either Eastpoint or Warren called Electronic innovations that does a lot of Amp service. I've heard good things about but never needed. I've been pretty lucky so far, I've had Edens, No service needed. You might want to PM mikebass, he plays a ton of shows and goes thru a lot of gear.
     
  6. Nov 12, 2005 #6
    cheezewiz

    cheezewiz

    Mar 27, 2002
    Ohio
    PM Tom Bowlus. He knows of a good local shop. (We're in NW Ohio)
     
  7. Nov 14, 2005 #7
    seanlava

    seanlava

    Apr 14, 2005
    I wound up going with this guy It was a bit of a hike, about one hour drive from where I live, but he was willing to see me the same day I called. He has a GREAT repair shop, and has been doing this for a long time. (He's also a certified Fender repair tech) Hooking up my amp to a multimeter and oscilliscope, he quickly determined that the problem with my amp was actually just bad tubes that were throwing off the bias of the other tubes. He installed and biased the set of new JJs that I brought with me, and inspected the chassis, making a couple of minor soldering/screw re-threading/pot cleaning/noisy preamp tube replacing repairs, making my head sound really good, noticably better than it had before. Best part? He did all this for a flat $30 labor, plus parts, for a grand total of 48 bucks! Needless to say, I'm bookmarking his webpage, and putting his phone on my speed dial. It was a good experience, and I highly recommend his services to any Michigan tube amp owners.
     
  8. Nov 14, 2005 #8
    tombowlus

    tombowlus If it sounds good, it is good Gold Supporting Member

    Apr 3, 2003
    North central Ohio
    Editor-in-Chief, Bass Gear Magazine
    Cool! Where is this "Dr. Z" ;) located? I've been taking my tube gear to a high end audio tube shop, Western Reserve Audio, in Lakewood (near Cleveland). They definitely know their vintage tube gear, too.
     
  9. Nov 15, 2005 #9
    6-3-2

    6-3-2

    Sep 20, 2003
    I took my amp to Blitz Amps, which is all vintage gear. The guy did a fantastic job, resoldered the whole thing and brand new power tubes, never sounded better. He's in St. Clair Shores and the shop has no sign, only marked by grey and red paint.
     
  10. Nov 15, 2005 #10
    seanlava

    seanlava

    Apr 14, 2005
    He's in Sylvan Lake, MI It's a haul, but worth the drive.
     
  11. Mar 23, 2010 #11
    spitfun

    spitfun Guest

    Mar 23, 2010
    In my opinion I would stay away from Blitz Amplifiers. I brought my amp in to get repaired,he diagnosed it as a bad transformer (although it was playing,but noisy when I brought it in) and proceeded to tell me he didn't want to work on it (I asked why and his response was "no particular reason", this guy is very quirky). now my amp doesn't work at all and I need to find another shop,who does that to a customer??