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what to do with a dead amp?

factorplayer

factorplayer

Apr 16, 2009
876
336
#1
So a few months ago I bought a used Warwick TubePath 10.1 on eBay for what I thought was a steal. Turns out I was the sucker and the amp died in no time.

Original thread of woe is here... http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=628217

I'm stuck with the amp at this point, no chance of returning it. The local amp shop couldn't fix it, but narrowed it down to an issue in the output stage.

Warwick was little help, for service on their products you have to take it to an "authorized" Warwick dealer and the only ones around here are Guitar Center. That's not going to happen. Actually they were some help and pointed me to Hanser Music Group, their distributor, who referred me to an amp shop in San Antonio (60+ miles out). I called the shop and they hadn't even worked on a Warwick amp before and had no idea of how much it would cost.

So trying to figure out what to do here... Try to get the amp fixed? or cut my losses and sell it on fleabay for parts?
 
#5
I would check around for old school tech types. Some audio rental places do repairs. Vintage Hifi shops also exist that could do this work. Maybe even hit up some TV repair places.
Its not a fusion reactor, its a power amp with a preamp on the front of it.
Get an estimate up front.
 
#6
Calaverasgrande said:
I would check around for old school tech types. Some audio rental places do repairs. Vintage Hifi shops also exist that could do this work. Maybe even hit up some TV repair places.
Its not a fusion reactor, its a power amp with a preamp on the front of it.
Get an estimate up front.
Click to expand...

Hello mate, yes, its not a Fusion reactor, but it most likely is an amp with integrated stages, and small components that are so cheap and small you have to buy them by the dozen or more. <- Presuming Warwick even gives you a Schematic, which IS needed for a repair such as this. Markbass sure does not do so.

Add on to that alot of "Vintage Hi-Fi" shops will NOT even touch these super compact modernized transistor amplifiers. a Fender champ? Sure! Grab the multimeter and they will have a solution in half an hour.

Link Removed

Heres a block diagram... it only took them 12 pages to fit it on! Its only a BLOCK diagram, which shows the basic audio signal path. Not all the inner workings and values of all the components.

This amp is more complex than would be imagined... THAT is my guess why nobody would want to *FIX* it, because, who knows whats broken! Perhaps it is ONE 53.6235 ohm Resistor, or perhaps it is the entire output transistor bank. It takes time, effort, and money to fix these kind of amplifiers. When NOW DAYS it is simply cheaper to swap out the entire PCB. Yes, its cheaper to swap out the entire PCB. I bet not too many people have them on hand.... yeah, the only people that would are the manufacturer, and they are in china, or worse. These amps, regardless of the Price for US, are cheap enough that it is cheaper often enough to replace the entire amp than it is to track down resistor number R35 and Capacitor C483 that have failed.


Makes sense?

Sorry to be so "negative", but i learned this the hard way. Best of luck with the repair. :bassist:
 
#7
Well luckily the wiring diagrams are easily available on Warwick's website... Just trying to get an idea of what I'm getting into. I wouldn't mind paying 200-300 if that would completely fix it, but not so sure that's feasible...
 
#8
Hi.

Thanks to the idiotic web site design Warwick has I didn't get to see the block diagram for this specific amp (the link above doesn't include the tubepath AFAICS).

In any case, You have close to a ZERO chance of getting the amp or any of its components repaired. You can possibly get some of the boards replaced, but that's about it.

What You can usually do however, is to use the pre-section of the amp. If You replace the faulty power section with a class-D module(s), you might even get the head "working".

By far the easiest and cheapest way to deal with the dilemma is to sell the head as-is, as suggested earlier, and to move on.

IMLE the couple of hundred You're willing to spend, will fall a few hundred short of fixing the amp.

Regards
Sam
 
#9
While a schematic is incredibly useful in amp repair it is by no means a necessity.

Does the amp power on?

Does it blow the power fuse or breaker? If it blows the fuse the output stage is probably shorted.

This is standard diagnosis 101 stuff that any tech should be able to perform.

If Warwick suggested a repair centre take the amp there. Otherwise sell it on Ebay as is or as a project.

Paul
 
#11
I'd look for a smaller amp/audio repair place. TX is a big state - there's gotta be somewhere you can take it to that can fix it...

I sold a friend of mine my SWR 350x for $50 cash because it wasn't firing up. Turned out the fix only ran him about $100 at a small, local repair place...he got a great deal, and I'm happy he didn't get stuck with a dud.

Everything is fixable - just keep looking around
 
#13
yeah, amps arent rocket science. No matter if Warwick's marketing would like you to think it is incredibly sophisticated. Most amps are just preamp-eq-poweramp.
Some get super fancy and add in an enhancer, suboctave, chorus, bi-amp etc. But most of the time its the jacks, power supply, or the power amp output devices.
Guys that can repair TV's and home audio gear are in kindergarten fixing these.
A power supply look exactly like a powersupply. output devices are blatantly obvious as to what they are (heat sinks!). Jacks are self evident as well.
Most techs charge $30-70 for a diagnosis. Some really nice ones dotn even charge for that, or if they do they may credit it towards the fix. I like to ask around about techs or luthiers, because a bad one can be a nightmare! Kind of like mechanics.
 
#19
I read this and I keep seeing somebody, not the OP doing this to me on eBay.

List it as new only used once as a demo unit in a music store. Sell it for a fantastic price to somebody a long way away from you (me), insure the crap out of it and ship it away.

Except the guy who I bought it from wouldn't have any insurance on it.

When I got it it would have the circuit cards all unscrewed still and the parts poured in the cabinet and the cover screws put on stripped. (In my case the screws were fine, but you need to strip yours)

Of course I wouldn't notice the rattle and plugged it in to only see SMOKE pour out of the vent holes. Day three while the box is enroute the seller deletes his eBay user with 250 positive feedbacks and eBay tells me there's nothing that can be done about it.

The unit goes in for service at the factory authorized service center and they can't do anything with it EXCEPT install a NEW REPLACEMENT BOARD for $750 scmackers. I now have over the cost of a new unit invested. BUt she's a real sweetheart and plays great now since about the only thing used in the box is the freaken transformer and the power receptical.

Have a blast man... BOB
 

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