Grand Wazoo Posted July 6, 2015 Posted July 6, 2015 (edited) The amp in my Ibanez Promethean 5110 combo its not working, there are no external fuses ports for you to check fuses as it is a digital Class D amp. the lights come on except for the mute on / off switch light and as a result you can't get any sound out of it, the EQ on off lights do work but not the Vibe on/off lights. Something is obviously wrong with it, I don't know of any reputable repair men that can work on these mickey mouse little digital amps, do you? Edited July 6, 2015 by Grand Wazoo Quote
gary mac Posted July 6, 2015 Posted July 6, 2015 There's one up this way Fran. the Amp workshop. I can't do the link thing at the mo, sorry. In Stevenage I think Quote
Grand Wazoo Posted July 6, 2015 Author Posted July 6, 2015 [quote name='gary mac' timestamp='1436221106' post='2816239'] There's one up this way Fran. the Amp workshop. I can't do the link thing at the mo, sorry. In Stevenage I think [/quote] Cheers Gary Quote
Grand Wazoo Posted July 6, 2015 Author Posted July 6, 2015 found them http://www.theampworkshop.co.uk/ If I can't find anyone local in and around London I'll give them a call. Thanks again Quote
Grand Wazoo Posted July 7, 2015 Author Posted July 7, 2015 I've phoned them and they only repair "ordinary" amps and wouldn't touch a digital one with a barge pole : ( oh well I'll have to try the Amp Hospital in Surrey http://www.amphospital.co.uk/ Quote
deanovw Posted July 7, 2015 Posted July 7, 2015 When I had a problem with a promethean amp it had to go back to the distributer as no one would touch it. Headstock distribution ltd 0121 508 6666 Quote
phil.c60 Posted July 7, 2015 Posted July 7, 2015 Or try Mike Still in Lancing - top bloke and really knows his stuff. Google MJ Still or look on Facebook. He does repair class D stuff although he reckons that when it goes bang, a lot of it really goes bang, if you follow me, to the point of frying boards. Didn't put me off buying a LM3 though! Quote
skychaserhigh Posted July 7, 2015 Posted July 7, 2015 Most class D amps either can't be repaired or are not worth repairing. When they go bang usually It's time to get a new one. Quote
Jimelliottbassist Posted July 7, 2015 Posted July 7, 2015 +1 for guitar aid putney. Greg's the man! Quote
Grand Wazoo Posted July 8, 2015 Author Posted July 8, 2015 Luckily, the Amp Hospital in Weybridge Surrey have it now, and said they will attempt to repair, nothing guaranteed but they'll give it a bash. finger crossed. The thing is I love that little amp just for the sheer power and small size portability. It is truly capable of handling small gigs and perfect for reherals as it is, oh and... dare you connect it to an additional speaker, you'll benefit of the all 500 W of it, and that little box becomes an absolute monster, with decent studio quality sound and plenty of sound shapin thanks to the graphic eq and its Vibe filter which is very similar to a MarkBass VLE filter. I would be rather upset if this can't be fixed as they don't do them anymore and the new version is of a lot lesser quality and power. Quote
6v6 Posted July 10, 2015 Posted July 10, 2015 [quote name='Grand Wazoo' timestamp='1436342417' post='2817176'] Luckily, the Amp Hospital in Weybridge Surrey have it now, and said they will attempt to repair, nothing guaranteed but they'll give it a bash. finger crossed. [/quote] Sure they'll sort you out, took a broken Mackie speaker to them a while back and they sorted it very quickly. Reassuring presence of actual test gear in their workshop too! Quote
Grand Wazoo Posted August 11, 2015 Author Posted August 11, 2015 (edited) [quote name='6v6' timestamp='1436517292' post='2818705'] Sure they'll sort you out, took a broken Mackie speaker to them a while back and they sorted it very quickly. Reassuring presence of actual test gear in their workshop too! [/quote] The goods news is the amp has been fixed. It wasn't a case of major expensive surgery either, picking it up this week YAY!! Edited August 11, 2015 by Grand Wazoo Quote
hairychris Posted August 11, 2015 Posted August 11, 2015 (edited) Cool. Probably lucky too! Ah. I was going to suggest [url="http://jpfamps.com/"]http://jpfamps.com/[/url] on Denmark Street as you're London-based but a bit late on the train. He's a tube specialist but has done Class D amps, plus charges very reasonable rates. Edit: He's serviced or repaired 2 guitar heads for me, haven't had my lightweight long enough to blow up/need fixing. Edited August 11, 2015 by hairychris Quote
Grand Wazoo Posted August 13, 2015 Author Posted August 13, 2015 [quote name='hairychris' timestamp='1439312498' post='2841822'] Cool. Probably lucky too! Ah. I was going to suggest [url="http://jpfamps.com/"]http://jpfamps.com/[/url] on Denmark Street as you're London-based but a bit late on the train. He's a tube specialist but has done Class D amps, plus charges very reasonable rates. Edit: He's serviced or repaired 2 guitar heads for me, haven't had my lightweight long enough to blow up/need fixing. [/quote] Hey thank you very much for the tip on JPF Amplification, I'll bookmark it and keep it in mind next time something goes pop Cheers! Quote
Grand Wazoo Posted August 16, 2015 Author Posted August 16, 2015 Yes the amp is back and working perfectly again, the detected fault from the engineer was: [b][i]"Traced fault to short circuit capacitor on the +15v line. Replaced capacitor, checked and tested"[/i][/b] [color=#ff0000][b]Cost £107.55[/b][/color] I want to train as an amp repairman now! How much does a capacitor cost in Maplin? £1.50 to £2.50? Do the maths. I am just glad I got it back and I don't have to look for another or a replacement, and I am not blaming the repair shop because it's all to do with their hourly rates and stuff, (part and labor... blah blah) but I am wondering what it would have costed me if say the the mother board had gone or a transformer? Gee! Quote
Happy Jack Posted August 16, 2015 Posted August 16, 2015 There's a very old joke about a bicycle repair guy charging £10.05 to repair a puncture. The customer says "£10.05 for a bit of rubber and some glue? That's outrageous!" Repair guy says "5p for a bit of rubber and some glue, £10 for knowing what to do with them." Seems fair enough to me. Quote
RandomBass Posted August 16, 2015 Posted August 16, 2015 Yes the cost of the capacitor is probably quite low. However the time and expertise involved in tracing the fault is where the real value, and cost, lies. That's why there are electronics experts to fix our gear. Quote
hairychris Posted August 17, 2015 Posted August 17, 2015 (edited) [quote name='Grand Wazoo' timestamp='1439740007' post='2845371'] Yes the amp is back and working perfectly again, the detected fault from the engineer was: [b][i]"Traced fault to short circuit capacitor on the +15v line. Replaced capacitor, checked and tested"[/i][/b] [color=#ff0000][b]Cost £107.55[/b][/color] I want to train as an amp repairman now! How much does a capacitor cost in Maplin? £1.50 to £2.50? Do the maths. I am just glad I got it back and I don't have to look for another or a replacement, and I am not blaming the repair shop because it's all to do with their hourly rates and stuff, (part and labor... blah blah) but I am wondering what it would have costed me if say the the mother board had gone or a transformer? Gee! [/quote] A lot, I imagine! I blew the output transformer on a guitar head about 10 years back and it wasn't particularly cheap to fix (a dude with a workshop out in Chiswick as I was living in W London at the time, unsure if he's still there). The problem with class D amps is that a lot of faults that are repairable in traditional amps are either impossible, or a complete arse to do (eg if surface-mounted components blow as they are *tiny*). More traditional amps are, theoretically, repairable if you can wield a soldering iron without hurting yourself but you still need to know how to track down the issue, work out what to replace, source the parts, own the right tools, etc. Also, from what I have worked out, amp builders/repair men are a funny breed. Definitely interesting characters! Edited August 17, 2015 by hairychris Quote
Billy Apple Posted August 17, 2015 Posted August 17, 2015 [quote name='Grand Wazoo' timestamp='1439740007' post='2845371'] Yes the amp is back and working perfectly again, the detected fault from the engineer was: [b][i]"Traced fault to short circuit capacitor on the +15v line. Replaced capacitor, checked and tested"[/i][/b] [color=#ff0000][b]Cost £107.55[/b][/color] I want to train as an amp repairman now! How much does a capacitor cost in Maplin? £1.50 to £2.50? Do the maths. I am just glad I got it back and I don't have to look for another or a replacement, and I am not blaming the repair shop because it's all to do with their hourly rates and stuff, (part and labor... blah blah) but I am wondering what it would have costed me if say the the mother board had gone or a transformer? Gee! [/quote] I wonder what the cost of wood, paint and bits for your Dingwall is? Quote
Grand Wazoo Posted August 18, 2015 Author Posted August 18, 2015 [quote name='Billy Apple' timestamp='1439814167' post='2845924'] I wonder what the cost of wood, paint and bits for your Dingwall is? [/quote] sky high.... example, In 2010 I bought a Dingwall ABZ 5 in the Bass Gallery Camden brand new £1250 now to get one of them its £2000 http://www.bassdirect.co.uk/bass_guitar_specialists/ABZ5_Pupleburst_wenge.html Quote
gary mac Posted August 18, 2015 Posted August 18, 2015 Glad to hear you got it back, fixed and without too much outlay Quote
Billy Apple Posted August 18, 2015 Posted August 18, 2015 [quote name='Billy Apple' timestamp='1439814167' post='2845924'] I wonder what the cost of wood, paint and bits for your Dingwall is? [/quote] [quote name='Grand Wazoo' timestamp='1439856513' post='2846345'] sky high.... example, In 2010 I bought a Dingwall ABZ 5 in the Bass Gallery Camden brand new £1250 now to get one of them its £2000 [url="http://www.bassdirect.co.uk/bass_guitar_specialists/ABZ5_Pupleburst_wenge.html"]http://www.bassdirec...urst_wenge.html[/url] [/quote] Erm, yes. Quote
6v6 Posted August 18, 2015 Posted August 18, 2015 [quote name='RandomBass' timestamp='1439754180' post='2845521'] Yes the cost of the capacitor is probably quite low. However the time and expertise involved in tracing the fault is where the real value, and cost, lies. That's why there are electronics experts to fix our gear. [/quote] Exactly, you can easily imagine it took them 2hours to diagnose the fault, disassemble enough to fix the faulty component, re-test then reassemble, so to me the cost looks pretty reasonable. Quote
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