Selectron UK & Phil Jones Bass - a tale of woe

[JPJ]

So, many years ago I purchased a second hand PJB Bass Buddy preamp from this forum that has lived on my desk next to my audio interface and was my main headphone practice/recording pre. If you’ve ever had the pleasure of using one of these, you’ll know what a great piece of kit they are.

Back in 2020, mine started to pop, followed by a drop in output, and finally no output at all. After querying on here, I got in touch with Selectron UK, the UK distributor for Phil Jones Bass, and despatched my Bass Buddy to them in April 2021 for diagnosis and repair. After a considerable delay and with the intervention of Freda Jones at PJB I finally managed to get communications out of Selectron and after consultation with PJB in the states, the fault was diagnosed, new components sourced, and a repair was under way. That was back in November 2021. Since then I have been unable to get in contact with the lady at Selectron and now, one whole year on, I’m thinking I might not see my Bass Buddy again in either a repaired or original condition.

So if you are unlucky enough to own any kit for which Selectron UK are the distributor, I strongly recommend you do not make use of them for any repair work. 

[Beedster]

PJB are a great company, Phil himself resolved a serious problem I had with two consecutive Flightcase units 10 years back. But if they have appointed Selectron as the UK distributer/repair hub, and if Selectron accepted your unit for repair but failed to return it, then i can't help feeling PJB have the moral responsibility to replace the unit?

[nekomatic]

I’d start with your local trading standards department, they should be able to advise what to do here. Are Selectron simply not answering their phones? The next step might be to write to them by recorded delivery setting out what you want and by when, e.g. either to agree a repair cost and timescale with you, or return the unit and anything you’ve paid, or pay you a fair sum for the value of the unrepaired unit if they can’t return it. Of course if they’ve actually gone bust you’re probably out of luck.

I don’t think PJB have any legal obligation to you but they might be willing to help try and sort it out with Selectron from their side. 

[Guest]

I’m not surprised. I had. Session 77 that had a strange vibration/distortion sound when certain basses were played, even with EQ flat on the appropriate input settings. I sent it to them with an explanation and they could find “nothing wrong”. I did have contact with someone when I rang up, who was polite but wasn’t interested in it. In the end I got rid of it, and every decent amp/combo since has been super clean and quiet. TBH I was not impressed with either the build quality or tone (very studio monitor flat, but to the extent that it sounded lifeless to me, and the shelving EQ didn’t sound particularly musical to my ears) when A/B’ing with another, also relatively inexpensive combo that replaced it, so won’t be looking at PJB products in future. 

Edited April 13, 2022 by FDC484950

[Beedster]

2 hours ago, nekomatic said:

I don’t think PJB have any legal obligation to you but they might be willing to help try and sort it out with Selectron from their side. 

Agreed re legal but if they select the business in question as their UK repair specialist and that business fails to deliver (and potentially fails to even return the unit), PJB do have a moral obligation to either ensure it is sorted out quickly or to replace the amp. OK, these are difficult times in terms of component availability but that's no excuse for zero response, email still works

[Musicman20]

They may as well have just replaced it and took the old one back to review/part out. The time wasted by them has probably cost way more.

 

I think the dealer model is almost dead now. Most of them don't really do anything or even properly sort repairs. 

[JPJ]

Just to clarify, I am fully expecting and  more than happy to pay for the repair, and I believe Freda Jones has been instrumental in securing what limited communications I’ve had from Selectron so far, but after a full twelve months waiting, I’ve simply exhausted my patience.

[Stub Mandrel]

Do they not answer the phone?

 

I would go to citizens advice for help drafting a letter.

[BassBod]

I have distant memories of Selectron being generally useless, so I do not think this is a new problem.  Very bad news for the PJB brand as this will very quickly reflect on their products.  I had brief dealings with the previous UK distributor, and found them very helpful.  

[BassmanPaul]

If you haven't tried I would eMail Phil himself and outline your problem. I have heard that he is very forthcoming in answer to a customer. 

[CameronJ]

I had a very lengthy and frustrating experience with Selectron UK too a few years ago, getting the preamp on my Double Four repaired. They were often a nightmare to get any clear answers from, and my repair took FOREVER. We’re talking months rather than the - at most - weeks that it should have. The delay was blamed on the fact that they had only very recently taken on the role of service centre for PJB products and my replacement components had to be shipped from the USA.
 

When I first sent the amp off to them, I provided them with my home address for the amp to be returned to once the repair was complete. It took so long that I actually moved house and had to inform them of my new address. Quite some time later when the repair had finally been carried out, they emailed me to say my amp was being shipped back to me…addressed to my old address which I’d explicitly informed them not to use. You couldn’t make it up. Thankfully I responded to their email quickly enough that they were able to amend the shipping label before the courier had actually collected the amp from them.
 

If I hadn’t been quick to reply and it was despatched incorrectly, I wonder how long it would have taken them to acknowledge their folly and ship me a replacement amp…!
 

This was back around 2018 and clearly their quality of service has not improved since.

Edited April 24, 2022 by CameronJ

[BassmanPaul]

It's hard to get good help!!

 

I'm glad you finally got it sorted!

[MilkyBarKid]

I had my briefcase repaired twice by the previous support outfit in Birmingham and when I had problems the third time I tried over several months to contact Selectron - no joy. I found a guy in Worcester who repaired it pjb sent circuit diagrams eventually - comms weren't great, but once pjb engaged their tech and my repair man seemed to communicate well to solve the problem. Compared to marshall service - who repaired two 20 year old combo's for free it's not great, (they didn't completely conk out either - it was just a minor problem on one channel). I'm playing my bass through a marshall combo now and to be frank it sounds so much better than my pjb.

[Stub Mandrel]

Mental note. Speakers yes. Amp & combos   perhaps not.

[JPJ]

So we have closure of sorts.

 

After a further three unanswered emails I have finally received a reply stating that the unit is irreparable and no longer supported by PJB so that’s the end of the road for my little Bass Buddy. In truth I have been without it for so long now that I’ve moved on and its not going to be a huge miss. For the record, Selectron have had this unit in for repair since April 2021 and have only come to the conclusion that it is irreparable today. The complete lack of commas from their side is the most annoying and frustrating part. 

[Beedster]

29 minutes ago, JPJ said:

So we have closure of sorts.

 

After a further three unanswered emails I have finally received a reply stating that the unit is irreparable and no longer supported by PJB so that’s the end of the road for my little Bass Buddy. In truth I have been without it for so long now that I’ve moved on and its not going to be a huge miss. For the record, Selectron have had this unit in for repair since April 2021 and have only come to the conclusion that it is irreparable today. The complete lack of commas from their side is the most annoying and frustrating part. 

PJB have chosen them as their UK agent, and they have let you down badly. I know most people will disagree, but i think PJB owe you

[CameronJ]

16 hours ago, Beedster said:

PJB have chosen them as their UK agent, and they have let you down badly. I know most people will disagree, but i think PJB owe you

Agreed.

[jonno1981]

On this basis I’ll never buy a pjb product. Worryingly I have bought some mid range Edifier speakers (also designed by Phil Jones) and I’m concerned about support for them. Given the choice I’d rather have bought something else now. 

[Downunderwonder]

Let's get this straight. The unit is irreparable and unsupported but PJB sent some random parts to have a crack at fixing it anyway?

[thewebow]

I love my session 77. Love Phil Jones philosophy and the way he comes across on the web. It would be so sad if a third party in this country let him so badly that people stopped supporting, buying or stocking pjb amps or cabinets. To be fair took a while for my session 77 to come in stock because of suprise suprise selectron being crap!! This was bought from bass direct whom seem to be a good stocker of pjb products. Annoying as I would buy some used gear but if hard to service puts me off!! 

[BassBod]

I’ve always rated the PJB stuff very highly, and the three or four products I’ve owned have been great.  A useless UK distribution and support company is a deal breaker for me.  The micro electronic nature makes it all pretty specialist, so it is essential that there is someone in the UK that is willing to do the communication and sourcing that will inevitably be necessary sometimes. 

[thewebow]

7 hours ago, BassBod said:

I’ve always rated the PJB stuff very highly, and the three or four products I’ve owned have been great.  A useless UK distribution and support company is a deal breaker for me.  The micro electronic nature makes it all pretty specialist, so it is essential that there is someone in the UK that is willing to do the communication and sourcing that will inevitably be necessary sometimes. 

I will certainly be holding off until I hear some better news from bass direct regarding selectron before getting any more pjb equipment..

[Woodwind]

On 02/08/2022 at 12:35, BassBod said:

I’ve always rated the PJB stuff very highly, and the three or four products I’ve owned have been great.  A useless UK distribution and support company is a deal breaker for me.  The micro electronic nature makes it all pretty specialist, so it is essential that there is someone in the UK that is willing to do the communication and sourcing that will inevitably be necessary sometimes. 

Agreed.

 

I use phil jones stuff professionally and rely on it.

The previous service department in Birmingham (I forget their name) were very good.

 

I won't be looking at any product that isn't simple to initiate warranty or repairs.

 

 

[MungoBass]

Such a shame to read this shocking ‘service’.  I have owned (and still do) many PJB products over the years and have found them reliable and with excellent sound and build quality. I have emailed Phil Jones and always received a prompt and helpful reply. I hope he and his team consider finding a new UK specialist to help them. 

[MungoBass]

On 03/08/2022 at 12:37, Woodwind said:

Agreed.

 

I use phil jones stuff professionally and rely on it.

The previous service department in Birmingham (I forget their name) were very good.

 

I won't be looking at any product that isn't simple to initiate warranty or repairs.

 

 

 

I seem to recall it was Synergy Distribution.  I wonder why they no longer act for PJB?