Can someone reccomend a good amp tech in the Tampa/ St. Pete Area?

[Gear Addict]

Any reccomendations on a good tech would be appreciated, I've been using Stevie B's, but anything I can do to avoid giving anymore cash to that a-hole would make me happy.

[Jay Strange]

Is is vintage or current/modern?

[johnzias]

No.............................I have to travel to Tungsten Amp in Lake County, and he's been getting quite busy building his own amps lately. It's a real problem that there is not a good tech in an area of 2.7 million people!

LOL! w/r/t Stevie B's!

[Just Mike]

There was a guy thet worked at Thoroughbred music about 25 years ago that was a genius. I think his name was John. I haven't lived over there since then, but he used to make my JMP's sing.
I'm over on the East Coast now, so I'm sure this is a big help. Is Greenshift Music still there? I think they were on Nebraska, close to Hillsborough. They might know...Morrissound studios, are they still around? Seems like they would know too.

[Gear Addict]

It's for my ailling vintage Super Reverb.

Tungsten Amp...the same guy that makes the tweed clones?

Don't know about Morrissound, but Greenshift is still there, I'll check with them.

[johnzias]

Tungsten Amp...the same guy that makes the tweed clones?

Yes, Adam Palow.

[Gear Addict]

I'll have to look into that, but lake county is quite a drive. Any others?

[DaBreeze]

Good luck, I haven't had to look for a tech since I started doing my own work a few years back, but what I remember from the old days was;
1) There was a guy in Safety Harbor, north side, west of RR in that industrial park. Don't know how good he was.
2) There was a tech renting a space from Sam Ash on McMullen Booth, door was separate from SA store, on the south side of building. Don't know how good he was.
3) When Johnny's House of Guitars was open (Seminole blvd, Largo) they a good tech; went by "Electric Don". Don't know where he is now, try asking around.
4) Mad Music (66th & Central, St. Pete) sends work out to someone, might try asking them
5)Watch Craig's List, http://tampa.craigslist.org/msg/ every week or 2 some techs advertise there to get work.
6) Watts tube audio is now located at 2323 9th Ave N, St. Pete. He sells parts to build your own amp. here's his web site; http://www.turretboards.com/ He should know if anyone good is still out there.

Sorry I couldn't give you a simple and final answer, but I'm sure you'll nail it down from here, after all, you got Stevie nailed!!:stir

[Jay Strange]

Try this guy, Vintage Fender Tube Amp Repair
813 239 3361 Tony Polidori

[Gear Addict]

Try this guy, Vintage Fender Tube Amp Repair
813 239 3361 Tony Polidori

Is that a reccomendation Jay? or just something you came across?

[calcam]

I serviced/repaired/modded my amps for several years but I seem to spend more time working on them then playing so I looked for a tech. I asked Tony P to do a cap job for me on my 65 Super Reverb ,and to my horror he replaced all the blue molded caps :eek: !!! and left the electro's in place :NUTS !!! The guy in Safety Harbor was OK but I don't think he is around anymore. I've since gone back to servicing my own amps. I've gotten into building amps lately. What are you looking to have done?

[Gear Addict]

I serviced/repaired/modded my amps for several years but I seem to spend more time working on them then playing so I looked for a tech. I asked Tony P to do a cap job for me on my 65 Super Reverb ,and to my horror he replaced all the blue molded caps :eek: !!! and left the electro's in place :NUTS !!! The guy in Safety Harbor was OK but I don't think he is around anymore. I've since gone back to servicing my own amps. I've gotten into building amps lately. What are you looking to have done?


See my plead for help thread for details.

http://www.thegearpage.net/board/showthread.php?t=435150

[Jay Strange]

Wow!! Guess that dudes out!!!

[pir8matt]

+1 on Watts Tube Audio. Ken does kits and he has a guy named Jay that does repairs/mods/etc. The number isn't on their website for some reason but its 727-388-3309. Jay's done a bunch of stuff for me including some custom pedals like an A/B/Y box with boost, and also a standalone fuzz pedal, and he did a blackface conversion for a friend of mine that really sounded excellent. Call 'em up!

[johnzias]

I asked Diversified once, when they were going to relace a cap on my '67 twin, that they use a Sprague, Mallory, or something on that level. They replied:

We use what we have!

[pir8matt]

I asked Diversified once, when they were going to relace a cap on my '67 twin, that they use a Sprague, Mallory, or something on that level. They replied:

We use what we have!

Not to keep harping on Watts - but they understand 'amp guys' there and would gladly install whatever specialty components were requested. They just built a killer plexi clone that the customer specified mercury magnetics transformers in, and it sounded great. We A/B'ed it against an original '69 plexi and it sounded damn close.

Point is, check Watts out. They've just been getting into doing more repairs lately and will treat you right.

[Gear Addict]

Thanks, I'll give them a call tomorrow.

[Gear Addict]

I called Watts, seemed like good guys. I'll be taking the amp to them this week. I'll post some feedback after dealing with them.

[FrankieSixxxgun]

Hey, what's wrong with the amp? I'm actually a pretty handy tech. If not, the best guy in the area I've found is actually on the other side of Orlando :(

[zif]

Anyone know what happened to RonSonic in Tampa? Now that I have a tube amp coming (Elmwood Modena M60) I am also highly interested in finding a good local tech!

The guy in Safety Harbor is gone, or at least that shop closed down.

[bmorelli]

good info guys! i take my guitars to legends and they suggested tony polidor at vintage fender tube amp repair. i've never used him, but i trust the guys at legends. my band is actually tracking at morrisound now so i'll ask who they suggest.

[FrankieSixxxgun]

Tony has been recommended to me too by Charles Scroggins who I use for all my guitar tech stuff. I trust Charles, so he might be worth checking out.

[Gear Addict]

Hey, what's wrong with the amp? I'm actually a pretty handy tech. If not, the best guy in the area I've found is actually on the other side of Orlando :(

Check out the link to the problem I'm having, that I posted earlier in this thread.

I'm sure the problem is in the output section of the amp. Rectifier possibly? It's acting like the bias jumped high and is hitting the power tubes really hard (in my relatively bad technical opinion).

I had the exact same reaction from my THD once, when I dropped in a pair of 5881's and turned the amp on before biasing it. The plate voltages were way beyond what it should have been and it produced the same effect as what I'm getting now.

[rocketop777]

Hey guys. I'm new to tube amps. I read tons and tons of info and did lots of research and found that for the money at the time a Crate V32 Palomino was a really good choice. I specifically love the Vox AC-30 type tones and I was trying to get as close to that as possible for the least amount of money. I did good.

The problem is this. I'll have the amp on and its been warming up for about 15 - 30 mins. Its started to develop a small hum that wasn't there before. Then all of a sudden, without me doing anything, the amp will hum ridiculously loud. I mean like as loud or louder than the sound of my guitar coming through. I turn the amp to stand-by then turn it back on, then the hum is gone. But a couple minutes later, its back.

Hopefully this is something you guys have had experience with or at least know what I causing it. I need to find a tech myself to do it, but I don't want to drive clear to Clearwater to have someone look at it first. But if I have to I have to. Maybe its a tube going bad (good news, cheap fix) or if its a transformer, or something else?

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

-Josh

[Marshall Man]

Encore Music in Port Richey has a tech that works in a separate location. I had the tech fix my Laney GH100L that I used to have; did a good job and was very fair.

[DaBreeze]

Check out the link to the problem I'm having, that I posted earlier in this thread.

I'm sure the problem is in the output section of the amp. Rectifier possibly? It's acting like the bias jumped high and is hitting the power tubes really hard (in my relatively bad technical opinion).

I had the exact same reaction from my THD once, when I dropped in a pair of 5881's and turned the amp on before biasing it. The plate voltages were way beyond what it should have been and it produced the same effect as what I'm getting now.
I checked your other thread, loud hum? A loud hum is typical of bad filter caps, and all old Fenders go through this. Check to see if they have been replaced; they are under the metal cover with 4 phillips screws located between your pre-amp tubes and the front panel. The original caps are yellowish paper normally with some oil leakage; new caps are usually blue Sprague atoms. If you plan to keep the amp, and the filter caps are original, go ahead and replace them now; and you may get lucky and solve the hum problem at the same time.

[Gear Addict]

I had thought that it might be the caps as well but they were replaced about 3 years ago (by the original owner, confirmed by date codes).

It's in the shop at Watt's tube audio in St. Pete, we'll see how they do.

[Ramblin390]

Johnny's house of guitars in Largo has always done me right
hes been in biz-for 2-3 decades-I think this is his website
http://www.johnnysguitars.com/

[pir8matt]

Johnny's house of guitars in Largo has always done me right
hes been in biz-for 2-3 decades-I think this is his website
http://www.johnnysguitars.com/

The website is still up, but that particular retail location (on seminole blvd) has been closed for a few years now, if thats the one you're talking about.

I think he still has a repair shop and deals vintage stuff on eBay and other channels, but I'm pretty sure he doesn't have a brick and mortar store anymore.

[frankencat]

Encore Music in Port Richey has a tech that works in a separate location. I had the tech fix my Laney GH100L that I used to have; did a good job and was very fair.

That is edster (a TGP member) and I concur. Good work, reasonable prices and turnaround.

[Gear Addict]

Just an update.

I called Jay at Watt's Tube Audio last week and he said he'd be happy to check it out, so I inquired as to the store hours and he said 10-4 mon - fri...ouch! I work standard office hours 8-5. I think Jay heard the dismay in my voice and said that he would be happy to drive over to the shop on the weekend, whenever I like, to drop off the amp. Fantastic!

Met up with him on sat afternoon in the parking lot of Watts and he asked me some general questions about the problem, at which time I also mentioned that the Tremolo was running a little fast and asked if he could take a look at that as well.

got a call back from him yesterday (3 working days later) said he had found that one of the paper caps in the bias circuit had gone bad and was the culprit. Also the Temolo cap's value had drifted and was causing the fast oscillation and that he would fix it.

Today he called and said that it was all done, he sent pics of the entire inside of the chassis (which he said was in amazing original condition), he replaced the bad bias cap with a new sprague and put a 3 way rotory knob in place of the master volume knob (non original obviously) that was sitting in the back of the chassis dissconnected. He wired the 3 way switch to add in 1 or 2 more caps in parrallel with the original tremolo cap, which will adjust the base speed of the oscillation down slower and slower depending on the switch position (rate knob still works as well).

He said he would be will ing to deliver the amp to me (20 miles away) tomorrow if I like.

Anyway we'll see how it sounds when I get it back but +1 for friendly service and fast turnaround.

[Jay Strange]

Just an update.

I called Jay at Watt's Tube Audio last week and he said he'd be happy to check it out, so I inquired as to the store hours and he said 10-4 mon - fri...ouch! I work standard office hours 8-5. I think Jay heard the dismay in my voice and said that he would be happy to drive over to the shop on the weekend, whenever I like, to drop off the amp. Fantastic!

Met up with him on sat afternoon in the parking lot of Watts and he asked me some general questions about the problem, at which time I also mentioned that the Tremolo was running a little fast and asked if he could take a look at that as well.

got a call back from him yesterday (3 working days later) said he had found that one of the paper caps in the bias circuit had gone bad and was the culprit. Also the Temolo cap's value had drifted and was causing the fast oscillation and that he would fix it.

Today he called and said that it was all done, he sent pics of the entire inside of the chassis (which he said was in amazing original condition), he replaced the bad bias cap with a new sprague and put a 3 way rotory knob in place of the master volume knob (non original obviously) that was sitting in the back of the chassis dissconnected. He wired the 3 way switch to add in 1 or 2 more caps in parrallel with the original tremolo cap, which will adjust the base speed of the oscillation down slower and slower depending on the switch position (rate knob still works as well).

He said he would be will ing to deliver the amp to me (20 miles away) tomorrow if I like.

Anyway we'll see how it sounds when I get it back but +1 for friendly service and fast turnaround.

I love when I hear of service such as this!!
I'll be usin' those dudes in the future for sure.

[Gear Addict]

Got the amp back today and sounds fantastic, I reccomend Jay at Watts to anyone who needs a tech in the area.

[pir8matt]

Got the amp back today and sounds fantastic, I reccomend Jay at Watts to anyone who needs a tech in the area.

I toldja they'd do right by you! Glad to hear its working well.

[bmorelli]

awesome, thanks for keeping us posted!