Solid State Amps being... "recently serviced".

[Coilte]

In the vein of the "Never Been Gigged" thread. On many occasions I have come across people selling solid state heads that have been recently serviced. I am not an amp tech by any means, but I always assumed that these needed no attention, unless they are giving trouble...i.e. if it's not broken, no need to "fix" it.

I'm possibly wrong in this assumption, in which case I'm sure I'll be put right shortly.

[TimR]

Is 25 minutes shortly?

I found a spider inside my Trace Elliot cab. Along with lots of web and tons of dust.

Even if it's just to take the top off, clean it up and check for something about to vibrate loose, it's worth having a quick check.

Other than that, service, is a very general term.

[Geek99]

Could mean a good hoovering out and a squirt of cleaner in the pots/jacks

[chris_b]

A good tech will check voltages etc. MOSFETs can need biasing. Caps can be changed.

Not sure how any of this can be interpreted as a "problem".

[luckydog]

I take that to mean 'had a fault which was repaired', so would enquire as to what was repaired and try to gauge how well any work might have done.

LD

[Grangur]

[quote name='luckydog' timestamp='1470230116' post='3104291']
I take that to mean 'had a fault which was repaired', so would enquire as to what was repaired and try to gauge how well any work might have done.

LD
[/quote]
This ^
I would interpret this as the tech saying, as a closer on the description of works to be done, ".... and I'll give it a full service, so you can be sure it'll be ok".

[Twincam]

Recently inspected to me means been opened cleaned and given a once over by a tech.

Recently serviced means or should mean that upon inspection something was found to be out of spec or in need of replacement. And that work was then carried out.

[stingrayPete1977]

Quite often terminals shake loose,pots get scratchy, connections get tarnished and even fairly basic amps might have a pre amp valve that's working it's way out of the holder. Most include a PAT test cert too proving the fixed power lead and fuse are correct.

[4stringslow]

Anything can be 'serviced' if you're that way inclined and have money to burn, but imagine doing it for every bit of equipment you own.

No one has their TV or Hifi or fridge serviced do they, so why bother with a bass amp?

I'm with the above posters who equate 'recently serviced' to 'recently repaired'.

[RhysP]

Would PAT Testing come under the umbrella of being "recently serviced"?

[Grangur]

[quote name='RhysP' timestamp='1470256078' post='3104591']
Would PAT Testing come under the umbrella of being "recently serviced"?
[/quote]
No. I'm out of practice on this, but PAT testing is non-invasive. It simply tests the earth works and that it's not likely to cause anyone to get an electric shock from it if it were to fail.

[TimR]

[quote name='4stringslow' timestamp='1470254972' post='3104582']
Anything can be 'serviced' if you're that way inclined and have money to burn, but imagine doing it for every bit of equipment you own.

No one has their TV or Hifi or fridge serviced do they, so why bother with a bass amp?

I'm with the above posters who equate 'recently serviced' to 'recently repaired'.
[/quote]

My TV and fridge haven't moved an inch since I turned them on.

My amp however...

[tonyquipment]

Yeah recently serviced could just mean "it's been opened up and cleaned"

Although the term serviced does generally correlate to serviceable parts within - is there room for that to be an option?

[4stringslow]

[quote name='TimR' timestamp='1470258376' post='3104614']
My TV and fridge haven't moved an inch since I turned them on.

My amp however...
[/quote]

Your mobile phone is, er, mobile - do you have it serviced?

[drTStingray]

I guess I fall into this category of having an amp (Ashdown ABM) that has been manufacturer serviced. It first happened because I blew it up - left a coat sat over the top of it and it overheated and went pop - Guy at Ashdown, an excellent chap, serviced it while I sat and watched and replaced the faulty bits - he tested all the rest and vacuumed it and cleaned the pots - very thorough job. This was several years back - I'm going to take it again soon for a service as the valve circuit is a bit noisy and I would like it to all work perfectly. They use OE parts from the stores. It was also quite an eye opener whilst there as they were doing stuff for endorsees at the time including a band I hadn't heard of at the time - Biffy Clyro.

Perhaps it's like servicing a car - in my mind it's far better to have one serviced and certainly if you're buying a used one the letters fsh in the description are almost obligatory - even better by the manufacturer's dealer etc.

Similarly Rolex watches - if they're not serviced by an authorised outlet it invalidates the warranty.

Edited August 3, 2016 by drTStingray

[BassBunny]

Virtually every S/S Amp I have owned has a statement either on a sticker at the rear of the amp or in the Instructions saying, " Ther are no user servicable parts in this amp". So how do you service something with no servicable parts unless it is broken.
It doesn't need it and as pointed out you don't service TV's, Fridges, etc.

[TimR]

[quote name='4stringslow' timestamp='1470261091' post='3104656']


Your mobile phone is, er, mobile - do you have it serviced?
[/quote]

No. It's a sealed unit, everything inside is SMT and there are no moving parts.

I don't expect it to last more than 2 years although it has lasted 4 years. The headphone jack has failed and the mute switch isn't very happy. I could get it serviced/reapired but suspect Apple will just offer me a reconditioned unit.

We do actually have our fridges and freezers serviced at work but they're walk in and subject to quite a bit of abuse.

[TimR]

[quote name='BassBunny' timestamp='1470263844' post='3104686']
Virtually every S/S Amp I have owned has a statement either on a sticker at the rear of the amp or in the Instructions saying, " Ther are no user servicable parts in this amp". So how do you service something with no servicable parts unless it is broken.
It doesn't need it and as pointed out you don't service TV's, Fridges, etc.
[/quote]

The key is the word 'user'.

[SpondonBassed]

[quote name='RhysP' timestamp='1470256078' post='3104591']
Would PAT Testing come under the umbrella of being "recently serviced"?
[/quote]

No.

PAT (Portable Appliance Test) certification is a safety requirement for public liability insurance.

[Billy Apple]

I don't think servicing means repair. When I have my car serviced no repairs are made. If any repairs are necessary then they are identified at service, but the repair is outside the scope of the service.
I regularly have my valve heads serviced and the last two heads and pre-amp were found to be running correctly with no additional work or repairs needed. I class this as a service.

[4stringslow]

[quote name='TimR' timestamp='1470263864' post='3104687']
No. It's a sealed unit, everything inside is SMT and there are no moving parts.
[/quote]

How many moving parts inside a solid state guitar amp?

A fan maybe, but they don't need servicing as such. Even dust has to be really extreme before it causes a problem.

Service stuff by all means if you worry about such things but I've never bothered and haven't had loads of failures as a result.

[4stringslow]

[quote name='drTStingray' timestamp='1470263210' post='3104680']
I guess I fall into this category of having an amp (Ashdown ABM) that has been manufacturer serviced. It first happened because I blew it up - left a coat sat over the top of it and it overheated and went pop - Guy at Ashdown, an excellent chap, serviced it while I sat and watched and replaced the faulty bits
[/quote]

Isn't that a repair with a bit of incidental cleaning while the box was open? The problem was caused by the coat, not a lack of 'servicing'.


[quote name='drTStingray' timestamp='1470263210' post='3104680']
Perhaps it's like servicing a car - in my mind it's far better to have one serviced and certainly if you're buying a used one the letters fsh in the description are almost obligatory - even better by the manufacturer's dealer etc.

Similarly Rolex watches - if they're not serviced by an authorised outlet it invalidates the warranty.
[/quote]

Mechanical things are very different to solid state electronics, parts wear out and/or go out of adjustment. That doesn't happen with electronics.

[PaulWarning]

if it ain't broke don't fix it, if it is (scratchy pots), fix it, but there's nothing to service with no moving parts, most of the time the term 'service' is just a way to extract more money out of people, messing about with it is more likely to cause problems, but I'm just an old cynic

[TimR]

[quote name='4stringslow' timestamp='1470296661' post='3104784']


How many moving parts inside a solid state guitar amp?

A fan maybe, but they don't need servicing as such. Even dust has to be really extreme before it causes a problem.

Service stuff by all means if you worry about such things but I've never bothered and haven't had loads of failures as a result.
[/quote]

Maybe, but my amp sits on top of the cab and I've found nuts that have vibrated loose. Plus the spider incident posted above.

[Coilte]

[quote name='BassBunny' timestamp='1470263844' post='3104686']
Virtually every S/S Amp I have owned has a statement either on a sticker at the rear of the amp or in the Instructions saying, " Ther are no user servicable parts in this amp". So how do you service something with no servicable parts unless it is broken.
It doesn't need it and as pointed out you don't service TV's, Fridges, etc.
[/quote]

This is exactly what I was referring to in my OP. Also, as well as "recently" serviced, I have come across..."regularly" serviced. This would imply that people possibly pay techs to simply clean the amp.

Handy money.