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longest time a tech has had your gear?
Posted: Tue Feb 04, 2014 9:07 pm
by John Matrix
My amp has been in the shop for over two months now and the guy still doesn't know what's wrong with it. This seems absurd to me, but I was chatting with a dude in a music store the other day and his response to my complaint as "sounds normal." Really!? Anyway, what do you guys think? What's the longest your stuff has been in the shop? Am I the crazy one here?
Re: longest time a tech has had your gear?
Posted: Tue Feb 04, 2014 9:18 pm
by D.o.S.
A week, maybe?
Re: longest time a tech has had your gear?
Posted: Tue Feb 04, 2014 10:03 pm
by oldangelmidnight
I had an amp problem that a tech couldn't replicate in the shop and he held onto it for a couple of months. He never figured it out so I took it home.
(As it turns out, it needed a new reverb tank which I did myself.)
Re: longest time a tech has had your gear?
Posted: Tue Feb 04, 2014 10:46 pm
by jasonmitsch
I've had 2 mackie thump pa speakers in the shop since October. They were under warranty so they popped the amps out and sent them back to mackie. I ask about once a month what's the status and they're still waiting on mackie to send them back.
Re: longest time a tech has had your gear?
Posted: Wed Feb 05, 2014 12:52 am
by zRobertez
About 6 months. But was an issue with the manufacturer. The shop guys were nice and put me first in line as they got the parts one by one. It sucked. The first was about 3 months. That was the shop though. The part was faulty and took it back. It was there for almost the 6 months until he got the parts he ordered
Re: longest time a tech has had your gear?
Posted: Wed Feb 05, 2014 2:29 am
by Casavettes
I had a crackling sound going on in my amp
Took it to the shop
Got it back 4 hours later
I guess it depends on the problem?
Or how good the tech is
Re: longest time a tech has had your gear?
Posted: Wed Feb 05, 2014 3:26 am
by rfurtkamp
More than a couple weeks needs explanation: "manufacturer is replacing, sending parts, etc" or simply "I can't fix it."
Those four words are the hardest for any tech to say but frankly they should say it more often after a bit.
Re: longest time a tech has had your gear?
Posted: Wed Feb 05, 2014 4:14 am
by AxAxSxS
The guy I go to (when it's something that I don't want to do myself/amp is worth having an expert do it) does awesome work and has stacks of amps waiting for work every time I've been up there. Longest he's had anything was 2 weeks. I totally agree that anything more than that should come with an explanation. Parts been ordered, fine. I just havn't gotten to it, go get your stuff back.
Re: longest time a tech has had your gear?
Posted: Wed Feb 05, 2014 4:19 am
by whiskey_face
4 or 5 months? but it was waiting on parts from mercury. . .
Re: longest time a tech has had your gear?
Posted: Wed Feb 05, 2014 8:54 am
by skullservant
When I was in college I somehow got an old Hammond Amp that I had a guy try to convert to a guitar head (this was before I got into building)
Dude honestly didn't seem to know what he was doing and it was to the point where I forgot that he had it. He still has it haha. It's been like 4 years now. I figure just leave it alone at this point
Re: longest time a tech has had your gear?
Posted: Wed Feb 05, 2014 9:48 am
by goroth
jasonmitsch wrote:I've had 2 mackie thump pa speakers in the shop since October. They were under warranty so they popped the amps out and sent them back to mackie. I ask about once a month what's the status and they're still waiting on mackie to send them back.
Had similar problems with mackie. Otherwise I'd say a 2 week turn around is pretty normal.
Re: longest time a tech has had your gear?
Posted: Wed Feb 05, 2014 10:50 am
by onyxrhino
Last year, I decided to get my favorite guitar professionally set up, just basically because I was curious what kind of difference it could make. They told me it would take about two weeks to get to it. After three weeks, I started calling them about it. Finally, after multiple calls, the tech calls me back and tells me "Sorry, but when I was adjusting the neck, I screwed up and accidentally cracked it. But it's fine, just paint damage, so we're having it repainted." But I was told it would take 2 months for the paint to dry properly. After 3 months, I started calling them again. I kept getting "Yeah, it's almost ready, give me until next week." Finally after about 6 months total had passed, they told me I could pick it up the next day. When I went to pick it up, the guy tells me he still has to finish setting it up and needs a couple more hours. So I have to come back later and pick it up.
Obviously, I ended up not paying a dime for any of this, and the guitar is fine now, but I didn't have it for 6 months. I've pretty much given up on ever having any gear serviced or repaired in my town again, because every time, no matter who I deal with, there is some kind of fuck up.
Re: longest time a tech has had your gear?
Posted: Wed Feb 05, 2014 10:55 am
by skullservant
Wow, that's really awful

Re: longest time a tech has had your gear?
Posted: Wed Feb 05, 2014 10:56 am
by odontophobia
This Friday will mark a month of having my RedBear in the shop.
There was nothing wrong with it, just wanted to have the tubes changed, maybe new caps and a good cleaning.

Re: longest time a tech has had your gear?
Posted: Wed Feb 05, 2014 11:24 am
by revancha
I have an SVT that was in the shop for 8 months. The tech started to fix a problem caused by the previous tech to work on it, and spent the rest of the time trying to find a grounding problem, He basically didn't charge me for the time (just parts), and gave me a few pedal clones he built for the inconvenience.
Generally the best techs out here have 6 week wait times, which feels totally reasonable to me now. live and learn.