Amp Repairs

Your amplifier needs regular service just like guitars and basses do. A neglected amplifier can not only be unreliable, it can also become a potentially lethal hazard in some cases. It's a good idea to have it looked at by a professional every so often, especially if you rely on it as a working musician.

Specialising in valve guitar amplifiers, I have the necessary equipment and experience to ensure your amp will be as safe and reliable as possible.

This includes light servicing and preventive maintenance all the way through to full restorations, rebuilds, modifications, cabinet repairs and more.

I also repair solid state gear, pedals and pro-audio equipment, assemble kits, build custom cables (instrument, speaker, microphone etc) and more, so please get in touch if you have other gear to look at.

I do not currently accept work on Hi-Fi gear (receivers, hifi amps, cassette players, turntables etc) or powered speakers, sorry!

Price guide below. All listed prices include GST, and are subject to change without notice:

A comprehensive service, including preventive maintenance of your amplifier can cost anywhere between $350-600 (not including valves) depending on its age and condition. If you have a lower cost item, it can sometimes unfortunately make more economical sense to replace the unit you have with a new one - I can usually provide recommendations on replacement gear (hundreds of different items come through my workshop every year!)

All workmanship and parts (excluding valves) are guaranteed for 90 days from date of payment

- A minimum up-front bench fee of $115 applies to assess all electronic equipment, and is charged as the first hour of labour. My hourly labour rate onwards is $137.50, charged in quarter-hour blocks.

- Heavily soiled, dirty/dusty items will incur a cleaning fee of $68.75.

- A quote will be provided after assessment before carrying out any repairs, usually listing required repairs (safety stuff, broken things stopping sound from happening), and optional preventive maintenance, and upgrades for reliability/performance, cosmetic repairs, so you can choose the level of work to be done.

- Any jobs involving high-cost parts (ie transformers, speakers), or large scale restorations will generally require an agreed deposit amount to be paid in advance prior to commencing work.

Please read on for some pricing examples of some of the most common jobs and popular amplifier models I see in my workshop - other makes may have similar pricing and work required. Please note, overly complex and/or poorly designed circuits (ie Mesa, weird boutique stuff) can come in higher as it can be more time consuming to work on.

Replace broken power cable or switch, other single simple component:

Starting at $115 + part

General service:

Starting at $252.5 + parts

Check and tighten all hardware in chassis/cabinet,
Test speaker(s)
Test all valves
Measure components for drift/leakage/ripple
Remove circuit board(s) + inspect and reflow solder joints as necessary
Measure operating parameters, stress test
Report/quote on any other service items to be addressed
Light clean

Replace failed output valves:

Starting at $137.50 plus valves

-Install, set bias, burn-in + stress test new output valves.

Output valves are installed as matched sets and burned-in for at least 2 hours in-house to reduce premature failures occurring after it leaves the shop, as I cannot provide any warranty for valves.

Blues/Hot Rod Deluxe/DeVille:

Comprehensive service with all optional upgrades/ptv maintenance:

Appx $520 including parts, plus valves

Replace speaker cable (original is flimsy and not reliable for working musicians)
Test speaker(s)
Test valves on tester and in-circuit for microphonics, noise and stability
Tighten all hardware on chassis and cabinet/clean pots, jacks, switches etc
Check and reflow all solder joints where necessary
Light clean
Replace all electrolytic capacitors - the stock capacitors are usually low quality and can often fail not long after warranty period, sometimes while even still under warranty!
Rebuild low voltage supply - prone to causing pcb heat damage by design
Upgrade underrated resistors to high quality Vishay or Yageo equivalent value with higher voltage/power rating (common for the under-rated stock resistors to drift out of spec or fail open over time, especially in the DeVille power supply, and phase inverter plate load resistors)
Upgrade output screen grid resistor value to 3W 1K. Reducing the screen dissipation helps extend valve life with minimal to un-noticeable affect on sound, depending on use-case
Check/set output bias for optimal reliability vs performance
Burn-in, stress-test,
Record voltages, bias, power consumption, output power
Final test after reassembly

Some non-destructive tweaks to the sound of the amplifier can be made as well, such as taking the harsh brightness out of the reverb when dialed at lower settings or tightening up bottom end, with some simple component value changes - can be discussed upon request.

Other common service items can include but are not limited to replacing the power cable, broken reverb tank/cables, cabinet repairs, broken hardware replacement, etc. These items will appear on the quote as applicable

Blues Junior

Appx $450 including parts, plus valves

Similar items to above + if necessary replace heat damaged valve pcb with premium quality replacement, installed for appx $180, depending on availability

Fender '65 and '68 Custom Reissue:

Appx $560 including parts, plus valves

Similar repairs to the Blues/Hot Rod series, plus rewiring the heater supply, screen grids and control grid resistors off-board for reliability, and ease of future service. Also included is adding fly-back protection diodes and rectifier backup diodes where applicable, re-dressing the reverb driver socket wiring to lower noise on reverb, plus more

Some '68 Custom models, ie the Deluxe Reverb can also be modified for improved channel mixing, voicing and to the lower noise floor, quoted by request

Prices current as of 16/03/2026