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Howdy y'all, need to get the PRS Sonzera 20 I bought serviced as there's a bloody great hole in one of the tubes - I can see it from the back of the amp. It's also humming like a fridge which is probably why the guy was selling for 400 bucks instead of the normal 500-550ish.

Overall it's a nice amp and just needs a service and a clean up, any suggestions for someone in the greater LA or San Diego areas? I don't really want to have to trudge too far north but I'm close to the main Freeways for LA/SD.

Jeff Snyder was always the guy in N County SD. Let me check. My old guitarist works at a shop in Vista and I am pretty sure Jeff does their work. Not sure if you are closer to LA or SD. I can ask around some friends about LA (One guy I know in particular will no quality people for sure)

I know a guy in Bordeaux France.

it's a dying art, especially in SoCal in my experience. i've still yet to get my marshall up to Orange County to the one authorized repair shop within 90 minutes of here (the one in Riverside closed, and the North County San Diego guy said he couldn't work on it).

Mickie, if you've got a guy, i'm all ears

dots wrote: ↑Wed Nov 15, 2023 3:43 pm it's a dying art, especially in SoCal in my experience. i've still yet to get my marshall up to Orange County to the one authorized repair shop within 90 minutes of here (the one in Riverside closed, and the North County San Diego guy said he couldn't work on it).

Mickie, if you've got a guy, i'm all ears

Ill reach out to Vintage Guitar Workshop and see what they do.

Ill let you guys know. If I know them it wont be quick.

mickie08 wrote: ↑Wed Nov 15, 2023 5:31 pm

dots wrote: ↑Wed Nov 15, 2023 3:43 pm it's a dying art, especially in SoCal in my experience. i've still yet to get my marshall up to Orange County to the one authorized repair shop within 90 minutes of here (the one in Riverside closed, and the North County San Diego guy said he couldn't work on it).

Mickie, if you've got a guy, i'm all ears

Ill reach out to Vintage Guitar Workshop and see what they do.

Ill let you guys know. If I know them it wont be quick.

mickie08 wrote: ↑Wed Nov 15, 2023 5:31 pm

dots wrote: ↑Wed Nov 15, 2023 3:43 pm it's a dying art, especially in SoCal in my experience. i've still yet to get my marshall up to Orange County to the one authorized repair shop within 90 minutes of here (the one in Riverside closed, and the North County San Diego guy said he couldn't work on it).

Mickie, if you've got a guy, i'm all ears

Ill reach out to Vintage Guitar Workshop and see what they do.

Ill let you guys know. If I know them it wont be quick.

Thanks Mickie. There's a dude up in North LA, http://www.yelp.com/biz/blankenship-am ... Amp+Repair this guy - who does some spicy looking Tweed and Marshall JMP-50 copies for 2k-ish mark - if he's in business I'll see if I can get some videos if/when I visit him. Website design is old enough to be my father but it's also timestamped 2023 at the bottom so seems he might be active.

dots wrote: ↑Wed Nov 15, 2023 7:43 pm

mickie08 wrote: ↑Wed Nov 15, 2023 5:31 pm

dots wrote: ↑Wed Nov 15, 2023 3:43 pm it's a dying art, especially in SoCal in my experience. i've still yet to get my marshall up to Orange County to the one authorized repair shop within 90 minutes of here (the one in Riverside closed, and the North County San Diego guy said he couldn't work on it).

Mickie, if you've got a guy, i'm all ears

Ill reach out to Vintage Guitar Workshop and see what they do.

Ill let you guys know. If I know them it wont be quick.

did the googling, found the shop, sent a note. hopefully, they can do something at least. i'll report back how it goes.

http://vgwguitar.com/

We just parted ways a few months.ago. my guess is they will be pricey but if they.can do it they will get it done right. We split on amicable but weird terms. Not aure a name drop would be helpful. .

gotcha. they haven't replied back yet either, so we'll see.

Rhysyrhys wrote: ↑Mon Nov 13, 2023 12:59 am Howdy y'all, need to get the PRS Sonzera 20 I bought serviced as there's a bloody great hole in one of the tubes - I can see it from the back of the amp. It's also humming like a fridge which is probably why the guy was selling for 400 bucks instead of the normal 500-550ish.

Overall it's a nice amp and just needs a service and a clean up, any suggestions for someone in the greater LA or San Diego areas? I don't really want to have to trudge too far north but I'm close to the main Freeways for LA/SD.

Sounds like it just needs some new tubes and maybe a rebias? Don't need no tech for that, geez.

http://forums.prsguitars.com/threads/p ... ent.40624/

Doog wrote: ↑Fri Jan 12, 2024 9:03 pm

Rhysyrhys wrote: ↑Mon Nov 13, 2023 12:59 am Howdy y'all, need to get the PRS Sonzera 20 I bought serviced as there's a bloody great hole in one of the tubes - I can see it from the back of the amp. It's also humming like a fridge which is probably why the guy was selling for 400 bucks instead of the normal 500-550ish.

Overall it's a nice amp and just needs a service and a clean up, any suggestions for someone in the greater LA or San Diego areas? I don't really want to have to trudge too far north but I'm close to the main Freeways for LA/SD.

Sounds like it just needs some new tubes and maybe a rebias? Don't need no tech for that, geez.

http://forums.prsguitars.com/threads/pr ... ent.40624/

Can I actually do that myself? I always thought it was a fraught business to pull off

Obviously it depends on the amp, but it can just literally be a case of putting a multimeter on a few points (that are generally accessible and not buried) and moving a similarly accessible trimpot until both tubes show the right reading.

I did this on my Marshall DSL50 many times as a relatively clueless 20-something with a bit of 2000s-ass HARMONY CENTRAL GEOCITIES ASK JEEVES info, I'm sure you'll have no bother.

http://d159anurvk4929.cloudfront.net/d ... Manual.pdf

The manual doesn't given any DIRECT instructions (QUALIFIED TECHNICIANS ONLY), but I'm sure there's some images or videos online somewhere where you could suss out how easy it is on this specific amp.

EDIT: there you go; 6:10 here, looks easy:

I've always been a bit of a coward, but with a second hand amp would it not be an idea to get it a once over? Is a massive hole appearing in the side of a tube a normal wear and tear type thing, or a possible symptom of something else going on?

It's most likely that the previous owner (or whoever) touched the tube directly, leaving GROSS SKIN OILS on it, which will cause that 'hotspotting', I forget the proper term. That, potentially in combo with an overly-keen bias setting, can take a tube out; those things get hot, Watts.