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Author
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Topic: I've had it with Peavey
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Charles French
Member From: Ms.
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posted 24 December 2004 01:10 PM
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My Delta Blues amp has crapped out once again. I've had this thing in the shop 3 times. This fourth time will be for the same problem as the last time. I noticed the last time I played thru it that it sounded like crap. I was looking at it today and noticed all 3 12ax tubes are out. I replaced them with 3 new ones and still nothing. Likewise I have a Peavey XR 600 E mixer. The reverb has never worked. I've had it in the shop probably 3 times, they fix it and before I can get thru one nite it's out again. Well I guess it's time to go amp shopping and I won't be buying a pv! |
Tony Palmer
Member From: Lincoln, RI USA
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posted 24 December 2004 01:20 PM
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I wonder if some mfr's, no matter what product ...amp, steel, guitar, etc. should have a procedure to just throw in the towel sometimes and just replace a defect with a new unit?
I'm sure in the case of Peavey, it's not for lack of trying to fix it, but maybe some things can't be fixed.....??
In defense of Peavey, I've found the COMPANY to be highly reputable and responsive, but on the other hand, there's NO worse musician's nightmare than having an amp crap out on a gig. |
Bobby Rountree
Member From: San Angelo, Texas, USA
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posted 24 December 2004 01:31 PM
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I hope you have tried sending the amps to Peavey in Missippippi. I have sent several amps to them and the repairs were correct the first time and the price was surprisingly low. I had the same experience as you with a Fender amp that I loved....It went out. I Had it fixed by the
Fender dealer here twice...it was never returned to the original sound quality that it had. I finally gave up and sold it.
Perhaps Mike Brown at Peavey would like to weigh in on this one........Good Luck |
Dyke Corson
Member From: Urbana, IL USA
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posted 24 December 2004 01:35 PM
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I have sold MANY brands of gear at my stores and other stores I have worked at over the last 30+ years and have found NO company that stands behind their products better than Peavey. Have you ever sent your equipment back to the factory? Sometimes local shops are missing soemthing. Tubes go bad - that problem you will find with ANY company. The spring reverb pan problems are also common among other brands, most of them use the same parts. Please consider sending your gear to Meridian for a very reasonable solution to your problem, I think you will be very happy with the results. |
Al Terhune
Member From: Newcastle, WA
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posted 24 December 2004 01:37 PM
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Don't give up on Peavey. You have a lemmon, and they should replace it. I can't think of a better-built amp than the Peavey. But, as was said, with all manufacturers comes the occasional lemmon...Hang in there. In Peavey we Trust, Al |
Jack Stoner
Sysop From: Inverness, Florida
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posted 24 December 2004 02:20 PM
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I've done amp repair (in Nashville) and there are those that come back because the same thing failed. There are those that will come back because if has failed again but it's a totally unrelated problem but all the customer knows is "it's broke again" (and this is true for electronics, auto's or whatever). However, since you are apparently in Mississippi, a call to Mike Brown at Peavey and possibly a trip to Meridian to drop the units for repair. I highly recommend the factory repair shop, their prices are competitive and work is guaranteed. Mike Brown's toll free number is 1 (877) 732-8391 x 1180 |
Charles French
Member From: Ms.
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posted 24 December 2004 03:41 PM
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At this point I'm really just fed up with continually having trouble with this amp. You could say I've lost faith! Meridian is about a 3 hour drive one way. That makes 6 hours round trip just to drop it off. Count all the other 6 hour round trip drives plus gas. This is starting to be a losing proposition. The bad part is that I've got jobs to do and no amp. This amp cost me a job once already. Played in the middle of nowhere and the amp wouldn't make a sound and nowhere to borrow one. I'm about ready to run over it with my 4-wheel drive pickup. |
Bill Miller
Member From: Gaspé, Québec, Canada
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posted 24 December 2004 03:56 PM
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Well sending the amp back to the factory probably would be the solution for Charles but that's not always a practical solution. It certainly isn't in my case because to ship my Session 400 Ltd to Meridian and back would cost me a fortune. My problem with Peavey and a lot of other manufacturers is that they name authorized service centers for their brands which are not up to par due to inadequate training on specific brands or models. I believe that there needs to be tighter control over who gets to be an authorized service center. Additionally, the service centers should have to requalify on a regular basis as their in house personnel changes and new products emerge.
I say this because I sent my Session 400 Ltd to a Peavey authorized service center (Servicetek Electronics in Moncton, New Brunswick) to have a Peavey mod kit installed and to have an intermittent loss of connection problem tracked down and fixed. I specified that the connection problem was intermittent and asked to have the amp thoroughly tested until they isolated the problem. Well after spending a lot of money on shipping I got the amp back with the mod kit installed but the first time I turned it on I had exactly the same problem with the loss of conncection. (which according to Mike Brown is a simple matter of a switching jack staying open). I've since found a workaround which just involves using a patch cord to span the pre-EQ effects loop in and out jacks on the front panel. But the point is I paid a lot of cash to this "authorized" Peavey repairer and through either ignorance or carelessness they didn't fix my amp. When I contacted them about it they offered to take a second look but they refused to pay to ship it back to them. I wonder how many of these places there are?
I like Peavey products and in a lot of ways I think they do a good job, but they really need to have much higher standards for their service centers. [This message was edited by Bill Miller on 24 December 2004 at 03:56 PM.] [This message was edited by Bill Miller on 24 December 2004 at 04:12 PM.] |
Al Terhune
Member From: Newcastle, WA
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posted 24 December 2004 05:35 PM
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Well, Charles, I certainly know what it's like to be at the end of my rope with an entity I'm paying money to, whether it's a restaurant or manufacturer, and I've burned my share of bridges (with no regrets), so, maybe it's just time to say to hell with Peavey and move on to another reputable tube amp maker (if you want to stick with tubes). Personally, as I've kind of stated, I'm a HUGE Peavey fan and sing their praise every day. I love all the stories of how they've fallen down flights of stairs, fallen off the backs of moving trucks, etc., and still work. Sorry you got a explative deleted one.Good luck, and Merry Christmas! Al[This message was edited by Joey Ace on 25 December 2004 at 05:10 PM.] |
Jack Stoner
Sysop From: Inverness, Florida
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posted 25 December 2004 03:24 AM
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Being an "Authorized" repair center does not automatically mean they are "super techs" and will fix everything correctly or even know about all the known issues with a certain model. I was the "factory repair center" for Ampeg in the early 70's in Nashville (Little Roy Wiggins Music Store). I had a lot of the "tech bulletins" but not all and had a good stock of Ampeg spare parts, but it still came down to my technical ability and how I did a repair job. There is no "factory training", just the tech's own ability. e.g. I've done several Nashville 400 "mod kits" and when I do one, along with replacing the parts supplied in the kit I also check all jacks, clean all the pots, clean the Molex connectors, check the power supply and filters,etc, not just repace the parts and put it back together. There are many amp repair centers that would only do what the amp was in there for (such as the mod kit) and nothing more. As far as being 3 hours from Meridian, that is really not a big issue. That close, I'd rather just take it in, than pack it up and ship it and hope it makes it there in one piece. Also, when you take it in, you can talk to the techs and explain what the problem is and the history. I now do a lot of PC support and I hear "horror stories" from users about EVERY PC vendor, Printer vendor, etc. Some are justified but most are "self inflicted" problems that are blamed on the PC. I used to manage a large network and a hardware help desk and almost all the "repeat problem" machines were caused either by the users or the environment (AC power Air Conditioning (lack of), etc, not "lemon" PC's. |
Larry Behm
Member From: Oregon City, Oregon
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posted 25 December 2004 08:28 AM
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Charles send the amp head only to PV for repair. Buy another amp or amp head of choice and take it with you as a spare. Buy a DI so you can run right into the PA should this happen again. These are just a few options for the future. Just because you have other newer gear does not mean you will not ever have a problem like this again. Larry Behm |
Charles French
Member From: Ms.
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posted 25 December 2004 12:12 PM
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Well I dragged my old 64 Super out of the closet. I thought I had problems with it. Turned out to be one of the tubes. I scratched up 2 6l6's and a 5U4 Ruby tubes. Stuck em in and man that thang is kickin!! Not bad for a 30 year old amp. They don't make em like they use to!!Jack wrote "As far as being 3 hours from Meridian, that is really not a big issue" Let's see---> 3 hrs drive time, an hour to drop it off, 3 hrs drive back= 7 hrs drive, plus a tank & a half of gas at 1.74 a gallon times a 28 gallon tank= $73.08 times going back to pick it up = 14 hrs of driving and 146.16 in gas, plus repair cost! "Not a big issue"---> Is to me!
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Mike Simpson
Member From: Gilbert, Arizona, USA
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posted 25 December 2004 01:37 PM
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You had a 64 super in the closet and you were playin through a peavey delta?
Sounds like you had the wrong amp in the closet all along...  ------------------
Big Mike http://www.blueswizards.net [This message was edited by Mike Simpson on 25 December 2004 at 01:38 PM.]
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Charles French
Member From: Ms.
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posted 25 December 2004 02:03 PM
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Yea, I know Mike. I love that Super. I bought the Peavey for a spare and started using it more to cut down on beating my Fender around in the back of a pickup truck. Still that's no excuse. I need to get a road case for the Super and ah young strong back to lug that heavy muther around.By the way, a friend of mine told me there was a guy in Nashville that can really tweak my Super. Can't recall who it is at this moment. |
Mike Simpson
Member From: Gilbert, Arizona, USA
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posted 25 December 2004 02:26 PM
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Charles, Yeah a road case takes a lot of the work out of hauling a super around. I bought my case off of ebay. Be sure and get the one with the larger blue wheels. The one with 3/8 ply is $289 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=38074&item=3771209360&rd=1 and the one with 1/4 ply is $249 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=38074&item=3770305736&rd=1 I have 3 supers (I just sold one, had 4) and I love 'em. I confess... I'm a Fender Amp-a-holic... ------------------
Big Mike
http://www.blueswizards.net |
Jack Francis
Member From: Mesa, Arizona, USA
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posted 25 December 2004 03:05 PM
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I have mentioned the identical problems that I had with the "Authorized Peavey Repair" here in Mesa...(MANY trips and much $$ to
M-TRONICS.)
Finally sent my NV-400 to Peavey and it works
great now.
Better training for thier service people out here would be REAL nice. |
Mike Simpson
Member From: Gilbert, Arizona, USA
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posted 25 December 2004 07:13 PM
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For the record all of the peavey stuff I've had has always worked with no problems.Jack, Did you or your family used to live in Casa Grande? ------------------
Big Mike
http://www.blueswizards.net |
Jack Francis
Member From: Mesa, Arizona, USA
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posted 25 December 2004 08:22 PM
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Mike...
Originally from the Bay Area..to Reno area, then to Mesa in 1990.
Jack |
Dyke Corson
Member From: Urbana, IL USA
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posted 25 December 2004 09:27 PM
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Charles if you just send the chassis out of the amp it won't cost much at all to ship it. You can bet Peavey's bill won't be a big one! |
Scott Appleton
Member From: Half Moon Bay, California, USA
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posted 25 December 2004 11:04 PM
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had a session 500 for 10 years and it developed a intermittant. it took 3 dismantlings to find the problem. the Modualr jacks were corroded. so I cleaned them and it worked untll i sold it.
I had a black face twinn that i had trouble with the
transformer .. blew a few speakers .. fried the choke when someone splashed a beer in the back .. that amp sounded great but it had problems.
i think its part of the gig .. allways carry two amps to a gig that is too far from your house to replace.
I have one of the old acoustic 100 w tube amps and i really love its sound for 6 string instruments .. but it
craps out now and again. i paid 100 $ in a resale shop and put another 100 $ into it. My backup amp is a flextone and that thing never quits. I just got a Peavey nashville 112 for steel so i will be carring
the flextone and the 112 to gigs from now on.
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Mullen S12 Almost Mooney
71 Tele, Regal 45
Sho Bud S10 NP
Line 6 Flextone 3 + JBL D130, Nash 112 |
Frank Parish
Member From: Nashville,Tn. USA
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posted 26 December 2004 05:40 AM
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I've got a man here that so far has fixed every Peavey or Fender I sent to him and at a price you can live with. He specializes in Wurlitzer and Fender Rhodes piano repairs/rebuilds too. You can find some pretty old pianos with that old tone you're looking for from time to time at his shop. I recently had an old Musicman over there and it works perfectly now and again at a price I could live with. You need somebody that has either built these amps or really knows their stuff when it comes to what you're working with. I'd send it back to Peavey and if they can't fix it, then trash it. I had an old 7 channel stereo PA head that had a high pitch ringing I couldn't get fixed and Hartley Peavey replaced it with a new one when he heard it himself. Here's three places to send it.Far Out Music in or very near Clarksville, Indiana. (maybe Sellersburg) Get in touch with Kenny Deewees. He's been a dealer for over 20 years and has a 3 day turnaround on anything but Hammond organs and he fixes them too. Peavey Electronics-Meridian Mississippi
Mike Brown Darrell Combs-Nashville, Tennessee
615-262-5419
I go to Darrell for most everything in amps and so far never had to go anywhere else. Darrell's been fixing this stuff for me for over 20 years and has a guy that helps him keep up when he gets behind and he knows his stuff too. He won't work on Evans amps.
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Jon Light
Member From: Brooklyn, NY
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posted 26 December 2004 06:00 AM
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Just a semi-obvious reality----any world-class high volume (quantity, not loudness) operation needs to have a wide service network. But that doesn't guarantee a competent service network. As Jack says (sort of), you can put together a service team with credentials up the wazoo but that doesn't mean you they will know squat about looking at an amp and figuring what's wrong and how to fix it (look at how many idiots have Harvard or Yale MBA's who couldn't balance their own checkbooks).
I'm sure it drives PV nuts to hear stories like this.
Their track record for amps that can take the abuse we dish out is pretty good. The occasional unit that just can't take it is, I suppose, inevitable.Just remember, after rattling that Fender around in the pickup, to seat those tubes back in the sockets nice before plugging it in. And remember not to lift with your back. Or with your legs. Lift with your rented teenage roadie.
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Charles French
Member From: Ms.
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posted 26 December 2004 07:28 AM
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I probably shouldn't have posted this message. I'm sure Peavey is a reputable company and will stand behind their products. I was just so tee'd off when this amp went out again. The amp is only 3 or 4 years old and to have this much trouble is distressing. It's not like I can just run down the street to have it repaired. I live 120 miles from the nearest Peavey dealer.Between this amp and the mixer I mentioned that the reverb has never worked in, I've just lost faith in the reliability of the newer products. I will have to say you couldn't beat old Peavey. I had a Bandit amp that never gave me a minute of trouble. Also the old mixers were virtually indestructible. I have two SP-5G speakers that I am very pleased with. But then everyone I know that has the new 4-6 channel mixers have the same problem with the xlr connectors pulling out of the sockets. So why is this a problem with the newer mixers? I'd like to know why the older Peavey products were more reliable than the new. Most everyone I know have the same concerns with the newer mixers vs the older ones. I've never heard anyone comment on how indestructible the new mixers are. Every mixer I see has most of the mic sockets missing. Ok, I didn't mean to get on a bash, just expressing my concerns. I don't have a vendetta toward Peavey and I'm probably a minority in dis-satisfaction. I understand that all electronics are subject to problems. I initially bought from Peavey because of dependibility and price. But with repeated problems with 2 out of the 3 products I have has caused me to think otherwise. |
Gary Carriger
Member From: Corpus Christi, Texas, USA
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posted 26 December 2004 08:22 AM
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Charles,
I can understand the frustration of mutliple attempts at amp repair. Had the same problems trying to get an older Session 400 repaired in Corpus...took it to several repair shops (some more than once). They never came close to success.
Took the head part out and shipped back to Peavy....no problem. In about a week and half, my amp was back and continues to work great after about 4 years.
Send it to Peavy.....
Gary |
Jon Jaffe
Member From: Austin, Texas
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posted 26 December 2004 10:02 AM
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Charles, Peavey is in Mississippi and you are in Mississippi. Shipping an amp has to be more cost effective than driving. Peavey is one of the few large to medium scale vertical (they make most of their stuff and assemble it in the same place) manufacturers left in this country. Their feature/price ratio has always been superb. They have had dedicated steel guitar products for at least 30 years. To me the quality has become better over that time. A call to Meridian will always get a person on the other end of the line that cares. Give them another chance, this is a home grown company we need to support. |
James Cann
Member From: Phoenix, AZ (heart still in Boston)
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posted 26 December 2004 01:34 PM
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"Buy a DI so you can run right into the PA should this happen again."
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Well put, Larry B. One of the wisest ideas I've ever seen on the forum. |
Charles French
Member From: Ms.
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posted 26 December 2004 02:18 PM
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"Buy a DI so you can run right into the PA should this happen again."Hehe! I'll just take my Super from now on, da hell with wear and tear. |
James Cann
Member From: Phoenix, AZ (heart still in Boston)
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posted 26 December 2004 07:04 PM
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"Buy a DI so you can run right into the PA should this happen again."
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Hey, don't get me wrong. Either a Super or a DeVille 410 would suit me just fine! |
John Macy
Member From: Denver, CO USA
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posted 26 December 2004 10:43 PM
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While I understand your frustration, it's kind of a bad time of year to take a swipe at Peavey. Regardless of whether you like or use their products, Mike Brown is a stand up guy and an major asset to this community, and is always quick to handle problems like this. I imagine his lack of input on this thread is due to him taking some much needed R&R over the holiday season. Do a thread search on his name and you'll verify this quickly. Get in touch with him if in the unlikely senario that he does not see this thread. He is a true gentleman, and I am sure he will be of assistance...  [This message was edited by John Macy on 27 December 2004 at 08:41 PM.] |
Jack Francis
Member From: Mesa, Arizona, USA
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posted 27 December 2004 05:12 AM
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I don't believe that anyone here is taking a "Swipe" at Peavey.They build quality products and Mr Brown and his folks are great. The problem we have to deal with is the local service people that can't seem to diagnose a problem and correct it. They are probably also doing the same shoddy work on Fender, Mesa-Boogie and any other equipment that they are "AUTHORIZED" to work on. I would think that some of the problems are "Brand Specific" and Peavey would be in a position to understand that these problems are occuring and give thier service reps a heads-up concering these problems. Our problem is that it takes time to send our equipment to Peavey when we need it for a gig..the local folks should be competent enough to get our stuff fixed and back to us so we can go play. We are all fans of the quality products that Peavey builds and the way the company promptly deals with us. (In spite of thier UGLY logo.)
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John Daugherty
Member From: Rolla, Missouri, USA
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posted 27 December 2004 05:25 AM
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I have also HAD IT WITH PEAVEY!
I have HAD the best amps I ever used, I have HAD the best service in the world, I have HAD phone calls from Mike Brown where he went above and beyond the call of duty.
This all adds up to "I HAVE HAD THE BEST" from Mike Brown and Peavey........JD |
Bob Knight
Member From: Bowling Green KY
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posted 27 December 2004 05:36 AM
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I concur with John Daugherty, Peavey is always there when the others aren't.Thanks to Mike and all the Guys in Meridan. Bob
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Al Terhune
Member From: Newcastle, WA
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posted 27 December 2004 07:23 AM
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...am I the only person who actually likes Peavey's old, 70's logo? |
Ken Fox
Member From: Ray City, GA USA
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posted 27 December 2004 08:13 AM
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Love that logo! I am a over thirty year Peavey supporter myself. Love the service and the products. Mike Brown has been the best friend to our steel community we could ask for.We all get discouraged at times when something breaks, but I am sure it can be made right. Peavey has come through for me on repairs many times. Don't give up on them yet! If they repaired it before for the same problem, I'll bet if you call on this they will send a UPS call-tag and pick it up for repair. They have done it for me before. |
Ted Hughes
Member From: Ms. USA
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posted 27 December 2004 08:59 AM
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What Ken said . Mike Brown is the Best . Just let him know . He will take care of it . Peavey has allways stood behind everything for me . They have got the best service dept to. |
Chris Schlotzhauer
Member From: Colleyville, Tx. USA
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posted 27 December 2004 09:09 AM
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Charles, I think the Delta Blues IS a lemon. No offense to Peavey. I have paid for mine 3 times over with all the repairs I've spent more money on tubes, power transformers, fuses than it is worth. It sits in my studio now for my use only (I won't let my son or his band members touch it). Actually, when it works, it's a good sounding amp. If mine goes out again, it will be taken to the curb.
However, I play a NV400, which I love and is my amp of choice. I own a NV1000, which is OK with the right processing ahead of it. And I own an old Session 400, which sits in my garage for a backup/antique. So I'm a Peavey guy all the way, but the DB is definitely a lemon (IMHO). |
Bill Miller
Member From: Gaspé, Québec, Canada
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posted 27 December 2004 09:29 AM
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Jack writes : "I don't believe that anyone here is taking a "Swipe" at Peavey."Well I know I'm not. All three of the amps I've bought in my life have been Peavey and I hope to buy a Nashville 112 in the future. My comments were only meant to suggest that there is room for improvement in providing service support for those of us who live too far away to ship our Peavey products back to the factory when they need service. If I'm going to pay $50-$100 to ship an amp for service I want to have the work done right the first time. That may be hard to control but I would hope that Peavey as well as other manufacturers take seriously, and keep records of, complaints about particular 'authorized service centers'. |
Bob Watson
Member From: Champaign, Illinois, U.S.
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posted 27 December 2004 01:45 PM
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Charles, I have always had good experiences with Peavey when I have sent them amps to repair. They don't charge that much and they have always solved the problem with the amp. Shipping just the chasis shouldn't be too expensive either.Tube amps aren't as reliable as solid state amps,consequently I try to always have a solid state amp with me on gigs that I am using my Classic 30 or my 1965 Fender Super Reverb. I love the tube sound, but I just don't trust tube amps enough to not have a backup amp ( or a processor that you could put through the P.A. ) handy in case the tube amp craps out. [This message was edited by Bob Watson on 27 December 2004 at 01:46 PM.] |
Larry Robbins
Member From: Fort Edward, New York, USA
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posted 27 December 2004 03:08 PM
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Charles,
Enjoy your Fender.I'm sure enjoying mine!
I too had problems with my PV amp. Still a good ol Nash 400 and Ill get her fixed sooner or later and keep it for a spare.Didnt mind the sound and it gave me pretty good service.But Im digging this Fender tone! Is it really a better amp?
Cant say. Who really can?..But it is nice change to my ear and I'm gonna use it for a while and the change may do me good! I'm sure playing a lot more these last couple of weeks.Maybe its just the newness.But one thing is for sure, change can be good sometimes. ------------------
Sho-Bud ProII, Pro III custom,
Fender Steelking,Hilton pedal,Tut Taylor "Virginian"
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Dennis Detweiler
Member From: Solon, Iowa, US
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posted 27 December 2004 04:06 PM
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You MUST send the amp back to Peavey if you can't find the answer to the problem locally. I had a local Peavey tech and a Fender tech try to pinpoint a problem with my 1976 Session 400. Mike Brown told me to send the chassis into Peavey. I got it back within 2 weeks. Completely overhauled and brought up to original factory specs and five components replaced. It cost me $75 plus shipping. The amp has worked flawlessly for the past 4yrs. It's the only reliable way to go.
Dennis |
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