AMP REPAIR
OUR ELECTRONICS GURU
 Jordie Jackson has been an integral part of the BGS team since we opened our shop in Kitchener. In fact we felt so strongly about his work (and his value to BGS clients) that we gave him carte blanche to design his own work space in our facility.
Jordie has voltage running through his veins. He built his first amp from scratch at age 16. From there he spent the next 5 years neck deep in television and pro audio repair in Ingersoll and Woodstock, Ontario learning the art of trouble-shooting and taking good care of clients.
Five years ago Jordie teamed up with Syd Beaumont at Ideal Innovations in Ingersoll, ON, one of Canada’s premier electronics companies. For decades Ideal Innovations has been building high quality and high-end custom-built vacuum tube Hi-Fi power amplifiers. Jordie quickly became their “go to” guy for building and repairing tube gear. Two years ago he and Syd designed and built the “Euphony,” one of the finest hand-wired 18-watt guitar amplifiers on the market.
Jordie has been with Bob’s since its founding in Kitchener and we are honoured to have him. His reputation and the quality of his work are becoming legendary – amplifiers are being shipped into Bob’s from all over Ontario, including from some of Toronto’s high-end repair shops.
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OUR REPAIRS
While a finely tuned amplifier is a powerful thing, amps in general are vulnerable to three major elements – normal aging, being used and abused and getting knocked around during transit. While a guitar has only a handful of passive components, amplifiers have dozens and dozens of parts that have to interact and work together all while passing 120 volts of power. We use only the finest components in our repairs – Sprauge capacitors, JJ tubes, Switchcraft jacks, Alpha and CTS potentiometers, Carling switches and Hammond transformers. Here are some of the common repairs Jordie performs on a daily basis at Bob’s Guitar Service.
 RE-CAPPING – Guitar amplifiers use electrolytic capacitors (caps) to store and conduct DC power. Over time caps can leak and lose their ability to do this properly resulting in less volume, poor tone and uneven response. Re-capping an amplifier (replacing the caps) restores the power supplies back to their original specifications and brings back the volume, tone and attack response the amplifier was manufactured to deliver. Re-capping makes a world of difference.
 RE-TUBING – Tubes are the source of power, tone, warmth and harmonic distortion so sought after by guitar enthusiasts worldwide. As they age with use, tubes lose “emissions,” which means they deliver less power and tone and lose their warmth. In severe cases older tubes can also become microphonic. Tubes on all our repairs are tested for shorts and weak emissions.
 BIASING – Bias is the alignment of the tone of an amplifier with its output power. Over time the bias can shift due to tube wear and cathode stripping. An amplifier with an incorrect bias will cause the tubes to run too hot or too cold causing poor tone and premature tube wear or failure. All repairs at Bob's are biased for maximum tone and output.
 CLEANING – A common problem with amplifiers is the build up of dust, carbon or oxide in the potentiometers and jacks. This causes crackling, popping and even shorting out. At Bob’s we blow out and lubricate these components to revive them.
GROUNDING – Many vintage amplifiers were manufactured with 2-pronged electrical plugs. At Bob’s we recommend replacing these with a 3-pronged plug for both safety and quiet operation.
 SOLDERING – Solder is the “glue” that connects all of the electronic components of an amplifier. Solder is made of lead, a material that tends to become brittle over age. This can result in “cold” solder joints that no longer conduct the voltage between components resulting in crackling, popping or even total loss of power. Cold solder joints are identified and re-soldered.
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OUR PRICING
The hourly rate for amplifier repair is $75. Most repairs come in between 1 and 2 hours but we secure client approval for all estimates before we begin work.
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