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Valve amps, like Vintage cars, need a bit of TLC, but when they are working right, nothing matches them. We at Torres know your valve amp could sound better. Not infrequently, valve amps can be modified or customised to achieve a performance closer to your ideal. In other cases an amp may be seriously damaged or quite unacceptable in performance - in such cases we can often totally rebuild the electronics using the existing amp as a donor.
If you choose to do the work yourself, we can be of service in the following ways:
a) provision of parts
b) valve testing and matching - if you suspect that a valve is poor you can send it to us to be tested, which is much easier and cheaper than sending the whole amp. Just £1.00 per valve plus postage.
If you would like us to do the work, you will need to get the amp to us - you can bring it or send it or have us pick it up for you - see below for details. Whichever please note:
1) always contact us in advance by phone or email to obtain an initial assessment.
2) if there is nothing specific wrong with the amp but you would like a "health check" carried out, we will be pleased to do this for a nominal fee of £5.00
3) if the amp requires repair or modification we will check out the amp free of charge. Only when we have spoken to you and agreed the work to be done will you be charged. If you choose to go ahead we cost our time out at £26 per hour + VAT. If you decide you don't want the work done (some amps are beyond economic repair) - that's fine, take it away and we'll still be friends.
4) we need a circuit diagram. Often we already possess one or you may have one, or we can get one but this is not always the case - there are lots of different amps out there and not all are well documented. If we can't get a schematic we will have to trace out the circuit and this can be a very lengthy and expensive business.
5) we only work on valve amps
6) by and large modern production amps built with printed circuit boards are more difficult to repair and modify than older point-to-point wired circuits. It follows that p.c.b amps are more likely to fall into the 'beyond economic repair' catagory.
Of course you can use your own transport or your own carrier to get the amp to us but if you wish, we can arrange to pick the amp up using our recommended courier service. The cost of sending a 25kg parcel on a round trip to and from our workshop in NW London from most places within the UK is around £42. This includes pickup from your end, delivery to us and the return trip. On both journeys the equipment is insured for a value of up to £1,000. Please let us know if you need more insurance cover than this.
You will need to notify us of a convenient time and date for collection of the parcel. We will also need your address in full, including postcode.
It is imperative that you pack the item properly. If you have the original box and packaging, use that. Otherwise put the amp in a large box and pack it with polystyrene, newspaper or cardboard and label FRAGILE.
to help us at this end, please include the following in the parcel:
1) your name, address, daytime telephone number
2) description of problem or details of modifications required
3) if possible a schematic/circuit diagram & layout diagram
To find out more about this service - or to book your amp in for a service,
give us a call on +44 (0) 20 8933 0918, or send us an e-mail
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