Recommendation needed: 60s Marshall Head needs some TLC

4string

On behalf of a none Fretboarder: a North London based guitarist of my acquaintance is looking to have a 60s Marshall head repaired/serviced. Recommendations of where to take it please.

Winny_Pooh

Guitar Aid in Putney has always done good work for a fair price. Found an intermittent fault in my 69 super lead and fixed other gear too.

Schmo

Rob Moss, RJ Ampworks. Dave Friedman-approved.

Phil_aka_Pip

He could always try Marshall themselves. I don't know if Phil still works there (no, not me, another one) but he was very good a few years ago at sorting out old Marshall kit.

Winny_Pooh

Phil_aka_Pip said:

He could always try Marshall themselves. I don't know if Phil still works there (no, not me, another one) but he was very good a few years ago at sorting out old Marshall kit.

You must be kidding 

p90fool

Winny_Pooh said:

Phil_aka_Pip said:

He could always try Marshall themselves. I don't know if Phil still works there (no, not me, another one) but he was very good a few years ago at sorting out old Marshall kit.

You must be kidding 

Why? Marshall used to be great at customer service on obsolete amps, at quite astonishingly low prices sometimes too. 

Maybe not anymore, I wouldn't know. 

4string

Thanks everyone for the recommendations. I will pass these on to my friend.

Collings

Winny_Pooh said:

Phil_aka_Pip said:

He could always try Marshall themselves. I don't know if Phil still works there (no, not me, another one) but he was very good a few years ago at sorting out old Marshall kit.

You must be kidding 

I used Marshall about 12 months ago and they were really good.

Turned up at their door at 9.00am with no appointment as an old JMP Marshall I was using to record with had failed the night before. Explained I really needed to get up and running ASAP and they sorted it whilst I waited for a very reasonable price. They sold me some valves at a good price as well.

KKJale

@Winny_Pooh ; is right, Phil Wells is a nice helpful chap but Marshall have literally zero respect for the originality of their own vintage amps. They simply cannot comprehend the importance of it. With a '60s head, steer clear. 

Winny_Pooh

Milton Keynes is not quite London either.

ICBM

KKJale said:

@Winny_Pooh ; is right, Phil Wells is a nice helpful chap but Marshall have literally zero respect for the originality of their own vintage amps. They simply cannot comprehend the importance of it. With a '60s head, steer clear. 

It's also because they have to abide by modern safety regulations. That means that some original parts of the amps - especially the Bulgin power sockets, pull-out voltage selectors and some of the power switches and fuse holders - *must* be replaced, whether you like it or not. Personally, if the amp is going to be used as a piece of working equipment, I think they're right. If it's a collector's piece, possibly not - but I still find the idea that replacing an inherently dangerous old power connector with a safe and reliable modern one somehow "devalues" the amp quite strange.

steven70

..

cosmiccarrot

KKJale said:

@Winny_Pooh ; is right, Phil Wells is a nice helpful chap but Marshall have literally zero respect for the originality of their own vintage amps. They simply cannot comprehend the importance of it. With a '60s head, steer clear. 

Marshall do have a great repairs dept. and service, but for the old amps, it is a worry about parts being replaced. I sent a '78 2204 to them to be repaired and asked them to check a crackle in the presence pot whilst they were doing it. The amp came back, (repaired) but with all new pots!!! I had to ask them to send the old one's back to me, then fit them back in as I wanted to keep the amp as original as possible.
I still have an old marshall 50 with the old bulgin socket and those wobbly ohm pins, in fact their pretty much original, so I'm keeping it that way.

ICBM

cosmiccarrot said:

I still have an old marshall 50 with the old bulgin socket and those wobbly ohm pins, in fact their pretty much original, so I'm keeping it that way.

Why? So it can blow the output transformer and then make itself non-original in a way that actually matters?

Those selectors do not belong on any amp that you actually want to use at any sort of volume. Get rid of them - at the very least, hardwire them inside even if you don't want to physically remove them.

Phil_aka_Pip

p90fool said:

Winny_Pooh said:

Phil_aka_Pip said:

He could always try Marshall themselves. I don't know if Phil still works there (no, not me, another one) but he was very good a few years ago at sorting out old Marshall kit.

You must be kidding 

Why? Marshall used to be great at customer service on obsolete amps, at quite astonishingly low prices sometimes too. 

Maybe not anymore, I wouldn't know. 

Exactly. That's why I said it.