Ampeg V4B overhaul estimate

[Marshtech]

It's been a few years since I overhauled any amps for myself or anyone else. A SF Super Reverb around 2015 may have been the last one. I've been fixing a few amps for a friend - JCM800 and a Roland. He says that the V4B is next but I haven't finished with his Strat Ultra yet. For fun, I checked out the cost of a full overhaul on the V4B - tubes and caps come to $500 USD including shipping (which us Canadians frequently get gouged on). Add a few dollars for miscellaneous stuff plus labour and it gets to be a pretty high bill. He's going to set that job aside 'til his daughter is finished at college.
I'm told these (heads) can go for $2K so it's a job that's worth it if you're a gigging musician. Since he now only plays rhythm guitar in a non-gigging band, it's not a priority.
This was a reality check for both of us. I never remembered tubes being so expensive (before now).

[Leo_Gnardo]

For fun, I checked out the cost of a full overhaul on the V4B - tubes and caps come to $500 USD including shipping (which us Canadians frequently get gouged on). Add a few dollars for miscellaneous stuff plus labour and it gets to be a pretty high bill. He's going to set that job aside 'til his daughter is finished at college.
I'm told these (heads) can go for $2K so it's a job that's worth it if you're a gigging musician.

That overhaul cost isn't out of line for Ampeg V4 or V4B. Around here, you would be lucky to get $400 for one so nobody's in a big rush to get 'em fixed. If anyone were to offer me even half of $2k (maybe that's US$1500?) I have a couple that were abandoned by ... well they would be customers if they had picked up and paid for their repairs. Sure would be sweet to cash in on their neglect.

[Chuck H]

FWIW I did a V4 about twelve years ago (VT22?). Tubes, filters, general contact cleaning and one hinky EQ switch that (at the time) could not be replaced with a stock part. I can't remember now if I repaired the switch or retrofitted a different one. It wasn't a hard amp to work on other than moving and lifting it. Taking it apart and handling it's heaviness was harder than any of the electronics work. As I recall the parts cost about $300 USD at the time. Don't know why they're so much more expensive now. Fliptops is a good resource for some things you may not find otherwise. As I recall they sort of kludged my order, but came through in the end. And I understand they've come a long way since then. So... It's a resource.

[Marshtech]

Chuck H: When I overhauled a B-15 a while back, Fliptops was a major resource for parts and I had no trouble with them at all.
For this estimate they were going to be my supplier of choice for a cap kit on this amp. I thought $155 was a good price for that.

[g1]

I would quote the price as 'potentially' being X amount for tubes, if they all need replacing. Power tubes probably will if they have a lot of hours on them.
But preamp tubes may be fine, especially the 6K11 which costs a lot to replace. The preamp tubes are not really a wearing part, and the ones in there may be as good or better than any modern replacement. No sense replacing good tubes just to have new ones.

One thing I find with the V4's is that the board mounted tube sockets always need resoldering, and often may other solder joints as well. I often end up just resoldering all the boards.

[Enzo]

The 6K11 might be fine, plus at this point they have been so picked over that your NOS "new" one might be crappier than the one you are trying to replace.

[SoulFetish]

We work on these, and their variants, all the time. It’s good to give hime an honest price on a full restore that makes the job worthwhile for you. If the cost scares him, it doesn’t have to end up in a loss of a job for you because it probably doesn’t need a $1000 worth of work.
Charge him a down payment to cover your cost to go through it, bench test it, and find out if anything is failing, and necessary to replace; along with some recommendations you might have.
i like these amps. They’re big, but they’re nice to work on.

[bsco]

That overhaul cost isn't out of line for Ampeg V4 or V4B. Around here, you would be lucky to get $400 for one so nobody's in a big rush to get 'em fixed. If anyone were to offer me even half of $2k (maybe that's US$1500?) I have a couple that were abandoned by ... well they would be customers if they had picked up and paid for their repairs. Sure would be sweet to cash in on their neglect.

I have and still do deal with the customer issue of leaving their gear and not paying for it.....I have sold a few items in the last couple of years...now that I have retired (sort of)....I have a basement full of gear that has been collected up over the years......mostly vintage stereo stuff but there is a lot of music gear here as well...I will be relaxing and going through everything as time permits, fix it up and sell it if it is worth it....if not, then I will scrap it for some vintage parts and throw it out..I also have some powered PA cabs that have been left here for close to 17 months now and can't reach the owner....but he has no problem in doing massive renovations to his bar....so as far as I am concerned those cabs are mine..........(as I was typing this I just had a call about a repair..a sound system out of a camper trailer....apparently the door for the cd section is broke....I will decide what I will do after I get a look at some pics).....
Cheers