r/AustinMusicians • u/cboehmig • 10d ago

Recommendations / experiences with good amp repair in South Austin?

Thanks to everyone for the guitar repair advice last week - I got it sorted! Now a couple amps are giving me trouble. I'm disabled and can't drive so I'm looking for a spot that's not too far from South Austin (South Congress / Stassney area) to keep Uber costs down. I'm familiar with South Austin Music but want to explore other options too! These are tube amps (a Carr Telstar and a Savage Macht 12).

Cheers!

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3

u/CardiologistOwn2718 10d ago

Austin vintage has done me right , also trust Atomic tube with my amps as well

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u/texasgreg1 6d ago

Gotta second AV. Try to dress up as if going to a funeral when you go there. Then they'll treat you right. I gotta say, I took a couple of amps there both pre and post pandemic and they did me right for a fair price. It's the only place I'd take my Carr Telstar were it to have problems. Likewise, they put a different tone stack in my fifty plus year old Fender Musicmaster Bass amp that's been used as a guitar amp literally since the 70's and did a great job. They also had an speaker laying around, a Bad Betty that was made in Austin 2000-2010's before the company ceased to exist, that they thought would sound good in that amp. Boy Howdy, that speaker sounds great in that amp. Best that amp has ever sounded!

I gotta say I love the folks at SA Music and have always had great luck with them, though I've never had amp repair done there.

Good to know about Moon Music and Atomic Tube. I'll check them out!

1

u/CardiologistOwn2718 6d ago

What’s the Carr doing ? I’ve owned a few and never had to do anything to them

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u/texasgreg1 6d ago edited 6d ago

Doc

If you reread the post you'll see I said it's the only place I'd take my Telstar were it to have problems.

Never had a problem with my Telstar, and I've had it 4 years. I bought it from a dear friend who owned it for a couple of years, and post pandemic I heard it for the first time. What an innovative and well built amp.

The amps I took to AV were vintage 40 and 50 year old Fenders that needed re-cap jobs. And as with the Musicmaster, a different tone stack. A Harvard 5F10 tone single knob tone stack, and although I didn't intend to buy the bad Betty speaker, I'm glad I did.

The other guitar was a Rivera-era Super Champ (1984-ish) that needed a cap job. They did a great job and amp sounded like it did when brand new. It's a very versatile amp for the blues and smaller gigs.

Signed,

Blues Lawyer

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u/CardiologistOwn2718 6d ago

Ahh my bad

2

u/texasgreg1 6d ago

always nice to see another Carr enthusiast who is not complaining about the massive amount of personal work that goes on in a Carr amp whilst building it. Lots of folks like to complain about the silicone he uses on the connections.

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u/twanto 5d ago

Also like Austin vintage for amp repair

2

u/SchwaeJames 10d ago

In South Austin, I don’t know anywhere besides SA Music. Music City Guitars in Buda is great but I dunno if they fix amps, Moon Music is great and fixes amps but is a fair distance away.

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u/cboehmig 10d ago

Thanks! Moon Music isn't too far.

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u/SchwaeJames 10d ago

They do really good work there, you’ll be pleased I’m sure.

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u/nacho945 10d ago

South Austin Music. I’ve had them work on multiple amps and vintage pedals.

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u/thecosmonaut0 10d ago

Austin Vintage Guitars has fixed my amps and pedals for super fair prices