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Topic: Polytone Amp Repair Question |
Jim Cohen
From:
Philadelphia, PA
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Posted 20 Sep 2010 3:37 pm |
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I have an older Polytone Mini-Brute amp (about 25 years old). Single channel, 1x15 speaker, reverb. Lately it has decided to distort when I put a bass guitar in it, even at living-room volume, and now the volume has cut down so much that I have to crank it all the way up to get any decent volume out of it at all.
So I called the company today to see if they had any authorized repair guy in the area. But, instead, they told me that it sounds like the IC has gone bad. They were made by Motorola and are no longer available. They said there's nothing that can be done for it, and that I should just throw it away and buy a new one (Polytone, of course...)
Is there no way to salvage some good from this situation? Is there someone who has NOS stashed away for the IC? I guess I could just keep the cabinet and speaker (if it's any good) and plop a new, little pre-amp and power amp on top of it? I dunno...
What do y'all suggest?
Thanks,
JC
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www.JimCohen.com
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Blake Hawkins
From:
Florida
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Posted 20 Sep 2010 4:21 pm
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Jim, I'm not surprised at the Polytone response to your inquiry. They have some of the worst customer service I've ever seen.
I'm sure your amp is repairable. You just have to
find some good amp tech who will take a look at it.
If they gave you the number of the obsolete IC,
post that and maybe some of us will be able to
crosss reference it.
Of course, that may not be the defective part.
The trouble you described could be caused by
a number of things.
Blake
Last edited by Blake Hawkins on 21 Sep 2010 6:43 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Darvin Willhoite
From:
Roxton, Tx. USA
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Posted 20 Sep 2010 6:13 pm
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I had a Polytone a few years ago that started distorting also, and I did the same as you, I contacted the factory. They told me basically the same thing, but they did tell me there was a tech in Dallas that might could help me. He did help lighten my wallet, he charged me $200 and I had to pay shipping both ways, the total bill was around $260. And the amp still didn't sound good, but I didn't want to go through the hassle of shipping it back to him. I sold it in "as is" condition and lost more money. I now use Acoustic Image amps mostly, they are great amps, and have great customer service.
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Darvin Willhoite
MSA Millennium, Legend, and Studio Pro, Reese's restored Universal Direction guitar, as well as some older MSAs, several amps, new and old, and a Kemper Powerhead that I am really liking. Recently added a Zum D10, a Mullen RP, and a restored blue Rose, named the "Blue Bird" to the herd. Also, I have acquired and restored the plexiglass D10 MSA Classic again that was built as a demo in the early '70s. I also added a '74 lacquer P/P, with wood necks. |
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Mike Bagwell
From:
Greenville, SC, USA
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Jim Cohen
From:
Philadelphia, PA
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Eric Philippsen
From:
Central Florida USA
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Posted 21 Sep 2010 2:09 pm
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I've had 5 or 6 Polytones. In fact, there's a newer one right next to me now that use for 6-string jazz practicing. I've also got packed away somewhere a 'cute' little one from the 60's with a 10" speaker. It's called, I believe, a Micro-Brute. They're great but for giggin' I use an Acoustic Image.
Anyway, I guess what I'm tryin' to say is that I know a bit about them. I've had a couple that needed repairs and it was a no-brainer to get that done. Fortunately, here in Indy we have a repairman who has been doing repairs for decades and, well, he just knows everything about every amp there is. He just does.
Like another said, don't assume it's an IC chip that's gone bad. I know I wouldn't. And you're right - Polytone has terrible service.
So, get it fixed......but please don't chop it up.  |
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Dan Tyack
From:
Olympia, WA USA
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Posted 3 Oct 2010 7:02 pm
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| The first thing I would do is hook up another speaker. |
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Jim Cohen
From:
Philadelphia, PA
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Dan Tyack
From:
Olympia, WA USA
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Posted 3 Oct 2010 8:23 pm
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| A blown speaker would have those symptoms. |
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William Lake
From:
Ontario, Canada
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Posted 3 Oct 2010 10:01 pm
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You mentioned bass guitar. That could very well have blown the speaker. Even at low volume, a bass moves the speaker cone a lot.
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Bill |
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Jim Cohen
From:
Philadelphia, PA
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