The Vintage Tone

Amp Repair

Guitar Tube Amp
Servicing and Repair

Denver, CO

Heritage. Authenticity. Reliability.

At The Vintage Tone, we wish we could have sat beside Lily, Lupe, and Julia to watch them build the most iconic guitar amplifiers ever made. That said, we understand the push-pull of originality vs. reliability and commit to doing what is right for the customer, but also for the amplifier.

We specialize in servicing and repairing vintage Fender, Gibson, Silvertone, Airline, Supro, Valco, Ampeg, and other point-to-point wired tube guitar amps, usually from the 1940s-1970s. Contact us to schedule a visit to our shop in Denver, CO.

Close of up Lily's signature. Lily was one of the original ladies that wired amplifiers for Fender in the 1950s.

Our Services

  • Close-up view of electronic components, including resistors, wires, and soldered connections on a circuit board.

    Evaluation/Bench Fee

    $100 - Required

    We will evaluate your amp and see what’s going on. We will then discuss whether or not to proceed from there. If the amp touches our bench, the Bench Fee will be charged. This fee will be applied towards any additional work — no double charge.

    Please see the FAQ at the bottom of this page for more information about why we charge a bench fee.

  • A vintage electronic device with visible vacuum tubes, resistors, capacitors, and wires inside a metal chassis.

    The Tune-Up

    $100-$399, Amp Dependent

    Often your amp just needs a deep, thorough servicing to get it working like new again.

    Like a guitar setup for your amp, we’ll service all jacks, switches, buttons, sockets, knobs, toggles, inputs, outputs, nuts, bolts, screws, fuses, lamps, lights, and pots; test and flag bad tubes; tighten grounds — and many other servicing points to get your amp working as well as possible without alteration.

    Why the wide price range? It’s based on how many of the above features your amp has. Champs ain’t Twins!

  • Close-up of vintage electronic components, including large orange capacitors, resistors, and wires inside a device.

    Full Repair/Restoration

    $$ Contact Us + Parts

    Time for the oscilloscope and soldering iron! You’ll get a Tune-Up plus possibly replace as needed any of the following to fix your amp: resistors, capacitors, diodes, pots, switches, jacks, lamps, wiring, tube sockets, AC cord, etc.

    We understand that repairs can be costly. We’ll discuss our recommendations with you prior to proceeding. It’s always your call.

    Note: Parts charged to the customer, of course.

About TVT

Joe Moore

— Owner, Operator, Amp Fanatic

“It began when I realized an unfortunate truth: We have fewer amp techs every day.”

I have been a musician, guitar, and amp nerd for decades, eventually assembling a large collection. Many years ago I wanted to have a “real” amp tech deal with some hairier and scarier repairs. After asking around for recommendations on forums (remember those!) I learned that most amp techs are retired, or sadly, have passed away.

That’s when I realized: I have to do this myself. Thus my long journey as an amp tech began.

Don’t get me wrong, there are many amazing techs out there. I’m friends with many of them. But, there are not enough of us. While robots can pick-and-place on PCBs 24/7, only real people with real hands and skills can fix this amazing old gear.

I couldn’t stand the thought of these amazing machines of music-making slowly falling apart and heading for the scrap heap. We need to keep these old amps going so musicians can keep making music.

That’s why I’m here.

 FAQs

  • At the moment I don’t charge by the hour, I charge by the job.

    I’ll give you a quote for the Tune-Up, and possibly an estimate on repairs and restoration. We’ll then discuss any further alterations or repairs after I have fully evaluated your amp.

  • Yes, but with limitations.

    As usual, we’ll start with a thorough non-altering Tune-Up. This often fixes an amp’s issues.

    From there, repairs or modifications are dependent on how well documented and serviceable the PCB and repair needed. For example, modern Fender amps are well documented and are somewhat kinda serviceable (despite time-consuming and annoying design choices) such as the Blues, Hot Rod, and ‘65 Reissue amps. Other brands… not so much.

    I will almost definitely not attempt to repair a Class-D, fully solid-state, or IC/surface-mount computer-chip based amp. I might offer a Tune-Up, that’s it. I can refer you to shops that specialize in that work.

    More on Class-D amps in the next FAQ below.

  • No, I will not attempt to repair these units. I might offer the Tune-Up service to see if a gallon of contact cleaner will fix the issues, but that’s it.

    (Actually I have fixed several mixers with some special fader cleaner so… yeah, contact me.)

    BUT! These are all more akin to computers and are often not designed to be serviced; in fact, parts are often epoxied to the circuit board, making replacement impossible. Official warrantee work (for which I am not certified) often prescribes removing entire circuit boards with components attached, throwing it in the garbage, and replacing the board with a new unit from the manufacture.

    There’s barely a diagnostic process — identify board, toss, and replace. That’s “repairing” in the Class-D world.

    I can help you find official manufacturer service centers if any are located in our area.

  • Yes! I have a wide variety of modern new, retail-box preamp and power tubes, matched pairs/quads/sextets, vintage NOS tubes, and a wide selection of UGB (used but good!) tubes that have been thoroughly tested on my Hickok 752 tube tester with power/mA ratings recorded.

    I’ll beat online prices!

    I also have weird tubes (compactions, radio stuff, ornamental neon tubes, others) so let me know what you’re looking for.

    As for other parts: I have repair parts (resistors, capacitors, terminal strips, etc) but I don’t carry a massive inventory. But, if need something, feel free to ask, and I’ll try to help you out.

  • Maybe? But I’ll suggest that you try everything else first. Master volume mod? Try an attenuator first. Gain mod? There are about 1 million pedals out there… and they all suck? Add an effects loop? Well that one is pretty much a hard no.

    Most amps want to be what they already are. It’s okay if you want something else. It might be more efficient to sell the amp you have and buy the amp you need.

  • No. Please search for “Stereo Repair” or “HiFi Repair” in your area.

  • No. If you are in the Denver Metro area, please contact the following:

    Guitar Repair

    Pedals

    Keyboards, etc

  • No, not at this time. We only accept local drop-off and pick-up at our shop in Denver, CO.

    (Okay, for a buzzilion dollars maybe. If you really, really want to work with me, contact me.)

  • No, but I can recommend several highly qualified custom amplifier and speaker cab builders who offer these services in the greater northern Colorado area.

  • If we’re having this conversation, we have discussed the situation and you agreed to proceed with The Vintage Tone opening up the amp and incurring at least the Bench Fee.

    From there, we either did not feel comfortable with the changes requested, required, or the complexity of the job. We reserve the right to turn down or stop any job. This is for your benefit.

    Why do you still have to pay? Because we spent time on your amp, performed significant research, likely used shop materials or even installed/replaced parts, all of which will be detailed on your itemized invoice.

    In addition you will receive a report with our analysis, work done, current state of your amp, photos if applicable, and where and why we stopped. You can take this to another amp tech which will be valuable information for to them, increasing the chance of successfully fixing your amp.

  • Little Charlie’s Spanish Rice, made with a slug of El Pato.

  • No. I promise. I’m just a normal, sane, and rational guy that you might want to shoot the breeze with or enjoy a brew, be it coffee, tea, or IPA! We’re all just guitar, amp, and music fans, right? No reason to get all controversial!

    But, for the record:

    • The Earth is round.

    • Birds are real.

    • Jet airplanes are emitting exhaust and water vapor but not… alien lizard pheromones or something? I don’t even know what to say.

    • Radio waves are not cooking our brains.

    • If you think vaccines are fake or have tiny government-controlled robots in them, STAY OUT OF MY SHOP ! I’m not going to die of smallpox because of your dumb ass.

    Let’s all just get through life alive and make amazing music and friendships!