Broken tube in new butterslax question

[DragonCrestPC]

Hey guys, just got my new butterslax in but it appears after playing it that one of the tubes got damaged during transport ( fucking UPS ) I played the amp for around half an hour before i noticed and shut it down. Did i damage the amp in any shape or form? The top of the tube is cracked and open. Fucking sucks but i'll just replace the tube.

 

[fusedbrain]

Well, my first thought was you didn't blow a fuse, so that's a good thing.
You could also pop the chassis out of the head shell and see what the screen grid resistors look like ( discolored, burnt etc.. ) and have a good look at the power tube sockets for anything that looks like burning or arcing.
I'm thinking you're probably OK, but lets see... maybe Dave will chime in.....

 

[errrrrl]

Ah fak that sucks. I hate UPS... Hope the amp is ok!

 

[Racerxrated]

I would think you'd be fine. The fuse didn't go so I would just email Friedman for a new tube that is within spec of what he already put in it.

 

[311boogieman]

A blown fuse would be a good thing. Better a fuse than a resistor or something else. The fuse protects your amp from the rest of the power section.

I am assuming this was a power tube. If so, I'd just ask Dave what he wants you to do.

Too bad though man....congrats nonetheless.

 

[DragonCrestPC]

Yeah that amp sounded and worked perfect then once i noticed the tube i shut it down.

 

[DragonCrestPC]

Well i looked in the back and discovered the transformer is bent to shit. Im going to return it to the dealer for a replacement.

 

[311boogieman]

Were the tubes installed in the amp when it shipped to you?

Did it ship from the dealer?

For the price - these amps should ship in road cases.

 

[DragonCrestPC]

Yup the tubes were shipped in the amp and it did come from the dealer that way. While the broken tube sucked, the bent transformer i mentioned earlier is too much for me so i'm going to return it to the dealer. The funny thing is, i cant move the transformer back into a flat position by hand like it normally is. Which means it's very strong and stiff so that means UPS dropped it HARD. I can honestly say i'll never use their service again.

 

[Ventura]

Yup the tubes were shipped in the amp and it did come from the dealer that way. While the broken tube sucked, the bent transformer i mentioned earlier is too much for me so i'm going to return it to the dealer. The funny thing is, i cant move the transformer back into a flat position by hand like it normally is. Which means it's very strong and stiff so that means UPS dropped it HARD. I can honestly say i'll never use their service again.

Fucking great....UPS is delivering one from the eastern seaboard to me here in the westcoast of BC as I type

 

[EvilBatman]

Sorry to hear about your amp.

I've had two UPS deliveries in the past few days and a friend had one delivery with multiple boxes.

All three deliveries and all boxes contained were thrashed by UPS. From a couple of coworkers I mentioned this to earlier today, I've heard that they have experience similar in the last couple of weeks. I have one more delivery coming tomorrow.

Nothing in the orders I mentioned above were heavy or even all that fragile, (no gear of any type) but still, the damage was obvious. The first delivery, which was the worst of the two on my end, was left on my porch with no bell ring when I and two others were at my home. I suspect it was because the delivery person didn't want to hassle with me checking and refusing.

No idea what the hell is going on at UPS, but their already kind of shaky service has seemed to have taken a nosedive in the recent past.

The holiday season should be fun...

 

[DragonCrestPC]

Well i opened the amp and everything looks flawless on the inside of the amp. The transformer is bent about 5 degrees to the side and was wondering if there's a way to bend it straight again ( i have OCD ok ) Dave already has emailed me ( amazing support ) and said that sometimes they arrive like that and he is willing to replace the tube. Would love the hear your guy's thoughts!

 

[oldmtlhed]

It should be ok. Just put the new tube in it, and see how it does.

UPS throws boxes around. I am almost certain their employees are disgruntled. This is what happens when people are over-worked, and under-paid.
I won't use UPS.
My KATANA is coming FedEx. We'll see what the box looks like when it gets here.

 

[John4021]

The Tranny is heavy and you see how easy you can bend it back by hand.
I have come across this in several amps throught the years.
Yes,it pisses you off but its mostly visual .

Dave is good about fixing whats needed. And since the tubes are coming from him
(if he sent the same number thats ontop of the tubes) you wont need to bias the amp.

I am suprised the amp didnt blow a fuse with that broken tube. In a few days you'll be back to peeling the paint off the walls...crank her up man

 

[RedPlated]

I've seen transformers in these amps bent on a couple occasions. The top-heavy weight of the transformer bends the tabs if it's tossed around at all. Not a design flaw, just inevitable.

I had an ss100 that had really obviously bent trannies. I removed the chassis, unscrewed the tranny, bent the tabs back straight and re-tightened it to the chassis. It's a simple fix. Easier than sending it back IMO. But, some like to have the whole thing replaced.

 

[Bxlxaxkxe]

My very first tube amp about 16 years ago came via UPS - and was fucking destroyed. It was a 2001 Tremoverb. Headshell was broken in multiple places - broken glass from the tubes all over the place. It was devastating considering how long I worked and saved up for that amp. Shipping is dicey in general but I generally trust Fedex more.

 

[RedB4Black]

I usually wedge hard foam or cardboard between the top of the transformers and the headshell. It gives support so the weight of the transformer doesn't pull on the legs when the box is set on it's side or upside down. I think most builders packed their brand new amps like shit though. A few extra steps and you don't need to worry about how bad UPS/FedEx/DHL, et al., suck.

 

[311boogieman]

Well i opened the amp and everything looks flawless on the inside of the amp. The transformer is bent about 5 degrees to the side and was wondering if there's a way to bend it straight again ( i have OCD ok ) Dave already has emailed me ( amazing support ) and said that sometimes they arrive like that and he is willing to replace the tube. Would love the hear your guy's thoughts!

That is great that Dave is offering to help but honestly, none of this is his fault. This is a UPS claim. I am surprised the tubes were installed in the amp when shipped but I've never bought one of his amps so I wouldn't know. As mentioned, the transformer thing is not really a design flaw. It is the price we pay for having beefy iron that needs to be shipped. You should see the Heyboers in my Splawn. Ginourmous. They would bend the steel tabs even if dropped in a road case I'm sure.

But yeah, surprised the amp worked at all with broken power tube. Fuse would have blown me thinks. Can you post some pics? I'm curious as to what we are dealing with here.

I usually wedge hard foam or cardboard between the top of the transformers and the headshell. It gives support so the weight of the transformer doesn't pull on the legs when the box is set on it's side or upside down. I think most builders packed their brand new amps like shit though. A few extra steps and you don't need to worry about how bad UPS/FedEx/DHL, et al., suck.

That is a great idea. Or maybe some kind of wooden ladder brace thingy.

 

[Racerxrated]

One bad tube usually won't pop the fuse in my experience. Two absolutely will, as was the case twice with amps I've owned.

 

[Deanmachine]

Ups strikes again ...I've had a few bad experiences with them and only use FedEx sorry to hear that on such a sweet amp .