I Need Some Advice About my Ailing Ecstasy 101b.......

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noisenet

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Hey Everyone - I'm looking for some advice.
I have a Bogner Ecstacy 101b (I think it's from 2006-ish but I'm not sure). It's been non functional for around a year now - I was running it through a Weber Z-Matcher and errantly (and stupidly) switched the impedance on the Z-Matcher while the amp was active with signal passing through it. I know I know - what a colossal dumbass move - I just wasn't thinking. I'm pretty sure the output transformer is hosed - I did take it to my tech who replaced a few components - the amp was working on a Friday night so he left it so he could test it again on Monday - came in Monday, fired it up and nothing. Dead. At that point he told me he thought it was probably an intermittent issue with the Output Transformer and that's obviously a more expensive repair. I opted to not go forward with the repair for financial reasons.

If I were to choose to have it repaired, where should I look for a replacement OT? I looked at Mercury, they have a direct drop in replacement priced at $350-ish. Is this about the norm oris that a high price for a good high quality replacement OT?

I'd like to sell the amp, but I'm not sure how to list it nor what my asking price should be. The amp's messed up, but it is still a Bogner, y'know?

Any insight from you amp gurus out there?
 
It sounds like a tough situation with your Bogner Ecstasy. Here are some pointers:

Repair:

  • Replacing the output transformer is a good possibility. Mercury's $350 replacement is within the normal range for high-quality transformers.
  • Contact Bogner directly. They might have replacement parts or recommend a repair shop familiar with their amps.
Selling:

  • Listing the amp as "for parts" or "needs repair" on platforms like Reverb is an option. Clearly mention the suspected transformer issue.
  • Since it's a Bogner, there might still be interest. Research similar amps in non-working condition to get an idea of a fair asking price.
 
Take the cost of the tranny, labor estimate from your tech and double that to judge what to take off a regular used price. For a regular person getting that done is painful enough (time, money, effort) so they wouldn’t jump unless the price is just too good. Also, they want the wiggle room for if it’s more than just the OT that is an issue. You might get lucky and find a tech type person who would pay more as they feel confident they have it covered.
Depending on shipping costs, sending to Bogner might be the way to go but theoretically any decent tech should be able to swap it out.
 
noisenet said:
Hey Everyone - I'm looking for some advice.
I have a Bogner Ecstacy 101b (I think it's from 2006-ish but I'm not sure). It's been non functional for around a year now - I was running it through a Weber Z-Matcher and errantly (and stupidly) switched the impedance on the Z-Matcher while the amp was active with signal passing through it. I know I know - what a colossal dumbass move - I just wasn't thinking. I'm pretty sure the output transformer is hosed - I did take it to my tech who replaced a few components - the amp was working on a Friday night so he left it so he could test it again on Monday - came in Monday, fired it up and nothing. Dead. At that point he told me he thought it was probably an intermittent issue with the Output Transformer and that's obviously a more expensive repair. I opted to not go forward with the repair for financial reasons.

If I were to choose to have it repaired, where should I look for a replacement OT? I looked at Mercury, they have a direct drop in replacement priced at $350-ish. Is this about the norm oris that a high price for a good high quality replacement OT?

I'd like to sell the amp, but I'm not sure how to list it nor what my asking price should be. The amp's messed up, but it is still a Bogner, y'know?

Any insight from you amp gurus out there?
Click to expand...
So did you buy the MM transformer? $350 is about right but try calling Bogner and see if they have any slightly used ones lying around. Your tech should be able to install it in no time plus you'll save on the shipping costs if you send the amp to Bogner. The coveted early 101b's had MM transformers so your amp would be in good company.
 
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