very dissapointed

#1 by Dave Guest , Thu Mar 15, 2018 8:44 pm

I sent two amps to a guy for a repair as he said he was an expert on these types of valve amps debrie .he emailed me saying they were done after 9 months , but a few days later I was going on my hols I emailed him several times when I got back but never replied kept emailing him over 10 emails no reply then tom said there firm has drivers in that area and after 2 attempts managed to pick them up for me guy was very surprised by this .tom sent them on to me and they are worse then when I sent them .the grey amp had low sound and the black amp was a little better but not as good as it used to be these was my late fathers who bought them new over 50 years and are in mint condition all I get out of the amps is a motor boat sound totally pissed off it looks to me that most of the valves have been changed and replaced by others has I made a note of the valves and they have different numbers I hate people when they say the can repair things and they cant some of the valves look like the ones that are in the 601 622 model bell and howells these valves sell for good money on ebay some over £100 each I also sent him spare new ones as well totally ripped off but that's life .thanks tom p for all your help regards david


 
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RE: very dissapointed

#2 by Robert Crewdson ( deleted ) , Thu Mar 15, 2018 9:02 pm

That's terrible David, not just the time you had to wait, but almost having to use strong arm tactics to get them back. The last thing the man expected was that someone would turn up on his doorstep. Is there anything you can do about it?. If I had paid good money I wouldn't feel like just leaving it. Did the man advertise his service in any publication; you may be able to get some sort of recompense through the Trading Standards if he had.



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Last edited Thu Mar 15, 2018 9:03 pm | Top

RE: very dissapointed

#3 by Mats Abelli , Thu Mar 15, 2018 9:05 pm

Maybe we should make a listing of this kind of people. Unreliable repair shops, Ebay sellers etc. I hope you didn´t pay for the service, Dave.


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RE: very dissapointed

#4 by Andrew Woodcock ( deleted ) , Thu Mar 15, 2018 9:21 pm

It seems he couldn't get the right valves by the looks of what David has said.
Once he realised he couldn't, he should have just said as much rather than trying to substitute with a different component.
Very disappointing all around.


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RE: very dissapointed

#5 by Dave Guest , Thu Mar 15, 2018 9:34 pm

these valves in the black debrie sell for mega money like £150 to £180 each and there are quite a few of them. I have about 50 of these valves as they use them to make new amps for people using guitars as they say a valve amp has a much better sound than a transistor one if you would have heard the sound out of the black debrie especially when showing something like glen miller story you would have swore he was in the same room I have let my father down doing this as he always said never sell these valves david as they will keep the debrie going forever I did send the guy some new ones .the grey debrie had different valves in, quite small the black one had chubby valves in .the grey debrie only had a 15watt amp but the black debrie has a 25 watt amp in .I wish now I would have watched my dad when he was fettling it up instead of watching his mamouth collection of films which I added to mine



 
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Last edited 03.15.2018 | Top

RE: very dissapointed

#6 by Andrew Woodcock ( deleted ) , Thu Mar 15, 2018 9:44 pm

Valve amps do provide a nice warm rich sound hard to match anything like the same using a transistor amplifier.

Some high end hi fi amps still use valves and typically cost thousands for the audiophile enthusiasts out there.
Some are beautiful looking pieces of equipment and tend to leave the valves on full display to the user.

The high end turntables are equally looked upon as works of art as I'm sure Martin here can endorse given his line of work. Very impressive kit indeed.


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RE: very dissapointed

#7 by Robert Crewdson ( deleted ) , Thu Mar 15, 2018 9:44 pm

David, can you do anything about this; it seems you are worse off than before.



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RE: very dissapointed

#8 by Dave Guest , Thu Mar 15, 2018 9:52 pm

cost me a fortune to post them as I insured them and money again to have them picked up from tom I have sent him an email tonight but I will be lucky if a get a reply and if I do it will say they were working fine when left here ,just one thing I drive all over the place buying rides films etc and one day I could be in his area so woll pay him a visit .I always carry a few good sized pebbles and my trusty catapault


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RE: very dissapointed

#9 by Tom Photiou , Thu Mar 15, 2018 9:53 pm

Blimy David, i'm really sorry to hear of this. I know you did say there is another bloke at your end of the Country, do you think he may be able to fix them?
I guess the only good thing to come out of this ,is that they are now where they belong. The guy was an eccentric, my driver said the place was run down and he was a hoarder and probably in his late 70s.
When he handed them over he asked my driver which courier he was, he tried to explain that he was from a car dealer in Plymouth and he just said "oh " and passed them over.

I hope you are able to get them fixed David,


Looking for Abba the movie Scope trailer


 
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RE: very dissapointed

#10 by Andrew Woodcock ( deleted ) , Thu Mar 15, 2018 10:03 pm

If he is an older chap, I'm sure he tried his level best and just didn't want to disappoint. It doesn't help anyone I know, but I'm sure he was just trying to do anything he could to get them all working again at any level.

Of course in David's case, this isn't what he was after at all and where better communication all around may have helped this guy realize he wasn't going to be thanked for using just whatever parts he may have been able to find.
If he was an old eccentric, he probably didn't even feel comfortable using a telephone.

I would imagine these types of valves would be very difficult to source now and as David has said, very expensive when they can be found due to their demand in professional stage kit etc.

On a similar note, I noticed today that a well known collectors ebay sale of a Kowa 8Z is doing rather well at the moment.
This again I doubt will be down to anyone wanting it for a Super 8mm Projector but more likely a professional using it with a DSLR now.


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Last edited Thu Mar 15, 2018 11:28 pm | Top

RE: very dissapointed

#11 by Robert Crewdson ( deleted ) , Fri Mar 16, 2018 12:12 am

We are very fortunate in that you can get a scope lens at an affordable price from Paul Foster or Phil Sheard. I got mine for £100, and I've seen the same one on Ebay, scratched, asking 3 times that amount.



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RE: very dissapointed

#12 by Andrew Woodcock ( deleted ) , Fri Mar 16, 2018 12:31 am

Wenn Sie hier auf Links zu eBay klicken und einen Kauf tätigen, kann dies dazu führen, dass diese Website eine Provision erhält.

They won't sell you a Kowa 8Z for that price though Robert, that's for sure!

Werbung: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Kowa-Prominar...119.m1438.l2649


"C'Mon Baggy, Get With The Beat"

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RE: very dissapointed

#13 by Martin Dew , Fri Mar 16, 2018 12:59 am

Dave, I know someone in Essex who knows the Debries and I'm sure he can repair. Let me know if you would like me to put you both in touch.


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RE: very dissapointed

#14 by Paul Browning , Fri Mar 16, 2018 8:27 am

David there is a company close to you that make valve guitar amps called Matamp, there are in Holmfirth where last of the summer wine was filmed, but don't let that put you off, they go back 40 years with there expertise, they maybe able to help you, Mat Mathias was well known in his area of Huddersfield as the "radio doctor " as he could fix anything " he was also a projectionist, no longer with us is expertise lives on in the company, who mainly build fine valve amps .....


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RE: very dissapointed

#15 by Maurice Leakey , Fri Mar 16, 2018 9:43 am

I hope this so-called engineer was aware that the amps needed a supply of 110 volts at 10 amps.
Motor boating is often some form of feedback and could be caused by a faulty capacitor/s.
Not all engineers who are familiar with general valve amplifiers may be able to handle repairs to sound film amplifiers as there is additional circuitry for supplying the photo electric cell.



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RE: very dissapointed

#16 by Martin Dew , Fri Mar 16, 2018 10:02 am

I should maybe add that my contact in Essex is an ex 35mm projectionist and has hundreds of pre- and post-war 16mm projectors which he restores to like-new condition. He's not on the forums but some of you on here will have definitely met him at fairs. I just think Dave should make contact, if only at least to discuss over the phone.


 
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RE: very dissapointed

#17 by Maurice Leakey , Fri Mar 16, 2018 10:13 am

I understand that any competent engineer given an old valve amplifier to renovate will start by renewing all the capacitors. They don't last forever. Have Dave's amplifiers any sign that they have been replaced?


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RE: very dissapointed

#18 by Dave Guest , Fri Mar 16, 2018 10:53 am

hi martin number would be good I have a feeling that I was sat with him in the sat nite at blackpool as we were talking ages re debries he said he had 10 of them and offered to do mine but I said I had some one doing it I would know if it was the same guy
re maurices question it looks to me that he has taken out some of my valves and put smaller ones In like the 6v6 but going to check them later I sent him replacement valves old stock but brand new before he had them I was getting sound out of the machines about 6 watts now nothing I bet my father is shaking his head he would have fettled them up in no time


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RE: very dissapointed

#19 by Andrew Woodcock ( deleted ) , Fri Mar 16, 2018 11:57 am

There is a guy on the other place called Keith Wilson who has access to lots of Debrie projectors and lots of spare parts for them apparently, if you were interested in any of it for your own machines?
Keith said they will be scrapped otherwise if nobody comes forward for them.
Now that would be a travesty, for ANY machine and spare parts!


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Last edited Fri Mar 16, 2018 12:09 pm | Top

RE: very dissapointed

#20 by Martin Dew , Fri Mar 16, 2018 3:16 pm

I'll call you Dave...


 
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RE: very dissapointed

#21 by Gwyn Morgan , Fri Mar 16, 2018 4:02 pm

Very sad state of affairs is what I call it.
Hopefully David will be able to get the amps fixed from all the help offered here.



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RE: very dissapointed

#22 by Tom Photiou , Fri Mar 16, 2018 7:25 pm

At least David has them back now, it makes you wonder if the guy passed away if they would have dumped with the rest of the hording trash that filled every room including the hallway,


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RE: very dissapointed

#23 by Andrew Woodcock ( deleted ) , Fri Mar 16, 2018 7:31 pm

Quite possibly Tom. Luckily, you came to the rescue with your intervention.


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RE: very dissapointed

#24 by Dave Guest , Sat Mar 17, 2018 9:34 pm

well thanks to martin the debries are on the move again this time to Essex to have a full rebuild I know this guy who martin has put me in contact with has I was sat with him on the sat nite at film convention dinner and we spoke for ages re debrie ,he will be bringing it to blackpool for me in November and I am going to show a couple of films with it to let people see who great the sound is .then I will show the main feature on my xenon .I am thinking of bringing my mint condition danson 540 as well


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RE: very dissapointed

#25 by Dave Guest , Wed Jun 27, 2018 11:56 pm

well the debrie is up and running again thanks to nigel for the rebuild .looking forward to receiving it when he comes to blackpool cant wait to hear it running again
also good news re dvd at blackpool I have now received the dvd and its fantastic with inteviews from myself adrain Winchester phil sheard and many more plus dealers tables auction footage sunday film show dealers room and many well known faces the quality is superb lasts about 40 mins and will be available to purchase after the end of sept the quality is like 35mm price is 9.99 free postage


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