Cranky’s

I’ve owned tube amps since 1990 but out of luck or ignorance never needed or thought to bring one in for maintenance. My 7 yr-​old Alessandro Rottweiler started making a nasty buzz at gig volumes so brought the amp to Greg at Cranky’s after checking out his website and noting that his place was on my commute route. I tried hitting my standard guitar tech up for advice but didn’t get very far.
Although the work took a couple of weeks longer than expected because of Cranky’s backlog and an unexpected trip he had to take, when I picked up my amp, just in time for an important gig, it was better than when I’d purchased it (used with about a year of use on it). It worked again, the noise floor was non-​existent, and Greg and John from his shop proactively tweaked my reverb circuit (notorious in this amp for being «meh», but I’d never discussed with Cranky’s) so that it sounded like actual reverb, and not an old guy coughing. Greg took the time to explain all the work he’d done, and we tried out some different phase inverter tubes to note the tonal differences. Very educational.
I would highly recommend Cranky’s — great first transaction, you can tell these guys know their stuff and take pride in their work and in sharing knowledge, and I’m glad to know there’s another great option out there when I need gear maintenance.