New York Area: Davidson Electronics

[gitapik]

I brought my IIB to Davidson Electronics for a free consultation.

It already had new caps/resistors/tubes and a general cleanup done, recently...but after a couple of weeks it just didn't seem "right". So I heard about Davidson Electronics (Corey Davidson's the owner) and they offered the free look. I ended up leaving it with them for repairs.

Long story short:

1) Everyone there is top notch in amp/electronic repair AND they love the amp. That's a biggie. Lots of people don't like to work on Boogies.

2) They replaced the original EVM12L with a Jensen C12k. Lost 10 lbs and gained some serious articulation/accuracy. Lots of headroom still, too.

3) New Mesa tubes. The Rubys that had been installed were already rattling after a couple of months.

4) They called me, afterwards, telling me the amp still didn't sound like they knew it would. Said it would add an hour's labor cost, but could they pull the amp and do some poking around. Promised not to go overboard. I liked that. They could have given it back to me and left it at that. They ended up pulling it out twice before getting it right.

I got the amp back and it's killer. Everything about it. Clean and Lead channel. Playing the amp with the guitar's pots or alternating between channels. I love the Jensen.

Great place for repairs. I enjoyed hanging out and talking with them when I picked up the amp. They explain what they do and why. Not cheap ($95 and hour)...but they're very, very, very good. It's an hour drive from my Brooklyn abode...but worth it.

http://www.davidsonelectronics.com/

 

[CudBucket]

Thanks for this. I was wondering about them. The web site looks like they're the real deal. Nice to know I have someone to bring my Mark IV if necessary. I have a local authorized repair center as well and recommend them to anyone in the Queens, Long Island area. SG Custom Sound. Really knowledgable dude but it's a smaller operation than Davidson. And it's basically one guy. But he fixed my Lonestar for me, on warrranty and so I have nothing but good stuff to say about them.

Dave

 

[scoden]

I have been there twice for repairs on a non Boogie amp. I was very happy with there work . Its the only place Ill go if I cant fix something myself.

As an aside I asked them if many Mark Vs are going through there for repair work....they said not at all!

 

[gitapik]

I have been there twice for repairs on a non Boogie amp. I was very happy with there work . Its the only place Ill go if I cant fix something myself.

As an aside I asked them if many Mark Vs are going through there for repair work....they said not at all!

They like the Mark V Boogies. Corey had a '65 Fender Pro Reverb there which was incredible.

 

[zizybalooba]

I had been using Davidson Electronics for years for maintaining my Tascam digital recorders and various other stuff. 3 years ago I had a problem with my Mark IIB. After playing for about 30 minutes the amp would turn to mud. No brightness, no punch, just a gooey midrange lump of sound. After visits to some regular tube amp guys I deal with I took a shot at Davidson for an appraisal, not really thinking of them as a tube amp place. They traced the problem down to an intermittent solder joint on the EQ board that was failing when the amp got warm. From now on all my amps will go to them. They are truly top notch guys.

 

[gts]

2) They replaced the original EVM12L with a Jensen C12k. Lost 10 lbs and gained some serious articulation/accuracy. Lots of headroom still, too.

You gained articualtion and accuracy?! Is that possible?
EV12L's are about the most accurate and articulate a speaker a person can find!
But hey if you can gain on both of those aspects and lose 10lbs to boot..... they might be worth checking out!
What do they cost?

 

[gitapik]

2) They replaced the original EVM12L with a Jensen C12k. Lost 10 lbs and gained some serious articulation/accuracy. Lots of headroom still, too.

You gained articualtion and accuracy?! Is that possible?
EV12L's are about the most accurate and articulate a speaker a person can find!
But hey if you can gain on both of those aspects and lose 10lbs to boot..... they might be worth checking out!
What do they cost?

The way he described it to me was that the EVM12L was designed to be a PA speaker. The C12k is a guitar speaker...and, once I heard it, I knew what he was talking about. It's a warmer sound...and the articulation and accuracy are excellent.

I think I may have made it sound as though the Jensen was head and shoulders better...which really isn't true. I was more than just happy with the EVM for decades. But it felt so good to take off those pounds and then to be rewarded with such a serious sound, as well, was a great, great feeling. So I guess I got a bit carried away, saying I gained the articulation and accuracy. It's more that I was able to retain it (my bad), as well as add a warmth that hadn't been there before. It just matches well with the Boogie. Breaks up a bit easier, too, when you dime Volume 1 and pull out the Treble knob. I've had about 4 months to get used to it, now...and I can honestly say that I don't have any urge, whatsoever, to go back to the EVM.

I think the Jensen was about $100 (USD). Good deal for what you're getting.