For those who have a Metropoulos '68 Series ...

cole · Post by **cole** » Sun Oct 07, 2007 8:20 am

I have one - love it too, but is anyone besides me noticing that the chassis ends are 'tweaked' a little?

I expected that the ends of the chassis are neatly bent as I have seen on many of the kit builds. Is this a common occurance?

The attached pics are not the best quality, but here is what I am talking about...

The amp was shipped in a double box (packed very well) and the shipping carton was in great shape - don't know if it may have been rough handling during shipping or otherwise???

Cole

jbzoso2002 · Post by **jbzoso2002** » Sun Oct 07, 2007 11:18 am

i have one, i got it in april 07. no probs on the corners, mine
are tight as a drum. btw this thing is breaking in real nice,
tone has gotten smoother, what a sound

ill never sell this
amp, it will be buryed with me

jimmy

harddriver · Post by **harddriver** » Mon Oct 08, 2007 8:26 am

I'd say it had to be tweaked during shipment.

Are the transfomer mounts OK?

NY Chief · Post by **NY Chief** » Mon Oct 08, 2007 10:39 am

Almost looks like it was never spotwelded. That shouldn't be bent out like that.

cole · Post by **cole** » Mon Oct 08, 2007 11:05 am

Yeah, they are okay...the OT mount is not a dead 90 degress but does not looked stressed.

I am waiting on confirmation from George if the chassis was like this before shipping.

Breaks my f**kin' heart really - I love the amp - I wanted one that I would keep for life that was a prime example of a Metropoulos 68 spec.

Guess this is not meant to be.

Cole

HIn · Post by **HIn** » Mon Oct 08, 2007 12:35 pm

cole wrote:Yeah, they are okay...the OT mount is not a dead 90 degress but does not looked stressed.

I am waiting on confirmation from George if the chassis was like this before shipping.

Breaks my f**kin' heart really - I love the amp - I wanted one that I would keep for life that was a prime example of a Metropoulos 68 spec.

Guess this is not meant to be.

Cole

I just looked at my metro chassis there does not appear to be spot welding. I am not sure how they join the metal together. My 70's marshall chassis had a weld or brazing that ran the whole length of the seam. Looks like damage in shiping the amp from a failure of the metal joining. Hope all is resolved to your satisfaction.

Take care
Dan

harddriver · Post by **harddriver** » Tue Oct 09, 2007 6:10 pm

You could bring it back in with clamps and get a small tig weld to attach it the heat is concentrated with TIG and you could do it inside the chassis so you would not see it and that would hold perfect. It would not take much weld to hold that fit up.

You would not have to return the amp. Just an idea, but I weld so that may not be an option for you.

Hope you get it worked out.

myfoot · Post by **myfoot** » Tue Oct 09, 2007 6:20 pm

May be able to just clamp the ends in and then heat the radius with a small propane torch. That should take the spring out of it when you take the clamp off. This is steel right? Hate to see you melt your chassis

EDIT: Actually forget that .I thought the whole piece was bowed out but it looks like just the one side. I'd go with a tack weld myself I think.

cole · Post by **cole** » Tue Oct 09, 2007 6:27 pm

I had a chance to think it all over and I have a plan...actually I was succesful in getting the side that had the bend back into shape using a big C clamp and some wood blocks to prevent scratching the chassis.

That part came out very well. The remainder of the job will be using a metal epoxy (these chassis are epoxied at the folds???) to redo the folds at the chassis ends. That should be a piece of cake.

The reason I am doing this is because this is the second amp George sent me

and regardless of how well it's packed the fu*kers from USPS and Canada Post collectively still manage to do some damage.

I still have the OT at a slight 1-2 degress of tilt that I will have to deal with.

I will probably get my next Metroamp by flying to George's shop and spending an afternoon at Burton, or wherever George is located when the next one is ordered.

You cannot honestly know what it's like to anticipate this beautifully assembled hand wired amp coming to your door and then open it and find this happening - the second time!!!

I always have the option to return it but I cannot bring myself to try a third time - the damage here is quite repairable and the next time it could be worse, so I'm keeping her.

I will post pics of the repairs when completed.

Cole

bluze81 · Post by **bluze81** » Tue Oct 09, 2007 7:47 pm

Dang Cole thats a bitch, dont blame you for not wanting to send it back, everytime I have shipped a 100w Marshall style amp, no matter how well you pack them the output transformer or something gets bent, it happend to my 12000 clone coming back from Flames for a check up when I first built it, also I had Flames black flag build and when I shipped it back it really was tore up by UPS, so dont send yours,fix her and play it,awsome amp,

bluze

Flames1950 · Post by **Flames1950** » Tue Oct 09, 2007 9:09 pm

They messed up your purple 12XXX?

kefestvog · Post by **kefestvog** » Tue Oct 09, 2007 10:23 pm

Since we're trading stories. I bought a 50w build from a guy- beautiful build and top notch parts. Had the welded steel chassis. He packed it better than could have been expected- even using blocks to support under the tranny to prevent damage. When it got here it looked as if UPS had dropped it 6 feet on to one end. They managed to crack the corner welds and have both ends peices bent in the direction they dropped it. The kicker- UPS rejected the insurance claim saying their regs say there has to be at least 3" of packing surrounding an object. This guy had shipped the thing packed in a wooden crate (supported with the blocks under the tranny) surrounded by 2" of foam then surounded by a heavy cardboard box and they still said it wasnt their fault. It they drag it behind the van is it their fault then?

bluze81 · Post by **bluze81** » Tue Oct 09, 2007 11:07 pm

Flames1950 wrote:They messed up your purple 12XXX?

Hey Andy ,yeah it wasnt bad,just bent the output tranny bracket a little,easy fix,I just forgot to mention it, seems one could ship in a anvil road case and these shipping companys will somehow damage it!

bluze81 · Post by **bluze81** » Tue Oct 09, 2007 11:22 pm

kefestvog wrote:Since we're trading stories. I bought a 50w build from a guy- beautiful build and top notch parts. Had the welded steel chassis. He packed it better than could have been expected- even using blocks to support under the tranny to prevent damage. When it got here it looked as if UPS had dropped it 6 feet on to one end. They managed to crack the corner welds and have both ends peices bent in the direction they dropped it. The kicker- UPS rejected the insurance claim saying their regs say there has to be at least 3" of packing surrounding an object. This guy had shipped the thing packed in a wooden crate (supported with the blocks under the tranny) surrounded by 2" of foam then surounded by a heavy cardboard box and they still said it wasnt their fault. It they drag it behind the van is it their fault then?

UPS always says they wont cover the claim, every time I have filed claim they say no, then protest it and they pay, this has gone this way for me about half dozen times with shipments at my store.

yngwie308 · Post by **yngwie308** » Thu Oct 11, 2007 10:43 pm

Cole,
That's what happened to my f%$#&*g HW after FedUp got through with it, in the stock shipping container.
Mine had upon detection been dropped 'light' or non transformer end down, piling all the weight onto the input end of the chassis, busting open my end corner as well, the pre-amp valve covers rollong around in the head box was the first clue and the tit on one of the 12ax7's was broken off.
So I am saving for my 1/4" ply, 2" foam custom Anvil case, so when my head returns to Flint, it will come back home to stay

.
It made it all the way from England to Guitar Center in Az, relatively unscathed and then to Michigan, but the trip back...
yngwie308

Metropoulos Forum

For those who have a Metropoulos '68 Series ...

For those who have a Metropoulos '68 Series ...

That sucks!

Re: That sucks!