AMPLIFIER CARE

***WARNING!***

THERE ARE DANGEROUS VOLTAGES INSIDE YOUR BENSON AMPLIFIER THAT CAN HURT OR KILL YOU.

DO NOT OPEN UP YOUR BENSON TUBE AMPLIFIER OR REVERB UNIT. THERE ARE NO USER-SERVICEABLE PARTS INSIDE. THESE UNITS SHOULD BE SERVICED ONLY BY A QUALIFIED TUBE AMP TECH. DO NOT EXPOSE YOUR BENSON AMPLIFIER OR REVERB UNIT TO RAIN OR MOISTURE. DOING SO CREATES THE RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK OR FIRE.

This page is intended for general information about care for your Benson product.

Faceplate cleaning

If stainless steel (used until 2017), use a microfiber cloth and carefully apply either WD40 or Mineral oil.  Wipe off until all dirt and remaining cleaning agent is gone. This will restore shine and take of fingerprint marks, etc.  If aluminum, just use a little soap and water.

Covering

Use a clean cloth and water.  For the lacquered fabrics, shine can be restored using a chamois cloth to buff the surface lightly.

Maintenance

Always replace tubes with the same type (12AX7, etc) and in the same locations.  The order of tubes is written on the tag on the back of the product.  If you’re not sure where the tubes go, contact us and we’ll help you out. No biasing is required in any of our amps (the Benmaster is the sole exception), but please use matched tubes.  DO NOT turn the trim pot inside the amps—it is an internal adjustment set at the shop, and your amp will not sound right if you do.

As a general rule, replace tubes if they become microphonic (it sounds like tapping on a microphone if you tap them gently with a pencil while the product is on).  Power tubes should generally be replaced ever year with regular use, as is true with the power scaling tubes.  Preamp tubes last a little longer... we would expect them to last about three years with regular use.  

We use, and like, JJ tubes.  The amps are designed around JJs.  NOS tubes might sound better, and they might sound worse.  If you replace the tubes with NOS, be prepared for the possibility that you not be immediately catapulted into tonal Nirvana.  When the circuit is healthy (and we do our best to ensure it is) your Benson is going to sound better with regular tubes than a lot of other amps are going to sound with unobtanium 1950-something rusty pin 12ax7s. 

If Something Doesn't Sound Right

It probably isn't.  Turn your amp off immediately before something else is hurt.  Take note of what you observed.  Did the pilot light dim?  Did the tubes glow bright red?  The good news about our amps is they can always be fixed. They are built simply and are just a collection of easily replaceable components (by a qualified tech).  Some modern tube amps are practically a throw away item when they fail...ours are designed by a long time repair tech and meant to be serviced easily and cheaply.

Warranty

If your amp qualifies for warranty, get in touch with us.  Any amp ordered after April 2nd, 2015 has a two year warranty limited to non-tube-failure issues.  We will ask you to ship the amp to us, we will fix it and determine if it is a warranty problem, and then ship it back to you.  If the problem is not under warranty due to abuse, tube failure, modification, after the two year period etc, we will charge for the repair and return shipping.  Our rate is $70/hr plus parts to repair non-warranty amps. Please visit our warranty page for a more detailed explanation of our warranty policy.

Shipping Your Amp to Us for Repair (or elsewhere)

If you bought your amp from us recently, you may have noticed that the amp came in a robust, fitted cardboard shipping box with foam corners, and plastic moisture cover. We hope you kept them because outside of a road case, we highly recommend shipping your amp using those materials. They keep your amp safe, secure, and dry (for the most part - barring deliberate malice). If you do not have shipping materials, please reach out to us and we can make arrangements. For a full list of shipping details please visit our warranty page, the list is a little over halfway down the page.