Quality Recommended Honest Service

Traditional Values with a high tech twist

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Valves that glow orange are working?

Sorry to burst your bubble. In 95% of cases valves always glow orange even if they’re faulty!

So the orange glow you see is the heater.   Yes a heater being a coil of wire, it has about 6.3V flowing through it causing it to glow like a vintage retro light bulb you see in a boutique coffee shop in Soho….

The heater excites electrons that flow through the vacuum inside.  Even if you lose the vacuum inside the heater will probably glow…. if the plates and grids have shorted, yeah you guessed it the heater will probably glow…

It is hard to actually know if a valve is working or not by looking or feeling it, having said that power valves, the two or 4 big ones you see in the middle of the amp you may glimpse a blue wisp of plasma licking around the inside of the glass.. Yes ladies and gentlemen this is electric seen travelling through a vacuum, no wires or string or magical sorcery, simple electric current travelling it’s short lived life.

One way you can see if a valve has a damaged vacuum is when the top instead of being a mirror silver finish is like a white snowglobe or the glass looks dirty.  This is bad news, it’s either developed a crack where it (the amp) has been dropped, or if it’s been stored in freezing conditions and then turned on without warming up creating thermal shock.

Need help? Use our contact form, or call 01279 261 261

Sickamps Ltd

Unit 66 Greenway Business Centre, 

Harlow Business Park

Harlow, Essex, CM19 5QE

EORI GB083565784000

(Visits by appointment only)

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Guitar amplifier repair in Harlow, covering all of Essex and Hertfordshire as far across as St Albans, and the main towns of Stevenage, Letchworth and Royston.  Electric piano repairs from Cambridge through Bishop’s Stortford, right the way down to Romford and across to Braintree.  Musical stage electronic electronics repair for smaller towns Hitchin, Buntingford, Ongar, Welwyn Garden city, and closer into London including the London borough of Enfield 

Prices on this website are given as a guide to assist you to budget, they are no to be taken as exact.

Christmas Closing & important last drop off and collection dates.

After a successful year of repairs we will shortly be shutting up and enjoying some down time. We want to thank you all for your business and support over the last year it has been one of our best on record!

Our ticketing system is still functional and we will try to accommodate true emergencies over the period where we can.  While we are shut no work or repairs will occur. Web orders will be held until we return.

Important Dates:

Last drop offs for repair Thursday 14th December

Last collections from repair Wednesday 20th December

We will resume as normal Monday 8th January 2024