# Amp tech in Montreal?



## music 43

Looking for an amp tech in Montreal, either on or off the island.


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## bogoboy

I guess we sh_t-out-luck. 

bogoboy


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## scottomy

I have heard good things about Amptek (I think they are in Laval) and there's also Rick Onslow (www.rickonslow.com) but I'm not sure if he only does amp mods on Fender and Marshall.


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## Tarbender

I know a guy who does great work, but he just got out of the hospital a little while ago. Let me check if he's taking new business and I'll post his details for you.


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## Tarbender

Just spoke with Gerd. He's available and you can contact him at [email protected]


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## Blue Apple

I have nothing but good things to say about Michel at Amptek. He revived my dying '63 Ampeg Reverbrocket for a very reasonable price. :bow: 

I've had 2 other technicians look at it on multiple occasions without ever finding the problem; Michel fixed it within a couple of hours. It was well worth the hour and a half drive to go see him.

http://membres.lycos.fr/amptek/conseils.htm

He's located in Laval.


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## music 43

thanks for all the feedback... How much should I be paying for an amptech per hour?


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## music 43

Tarbender said:


> Just spoke with Gerd. He's available and you can contact him at [email protected]


I've heard this guy's name many many times here and there, everybody had nothing but great things to say about him. Is it true that he build the stevenson amp that boutique tone is selling?


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## tubetwang

*duds and turkeys*

here's my personal experience with some of these so called Montreal amp technicians...

Mr. Tube took my 65 BF Tremolux for repair...he called me back two days later saying "that he did not want to work on it"kqoctkqoct...he charged me 20$ when i picked up the amp...

Called Gerd Weigel and left a message on his answering machine...never heard from the man.

Called Ted Stevensen's office and left a message...they never bothered to call back either... 

Mike at Latretech in Brossard charged me 80$ (two hours work) to fix my 64 BF Princeton Reverb. I waited 5 days to find out that one electrolytic cap was installed with the wrong polarity. Mike said "sounds great now..."
I got home, plugged the amp...hardly any volume...distortion...i'll fix it myself.


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## pattste

Sorry to hear about your problems finding a good technician in Montreal.

Did you call Rick Onslow, as recommended by scottomy ? Rick worked on my amp before (admittedly just a rebias and fixing some rattle) and I was very satisfied. He was quick and the price was right. I'll do business with him again. Rick knows what he's doing. If he can't fix your amp, you're in trouble.


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## tubetwang

Thanks for the recommendation Pattste!

I take hearsay with a grain of salt but value personnal experience.

I will call him next time...


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## vgtech

tubetwang said:


> here's my personal experience with some of these so called Montreal amp technicians...
> 
> Mr. Tube took my 65 BF Tremolux for repair...he called me back two days later saying "that he did not want to work on it"kqoctkqoct...he charged me 20$ when i picked up the amp...
> 
> Called Gerd Weigel and left a message on his answering machine...never heard from the man.
> 
> Called Ted Stevensen's office and left a message...they never bothered to call back either...
> 
> Mike at Latretech in Brossard charged me 80$ (two hours work) to fix my 64 BF Princeton Reverb. I waited 5 days to find out that one electrolytic cap was installed with the wrong polarity. Mike said "sounds great now..."
> I got home, plugged the amp...hardly any volume...distortion...i'll fix it myself.


Gerd had been in the battle of his life against cancer when you called, judging from the date of your posting. Sadly, he lost the battle on the morning of August 29th, 2009. I will miss my friend, co-worker, teacher, and the best tech I know.

As for Mike at Latretech, I suggest you give him a call. Like most of us techs, he takes pride in his work and would want to rectify the situation.


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## FortinAmps

tubetwang said:


> here's my personal experience with some of these so called Montreal amp technicians...
> 
> Mr. Tube took my 65 BF Tremolux for repair...he called me back two days later saying "that he did not want to work on it"kqoctkqoct...he charged me 20$ when i picked up the amp...
> 
> Called Gerd Weigel and left a message on his answering machine...never heard from the man.
> 
> Called Ted Stevensen's office and left a message...they never bothered to call back either...
> 
> Mike at Latretech in Brossard charged me 80$ (two hours work) to fix my 64 BF Princeton Reverb. I waited 5 days to find out that one electrolytic cap was installed with the wrong polarity. Mike said "sounds great now..."
> I got home, plugged the amp...hardly any volume...distortion...i'll fix it myself.



Gerd Weigel just passed away on August 29th 2009 after a long battle with stomach cancer. I will miss him dearly. One of the most knowledgeable techs I've come across and it was an honor to work with him during the JAM Industry days. 

I can recommend another person, Richard Gagnon of C&R Audio Services. Richard can be reached at c-ras at sympatico dot ca
Cheers,
Mike Fortin


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## tubetwang

Sincerely sadden by the lost of your friend vgtech...

I did'nt know the man was sick...

May he rest in peace...


As far as Mike...he had his chance to prove his worth...i am not driving back to Brossard.

He obviously did not plug a guitar in, after the work was done.

I have no problem with a tech charging me 80$ (2 hours minimum bench time) to turn an electrolytic around to it's right polarity...minimum bench time is fine by me...but when i pick the amp up and Mike says "works fine now", i expect the amp to work fine...

Amp building is one of my hobby...next time i find myself stuck with a problem...i'll bring it to Rick Onslow, as recommended ...i understand the man is a guitar player.

I don't have any hard feeling against Mike or others mind you...only searching for competence.


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## tubetwang

FortinAmps said:


> Gerd Weigel just passed away on August 29th 2009 after a long battle with stomach cancer. I will miss him dearly. One of the most knowledgeable techs I've come across and it was an honor to work with him during the JAM Industry days.
> 
> I can recommend another person, Richard Gagnon of C&R Audio Services. Richard can be reached at c-ras at sympatico dot ca
> Cheers,
> Mike Fortin


Thanks Mike.


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## Zener

*Hello*



tubetwang said:


> Sincerely sadden by the lost of your friend vgtech...
> 
> I did'nt know the man was sick...
> 
> May he rest in peace...
> 
> 
> As far as Mike...he had his chance to prove his worth...i am not driving back to Brossard.
> 
> He obviously did not plug a guitar in, after the work was done.
> 
> I have no problem with a tech charging me 80$ (2 hours minimum bench time) to turn an electrolytic around to it's right polarity...minimum bench time is fine by me...but when i pick the amp up and Mike says "works fine now", i expect the amp to work fine...
> 
> Amp building is one of my hobby...next time i find myself stuck with a problem...i'll bring it to Rick Onslow, as recommended ...i understand the man is a guitar player.
> 
> 
> 
> I don't have any hard feeling against Mike or others mind you...only searching for competence.



Hi guys

First I would like to send my condolences to Gerd's familly and friends....I only met him a few times ..... was a great guy and an excellent tech. RIP Gerd.
Another friend , Jean Claude AKA Mr.Tubeand is also fighting the same damn type of cancer as Gerd......doctors are giving only a few months. I have been helping him out for the last few months since he is unable to lift or concentrate on anything :-(

Tubetwang::: please give me a call ,,,,I will take care of your amp no matter what it takes at no additional charge, will even pick it up and deliver it to you, no charge. Your amp (kit) can be challenging to work on since assembly errors by the builder are some times difficult to diagnose.......call me and I WILL make your amp sound like it should with no additional costs. As you can probably understand Jean Claude was not in the best of shape(mentally and physically) when you brought your 65 BF "kit" to him...maybe out of respect a mod here can change the title of his post title from "duds and turkeys" to something else.

Mike Latremouille
LATRETECH


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## dufe32

Amptek in Laval (Ste-Rose).

He's cheap and VERY reliable. No one touches my amps except this guy. He knows his shit, I think he spends more time with tubes than with humans. And he will give you detailed explanations about the work that has to be done, he won't change tubes if they are still good, a very honest guy.


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## tubetwang

Zener said:


> Hi guys
> 
> First I would like to send my condolences to Gerd's familly and friends....I only met him a few times ..... was a great guy and an excellent tech. RIP Gerd.
> Another friend , Jean Claude AKA Mr.Tubeand is also fighting the same damn type of cancer as Gerd......doctors are giving only a few months. I have been helping him out for the last few months since he is unable to lift or concentrate on anything :-(
> 
> Tubetwang::: please give me a call ,,,,I will take care of your amp no matter what it takes at no additional charge, will even pick it up and deliver it to you, no charge. Your amp (kit) can be challenging to work on since assembly errors by the builder are some times difficult to diagnose.......call me and I WILL make your amp sound like it should with no additional costs. As you can probably understand Jean Claude was not in the best of shape(mentally and physically) when you brought your 65 BF "kit" to him...maybe out of respect a mod here can change the title of his post title from "duds and turkeys" to something else.
> 
> Mike Latremouille
> LATRETECH


Thanks for posting Mike...

i did'nt know about Jean-Claude...best wishes to him...

I really appreciate your offer...i'll call you next week...


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## tubetwang

Zener said:


> Hi guys
> 
> First I would like to send my condolences to Gerd's familly and friends....I only met him a few times ..... was a great guy and an excellent tech. RIP Gerd.
> Another friend , Jean Claude AKA Mr.Tubeand is also fighting the same damn type of cancer as Gerd......doctors are giving only a few months. I have been helping him out for the last few months since he is unable to lift or concentrate on anything :-(
> 
> Tubetwang::: please give me a call ,,,,I will take care of your amp no matter what it takes at no additional charge, will even pick it up and deliver it to you, no charge. Your amp (kit) can be challenging to work on since assembly errors by the builder are some times difficult to diagnose.......call me and I WILL make your amp sound like it should with no additional costs. As you can probably understand Jean Claude was not in the best of shape(mentally and physically) when you brought your 65 BF "kit" to him...maybe out of respect a mod here can change the title of his post title from "duds and turkeys" to something else.
> 
> Mike Latremouille
> LATRETECH


Well... i did call Mike Latremouille (LATRETECH) on Thuesday morning to take him on his offer...he said "i'll call back to let you know when i'll come to pick your amp up...either today or tomorrow".

Never heard from the guy...kqoct

Draw your own conclusion...:wave:


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## parkhead

music 43 said:


> thanks for all the feedback... How much should I be paying for an amptech per hour?



Shop rates should be $60 per hour. 

Your mileage may vary 

p


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## tubetwang

*Rick Onslow*

Thanks to Pattste for the tip on Rick Onslow!:bow:

I brought the Princeton Reverb and a Fender Reverb 6G15 to Rick.

He fixed both units in a short time...

He went as far as explaining what was wrong...

The man is a Pro...

Highly recommended!!!:banana::smilie_flagge17:

You have been warned!


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## pattste

tubetwang said:


> Thanks to Pattste for the tip on Rick Onslow!:bow:
> 
> I brought the Princeton Reverb and a Fender Reverb 6G15 to Rick.
> 
> He fixed both units in a short time...
> 
> He went as far as explaining what was wrong...
> 
> The man is a Pro...
> 
> Highly recommended!!!:banana::smilie_flagge17:
> 
> You have been warned!


You're welcome, Tubetwang. Glad I could help.


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## matt tiffin

I just got my Trace Elliot Speed Twin back from Rick and it sounds amazing!!! 

Rick is awesome and I highly recommend him!

Matt


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## pattste

Matt,

I'm glad everything worked out. You had me worried there for a second.


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## espiti

I looked up Rick at his website but couldn't find where he's located. Is he in Mtl?
Thanks in advance!


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## tubetwang

Yup!

The man is on Montreal's Plateau...

Best to get in touch through his web site...


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## Geriatricrocker

music 43 said:


> Looking for an amp tech in Montreal, either on or off the island.


I'm retired but I do some repairs still, and ocasionally buy old non-working or poorly working amps to amuse myself. You can email me [email protected] if you need help.
I"m located in Greenfield Park on the south shore of Montreal. I only do amps and guitar wiring and setups, no digital equipment.


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## espiti

tubetwang said:


> Yup!
> 
> The man is on Montreal's Plateau...
> 
> Best to get in touch through his web site...


That's great... Thanks!


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## zurn

You might get a call from me Geriatricrocker, I have a Fender Twin SF that needs some love


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## al3d

Rick Onslow IS that kind, came up with some of the best Plexi Mods of the time, did mods on Metallica's amp as well..


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## stratojet

*Mr Tube*



tubetwang said:


> Thanks for posting Mike...
> 
> i did'nt know about Jean-Claude...best wishes to him...
> 
> I really appreciate your offer...i'll call you next week...



I called La Lutherie today and I asked abour Jean-Claude (Mr. Tube) . The news about his illness was true and he passed away last week. Funerals were 2 days ago. He wasn't sick very long, two months at the most. He started to notice anormal presence of blood in his urine. When he saw a doctor, it was way too late as he had generalized cancer. 

He was a good man, nice to talk to. He was not perfect but who can pretend to be nowadays? 


May he rest in peace. 56 is very young for a man to go, I think......


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## zurn

al3d said:


> Rick Onslow IS that kind, came up with some of the best Plexi Mods of the time, did mods on Metallica's amp as well..


Do you know how to get a hold of him? I tried through his website and I got no answer. 

Thanks.


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## ericprsse

I visited this thread a couple times... and figured I'd update it after my recent experience with Marius from Luthier 911.

I tried contacting Rick Onslow and Amplitube in the west island without success, and finally someone referred me to Marius.

I brought him the Amp on a Monday at 2, he had it ready Wednesday at ~4. Price was great and everything that needed to be done was, and a bit extra too!

Highly recommended for guitar, bass and amp servicing!


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## zurn

Can you pm me his contact info ?

Thanks.


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## zurn

Ended up taking my amps to Michel at Amp-Tek, highly recommended!

ACCUEIL


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## EL34POWER

Hey Gang. Been of the forum for a while. Just a quick nod to Michel from Amptek. Did a great job replacing the OT in my Bad Cat BC50. Re biased, chatted about amps and things. Would recommend for sure. He is in Laval. Does it from his house.
Amptek - Home


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