cletcher1 Posted July 12, 2018 Share Posted July 12, 2018 So my first rodeo in trying to repair an out of warranty Helix....my power switch (and subcomponents) have popped out of my unit twice, rendering it useless prior to 2 gigs. Not sure why, could have been an unseen mishap, but I always keep it in gator road-case. Seeing as how these components just snap in, I figured I could order replacement parts (my guess is about a $1 worth of actual wholesale cost parts) and pop in a new switch. After a few email support ticket conversation this is what I was told. 1. They weren't sure what parts I was talking about? Really, the power switch and spring. Be warned they aren't that familiar with the schematics apparently (AMPEG??) 2. They don't sell parts to customers for Helix, you must send the unit in for repair and a much larger cost. 3. Never heard of this happening before...which is not true either. Anyway maybe this has been discussed before...but way disappointed here. Expected to order a new switch and be on my way...now I'm looking at probably a couple hundred dollars or more in costs to have it "officially' repaired. Sorry already spent that on more L6 equipment (backup Helix). sigh.... The reality is that I'll probably have my tech just hardwire it on for a fraction of the cost and use the power cord to turn it on/off . I need it to be reliable. Just beyond frustrated I can't buy the parts I need. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phil_m Posted July 12, 2018 Share Posted July 12, 2018 Have you contacted a service center? If it's just the power switch, that seems like it would be a simple fix for a authorized repair center. Line 6 does sell some parts on the Store here, and there's some available at Full Compass. Unfortunately, I don't see the power switch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tagmusenmagnus1 Posted July 12, 2018 Share Posted July 12, 2018 3 minutes ago, phil_m said: Have you contacted a service center? If it's just the power switch, that seems like it would be a simple fix for a certified repair center. Yeah, definitely a simple fix, but I agree that it is way to pricy to have a service center fix simple things like this. Come on L6!! This can't be right!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rd2rk Posted July 12, 2018 Share Posted July 12, 2018 2 hours ago, tagmusenmagnus1 said: Yeah, definitely a simple fix, but I agree that it is way to pricy to have a service center fix simple things like this. Come on L6!! This can't be right!! If you know that it's way too pricey, then you must have gotten a quote from an authorized service center. How much $$ do they want to fix this? Honestly curious - could happen to anybody.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobthedog Posted July 12, 2018 Share Posted July 12, 2018 Line 6 don't make the parts so you just need to order a compatible part, any decent tech will be able to get the parts and fix it or just do some googling and grab the soldering iron. 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joepeggio Posted July 13, 2018 Share Posted July 13, 2018 Im not sure of the size of the cutout, but likely a standard size. Here is an example of what you can find. edit: this is an example only, I do not know if this switch actually fits Helix. https://www.zoro.com/carling-technologies-rocker-switch-spst-2-connections-ra911-vb-b-1-v/i/G3103694/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BAmartin Posted July 13, 2018 Share Posted July 13, 2018 I never had an issue with the Helix... but I'm pretty sure that the joystick is very delicate and shouldn't be used too much if you don"t have an authorized repair center near you... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phil_m Posted July 13, 2018 Share Posted July 13, 2018 5 minutes ago, BAmartin said: I never had an issue with the Helix... but I'm pretty sure that the joystick is very delicate and shouldn't be used too much if you don"t have an authorized repair center near you... It’s really not delicate... There are over 40,000 Helices out there, and there have been like less than 100 joystick failures. And those failures weren’t even the joystick itself. They were the solder joints for the joystick. I think Frank said the number of actual joystick failures is in the single digits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RD1967 Posted July 14, 2018 Share Posted July 14, 2018 I'm sorry your Helix is broken but you need to understand that warrantees expire and stuff breaks. This is not the fault of line6 or the fact that your warranty expired. I hope nothing goes wrong with my unit but I understand that it could break at any time and for any reason.....warrantee or not. Why does everybody feel the need to blame someone when they've been inconvenienced? Respectfully, sometimes crap just happens and the way you choose to respond says more about you than it does anything else. Don't be a hater.....just get it fixed and move on. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rd2rk Posted July 14, 2018 Share Posted July 14, 2018 46 minutes ago, RD1967 said: I'm sorry your Helix is broken but you need to understand that warrantees expire and stuff breaks. This is not the fault of line6 or the fact that your warranty expired. I hope nothing goes wrong with my unit but I understand that it could break at any time and for any reason.....warrantee or not. Why does everybody feel the need to blame someone when they've been inconvenienced? Respectfully, sometimes crap just happens and the way you choose to respond says more about you than it does anything else. Don't be a hater.....just get it fixed and move on. OP is NOT complaining about the product breaking. His gripe is that L6 doesn't sell parts and the support person didn't even know what parts he was talking about. He's made the ASSUMPTION that taking the unit to a service center (or sending it to L6) will be prohibitively expensive. Curious, I asked what the repair estimate was. I've not received a response, either from OP or from the other poster who agreed with him. My experience with L6 support is totally opposite his. Their support people have always been knowledgeable, and done everything and more to resolve issues. OP's lack of response to my query about the repair estimate inclines me to think that there's more to this story than we've been told. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RD1967 Posted July 14, 2018 Share Posted July 14, 2018 6 hours ago, rd2rk said: My experience with L6 support is totally opposite his. Their support people have always been knowledgeable, and done everything and more to resolve issues. OP's lack of response to my query about the repair estimate inclines me to think that there's more to this story than we've been told. I agree with you. I've never had anything but great service no matter what my issue was. What I'm saying is that if line6 told him they don't sell parts you kind of have to respect that. I think they may have done him a favor. If they sold him the part and he made things worse tring to fix it himself it would then cost him more to make it right. We just need to trust that they know what is best on their machines. They are there to help and if he felt they got rude maybe it was because they felt they had to. I've never seen them anything but eager to help....if they werent then maybe it was him. That's all I'm saying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
codamedia Posted July 17, 2018 Share Posted July 17, 2018 On 7/12/2018 at 3:54 PM, BobTheDog said: Line 6 don't make the parts so you just need to order a compatible part, any decent tech will be able to get the parts and fix it or just do some googling and grab the soldering iron. +1 When something is out of warranty and/or you are 100% confident in your own abilities it's just a matter of finding out what Line 6 sourced for parts. There should be a part number on the part itself (once you remove it) that can be cross referenced. I did just that on an older Variax when the VDI connector on the guitar failed... in that case it was... "hello Neutrik"! All that aside... I do like the way Roland operates in this regard. They provide a parts list, you order whatever parts you need directly, and they ship all for a low flat rate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobthedog Posted July 17, 2018 Share Posted July 17, 2018 Yeah Roland are spot on with this. They have sent me parts for out of production kit at seriously low cost and also emailed the service manuals. Top notch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PiFromBRC Posted July 17, 2018 Share Posted July 17, 2018 On 7/14/2018 at 8:33 AM, rd2rk said: <snip>: Curious, I asked what the repair estimate was. I've not received a response, either from OP or from the other poster who agreed with him. My experience with L6 support is totally opposite his. Their support people have always been knowledgeable, and done everything and more to resolve issues. OP's lack of response to my query about the repair estimate inclines me to think that there's more to this story than we've been told. I took a peek at his history here. He's a bit of a complainy pants. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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