Advice for possible Tourmaster Customer

[inthedark]

Hello, this is my first post (possibly of many) and I have a few questions about the Tourmaster 4100.

I have an opportunity to pick one up (just the head) for under $800. The amp has apparently received under 60 HRS of play over three years and is in good shape.

HOWEVER

I researched the tourmasters and I know there are problems with the power transformers. Sadly I just lost a tube Alamo amp to a pooped power transformer, hence the new purchase! (it's being repaired, no worries!)

The 4100 was originally purchased in 2009 and the three year warranty has just ended (big bummer). In addition, the piece of paper that the serial number was posted on has apparently fallen off of the back of the amp and according to Egnater customer service, there are no other copies of the serial number on the amp. The invoice received by the seller when he bought the amp does not have a serial number on it.

Therefore there is no way to check and see if the unit has been modded with the 'm' in its serial code. This makes purchasing the amp a little tricky/risky as the PT might fail on me, especially since the unit was purchased in 2009 (an older model). However I feel like that might be okay if the price is low enough that it doesn't matter. Especially from what I have heard about these amps tones and features.

So my questions are...
How expensive is it to fix the PT without warranty? What are my options?
Is the PT the only major problem with the Tourmaster 4100??
Is this amp worth it at this price regardless? -->>under $$800!!
Whos idea was it to put the serial number for this expensive amp on a piece of paper and haphazardly glue it to the back of the amp?

Thank you my soon to be friends

 

[dogula]

I have owned a tourmaster for the past 3 years almost. My serial number fell off as well but it is worth checking behind the metal grill on the back as mine has another sticker inside the amp by the preamp tubes. I can't comment on the PT replacement but I imagine it wouldn't be cheap. If they can find a serial number inside the amp you want to make sure it has an "M" at the end. I have heard on this forum that those are the models that have the better transformers or something. The only problem I have had with mine was a mysterious volume drop by about 30% on all channels. I even took it to a tech who told me he couldn't find anything wrong. That problem has since gone away. Regarding the price, I guess that depends on what you are looking for. For a good all around rock amp it is great for $800.00! The amp has plenty of gain but it tends to be pretty smooth especially on channel 4. If you wanted to play metal or something you would likely need a boost. One other thing worth mentioning is this amp is ridiculously heavy!

 

[inthedark]

I have owned a tourmaster for the past 3 years almost.

That is good to know, what year was your TM manufactured in? How many hours have you put on it?

 

[dogula]

Don't know what year exactly. I would guess 2009. I would say around 400 hours. We practice once a week for about 3 hours at a time and gig for about 1 hour twice a month. It has pretty much been this schedule for 3 years.

 

[daviedog]

60 hours?? Be sure to check the odometer before you buy!!

All kidding aside, do you really believe that?? In three years? Demand a reasonable return period, if not pass. There is always another good deal.

 

[squank]

That's not a great price for a Tourmaster. They sell for less than that regularly on eBay and Guitar Center's used section. But those amps vary in condition, so if this Tourmaster really is in Mint condition, I'd say it was a fair price, but not a steal.

 

[paulyc]

STAY AWAY !

 

[dogula]

That's not a great price for a Tourmaster. They sell for less than that regularly on eBay and Guitar Center's used section. But those amps vary in condition, so if this Tourmaster really is in Mint condition, I'd say it was a fair price, but not a steal.

Agreed that it isn't a steal but if it is great condition $800 seems pretty fair. I paid about $850.00 for mine new in the box from ebay. I know the first run had some reliability issues but if this is one of the newer ones it should be pretty good. Keep in mind you are likely to hear alot of nightmare stories (many legit) on this forum. People including myself will generally come to complain when things go wrong. I would imagine there are alot more problem free tourmasters than defective ones.

 

[Anonymous]

mint condition means NOTHING with these amps (actually, i could care less for aesthetics with most gear, other than some guitars).

if you buy it DEMAND something in writing that you have 30 days or at least a 14 day try out period in case something goes wrong, given the track record.

but first, you can check for the factory M mod yourself with the owner present. if you open the amp, which is really easy to do...just unscrew the top chassis screws...pull the chassis out, and want to measure some resistors with a Digital multimeter and look for the ones in my pics.







sometimes if you try to read components "in the circuit" on a meter, they wont give their specified readings.

not the case here. you will see the specified readings given if you probe them with a multimeter.

obvious "inside the amp chassis" warnings should be observed here.

 

[inthedark]

Honestly, Im probs just gonna see if I can get my hands on a cheap Rebel 30...Tourmasters are scaring me a little with their probs.

Thanks for all the great advice though