Randall is incredible with his work. Took him my bass head to get fixed for knob corrosion and he did excellent work for under $100 And the turnaround time was only 2 days. 5 star rating absolutely. Just a house on the hill but he does excellent repairs. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!!!!!! read more

Xenrelic Amplification - Musical Instrument Services Near Me - San Jose, California

Very, very reasonably priced, IMHO. I had a Princeton-circuit amp that I built from a kit but from which I could not get no sound output. (I could get power, but no output.) Randall and his tech Mike did a great job getting the thing up and running, as the problem was in part the lousy schematics that came with the amp kit. Mike also re-biased the amp, which is something I would never have been able to do even if I had gotten it up and running on my own (on this particular tube amp, there's no pot to adjust; so rebiasing requires changing a resistor to the appropriate value). Mike discussed the issues with me on the phone and provided very detailed notes on the problem and how it was fixed, which I appreciate. I'm just glad that there are still businesses like this in the Bay Area, where the costs of just having a storefront are insane. There was no nickle and diming. The quote was dead-on with no added BS extras or padding. I appreciate an honest business. read more

I brought my Crate Blue Voodoo amplifier in for service and Randall ended up doing some major modifications on it I was slightly skeptical at first, after taking the amp to the studio, ALL I CAN SAY IS WOW BEST SOUNDING AMPLIFIER I HAVE EVER PLAYED!!!! I have been playing guitar for 35 years. This amplifier is incredible, Randall is the man he knows exactly what to do! It's a little pricey but let me tell you this place is well worth it! read more

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My Friedman amp was under warranty, but was going to cost me to box up and ship. I decided to bring it to Randall at Xenrelic. He diagnosed and fixed the problem for about the same price as shipping the amp back to Friedman. I had the amp back the next day. read more

Cool mods and reasonable prices. Randall is a cool dude and did a great job on my old Marshall.... Austin read more

There are some things that musicians just know. It's like understanding an obscure language, or being able to sense tonal subtleties that only a trained ear can pick out. I've known Randall as a friend, collaborator, and fellow sonic psychonaut for many years, and he's very knowledgeable with the technical side as well as the cosmic. I can go to him with any kind of repair or improvement and be totally confident in his ability to make sense out of my psycho babble. From little things (how do I bring this pedal back to 1967?) to weird things (my amp seems to pick up some Soviet numbers station from the Cold War and it's scary kinda) he's on it, but he also will go through the whole technical side, step by step. (Which makes me feel smart). I've heard his custom amplification jobs for other musicians and he has his own tonal signature, and the knack for design is uncanny. read more

Randall at Xenrelic is a fantastic amp repair man! He was quick to answer the phone, set up an appointment, got to my amp quickly and got my amp back to me - from initial phone call to back in my hands within two weeks which is quite impressive. He made repairs to and serviced my vintage fender tube amp and also found other issues while he was in there and fixed me up really nice, really quick and at a great price. He was responsive, professional and insightful. This is someone that I can trust with my gear! Although I am not looking forward to have any of my amps have problems, I am grateful to have someone good that I can take them to. Thank you Randall! read more

I have a 33 year old tube amp. Not only did Randall get my amp tuned up, but it sounds better than it has for 20 years. He was also the first amp tech that was able to re-assemble my amp and not have the exhaust fan get blocked. You have a customer for life! Thank you for the amazing work. read more

This 1 star is not a reflection of your work but of your lack of customer service to me and your inability to keep track and update your clients work order. No excuses! Upgrade your customer service and keep track of your invoices. Communication is a big deal no matter what happens in life....! Although I understand your popularity when it comes to your amp repair skills your customer service skills need to vastly improve. ...,update 9/28/19.... Thank you Randall for you recent message offering to straighten out the customer service problem. I'm updating my review from a 1 star to 3 stars due to your effort to resolve this matter. I currently don't have the time to travel back up to Los Gatos but I want you to know how much I appreciate you trying to resolve the customer service issue. If I lived closer I would take you up on the offer. Thanks again !! read more

This guy is the real deal.. Randall fixed my Marshall Valvestate when no one else would touch it..... My Marshall screems again! Thanks! read more

Randall does quality work He trouble shot my Gibson GA40RVT Tube amp problem Changed out the defective screen resistor And improved the quality of the reverb Located in the East Bay Didn't have to wait weeks either 3 day turn around Professional Honest Courteous Thanks read more

I had a great experience working with Randall. I blew a capacitor in a boost/drive pedal, and Randall quickly diagnosed and fixed the problem. Very happy customer! read more

Had a great experience here. Took a twenty year old amp there to get repaired and boom! The resurrection! Yeah I am totally over blowing it. But it was definitely a lot cheaper to get it fixed than getting new equipment. read more

Fixed my amp. After another shop "repaired" my amp, it crackled so loudly that it was unusable. I called around and found out about Randall and this place. 3 weeks later, my old amp is back gigging with me--sounds so fine again. Real happy to have a great tech in town like him. read more

I am a fussy and critical old man, so when I give Randall high marks, I mean it. I have played guitar for 50+ years and built guitars and amps, and my hat is off to anybody who can run their own business in this world...Randall kept me informed about each stage of the work done rebuilding my 1974 Music Man, an odd bird that runs its EL34s at 700+ VDC to get 130 watts output. When the old tubes in the amp went missing, he gave me a new of JJ EL34s in recompense. That's class. And he also retubed and biased my Marshall JCM2000. Support him, please, so he'll be there in the future for us.... read more

I have worked with countless amplifier technicians over the years and must say that when it comes to understanding amps and tone, Randall is the best! He does all the work for my shop and when my customers are happy, I am happy. I am so pleased to have him as part of my team! read more

Randall at Xenrelic is awesome. I brought him an old 70's Fender Princeton Reverb that needed some help because god only knows what the "techs" at Guitar Center had done to it. After speaking with him and going over the options, we decided to do a whole "blackface" conversion and bring the amp back to what made these so amazing in the first place. For the amount of work that was required on this amp, I thought his price was very, very fair and I could not be happier with the amp. Not only does it look the part, but it just sounds fantastic. The workmanship, professionalism and overall experience is unlike any I've dealt with before. I've had amps fixed in the past, but you never know what you're getting - that is until I came across Xenrelic. I even have an awesome "bright" switch on the amp that is hidden away in a push/pull volume pot. This amp is now one of a kind, but also still has the charm of the original. As I understand it, Xenrelic has two drop-off locations (Pleasanton and Los Gatos), so I don't see why anyone would go with another amp tech. I will certainly be back. Hell, I may even buy a broken amp to have Randall work his magic. read more

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From Amp repair/ builds, Pedal repair / builds to guitar repair & mods. I can honestly say I have experience with all Randalls tallents. Great work, prices and always honest can't say that about any other who does it all. Now he does not have a store front but do not let that discourage you his work is quality. I use vintage amps and gig regularly Randall has helped me to keep my amps healthy and fast turnaround when I needed it. I own two hand built xenrelic pedals that live on my pedal board and work wonderful. Check out his amps he does classic styles and modern hand wired models that rival any over priced boutiqe makes out there. I would recomend Xenrelic to anyone! read more

Randall is a full blown amplification genius. I've dealt with a few of the "amp guys" in the valley, and nobody can touch him. There's nothing he can't figure out, and he gets me the exact tone that I want. My main amps SHOULD have the Xenrelic logo on them, but I'm such a dumbass Jimi Hendrix nostalgia ridden dork that they still say Marshall. My favorite amp is my 30 watt custom piece that is basically modified from a 1969 plexi circuit with a master volume. It just kills. Do me a favor and DON'T use Xenrelic so he has more time to do my amps! ;) read more

excellent service, repaired a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe, sounds great

What a joke... Randall is impatient, rude and expensive. After being upset over me asking too many questions - because Randall does not communicate any document - he told me i was wasting his time. Luckily i do not treat my customers the same way he does... Seriously there are many custom repair amp shops in the valley. Do not waste your - i mean his - time here... read more

I brought my 1980"s Ibanez to this shop to be fixed. Don't let the Pleasanton condo location misrepresent the superior quality of work and deter you from doing business here. He works at a shop in silicon valley and this is his residence location that he works out of as well. Randall is the man!!! Within a week he had my guitar that was brought to him in un-playable condition all re-set up with new springs and strings. It plays just like it did when I first got it 17 years ago. What really impressed me was his honesty. After I played it, I noticed the jack was not working properly and when I called Randall to inquire about it he asked me to bring it over right then and there. After testing it he honestly told me that all it needed was to be cleaned so he cleaned it right then and there and didn't even charge me for it. I really appreciate his honesty and craftsmanship. I finally have a house with a guitar room to jam in and Randall resurrected my favorite one. Thanks again, Daniel read more