Due to limited resources we are only able to do restorations / repairs on our inventory
and unable to take outside repairs.
                                                                        

Our Testing and restoration methods:

Receivers / Tuner / Pre-amps Power-amps, Guitar Amps:

     Initial check-in and test for basic function: First we pull the cover / housing and do a visual check for burned components, bad fuses, excessive grime and dust or any other obviously problems. If nothing raises alarm we power up slowly on a Vari-AC to check for any early excessive current draw. Assuming the unit passes to this point we then evaluate condition of controls, panel lamps, output quality (using an oscilloscope and volt meter as well as speakers) and noting overall condition. A piece of gear that has an unusually heavy build up of dust, grease and grime on the output devices and the rest of the circuitry will probably get salvaged even if it does work, as an excessive amount of grime means that the components have been allowed to run hot, thus shortening their life span. Heat is the number one killer of electronics and parts that have an excessive amount of dirt and grime build-up cannot dissipate heat adequately. In addition if you can see that much dirt on the surface, inevitably it has gotten in places where it can’t be cleaned and may cause future problems. Units that have been used in bars, kitchens, garages and shops or in environments with heavy smokers and or lots of dust are to be suspect.
     Once we do an initial check-in we vacuum and brush all the dust from the inside of the unit. We strip the unit to the level of cleaning it’s controls and switches, which sometimes even means individually removing the controls from the circuit board completely to do a thorough cleaning. It can sometimes take up to 2 hours just to gain access to clean a units controls.  We also check for obvious past repairs that may not have been done “professionally”.  We next check and / or replace any burned or intermittent panel / pilot / meter / indicator lamps. Next any internal memory back-up batteries / capacitors are checked or replaced. We inspect for any “cold” or loose solder joints especially on the input / output jacks, pots and switches or any other parts that might have force or flexion applied to them. RCA jacks are notorious for developing loose solder joints especially on gear newer than 15 years or so due to manufactures choosing to solder jacks en-mass directly to the circuit boards to save money. Cheaper as it may be, it’s a terrible design that will inevitably fail after just a few uses. The same goes for abandoning the use of quality control pots that use a nut to secure it to the chassis / face-plate. Many units manufacturers switched to using control potentiometers that are soldered to the circuit boards and simply stuck through a hole in the face with no “shaft nut” to secure it. Every time you manipulate the control you stress the solder joint. Some fair well, most do not over just a few years of use. Two terrible designs that are common on the vast majority of gear manufactured after the early 1980’s but I just had to get on the “Soap Box” about them. We check tuner dial cords / mechanisms for freedom of motion and alignment replacing where necessary. We also check tuners on all bands for quality and re-align the tuner "front-end" as most have drifted in performance due to semiconductor age, wear and dirt. Next face plates / housings / patch-bays and knobs are painstakingly cleaned and polished. Entire unit is detailed to look as close to new as practical. Bent control shafts are straightened. Questionable or stiff AC cords are replaced. Wood cabinets are oiled. Loose trim is re-fixed. The unit is then re-tested for all functions and output quality. Our test for output quality and control potentiometer cleanliness is not simple listening through a set of speakers. We test one side / amplifier at a time currently. These tests are not to test for "original spec" or deviation from that, but to test the overall health of the pre-amp / power-amp section. We connect the outputs up individually to a “dummy load” that will vary from 0-32 ohms. Most amplifiers are used between 4-8 ohms. We first do an 8-ohm test. In addition to the “dummy load” we connect a calibrated digital volt meter and an oscilloscope to the outputs. To the inputs we connect a sine-wave generator producing a 1 kHz tone with .775 volts output*. We bring the amplifier slowly up to “clip” or to it’s power rails noting that it hits both rails simultaneously. If it is hitting one rail in advance of the other it indicates a bias problem which means that the output devices are either over biased or under biased and will need to be adjusted if practical, or if there's a defective part, it is replaced if practical.  

     Either problem can and usually does result in outputs either running too hot (which shortens their life drastically) or running too cold which will usually result in a “mushy” sound with no "punch". If the signal looks good we note the voltage output and do the math to figure "peak" wattage (you can use the voltage / load figures to deduce RMS output if you wish). We then lower the load impedance to 4 ohms and repeat the tests and then on to 2 ohms if the amplifier is designed to run that low. We also manipulate the controls with the sine-wave to check for dirt induced static as smaller amounts will show up readily on the scope, but may not be heard readily with your ears. If there’s a problem we re-clean or replace the controls and re-test. We then re-assemble the unit completely and it goes to another test bench. Here it is hooked to a signal (usually utilizing the tuner with a quality antenna) and to a pair of speakers. All the tone controls are maxed and the Loudness control (if available) is engaged. It is then “burned-in” for a period of not less than 12 hours ( and sometimes up to 72 hours) to check for any intermittent / heat related problems. Once it passes all of the above tests it is tagged and bagged to await shipment. (*We choose the “1 kHz into one channel at a time” testing method as we believe it provides greater accuracy. The alternative and other extreme would be to load both channels simultaneously with full bandwidth pink noise and then do the measurements. It is almost impossible to tell when pink noise is truly clipping and you can’t check potentiometer condition using this technique. Neither test is by any stretch of the imagination “real world”, but the 1 kHz lets us get a good bench mark of the performance and check for control condition / quality. The published rating of the amp will usually be about 50-80% of what we will measure it using our method. It would be 1 to 2 times what you would see on the bench using the pink noise method.)
     Guitar amps get most of the same procedures listed above, but in addition we check, record 
and/or replace all the tubes (where applicable) and test / replace all electrolytic capacitors, especially the filter caps. Reverb tanks are checked for any internal damage, all fasteners are checked for tightness, speakers are tested for quality / problems, cabinets are checked for soundness and amp is test played extensively for sound quality, tone and gain. Definitely one of the more fun parts of the job.

Tape Decks:

     Initial check-in and test for basic function: First we pull the cover / housing and do a visual check for burned components, bad fuses, excessive grime and dust or any other obviously problems. Assuming the unit passes to this point we then evaluate basic function of the deck playing first a generic tape through the transport to make sure it doesn’t have a habit of eating tape and to check that the transport is engaging all of it’s functions. We then check playback with test tapes noting sound quality on both channels and accuracy of speed. We then attempt a simple record test to see if the unit is at least imprinting a signal onto the tape and then if it will erase it.
     Once we do an initial check-in we used 40-60 lbs of compressed air, a vacuumed and brush all the dust from the inside of the unit. We strip the unit to the level of cleaning it’s controls and switches, which sometimes even means individually  removing the controls from the circuit board completely to do a thorough cleaning. It can sometimes take up to 2 hours just to gain access to clean a units controls. We check and either re-condition or replace all rubber components. This is critical and usually the most time consuming part of tape deck repairs. We’ve all seen what happens to a rubber pencil eraser after just a year or two. It gets glazed on the surface and slick and will not erase anything as it just slides across the paper. Or rubber can revert back to it's original state, sort of a "gooey tar" substance. The same thing happens to all the belts, tires, wheels and rollers in a VCR       . Fortunately it takes longer than a year, but it does appear after about 8-12 years. Even if a deck is left wrapped in it’s original packing and never used it will likely meet the same fate. In fact that would probably be worse than using a deck everyday. If a deck is used very regularly the rubber parts have less opportunity to glaze up. We stock hundreds of belts and tires, but even then we only have about a 25% (that’s one out of 4 ) chance of having or even having access to the correct replacement rubber parts. Manufacturers of rubber parts are supporting cassette, reel to reel and 8-track cartridge technology less and less all the time due to lack of popularity. There are some brands that we usually hold little hope for such as cassette decks made by Akai. Their tires are unlike anyone else’s that we’ve found and do not seem to be available from anywhere. We also check for obvious past repairs that may not have been done “professionally”.  We next check and / or replace any burned or intermittent panel / pilot / meter / indicator lamps. We clean and re-lubricate the transport mechanism. We inspect for any “cold” or loose solder joints especially on the input / output jacks, pots and switches or any other parts that might have force or flexion applied to them. RCA jacks are notorious for developing loose solder joints especially on gear newer than 15 years or so due to manufactures choosing to solder jacks en-mass directly to the circuit boards to save money. Cheaper as it may be, it’s a terrible design that will inevitably fail after just a few uses. The same goes for abandoning the use of quality control pots that use a nut to secure it to the chassis / face-plate. Many units manufacturers switched to using control potentiometers that are soldered to the circuit boards and simply stuck through a hole in the face with no “shaft nut” to secure it. Every time you manipulate the control you stress the solder joint. Some fair well, most do not over just a few years of use. Two terrible designs that are common on the vast majority of gear manufactured after the early 1980’s but I just had to get on my “Soap Box” about them. We then clean the heads and adjust head azimuth for maximum sound quality. Next we completely demagnetize the heads, capstan and entire tape transport. Reel brakes are adjusted on reel-to-reel decks. Transport has any necessary adjustments made and lubricated where applicable. Next we test record using a fresh, high quality tape looking for large discrepancies in record / play-back meter levels. We also re-test for speed accuracy and make any necessary adjustments that are available. WE HAVE NEVER DONE THE INITIAL TESTS ON ANY TAPE DECK WHERE WE HAD A DECK BE "ON SPEED", OR EVEN A USEABLE LEVEL OF "CLOSE". R2R's are usually 20-120 cycles low at 1kHz, but can occasionally be sharp by as much as 30 cycles (some late 60's-early 70's decks have actually been 150-300 cycles low!). Consistently, or at least 95+ % of the time, cassette decks are 35-45 cycles over 1k after reaching operating temperature. All the tape deck techs here (including myself) are musicians and know what this means. This means that if you try and use a cassette deck (or any tape deck for that matter) that has not been speed checked, and it is 35-45 cycles "sharp" @ 1k, that is almost a entire "half step" sharp (ie; if a song was recorded in the key of "B", it will play back at a "C"). Try and match with your old studio tapes to your voice or currently tuned instrument at A440. Ain't gonna happen! We strive to adjust our decks to within +- 1cycle @ 1kHz and are usually successful. This requires a "factory" or verified test tone tape, a calibrated frequency counter, lot's of patience and the knowledge of how to make the necessary internal adjustments.
     Next face plates / housings / patch-bays and knobs are painstakingly cleaned and polished. Entire unit is detailed to look as close to new as practical. Bent control shafts are straightened. Questionable or stiff AC cords are replaced. Wood cabinets are oiled. Loose trim is repaired. The unit is then re-tested for all functions.
        We then do many test recordings using fresh, new (we have a stock of sealed tape for our own use) tape. Playback is tested with known quality and factory test tapes. Recordings are made on normal, Chrome and sometimes Metal tape and are also made at multiple signal levels and with the decks NR features on and off. We look for dB level return upon playback and utilize an oscilloscope to monitor the deviation of the original 1k signal and the recorded signal on each tape type. We also then make multiple recordings from CD material that are audiophile worthy (many CD's aren't). As with all our units, the entire "pre-test" and "post-test" procedure is logged in detail in a report we keep on file.
(PS. If you're looking at auctions for 20+ year old units, and someone says, "this tape deck (substitute VCR, Turntable, CD player, Clock or other electro-mechanical device) has never been used or taken out of the box" or, "was used for a couple of hours when new, and has been in the closet ever since" those are BAD THINGS! Probably one of the worst things that can happen to an electro-mechanical unit such as a tape deck, turntable, VCR, etc. is for it not to get used. Just like a car that runs bad after it sits for a few weeks or months, a stereo component can have similar symptoms. Think of how bad the car would run if it hadn't been started in 15 or 20 years! On tape decks, Turntables, VCR's etc. that have been allowed to sit unused, the rubber parts / belts stiffen into one shape and the lubes congeal or worse yet turn to varnish, "freezing" moving parts solid! So the next time you hear, "it's new in the box and was never used" when referring to an electro-mechanical device, think twice and "run like h_ll".) 

  Photo is of a Teac 4010S having typical Main Capstan Belt change and Pinch Roller Arm re-lube operation. Not an operation too many folks want to undertake. This is just a couple steps of MANY that is required to try to get most decks back to a level of condition that will allow it to operate for any length of time! Just FYI.

Speakers:

     Each speaker first gets a visual inspection for bad surrounds, dust cap condition, cabinet joint integrity, connector condition etc. After some pre-testing of the individual drivers, any speaker that comes in with drivers (especially woofers) featuring foam surrounds has the foam replaced on those drivers, except in very rare cases. We do this regardless of how "good" the foam may still "look" on a driver. We learned this the hard way as that long ago when we first started in the "vintage" biz, we would "pass" speaker with drivers that had foam that "looked" fine. 100% of those 6 or 7 times we sold speakers that way, the customer called within a day or two of using them to let us know the foam had failed, so they had to be shipped back for re-foaming anyway.
     The units are then disassembled where practical to inspect for physical condition of drivers, crossovers and dampening material. You would be surprised at what we’ve found in some speaker cabinets. Everything from rusty speaker frames and motors, exploded caps in the cross-over that have sprayed “shrapnel” throughout the inside of the cabinet, charred / burned crossover networks (speaker may still work, with a crossover that looks like it's been barbequed),  mouse nests and once, even a Black Widows web with resident about the size of a quarter still alive and well. Not sure what she had been eating in there.
     We next check for driver spider (not the same as the above mentioned, but an actual part of a speaker) attachment and lead wire integrity. We also check for loose internal wiring / connections. Next each speaker is individually tested. We use a pink noise generator as testing with music material from a CD or other similar source will many times not alert you to Tweeter, Super Tweeter open coil issues or other "balance" problems. Many speakers sound OK with recorded material, but can have their most upper end drivers bad. We then test the entire speaker cabinet with it’s components in-place with a sweep tone generator at low, medium and high volumes to check for any buzzing, rattling, extraneous vibrations or sympathetic harmonic tones. We then test both speakers as complete assemblies with pink / white noise to check for driver balance between the two cabinets. This is not only an audible test, but we are able to view the results with our 1/3 octave, 31 band RTA with calibrated mic that registers 20-20kHz. Next a number of recorded selections / cuts for sound quality (another fun part of the job).
     Entire unit is then detailed to look as close to new as practical. New, felt feet are usually installed and any grill issues are rectified as practical. Where applicable we oil wood cabinets, lightly repair veneer, then bag and tag them to await packing (which is very difficult to do correctly) for safe transit for shipment.

Turntables:

     We first do a visual check of the table and cartridge / stylus if applicable. If it’s a belt drive table  we see if the belt is still intact, missing or on occasion a natural rubber belt will have disintegrated  and wrapped itself around the motor capstan thus burning up the motor as it could no longer spin due to the excess rubber around it. We check the tone-arm Gimbal bearing for freedom of movement and the arm lift mechanism for smooth operation. We then remove the platter to measure for a new belt and to lubricate the motor and clean and re-lubricate any internal mechanisms. Some of the mechanisms will be located in the housing underneath the plinth. We check the patch cables if permanently attached for condition and replace where necessary. We then make any  necessary  repairs to the base and when practical to the dust cover. We then install a “junker” cartridge / head-shell to put the table and all it’s mechanisms through it’s paces and make any necessary adjustments / parts replacements. Once we are satisfied the mechanics of the table are operating correctly we remove the “junker cartridge” then clean and polish the cabinet and dust cover as much as is practical. Dust covers are commonly brought to near new condition. Our guy is amazing with them. Entire unit is detailed to look as close to new as practical. If the table is to be shipped with either a good used or new cartridge we will install it and set it up with it's initial tracking force set. Then we use various test LP’s through a pair of speakers and a Dual-Trace oscilloscope (on the mid-upper end price range tables we sell) to adjust for anti-skating and cartridge cross-talk.  We also generally make notes as we go through turntables noting what the end results of many of the operations / tests were. They are then bagged and tagged to await packing (which is no easy task on a turntable) for shipment. Turntables are one of the most difficult items to pack for safe shipment. 

Here's an example of what our turntable tech can do for the cosmetics alone:          (click on thumbnails to view photos)

(PS. If you're looking at auctions for 20+ year old units, and someone says, "this tape deck (substitute VCR, Turntable or other electro-mechanical device) has never been used or taken out of the box" or, "was used for a couple of hours when new, and has been in the closet ever since" those are BAD THINGS! Probably one of the worst things that can happen to an electro-mechanical unit such as a tape deck, turntable, VCR, etc. is for it not to get used. Just like a car that runs bad after it sits for a few weeks or months, a stereo component can have similar symptoms. Think of how bad the car would run if it hadn't been started in 15 or 20 years! On tape decks, Turntables, VCR's etc. that have been allowed to sit unused, the rubber parts / belts stiffen into one shape and the lubes congeal or worse yet turn to varnish, "freezing" moving parts solid! So the next time you hear, "it's new in the box and was never used" when referring to a mechanical device, think twice.)

Effects, Tuners, EQ’s and other signal processors receive much of the same attention as the afore mentioned units.


Vintage radios:

     We first do a visual inspection of the chassis and cabinet. We then remove the chassis from the cabinet and do a visual on the circuitry. We note weather the tubes that are in the sockets are the correct units. Many people will stick a tube into a socket because it fits and looked the same or it’s what they had around. That usually spells smoke and disaster for the radio and certainly the tube and on occasion the operator. We look and see if any of the filter capacitors are swollen or leaky. We also inspect the AC cord to see if it’s safe enough to at least test the unit with. If everything looks in order we then apply AC power slowly to the chassis with a vari-ac noting current draw. Sometimes by the time we get up to only 20 or 30 volts a radio will start drawing ½ - 2 amps and we know we have a problem. Sometimes they will power up fine, but just buzz loudly. Sometimes they start working with only the normal 60 cycle hum from an aged power supply filter circuit. Once we deduce the initial electronic condition of the chassis we then cut the power to the radio. We next remove all the tubes, noting their correct location, test them, record the findings on the tube with a sharpie or replace them where necessary (we also test the new ones as we have had plenty that were bad out of the box). We then clean the chassis completely including all the tube sockets. We next check and almost always replace all the electrolytic filter capacitors as well as checking all the other caps. We then clean all the controls, switches, contacts and the variable tuning capacitor as well as lubricating any moving parts. We then check the dial cord and mechanism for integrity. We replace the pilot lamp and any other light bulbs. We next install a new polarized AC cord and add a fuse for safety. We then install all the tested / replaced tubes and again slowly power the radio up through the vari-ac. After a couple of minutes warming up at this point they usually sound like new! We then disassemble the cabinet thoroughly cleaning the dial glass and cleaning and polishing the housing and knobs where applicable. Entire unit is detailed to look as close to new as practical. We then re-assemble the entire radio and test play for at least 2 hours. They are then bagged and tagged to await packaging for shipment.

Vintage electric fans:

     Fans are very labor intensive for us. That is why we are slow to replace sold units. Each fan is initially tested, if they appear safe, for function, spin balance, oscillation (if applicable), speed switch function and excessive rattles or noise. We are also looking for speed and the amount of time the fan may take to come up to speed. We then completely disassemble the fan and all it’s components. We remove and clean any dried lubricant from the oscillation mechanism (where applicable) and re-lubricate it. We also try and replace any missing / broken parts to the oscillator. We then clean and check the motor and it’s windings. We also check the brushes at this point. We then check the condition of the speed / on-off switch and repair as necessary. We next check the condition of the cage (blade guard)  inspecting for broken welds and straightening any bent sections. We then either clean and polish the existing finish or often will sand the unit down and refinish it. We will also at this time polish the blades if they are not painted models. Entire unit is detailed to look as close to new as practical. Once the finish work is complete we will then reassemble the fan installing a new AC cord at that time. The blade is then balanced for the most vibration-free operation possible. We will then run the fan for at least an hour to make sure it is ready to go. We then bag and tag it to await packing for shipment.

Guitars: 

     We have been doing guitar set ups and repairs for almost 20 years for the general public. 
Everyone has their idea of what “Plays great” means, but our set-up will please 90% of Professional players. We know how to assess fret wear, tuner condition, neck relief and electronics. We also are familiar with the different aspects of tone and sound that make, model, strings, pickups, wood and etc can have. We check for fret wear, adjust neck / body angle if necessary, adjust neck relief to correct amount, adjust pick-up height, saddle height, check nut grooves for correctness, install new strings, adjust intonation for installed strings, check for excess buzzes and test play the instrument. We also clean and polish the instrument, oil the fingerboard, polish the frets, lube the tuners (if applicable) and make any necessary electronic repairs. If a buyer prefers we can do a custom set-up for their playing style and choice of strings.

Keyboards:

     Each keyboard is initially inspected for performance. We then disassemble the unit inspecting for battery leakage (common), condition (most keyboards utilize a lithium battery for the memory which generally have a lifespan of 3-7 years, and since most vintage keyboards are pre 1990 they almost all need the batteries changed to function), corrosion, bad contacts etc. We will thoroughly clean it inside and out. We then adjust / replace / repair the key contacts, level the keys (if applicable and when practical), check tune, replace any bad tines / reeds, repair broken keys, do necessary case cabinet repairs, check electronics for excess noise, re-solder bad jack connections, check foot control functions, clean pots and controls, tune correctly and test play. Entire unit is detailed to look as close to new as practical. Any keyboard that cannot pass the above criteria after necessary, practical restoration gets salvaged for parts.

Microphones:

     We test each mic by ultimately going directly to the element. As there are many different mic connector configurations that both came stock and may have been modified by users, we cannot guarantee that the mic will “out of the box” connect correctly to your input. Most can easily be modified either by the end user or if requested by us (a nominal fee will apply). Each mic is cleaned and polished and it’s sound quality / operation condition noted.


Test Gear:

     Test equipment is a varied department so the tests / repairs we do to one is probably not applicable to another. Each is cleaned inside and out to a practical amount. Each is tested for function, calibration and accuracy. Tube testers have their internal tubes checked, electrolytic caps checked / replaced, tube sockets cleaned, controls cleaned and knobs tightened. O-scopes are checked for basic function. Power supplies are checked for correct output and regulation where applicable.

Electric Clocks:

     Each clock is disassembled and thoroughly cleaned inside and out. Mechanism is lubricated and checked for loose or non-working parts. Motors are checked for freedom of movement and condition of windings, brushes and bearings. AC cords are replaced and a fuse is sometimes added where space will permit. Faces and hands are cleaned as well as the inside of the dial crystal (glass). Finish touch-up are sometimes made. Entire unit is detailed to look as close to new as practical. Clocks are then re-assembled and checked over a 48 hour period for accuracy. They are then bagged to await packing for shipment.
 

WARNING: PLEASE USE CAUTION WITH ANY ELECTRICAL DEVICE. ANY REPAIR AND / OR

RESTORATION SHOULD BE UNDERTAKEN ONLY BY A QUALIFIED TECHNICIAN. THE TEXT'S BELOW

ARE NOT INSTRUCTIONS FOR DOING YOUR OWN REPAIR AND ARE NOT COMPREHENSIVE IN SCOPE.