Epilog to this story after Covid. Thankfully, Skylabs survived and is here to service vintage gear with very little outside support from manufacturers. Keep on truckin !
My wife found a good looking console at an estate sale. It would turn on, but nothing else. Kevin said it would be their basic run through and service for like $500. It could get real expensive, but he didn't know what is going on with it, until going through it. Cool. Few weeks later, he said it was done, and needed a tube and that the FM channel was weak. I said we live in Sioux City and there isn't a FM station worth listening to and asked if he could put in RCA's or a 3.5mm jack for us to connect an MP3 player. I can't remember if that was it, but I want to say it cost $625 for their service, going through it, replacing the pilot light on the front, lights inside the console, and adding a 3.5mm jack that took the place of the FM channel. OMG, this 1962 GE console is alive. Let's crunch hard numbers. My wife bought this for like $50 and was happy just to use it as a mid-century modern piece of furniture at the end of our living room. We paid Skylabs $625 to bring it to life. $675 is what we have in this, but take $675 to Best Buy and buy a receiver, turntable, and speakers... Sure, you can buy new gear for what we have into this but it won't sound the same, look the same, or be that coveted piece of equipment that now has my friends on a hunt for their own consoles. This console rocks with some Stax or Atlantic R&B, Trojan era Ska, stuff like Elvis Costello and the Clash. That 3.5mm jack was discreetly added to the back and we lay our MP3 player on the window sill behind the console and just need to turn on the console to the FM channel and boom. Yeah, there's a huge difference in sound between vinyl and MP3s, but the tube amp and these old speakers in this console make even MP3s sound alive, warm, and organic. This thing looks great, sounds, great, and for what we have into it, you couldn't buy new and get the same results. Every time we turn it on, we are grateful to Skylabs for making this old girl come to life and filling our home with such an amazing sound.
Just a tip: ban mp3 and use flac instead. Not all players will accept this format and the files are much bigger, though not as big as uncompressed audio. Flac is lossless, I'll never pretend to be an audiophile, but the difference was obvious, stunning. There is a well made CD grabber (EAC) free to download, it will get your titles from the internet, it takes wav files as well, it can make use of the error correction on the CD to get every bit that is supposed to be played and can even download missing/damaged fragments from other user/peers to restore your damaged CD. And to wrap it up: in my bedroom mp4 would be the most used format. 🤨
Hi. I was born in Souix City my parents attended high school there and we moved away when I was 2 so I only know about the area because of family visits later in life. Other than it’s lack of an FM station how is the vintage audio market ?? Find any vintage gold mines locked away in a barn somewhere ??
I have four classic Mid Century consoles, and one is on the rack now being completely rebuilt. They move audio to a different level, but they also require next-level maintenance and care. It’s less about owning them and more about having a relationship.
I just saw this. Couldn't agree more. I'm very grateful we have a place in Fort Wayne that does vintage repair. I have 50s and 60s tube gear, my 20 year old son's do as well. Would be at a loss without them, and would probably have a lot less of it. They really do sometimes need to manufacture a part. One time he took the transformer out of his personal early 60s tube amp for my son's which was fried. He said he had time to source one for his own, but didn't want a 20 boy new in the hobby to go without. Super grateful.
It is a labor of love and dedication, lets be grateful that there are still technicians with the knowledge and skills to rebuild these old stereos. They are not going to be around for too long and there will be a time that we will have to simply discard the equipment because of a lack of parts or techs. The gentleman who worked on my Marantz is 76 years old and he knew exactly what to fix upon my request and in the process he found more weak components that were necessary to replace to bring my amp back to his glory. Not a cheap repair but I was so grateful that he was able to give it a few more years of enjoyment.
Are any young kids getting into this business? An unrelated but (formerly) dying profession is wooden boat construction. There was a resurgence in the 80s and now there are schools teaching it to teenagers. A great living for someone with the interest and patience.
I’ve been self employed ever since returning from Vietnam. I have experienced all the frustration and anger in dealing with the many clients I have worked for over the years. I know this is an old posting by you ,however the encounter like this will always be present as long as there are self centered individuals. I was one of many Vets who was lucky enough to purchase and ship stereo equipment ( and make it home ) which has been in storage. I needed a new hobby so I started uncovering some of the pieces. I have been watching many of your very satisfying videos on different pieces of equipment. I like your delivery and style ,very calming and helps to add confidence in restoration. I’m sure after this encounter you were able to move on and put this in the rear view. Thanks for what you do. It’s a value to people like me. this message will come via my wife’s email,my name is Tom Rosch.
I can honestly say that Kevin and the techs at Skylabs do an OUTSTANDING job on any vintage repair and are more than fair as to workmanship, costs, etc. ... almost to a fault! I have purchased from them many times, taken stuff in for inspection and never been disappointed. Skylabs is the only choice for those looking for vintage components and vintage component repair/restoration. I hope they are able to stick around because this type of shop is RARE!
I started servicing electronics in high school and eventually moved on to other things in life only to get back into electronics service in the later 70s at 30+ years of age. I've serviced off and on since that time and everything you've said is so very true. I'm now 76 and still do some vintage repair work since nobody on this end of the state seems to want to do it. Yes, I'm in Iowa... Best wishes on doing what you love. Some of us get hooked and never gain enough sense to take time to go fishing. I get it.
@@skylabsaudio probably not vintage fishing lol... but dealing with humans is an art and requires lots of patience. We come in all kinds, shapes and temperament... I tried retail it was more painful... but the addiction with vintage is real
Hi Kevin, I am going thru your videos as TH-cam suggests. This one, from early in the pandemic, struck me as so heart felt I need to write. First of all I have felt your pain. I am 70, I began my electronics career in SoCal as an etech. A friend and I started an AV repair shop. We did mostly audio and some TV. This was around 69 or 70. We did ok but yeah I recall one customer - Mr. Sweeny. He brought in a HK power amp for repair. One side dead. It was an expensive piece and a piece of junk. (Hence my opinion of HK - sorry) and I do own HK tube units which are OK. This one was solid state, an early version. We replaced the outputs, the transistors were probably germanium with color dots indicating they were selected in some way. Well after extensive testing under load and full power for hours - we declared fixed and called Mr. Sweeny. He picked it up and departed. He brought it back again it had failed again. Rinse and repeat 3-4 times and we had a mad customer. We were disgusted ourselves since there was nothing else that we could do. Today in retrospect I know that it was a shitty design which under what ever load Mr. Sweeny was using as speakers - it must have become unstable and crapped it's pants. Frustration even now about 52 years later. I recall the last time he came in to pick up the amp, he was speaking with my friends father at the counter and it was getting heated. I got up and went out to talk with him, I explained that we were as frustrated as he, that we were not in any way making money on his damn amp. I finally got him to understand that it was beyond our understanding. He calmed down, exited and we never saw him again. I think we recommend he send it back to HK. So - anyway I get it. Etechs do the work because there is a thrill when your brain and fingers are able to convince a piece to function. I don't know why but it is just fun. Its done to bring back a piece for another person, not to make a buck. I look forward to meeting you Kevin. Dan
You said it well, sir. There are those problem child units that keep coming back. It doesn't take long to realize that it's happening a lot on the same model from certain manufacturers. It's great if there is a definitive fix across the board. It keeps the lights on making money on 20 minute resolutions. But there are some models you hope never see daylight through your door for repair. Some you just tell the owner you won't work on them, which makes the customer angry sometimes.
There are those who don't seem to realize this obvious truth, that they are bringing you their stuff to fix because they cannot fix it themselves. This repair work is highly specialized and in demand, so it's going to cost something. I also appreciate that my money is going to keeping a cool hobby going, people employed, etc. Fortunately the bad ones are few and far between.
My left channel started dropping out so I took my SA 9800 in for a full recap (I had the right channel fixed twice, the first time I got ripped off). Shout out to Jayden Electronics in Orlando and Jacksonville, fl. They email me a picture of all the caps they took out and gave me the estimate and wanted my blessing to continue. I replied "I don't care what it costs. If I have to pay more for the vintage guys time I will. I want the best caps you have and will pay what ever it costs." That's what happened I paid more. And they don't typically takes months for me. I'm lucky I guess. Thanks Jayden. Screw Audio 3000. The fact that the person still exists to fix my 9800 and 7800 makes me feel very lucky. It's a dying art.
Glad you bring this out, The Electronic repair industry is very complex and complicated, that being said there not too many repair shops in this country anymore. I am a 50s generational kid, and my late friend was a electronic repair man, he was over 10 years older than me. I grew up in the mid west where there were repair shops around, but not any more vintage audio has taken off big time more than ever, Customer have to understand that companies most of them went out of business, so now you have to order from different supply houses to get these units service, glad you able to run a great repair shop as well thank you.
I watched this several months ago, but as I watched it again the light went on. If you buy a vintage piece of equipment it is just like buying a vintage car to restore. Parts are unique and/or not available, costs are high for finding replacement parts if possible, your job as the "restorer" is almost a no win situation. I had a 1953 Chevrolet I restored in 1980's and parts were thin, but either were used and decent or rebuildable, reconditioned or new old stock ($$$). The biggest issue I had was keeping the tube radio working. At the time, the old guys were retired or gone and too many said they could fix it, but had limited knowledge or couldn't find parts. With vintage electronics you can't rebuild a transistor, resistor or capacitor or print a new board. Once the unique, good condition stuff disappears from ebay and other sources it's pretty much done until the owner of what you want dies or gets tired of it.
When you see a tech who wears their heart on their sleeve like this, you know you have a winner for a shop. I just dropped off a vintage AKAI am 2800 integrated Amp I bought in 1975, that "works" but needs TLC, and I got same vib. from them. I feel fortunate I found them. They have been in the same location for decades, so I think that says a lot. I'll keep you posted about the results.
I am a pro tech and everything he said is true. Repairing this equipment is not easy. There are many brands, models, design and circuits. They are all different with various parts inside. It takes a lot of skills and experience. Electronics repair is an art. Its like magic with all the parts working in perfect harmony. We try to balance the cost at all times. When I was in college you either understand electronics or you dont. Many quit cause they couldnt get it at all. I pursue and got good at it after some time. Having said all of these please be considerate and be patience to your techs. Most of us are passionate with this stuff so you have nothing to worry and we just love helping people and see their smiles even though we are not going to get rich for doing this.
Kevin, Thank you for your excellent videos, your wisdom and most importantly, for sharing. People need to be educated. How many people would take a 1970's automobile, with no history and without checking fluids, wiring, potential issues and damage, and just start it? We all know that there is "that guy" that knows it all! It is on the internet, it must be true! Then why are they bringing their gear in for service? Why don't they simply do it themselves? There is so much demand for honest, quality repair facilities and no shortage of idiots! Keep up the good work, thank you again!
Glad you made it through and are still open and delivering a service. I know exactly the type of person you are describing. Some people go into a store trying to start arguments.
Great video I've been fixing vintage electronics for 50 years and I totally agree it's a different time people who buy vintage Marantz receiver don't understand it's been sitting for 30 years it's just going to need stuff the nearest to be careful those parts are brittle you just don't go online and buy any part in it like that thanks for doing this it keeps me inspired when I was a kid there was a place called Fairchild electronics repair in West Allis I could go in there and hang out he taught me a lot of stuff it show me how to fix things and it was a reasonable guy here lots of lots of great stuff have a great day
keep it up Kevin! Fingers crossed for you and guys like you who keep our vintage equipment going. I had to have my RT-707 reel to reel repaired - the tech did an outstanding job and I made sure to give him a call a few days after the repair to thank him.
If you are going to buy vintage high fidelity gear, it really helps if you are a tech yourself. I am a tech and bought my vintage gear when it was being sold new on the market. Being a tech, I have been able to keep it working properly throughout the years. I am currently 77 years old and most of my gear was purchased in the early 1970s.
I understand this completely! Worked with a small auto department, and surprisingly enough, people would come in for an oil change, and low and behold, we somehow screwed up any number of things on the car, even a muffler on an oil change. Cars would come in 30 years old, and if anything happened after the oil change, it was of course something that we had done! I feel your pain! Vintage audio is just that; vintage, and that's what makes it great, no matter what! Great job!
You said he refused the cosmetic repairs. I have a 40 yr. old Nakamichi and I just bought a full "active component" replacement kit which I will have installed. (I don't know what some of the devices are!). Thanks for the service! Technicians are a dying breed.
Even more difficult is being a home-based business like myself. Retired engineering technician, top of my field and now one of the last of a quickly disappearing lot, the classically trained and educated professional technicians. When I attended technical school (RETS Electronics in Detroit, MI) back in the seventies, we used slide rules and studied electron tube theory. My headwind in the service business is that folks assume because I work at home, I should not be charging as much as the local shops since I don't have the same "overhead". I have a fully equipped, professional level lab/workshop at home stocked with expensive test equipment, spares inventory, chemical supplies, tools, three industrial grade benches, an office, cleaning supplies, solder, thermal paste, shrink tubing, wire, connectors, etc., etc. I also declare my income, pay taxes, have insurance and utility bills. My level of workmanship is equal to or superior to most of my comrades in arms here in the Detroit area. In fact, I have done work that other techs will either not touch (because they are smart) or cannot repair due to lack of knowledge. As you correctly stated, component level repair places great demands on time and resources and nothing like board swapping. In addition, I have as my primary competition the "self-taught" geniuses in their basements or garages still living at home with mommy (I literally know several of these jockeys) that obtain their expertise from watching TH-cam videos or questionable advice on Audiokarma and other such sites. It's like being a dedicated, professional photographer and being told that $2300 to shoot a wedding is too much because uncle Bob with a Canon Rebel would do it for $200. In many respects, a brick & mortar operation like Skylabs Audio (love you guys) has it easy because you don't have to earn the trust factor initially and can charge more because you have an established brand. After two years of offering my services to the public, I give up. I get basically the same types over and over again. There's the flipper/hoarders who know enough to second-guess every quote or repair but not enough to do the repair. The "collectors", which are just up-scale hoarders and are the worst to deal with in my opinion. The estate sale/thrift store/garage sale piranhas that bring me some pile of junk with cat puke on it, stored in a garage for 20 years with layers upon layers of dust and corrosion. Then my personal favorites are the guys (mostly guys, sometimes gals) that want me to fix their receiver or amp that they have had since high school and would never part with it and they come in clean and shiny (rare). Not that many of the last group anymore. Mostly pickers trying to make a quick buck off a broken receiver they happened to stumble upon. So I found that if I buy the equipment in need of repair and restore it myself and then sell it for a profit, I make more dollars per hour worked then I would fixing someone's gear and then putting up with their unreasonable expectations and demands. Keep up the good work in Des Moines, I appreciate your videos.
Hi. Sad to hear it. This trend to outsorce the independent professionals is now common in Europe too. Laws, restrictions, internett on stupidphone "educated" publikum with more and more rights and less til zero obligations, no respect, fragmentary "knowledge" in any subject and zero endurance. One would think, there is a sytem behind it.
@@skylabsaudio you are so welcome, keep up the good work. I love music and stereo equipment from the Glory years. I will be 71 years old in less than a month with friends who worked with me in the industry and went on the JBL and Fostex.
Debriefing is so important. I have a friend I worked in a hospital with. She went on to become a nurse. A great part of the relationship is that I can relate to what she’s dealing with. Some of it is just vernacular. There are tons of dynamics at play. Her husband can’t get it. There’s too many little things to know. Hold on to those work friends. Let them vent and use them to vent your experiences. Part of it is being assured you’re not crazy. In this case, no matter how confident Kevin is in his service, it’d be nice to have someone who gets it, remind him of how unreasonable that difficult customer was being. I like how Kevin is in touch with his feelings. I’ve started mimicking the “um” that leads to nothing😂 I think it’s sometimes used as a show of compunction. “I know a lot of people aren’t going to like me saying this, but I stand behind it. I don’t know what you want me to say? Um… The next point is….” Very genuous guy. I’m sure he hates people talking about him like this. Love ya Kevin! I’ll keep my comments to the topic it hand from now on. Keep up what you’re doing. It’s a good thing. I’m not sure he read comments from 3 yo videos. I just have to stop typing. Thank you
4:34 That's a fact! Today, I think EVERY service tech, whether for audio, radio/tv, RF, etc, MUST be a hobbiest who just enjoys the process of tracking down a bad component and replacing it. In the old days, a $400 amp might have required $50 in labor (most of the repair cost), while today, a $50 unit would most likely require MORE than $400 to fix it....ASSUMING it's fixable, what with special purpose LSI ICs, non-existant schematics (let alone, service manuals), etc. So the only area where making any money at all is possible, is with "vintage" gear...not a LOT of money, of course! :)
Hi Kevin, I totally feel your pain. I repair and restore vintage hifi as a hobby here in the UK. I absolutely point blank refuse to "just take a look" at other peoples hifi equipment because it always takes me down a rabbit hole that people don't understand. 9 times out of 10 fixing one fault leads to another fault, then another and so on. Plus because it's only a hobby and not a business, people expect the repair is done for free. It always amazes me how some people always expect something for nothing..... Anyway that's my rant over lol. Love your videos, keep up the great work.
Been there, done that, for 45 years. I do the correct job to the best of my experience, with the best parts available, but I will charge accordingly. I'm never out of work. The 2 key words here are "charge accordingly" People most of the times don't know how much works and research and time is involved. I never ever accepted to work under pressure, for any amount. I understand what you're saying here. And I agree with you.
Great video Kevin. As a small business owner surviving on repairing and restoring vintage audio I totally concur and agree with everything you said. Likewise 98% of my customer's are really good to deal with but its that small percentage that can really hit a nerve if they decide to be difficult. I get asked all the time "How much do you think it might cost?" And exactly as you said there is no way a tech is going know ahead of time what problems he will encounter when servicing a 50 year old piece of electronics. It's not like we have a crystal ball haha. Keep up the good work and have now subscribed to your channel 👍
I had recently bought a 25 ish year old Plinius 2100 I integrated amplifier and had it serviced here in New Zealand from a previous employee of Plinius. What a fantastic experience Well worth the effort and the fee. I’m fortunate to have 2 very good reliable technicians who can look after my gear. Keep up the good work 👍👍
Love the channel! I wrenched on Honda for 18 years can't tell ya how many times I had a second repair request that wasn't the initial complaint! Anyway keep it up ! Love the channel. I would love to get into repairing vintage audio... maybe one day
I recently left a 30 year career in automotive parts and service because of customers like this. People have become so difficult. As you said, the majority of customers are nice but man, so many like the guy you dealt with. I can totally relate. I enjoy your content and if I lived nearby I’d be a regular customer. Keep doing what you do. It’s important. And don’t let the bastards get you down. Some business is bad business and it’s ok to fire those customers. Carry on!
A very thought provoking video, and things I never would have considered dealing with vintage audio. I sure wish you guys were located close to me because from southwest Ohio it's a bit of a drive, lol.
VERY honest and very REAL..........I stopped repairs of vintage because I couldn't ask the hours of labor, the costs of parts at their real expense , it just wasn't possible anymore , the customer or relative /friend w
I often get gear in that has 4 or 5 unrelated faults. I also get gear in that sounds fine but still has faults that need to be addressed otherwise the life is compromised. Lots of vintage gear are money pits. The customer needs to understand that maintenance is ongoing, necessary and expensive if you can't do the work yourself
I learned when doing restos on cars that the main problem was the client paying the bill!… I always checked out the client regardless and yep! have some stories of my own too. Folk don’t appreciate what’s involved with vintage gear as such. Great Video.
I know this is an older video , but my wife & I just watched it again. You just described our life & our shop to a "T" !!!!! We have had a few customers like the one that you described. I wish you all the best & Happy New Year ! We would love to meet you & your wife some day. I'll buy dinner ! Take Care.
Just stumbled upon this video, I’m late to this party but this is a great segment, I’ve helped and assisted a friend of mine who owns a small record shop but he consequently carries used equipment and he’s a darn good tech and I have other older friends in their hobby whom I’ve learned immeasurable amounts about vintage from along with my own research. You touch upon very valid points I’ve even down to parts in older units that are often “unobtanium” because some are so obsolete or was such a rare proprietary design. 60s solid state units with old germaniums for examples or for a time I believe certain Kenwoods that utilized rare out type transistors you couldn’t find I don’t know if that’s changed now! I’ll give you a real life story for example there’s some models of the nicer higher end Technics DD full auto quartz tables that often suffered from speed failures due to a chip that had been very hard to get and another model Sl 1300/1400 mkii the cue mechanisms were known to become brittle and fail there was almost no way for a while to really deal with it , but I think that changed in last several years . There’s just a lot that’s not known and misunderstood about vintage equipment! Any how appreciate what you all do
I once had a fantastic conversation with a very successful real estate agent who had offices in southern Spain. He told me a story about meeting some clients who he had recently sold a house to, they were lovely people who were delighted with their new property and had been an absolute pleasure to deal with but he was so annoyed with himself because he couldn't remember their names. He then reeled off a list of other names I had never heard of and told me "these people were all a royal pain in the arse, rude, ungrateful and horrible to work for, but I remember their names". He pledged that going forward he was going to forget the horrible clients and focus on remembering all the good ones. Best wishes to all at Skylabs Audio.
Here in Las Vegas we have almost zero brick and mortar HiFi outlets. BUT about a mile from me are a couple of guys that are excellent with refreshing troubleshooting and repairing vintage gear, hahaha I win. Audio Xperts is the name of this vintage shop as they do sell on consignment as well. So when I shop for HiFi I simply deduct 200 bucks from the asking price to cover the inevitable evaluation by these gentleman and that’s fair the vintage is on the high side. Win-win-win.
I'm a customer of a shop just like yours in the Netherlands. Man was I lucky to find them. They too are not in business to get rich but to make ends meet by living their passion: keeping vintage stereo gear alive by refurbishing it and make it available to the next generation at affordable prices. The owner has a special added value: he knows the backstory of almost everything he sells. He had a pair of loudspeakers that once were monitors in the studio where Earth & Fire ( a great band in the 1970s Dutch pop scene) recorded their albums. Now the buyer can play their still fabulous "Song of the Marching Children" over the very same speakers that served to record it. How cool is that?
You speak the truth. I do repairs and refurbs in my spare time, and plan to do it full time after retirement. I recently had a close call with a receiver refurb. I thought I had it all fixed up and ready to go, and after a few weeks a buyer grabbed it on eBay. I set it up on the bench for one last test drive before packaging it, and wouldn't you know it - I noticed an intermittent problem, one that I knew could not be quickly resolved. I had to cancel the sale, which was painful but better than shipping it and having to deal with a return. I eventually found and fixed the intermittent fault, and along the way discovered two other issues. The lesson: Test, test, and test again. Those deep repair dives and extended testing are costly, but not as costly as shipping a receiver that would have tormented the new owner and damaged my reputation.
I am enjoying your videos and understand the passion on both sides. Most everyone wants and prays that their gear is not in a death mode or going to be $$$$ to repair. Mostly because they have so many favorable memories of finding the piece or getting that "Sound" they have been coveting for so long. The local repair shops or the vintage gear guys. It was always like a family atmosphere when shopping or getting a service. I had many exhilarating moments...going from a Concept 16.5 to vintage McInotsh....there is always that risk....unless you have a beautiful relationship...with a local shop. Somewhere doing the preventative services always gives you a piece of mind....every great shop will have a backlog...just accept that. I always told the tech to treat it like he owned it and to take his time no hurry....make it extra delicous...it is only money. Time to turn on the tubes and play the vinyl....Thanks again for the Videos!!
My hat goes off to anyone that can understand this stuff, let alone an experienced tech who knows all the common fail points of the different models. I will gladly pay a premium for quality service of these old machines. That being said, I did have an incredibly frustrating encounter with a shop one time. They gave me back my 8080 and it still sounded distorted. I took it back and the tech opened it up again while I waited and proceeded to tell me nothing was wrong and was about to send me home again with this 55lb receiver. We had some words and then the owner walked up and agreed to look at himself. He got back to me all apologetic in a few days saying he found some bad resistors from a prior repair! A good tech is hard to find I guess.
13 years of running a TV repair shop and working for another guy for 9 years before that. I can vouch for this, it's a money losing job that no one appreciates and everyone wants' a quote before you have even looked at it. No one wants to pay any kind of minimum charge if not worth repair. Lose-lose all the way, and very little (or no) support from manufacturers - that's why I eventually had to get out of the industry.
Nice ranting! :) Working with old cars for a living, I meet that same 1% guy now and again. Man, it´s frustrating! :( On my spare time i collect and repair vintage HiFi. Sadly, people don´t seem to understand how much work and time we put into repairing this stuff. Time is money, parts are expensive and scarce, and Then you also need to make a living.. I hope this video reaches a lot more viewers, because it is true! Thank you from Sweden
The entire Covid/Election thing did a number on peoples thought processes, my work was considered 'essential' by those that make decisions like that ( I was going to work regardless because I am self employed ). Anyway, it was about 18 months ago that I decided to have my vintage system ( receiver & turntable ) serviced. It cost more than anticipated, but I can't complain about the results. I recently added vintage speakers to complete the system and I listen to music on this system daily... bottom line, the expenditure has given me great joy and it helped a local business and it's employees survive the shit storm we were all going through back then.
Just found your channel and have been working around through the vids since they're informative and fun. I would just say if you're getting into vintage audio and expect to do it on the cheap, you better take some electronics courses because it's not gonna stop needing repairs. So, the onus is on the individual to find an honorable repair venue that trust can be built over time. I was up to my neck in vintage gear until around five years ago but just got out since I just didn't have the time needed to do it right. Great work, thanks.
Quite understand this. It is not a business for making easy money. I fixed vintage gear by myself and each time it is like a small adventure. For the over 50 years equipments, although restored at the best I could do, every time when I turn it on, still feel lucky when hearing the relay click sound.
Remember well buying a used car about (3 years old) from a reputable dealership. Looked and drove great, ask the salesman if it came with a warranty: "yeah, it's got the 50/50 Guaranty - if it Breaks in Half, you get to keep Both Pieces..." I thought that was pretty damn funny and it turned out to be a Great Car.
no no man I agree totally. because while I don't really know all that much about vintage audio repair I do know about bicycle repair having worked in a pro level bike shop for 10 years. And we would often get customers that would complain about the cost of a repair, saying things like oh I can't believe a drivetrain overhaul cost $100. well first off it's a dirty job and the biggest factor truly really comes down to time, people often forget especially nowadays especially people under the age of 30 that time is money. And I frequently had to remind people that time is money and so therefore it's going to cost you. also especially on older bikes you'd have this scenario where the guy wants a complete overhaul and you go to start taking bearings out and as soon as you do you find a huge problem that needs to have parts thrown at it to make it work properly. And sure we could have used the parts that were there but considering the condition they were in it would have been like putting a band-aid over a gaping wound, and I can't honestly say how long that bottom bracket repair is going to hold up. it's better to put 60 bucks worth of parts in the bottom bracket completely replacing it with a new one that way I and you as a customer know that in the year and a half from now when you finally go to use the bike because you've decided that you put on too much weight, it will function like it's supposed to. And I often found as a pro level shop the more money somebody had the cheaper they were. I could tell you a thousand different stories of people that would pull up in a brand new Mercedes s-class and then complain that they had to spend $30 on a front hub overhaul.
Totally agree with you. People don't understand what is involve. Just to get the parts or modify the board because parts are no more available, and you have to use all your knowledge to find a way around. Those intermittent problems, and all the rest. These pieces of equipment are priceless, but people do not want to pay what this hard work is all about. From an old technician that need multiple pair of glass just to see what he is doing with these small parts !
My repair guy Vern always does a complete rebuild with new parts it usually runs in between $400 - $600 well worth it. He's backed up with rebuilds waiting 2 years is not unheard of he has a excellent reputation.
When I had my shop. I'd get the same thing with remotes, they'd be missing or bad and they'd blame me!! I had to have a form that I'd mark what was wrong with the item (marantz for instance) where is my wooden case? Seriously!!!! So, no case, broken glass ect. You are right how does a mechanic know he transmission is bad if the car does not run lol. Folks don't realize these are like classic cars. Parts are expensive if you can find them. With cars they have a book rate for hourly ie how long to do the job. Then say 60 bucks an hour. On Vintage cars it takes a while to get parts or make them so jobs can take a while. Good techs on cars and audio like this are RARE. With Audio it's even more rare as we are a dying breed. If we charged 50 bucks an hour to go over a unit and spend 10 hours to get it get parts and things it would get crazy so almost all these jobs are done for less than they should have been. I also learned when you have a customer who is awful like this guy. CUT THEM loose let them find someone. I used to tell these kinds of folks. Look, obviously I can't give you the level of service you require. So I'd recommend you go else where, where they have the expertise and ability to give you the quality of service you need. Ok, the guy/gal may vent once and make a scene but then you will never see them again. Trust me I had this kind and when they could not get anyone else to work on their piece they'd come back and I'd say nope.
Vintage audio is just like the classic car world. If you buy a vintage component, it is with the understanding that you either a) are competent enough to do your own repairs… b) are willing and able to learn to do it… c) know someone who is able to repair it… d) willing to spend a good amount of money on your new hobby. If you don’t fall into any of these 4 categories, then you can spend less money on a brand-new piece, with a warranty, and find another hobby.
Great discussion 👍. Some customers should take tech courses and spend multi years of getting EXPERIENCE. They would probably fail .I sure wish I lived close to your shop .I would of loved to have a experience tech work on my stuff .all the best 👌 buddy
I agree with your comments. I'm also frustrated the business I do work for will complain after I repair something that another thing goes bad. It's the same as your oil change person explanation about the turn signal going out. The difference for me is, this store has people with experience with old gear, and should know by now this is a recurring problem. Unless you replace every part, something else probably will fail.
Been there, done that for 40+ years! I feel your pain! Some customers don't understand the skill level and experience required to repair/service audio electronics and make the repairs correctly, not just put a bandaid on them. The fact is, there are not a lot of us around anymore (well not even me -- I'm retired and too old to lift SX1250s or SX1280s or TEAC 3340s) And customers don't understand the cost of running a small audio repair business. It is very difficult for Audio service shops to find qualified techs. Simply because it is not the most lucrative line of work. Most trained and qualified techs will prefer higher income working industrial, commercial or computer electronics. You really need to love music and working on audio gear to be in this business! I bet you get the customers telling you that the problem according to what they read online is that the 33 uf caps need to be replaced, so it should be too expensive to fix! 😉 T he correct parts for a lot of these classic audio components can be very hard to come by and can require a lot of time and research to find. Many of these manufactures went out of business years ago and warehouses of parts went to landfills!
I was trained component level troubleshooting and maintenance for medical equipment in the navy, I would love to take the reins in the ventage audio field. I would come work for free to learn. Unfortunately I live in Houston Texas
Let it roll off your back like water on a duck Kevin! Bottom line as you so honestly said, we are not getting rich with what we do. We don't do it for the money. We do it because we love what we do. And we love vintage (and antique) devices! We loath the junk that is made today with no quality or longevity built in them. Landfill fodder is all they are. But the quality and integrity that went into making these devices is what we try so hard to preserve and promote to our customers. Hat's off to you sir, and your crew, in making these awesome devices sing as they were designed to do!
I just thought apart on the video on the reel to reel yeah probably nobody works on those they can be extremely difficult I've done many that were very difficult and I'll just keep it I won't even sell it cuz I got too much time in it and then once you fix it and it sounds fantastic you fall in love with it people got to understand with that kind of equipment it's super hard to do and get parts
My left channel started dropping out so I took my SA 9800 in for a full recap (I had the right channel fixed twice, the first time I got ripped off). Shout out to Jaydon Electronics in Orlando and Jacksonville, fl. They email me a picture of all the caps they took out and gave me the estimate and wanted my blessing to continue. I replied "I don't care what it costs. If I have to pay more for the vintage guys time I will. I want the best caps you have and will pay what ever it costs." That's what happened I paid more. And they don't typically takes months for me. I'm lucky I guess. Thanks Jaydon. Screw Audio 3000. The fact that the person still exists to fix my 9800 and 7800 makes me feel very lucky. It's a dying art.
Just watched this. As the owner of 4 vintage amplifiers and two vintage receivers, I get it. Vintage equipment is always a crap shoot. I have a Sony TA-1150 built in 1973 that works perfectly after being refurbished years ago but I cross my fingers each time I turn it on.
Honest, high-quality repair services are one thing; hack jobs passed off as top-grade work are another. And some shops produce Both of those. Good luck finding out in advance which you will get.
This video just cracked me up, "we can not make your receiver bullet proof"... Anyways sorry for that interaction, I agree with you, it is also crazy looking for parts on eBay. I sometimes call it quits because getting another unit costs just as much as the parts.. One example, replacement knobs... I had to digest so hard was turntable dust covers for technics... There was a seller who removed removed knobs from a unit and sold the 2 separately. I jumped on the unit only to check out the knobs posted separately...
7:40 A while back, I bought a Fluke 45 DMM off of Ebay, for a very good price. It had only one, itty, bitty problem. The 250 ma current input jack was this weird screw-in, combination banana jack and fuse holder, and it was missing. No big deal, I thought. Surely, Fluke would have a replacement. NOPE! That model had been discontinued in the early 2000s, and as far as Fluke was concerned, that was like about when vacuum tube diodes replaced cat whisker & galena AM detectors! So, I made a replacement, with an external fuse. That DMM was a top-of-the-line meter, when it was made: 5 1/2 digits, a "self-calibration" feature, even dual displays. And it has a microprocessor...I hope to God it never needs to be repaired!
Here in Chicago, there are maybe more than a few shops to get your vintage gear up and running. One of the best has I think the right system. They're open only Fridays and Saturdays. You bring your component in and he puts it on a workbench with you and goes through it all with you. You discuss the work to be done and he will give you a quote and the length of time for repair. If agreed, you leave with a ticket, and he gets in touch when completed. Here's the difference, you pay a third party that handles the cash transaction, not them. When they get paid, you can pick up the component (bag of replaced parts too)and the work is warranted. The customer can't use excuses for work that wasn't done, and I know that if it is an old(er) piece of gear that needs something on the order of a restoration he might not want to waste doing piecemeal work on something that he knows will be back in his shop repeatedly. Plus he has an incredible amount of component parts on hand. The owner is a meticulous, direct to the point type of person that cuts through the noise(crap) that other techs might spout, designs, and builds tube amps, and restores ancient picture(crt) tubes. I thought the TV in his shop that seems to be always running had a modern tube in it because I couldn't believe how geometrically accurate it is.
Not sure how they can give you a quote as by the time you know for sure exactly what is wrong you have already fixed it. There are times with common equipment and common problems that as a tech you will already have a good idea based on past experience but in general the tech has to basically fix it to give you a good quote.
Car mechanics charge $100 per hour, so audio repair people should at least charge that too. Repairs take time, so the price may seem high in comparison to the original price of the equipment, but repairing is bespoke work, not mass production in a sweatshop in China. So just keep up the good work!
I have a good collection of old receivers, I cycle through them. I will listen to one, everything functions perfectly and then retire it for a while. On occasion when it goes back in service, poof! The magic white smoke. Nature of the game.
Yeah, Kevin I got a solution for you on the dead beat customers. 1) make them take a video of their unit while it's on and tell them to show you how it's operating, that will show the light bulbs and what the problem is with the unit. 2) ask for a deposit,that way you will Know they will pick up the unit. 3) if all those conditions are met and you have any more issues with their attitudes , I would tell them that we are So Swamped with work that we can't get to it , please come back later when I'm ready for your b.s. thank you 4) Go down a check list with the customer on a receipt and if they don't sign off on a procedure it doesn't get fixed. Email this to a customer he will have a copy.
Asking for a deposit is a double edged sword. Yes it assures the customer will come back to take the unit, but some people, not all, think that it gives them the right to push us over. I personally prefer not to take any deposit. All others advise are good thought.
Great upload, my friend. Might be up to see you guys in the spring with my Sansui 5000x. I’m just down the road in Columbia, MO. Sorry to hear about your encounter with the douchebag….. 🎄Happy Holidays to ALL at Skylabs!🎄
Determining a customers level of expectation is an art and not an exact science. If an experienced person can give as much info as possible to a client that’s a start then listen. Listen a lot and you’ll get what you need to know about this persons desires and maybe you’ll also hear tell tale signs of someone with unreasonable expectations. It should be enough that you and your staff are keeping vintage audio alive but I guess you need to do a little therapy as well. In short if you give a jerk enough opportunity he will expose himself once in awhile and just maybe have a smoother transaction. Take Care and thank you so much for maintaining the hobby I love.
I work in a thrift, and its astonishing how many people you have to tell that purchasing second hand goods (for second hand prices I might add) is a different story than buying new with a factory guarantee. You have either one week or a 2 month guarantee on electric goods. That's it. Like you said you bought a 45 year old receiver, that comes with certain risks. You make the decision to take that risk or not, otherwise stick to new.
Now adays it is by manufacturers things have changed and there is no support or parts available. I have dealt with unreasonable difficult customers that are outrageous.
Epilog to this story after Covid. Thankfully, Skylabs survived and is here to service vintage gear with very little outside support from manufacturers. Keep on truckin !
My wife found a good looking console at an estate sale. It would turn on, but nothing else. Kevin said it would be their basic run through and service for like $500. It could get real expensive, but he didn't know what is going on with it, until going through it. Cool. Few weeks later, he said it was done, and needed a tube and that the FM channel was weak. I said we live in Sioux City and there isn't a FM station worth listening to and asked if he could put in RCA's or a 3.5mm jack for us to connect an MP3 player. I can't remember if that was it, but I want to say it cost $625 for their service, going through it, replacing the pilot light on the front, lights inside the console, and adding a 3.5mm jack that took the place of the FM channel. OMG, this 1962 GE console is alive. Let's crunch hard numbers. My wife bought this for like $50 and was happy just to use it as a mid-century modern piece of furniture at the end of our living room. We paid Skylabs $625 to bring it to life. $675 is what we have in this, but take $675 to Best Buy and buy a receiver, turntable, and speakers... Sure, you can buy new gear for what we have into this but it won't sound the same, look the same, or be that coveted piece of equipment that now has my friends on a hunt for their own consoles. This console rocks with some Stax or Atlantic R&B, Trojan era Ska, stuff like Elvis Costello and the Clash. That 3.5mm jack was discreetly added to the back and we lay our MP3 player on the window sill behind the console and just need to turn on the console to the FM channel and boom. Yeah, there's a huge difference in sound between vinyl and MP3s, but the tube amp and these old speakers in this console make even MP3s sound alive, warm, and organic. This thing looks great, sounds, great, and for what we have into it, you couldn't buy new and get the same results. Every time we turn it on, we are grateful to Skylabs for making this old girl come to life and filling our home with such an amazing sound.
Just a tip: ban mp3 and use flac instead. Not all players will accept this format and the files are much bigger, though not as big as uncompressed audio. Flac is lossless, I'll never pretend to be an audiophile, but the difference was obvious, stunning. There is a well made CD grabber (EAC) free to download, it will get your titles from the internet, it takes wav files as well, it can make use of the error correction on the CD to get every bit that is supposed to be played and can even download missing/damaged fragments from other user/peers to restore your damaged CD. And to wrap it up: in my bedroom mp4 would be the most used format. 🤨
Hi. I was born in Souix City my parents attended high school there and we moved away when I was 2 so I only know about the area because of family visits later in life. Other than it’s lack of an FM station how is the vintage audio market ?? Find any vintage gold mines locked away in a barn somewhere ??
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@@basroos_snafu mp4? We know what you're up to.😳
I have four classic Mid Century consoles, and one is on the rack now being completely rebuilt. They move audio to a different level, but they also require next-level maintenance and care. It’s less about owning them and more about having a relationship.
I just saw this. Couldn't agree more. I'm very grateful we have a place in Fort Wayne that does vintage repair. I have 50s and 60s tube gear, my 20 year old son's do as well. Would be at a loss without them, and would probably have a lot less of it. They really do sometimes need to manufacture a part. One time he took the transformer out of his personal early 60s tube amp for my son's which was fried. He said he had time to source one for his own, but didn't want a 20 boy new in the hobby to go without. Super grateful.
It is a labor of love and dedication, lets be grateful that there are still technicians with the knowledge and skills to rebuild these old stereos. They are not going to be around for too long and there will be a time that we will have to simply discard the equipment because of a lack of parts or techs. The gentleman who worked on my Marantz is 76 years old and he knew exactly what to fix upon my request and in the process he found more weak components that were necessary to replace to bring my amp back to his glory. Not a cheap repair but I was so grateful that he was able to give it a few more years of enjoyment.
Amen!
Are any young kids getting into this business? An unrelated but (formerly) dying profession is wooden boat construction. There was a resurgence in the 80s and now there are schools teaching it to teenagers. A great living for someone with the interest and patience.
I’ve been self employed ever since returning from Vietnam. I have experienced all the frustration and anger in dealing with the many clients I have worked for over the years. I know this is an old posting by you ,however the encounter like this will always be present as long as there are self centered individuals. I was one of many Vets who was lucky enough to purchase and ship stereo equipment ( and make it home ) which has been in storage. I needed a new hobby so I started uncovering some of the pieces. I have been watching many of your very satisfying videos on different pieces of equipment. I like your delivery and style ,very calming and helps to add confidence in restoration. I’m sure after this encounter you were able to move on and put this in the rear view. Thanks for what you do. It’s a value to people like me. this message will come via my wife’s email,my name is Tom Rosch.
I can relate, Tom.
h.s. class of 70.
Happy Holidays!!🎄
I can honestly say that Kevin and the techs at Skylabs do an OUTSTANDING job on any vintage repair and are more than fair as to workmanship, costs, etc. ... almost to a fault! I have purchased from them many times, taken stuff in for inspection and never been disappointed. Skylabs is the only choice for those looking for vintage components and vintage component repair/restoration. I hope they are able to stick around because this type of shop is RARE!
I started servicing electronics in high school and eventually moved on to other things in life only to get back into electronics service in the later 70s at 30+ years of age. I've serviced off and on since that time and everything you've said is so very true. I'm now 76 and still do some vintage repair work since nobody on this end of the state seems to want to do it. Yes, I'm in Iowa... Best wishes on doing what you love. Some of us get hooked and never gain enough sense to take time to
go fishing. I get it.
What's this fishing you speak of??
What part of Iowa!?
@@skylabsaudio probably not vintage fishing lol... but dealing with humans is an art and requires lots of patience. We come in all kinds, shapes and temperament... I tried retail it was more painful... but the addiction with vintage is real
Hi Kevin, I am going thru your videos as TH-cam suggests.
This one, from early in the pandemic, struck me as so heart felt I need to write.
First of all I have felt your pain. I am 70, I began my electronics career in SoCal as an etech.
A friend and I started an AV repair shop. We did mostly audio and some TV.
This was around 69 or 70. We did ok but yeah I recall one customer - Mr. Sweeny.
He brought in a HK power amp for repair. One side dead. It was an expensive piece and a piece of junk. (Hence my opinion of HK - sorry) and I do own HK tube units which are OK.
This one was solid state, an early version.
We replaced the outputs, the transistors were probably germanium with color dots indicating they were selected in some way.
Well after extensive testing under load and full power for hours - we declared fixed and called Mr. Sweeny. He picked it up and departed.
He brought it back again it had failed again.
Rinse and repeat 3-4 times and we had a mad customer. We were disgusted ourselves since there was nothing else that we could do. Today in retrospect I know that it was a shitty design which under what ever load Mr. Sweeny was using as speakers - it must have become unstable and crapped it's pants.
Frustration even now about 52 years later.
I recall the last time he came in to pick up the amp, he was speaking with my friends father at the counter and it was getting heated. I got up and went out to talk with him, I explained that we were as frustrated as he, that we were not in any way making money on his damn amp. I finally got him to understand that it was beyond our understanding. He calmed down, exited and we never saw him again. I think we recommend he send it back to HK.
So - anyway I get it. Etechs do the work because there is a thrill when your brain and fingers are able to convince a piece to function. I don't know why but it is just fun. Its done to bring back a piece for another person, not to make a buck.
I look forward to meeting you Kevin.
Dan
Thanks for sharing your war story with us! Always comforting knowing everyone in this business has a few, lol
You said it well, sir. There are those problem child units that keep coming back. It doesn't take long to realize that it's happening a lot on the same model from certain manufacturers. It's great if there is a definitive fix across the board. It keeps the lights on making money on 20 minute resolutions. But there are some models you hope never see daylight through your door for repair. Some you just tell the owner you won't work on them, which makes the customer angry sometimes.
There are those who don't seem to realize this obvious truth, that they are bringing you their stuff to fix because they cannot fix it themselves. This repair work is highly specialized and in demand, so it's going to cost something. I also appreciate that my money is going to keeping a cool hobby going, people employed, etc. Fortunately the bad ones are few and far between.
My left channel started dropping out so I took my SA 9800 in for a full recap (I had the right channel fixed twice, the first time I got ripped off). Shout out to Jayden Electronics in Orlando and Jacksonville, fl. They email me a picture of all the caps they took out and gave me the estimate and wanted my blessing to continue. I replied "I don't care what it costs. If I have to pay more for the vintage guys time I will. I want the best caps you have and will pay what ever it costs." That's what happened I paid more. And they don't typically takes months for me. I'm lucky I guess. Thanks Jayden. Screw Audio 3000. The fact that the person still exists to fix my 9800 and 7800 makes me feel very lucky. It's a dying art.
Glad you bring this out, The Electronic repair industry is very complex and complicated, that being said there not too many repair shops in this country anymore. I am a 50s generational kid, and my late friend was a electronic repair man, he was over 10 years older than me. I grew up in the mid west where there were repair shops around, but not any more vintage audio has taken off big time more than ever, Customer have to understand that companies most of them went out of business, so now you have to order from different supply houses to get these units service, glad you able to run a great repair shop as well thank you.
I watched this several months ago, but as I watched it again the light went on. If you buy a vintage piece of equipment it is just like buying a vintage car to restore. Parts are unique and/or not available, costs are high for finding replacement parts if possible, your job as the "restorer" is almost a no win situation. I had a 1953 Chevrolet I restored in 1980's and parts were thin, but either were used and decent or rebuildable, reconditioned or new old stock ($$$). The biggest issue I had was keeping the tube radio working. At the time, the old guys were retired or gone and too many said they could fix it, but had limited knowledge or couldn't find parts. With vintage electronics you can't rebuild a transistor, resistor or capacitor or print a new board. Once the unique, good condition stuff disappears from ebay and other sources it's pretty much done until the owner of what you want dies or gets tired of it.
When you see a tech who wears their heart on their sleeve like this, you know you have a winner for a shop. I just dropped off a vintage AKAI am 2800 integrated Amp I bought in 1975, that "works" but needs TLC, and I got same vib. from them. I feel fortunate I found them. They have been in the same location for decades, so I think that says a lot.
I'll keep you posted about the results.
I am a pro tech and everything he said is true. Repairing this equipment is not easy. There are many brands, models, design and circuits. They are all different with various parts inside. It takes a lot of skills and experience. Electronics repair is an art. Its like magic with all the parts working in perfect harmony. We try to balance the cost at all times. When I was in college you either understand electronics or you dont. Many quit cause they couldnt get it at all. I pursue and got good at it after some time. Having said all of these please be considerate and be patience to your techs. Most of us are passionate with this stuff so you have nothing to worry and we just love helping people and see their smiles even though we are not going to get rich for doing this.
Thank you! 💯
Kevin, Thank you for your excellent videos, your wisdom and most importantly, for sharing. People need to be educated. How many people would take a 1970's automobile, with no history and without checking fluids, wiring, potential issues and damage, and just start it? We all know that there is "that guy" that knows it all! It is on the internet, it must be true! Then why are they bringing their gear in for service? Why don't they simply do it themselves? There is so much demand for honest, quality repair facilities and no shortage of idiots! Keep up the good work, thank you again!
I’ve never seen this video. I’m glad you’re around and will be bringing friends over to show them your shop.
Glad you made it through and are still open and delivering a service. I know exactly the type of person you are describing. Some people go into a store trying to start arguments.
Great video I've been fixing vintage electronics for 50 years and I totally agree it's a different time people who buy vintage Marantz receiver don't understand it's been sitting for 30 years it's just going to need stuff the nearest to be careful those parts are brittle you just don't go online and buy any part in it like that thanks for doing this it keeps me inspired when I was a kid there was a place called Fairchild electronics repair in West Allis I could go in there and hang out he taught me a lot of stuff it show me how to fix things and it was a reasonable guy here lots of lots of great stuff have a great day
keep it up Kevin! Fingers crossed for you and guys like you who keep our vintage equipment going. I had to have my RT-707 reel to reel repaired - the tech did an outstanding job and I made sure to give him a call a few days after the repair to thank him.
I bet they really appreciated the phone call. It goes a long way 😉
If you are going to buy vintage high fidelity gear, it really helps if you are a tech yourself. I am a tech and bought my vintage gear when it was being sold new on the market. Being a tech, I have been able to keep it working properly throughout the years. I am currently 77 years old and most of my gear was purchased in the early 1970s.
I understand this completely! Worked with a small auto department, and surprisingly enough, people would come in for an oil change, and low and behold, we somehow screwed up any number of things on the car, even a muffler on an oil change. Cars would come in 30 years old, and if anything happened after the oil change, it was of course something that we had done! I feel your pain! Vintage audio is just that; vintage, and that's what makes it great, no matter what! Great job!
You said he refused the cosmetic repairs. I have a 40 yr. old Nakamichi and I just bought a full "active component" replacement kit which I will have installed. (I don't know what some of the devices are!). Thanks for the service! Technicians are a dying breed.
Even more difficult is being a home-based business like myself. Retired engineering technician, top of my field and now one of the last of a quickly disappearing lot, the classically trained and educated professional technicians. When I attended technical school (RETS Electronics in Detroit, MI) back in the seventies, we used slide rules and studied electron tube theory. My headwind in the service business is that folks assume because I work at home, I should not be charging as much as the local shops since I don't have the same "overhead". I have a fully equipped, professional level lab/workshop at home stocked with expensive test equipment, spares inventory, chemical supplies, tools, three industrial grade benches, an office, cleaning supplies, solder, thermal paste, shrink tubing, wire, connectors, etc., etc. I also declare my income, pay taxes, have insurance and utility bills. My level of workmanship is equal to or superior to most of my comrades in arms here in the Detroit area. In fact, I have done work that other techs will either not touch (because they are smart) or cannot repair due to lack of knowledge. As you correctly stated, component level repair places great demands on time and resources and nothing like board swapping. In addition, I have as my primary competition the "self-taught" geniuses in their basements or garages still living at home with mommy (I literally know several of these jockeys) that obtain their expertise from watching TH-cam videos or questionable advice on Audiokarma and other such sites. It's like being a dedicated, professional photographer and being told that $2300 to shoot a wedding is too much because uncle Bob with a Canon Rebel would do it for $200. In many respects, a brick & mortar operation like Skylabs Audio (love you guys) has it easy because you don't have to earn the trust factor initially and can charge more because you have an established brand.
After two years of offering my services to the public, I give up. I get basically the same types over and over again. There's the flipper/hoarders who know enough to second-guess every quote or repair but not enough to do the repair. The "collectors", which are just up-scale hoarders and are the worst to deal with in my opinion. The estate sale/thrift store/garage sale piranhas that bring me some pile of junk with cat puke on it, stored in a garage for 20 years with layers upon layers of dust and corrosion. Then my personal favorites are the guys (mostly guys, sometimes gals) that want me to fix their receiver or amp that they have had since high school and would never part with it and they come in clean and shiny (rare). Not that many of the last group anymore. Mostly pickers trying to make a quick buck off a broken receiver they happened to stumble upon.
So I found that if I buy the equipment in need of repair and restore it myself and then sell it for a profit, I make more dollars per hour worked then I would fixing someone's gear and then putting up with their unreasonable expectations and demands.
Keep up the good work in Des Moines, I appreciate your videos.
Move to Des Moines!
Hi. Sad to hear it. This trend to outsorce the independent professionals is now common in Europe too. Laws, restrictions, internett on stupidphone "educated" publikum with more and more rights and less til zero obligations, no respect, fragmentary "knowledge" in any subject and zero endurance. One would think, there is a sytem behind it.
Things have changed so much since the seventies and eighties when I was in the business. you guys do have such a hard job. You speak the truth.
Thank you, Ron!
@@skylabsaudio you are so welcome, keep up the good work. I love music and stereo equipment from the Glory years. I will be 71 years old in less than a month with friends who worked with me in the industry and went on the JBL and Fostex.
Debriefing is so important. I have a friend I worked in a hospital with. She went on to become a nurse. A great part of the relationship is that I can relate to what she’s dealing with. Some of it is just vernacular. There are tons of dynamics at play. Her husband can’t get it. There’s too many little things to know.
Hold on to those work friends. Let them vent and use them to vent your experiences. Part of it is being assured you’re not crazy.
In this case, no matter how confident Kevin is in his service, it’d be nice to have someone who gets it, remind him of how unreasonable that difficult customer was being.
I like how Kevin is in touch with his feelings. I’ve started mimicking the “um” that leads to nothing😂 I think it’s sometimes used as a show of compunction. “I know a lot of people aren’t going to like me saying this, but I stand behind it. I don’t know what you want me to say? Um… The next point is….”
Very genuous guy. I’m sure he hates people talking about him like this. Love ya Kevin! I’ll keep my comments to the topic it hand from now on. Keep up what you’re doing. It’s a good thing.
I’m not sure he read comments from 3 yo videos. I just have to stop typing. Thank you
4:34 That's a fact! Today, I think EVERY service tech, whether for audio, radio/tv, RF, etc, MUST be a hobbiest who just enjoys the process of tracking down a bad component and replacing it. In the old days, a $400 amp might have required $50 in labor (most of the repair cost), while today, a $50 unit would most likely require MORE than $400 to fix it....ASSUMING it's fixable, what with special purpose LSI ICs, non-existant schematics (let alone, service manuals), etc. So the only area where making any money at all is possible, is with "vintage" gear...not a LOT of money, of course! :)
Love what you guys are doing for the Des Moines community. Without you guys there would be a boneyard full of unusable vintage equipment.
Hi Kevin, I totally feel your pain. I repair and restore vintage hifi as a hobby here in the UK. I absolutely point blank refuse to "just take a look" at other peoples hifi equipment because it always takes me down a rabbit hole that people don't understand. 9 times out of 10 fixing one fault leads to another fault, then another and so on. Plus because it's only a hobby and not a business, people expect the repair is done for free. It always amazes me how some people always expect something for nothing..... Anyway that's my rant over lol. Love your videos, keep up the great work.
Thank you, Mike!
I just saw this video and loved everything that you said. Your awesome.
Well said. Thanks for keeping these old gals running! Love seeing your cool gear on Facebook. Be safe.
Thank you, Michael!
Been there, done that, for 45 years. I do the correct job to the best of my experience, with the best parts available, but I will charge accordingly. I'm never out of work.
The 2 key words here are "charge accordingly"
People most of the times don't know how much works and research and time is involved. I never ever accepted to work under pressure, for any amount. I understand what you're saying here. And I agree with you.
Great video Kevin. As a small business owner surviving on repairing and restoring vintage audio I totally concur and agree with everything you said. Likewise 98% of my customer's are really good to deal with but its that small percentage that can really hit a nerve if they decide to be difficult. I get asked all the time "How much do you think it might cost?" And exactly as you said there is no way a tech is going know ahead of time what problems he will encounter when servicing a 50 year old piece of electronics. It's not like we have a crystal ball haha. Keep up the good work and have now subscribed to your channel 👍
I had recently bought a 25 ish year old Plinius 2100 I integrated amplifier and had it serviced here in New Zealand from a previous employee of Plinius. What a fantastic experience Well worth the effort and the fee. I’m fortunate to have 2 very good reliable technicians who can look after my gear.
Keep up the good work 👍👍
Love the channel! I wrenched on Honda for 18 years can't tell ya how many times I had a second repair request that wasn't the initial complaint! Anyway keep it up ! Love the channel. I would love to get into repairing vintage audio... maybe one day
I recently left a 30 year career in automotive parts and service because of customers like this. People have become so difficult. As you said, the majority of customers are nice but man, so many like the guy you dealt with. I can totally relate. I enjoy your content and if I lived nearby I’d be a regular customer. Keep doing what you do. It’s important. And don’t let the bastards get you down. Some business is bad business and it’s ok to fire those customers. Carry on!
A very thought provoking video, and things I never would have considered dealing with vintage audio. I sure wish you guys were located close to me because from southwest Ohio it's a bit of a drive, lol.
VERY honest and very REAL..........I stopped repairs of vintage because I couldn't ask the hours of labor, the costs of parts at their real expense , it just wasn't possible anymore , the customer or relative /friend w
Love what Skylabs does, wish I could afford the awesome vintage gear. You guys are Artists.
I often get gear in that has 4 or 5 unrelated faults. I also get gear in that sounds fine but still has faults that need to be addressed otherwise the life is compromised.
Lots of vintage gear are money pits. The customer needs to understand that maintenance is ongoing, necessary and expensive if you can't do the work yourself
Amen
Great perspective and information!
I learned when doing restos on cars that the main problem was the client paying the bill!… I always checked out the client regardless and yep! have some stories of my own too. Folk don’t appreciate what’s involved with vintage gear as such. Great Video.
Thank you, Tony!
Well said young man!!
(From a past FCC Radio ,”tune plate tuned grid” guy!)
Got to come see you guys. Keep doing what you do!!
I know this is an older video , but my wife & I just watched it again. You just described our life & our shop to a "T" !!!!! We have had a few customers like the one that you described. I wish you all the best & Happy New Year ! We would love to meet you & your wife some day. I'll buy dinner ! Take Care.
You're 110% right!!!
Man everything you said…I feel. This was a very honest and well thought out way of putting it.
Just stumbled upon this video, I’m late to this party but this is a great segment, I’ve helped and assisted a friend of mine who owns a small record shop but he consequently carries used equipment and he’s a darn good tech and I have other older friends in their hobby whom I’ve learned immeasurable amounts about vintage from along with my own research. You touch upon very valid points I’ve even down to parts in older units that are often “unobtanium” because some are so obsolete or was such a rare proprietary design. 60s solid state units with old germaniums for examples or for a time I believe certain Kenwoods that utilized rare out type transistors you couldn’t find I don’t know if that’s changed now! I’ll give you a real life story for example there’s some models of the nicer higher end Technics DD full auto quartz tables that often suffered from speed failures due to a chip that had been very hard to get and another model Sl 1300/1400 mkii the cue mechanisms were known to become brittle and fail there was almost no way for a while to really deal with it , but I think that changed in last several years . There’s just a lot that’s not known and misunderstood about vintage equipment! Any how appreciate what you all do
I once had a fantastic conversation with a very successful real estate agent who had offices in southern Spain.
He told me a story about meeting some clients who he had recently sold a house to, they were lovely people who were delighted with their new property and had been an absolute pleasure to deal with but he was so annoyed with himself because he couldn't remember their names.
He then reeled off a list of other names I had never heard of and told me "these people were all a royal pain in the arse, rude, ungrateful and horrible to work for, but I remember their names". He pledged that going forward he was going to forget the horrible clients and focus on remembering all the good ones.
Best wishes to all at Skylabs Audio.
Thanks! I feel like 95% of the time I can shrug it off, but every once in a while, someone just hits a nerve. Appreciate it!
I have a buddy who is a awesome tech. Everything you say is exactly true. I might have to send you my 4100.👍
Here in Las Vegas we have almost zero brick and mortar HiFi outlets. BUT about a mile from me are a couple of guys that are excellent with refreshing troubleshooting and repairing vintage gear, hahaha I win. Audio Xperts is the name of this vintage shop as they do sell on consignment as well. So when I shop for HiFi I simply deduct 200 bucks from the asking price to cover the inevitable evaluation by these gentleman and that’s fair the vintage is on the high side. Win-win-win.
I'm a customer of a shop just like yours in the Netherlands. Man was I lucky to find them. They too are not in business to get rich but to make ends meet by living their passion: keeping vintage stereo gear alive by refurbishing it and make it available to the next generation at affordable prices. The owner has a special added value: he knows the backstory of almost everything he sells. He had a pair of loudspeakers that once were monitors in the studio where Earth & Fire ( a great band in the 1970s Dutch pop scene) recorded their albums. Now the buyer can play their still fabulous "Song of the Marching Children" over the very same speakers that served to record it. How cool is that?
Nice video. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks for watching!
You speak the truth. I do repairs and refurbs in my spare time, and plan to do it full time after retirement. I recently had a close call with a receiver refurb. I thought I had it all fixed up and ready to go, and after a few weeks a buyer grabbed it on eBay. I set it up on the bench for one last test drive before packaging it, and wouldn't you know it - I noticed an intermittent problem, one that I knew could not be quickly resolved. I had to cancel the sale, which was painful but better than shipping it and having to deal with a return. I eventually found and fixed the intermittent fault, and along the way discovered two other issues. The lesson: Test, test, and test again. Those deep repair dives and extended testing are costly, but not as costly as shipping a receiver that would have tormented the new owner and damaged my reputation.
I am enjoying your videos and understand the passion on both sides. Most everyone wants and prays that their gear is not in a death mode or going to be $$$$ to repair. Mostly because they have so many favorable memories of finding the piece or getting that "Sound" they have been coveting for so long. The local repair shops or the vintage gear guys. It was always like a family atmosphere when shopping or getting a service. I had many exhilarating moments...going from a Concept 16.5 to vintage McInotsh....there is always that risk....unless you have a beautiful relationship...with a local shop. Somewhere doing the preventative services always gives you a piece of mind....every great shop will have a backlog...just accept that. I always told the tech to treat it like he owned it and to take his time no hurry....make it extra delicous...it is only money. Time to turn on the tubes and play the vinyl....Thanks again for the Videos!!
Thanks for the comment!
My hat goes off to anyone that can understand this stuff, let alone an experienced tech who knows all the common fail points of the different models. I will gladly pay a premium for quality service of these old machines. That being said, I did have an incredibly frustrating encounter with a shop one time. They gave me back my 8080 and it still sounded distorted. I took it back and the tech opened it up again while I waited and proceeded to tell me nothing was wrong and was about to send me home again with this 55lb receiver. We had some words and then the owner walked up and agreed to look at himself. He got back to me all apologetic in a few days saying he found some bad resistors from a prior repair! A good tech is hard to find I guess.
13 years of running a TV repair shop and working for another guy for 9 years before that. I can vouch for this, it's a money losing job that no one appreciates and everyone wants' a quote before you have even looked at it. No one wants to pay any kind of minimum charge if not worth repair. Lose-lose all the way, and very little (or no) support from manufacturers - that's why I eventually had to get out of the industry.
Truth!
Most honest man on youtube. Thank you
Thank you, Mario. Appreciate that!
@@skylabsaudio Got old Schneider receiver, plug on, tranformer hum but thats it. No ligts on selector or tuner scale, any ideas what not working?
I’m watching this 3 years later and it’s crazy how pre covid was!
Nice ranting! :)
Working with old cars for a living, I meet that same 1% guy now and again. Man, it´s frustrating! :(
On my spare time i collect and repair vintage HiFi. Sadly, people don´t seem to understand how much work and time we put into repairing this stuff. Time is money, parts are expensive and scarce, and Then you also need to make a living..
I hope this video reaches a lot more viewers, because it is true!
Thank you from Sweden
The entire Covid/Election thing did a number on peoples thought processes, my work was considered 'essential' by those that make decisions like that ( I was going to work regardless because I am self employed ). Anyway, it was about 18 months ago that I decided to have my vintage system ( receiver & turntable ) serviced. It cost more than anticipated, but I can't complain about the results. I recently added vintage speakers to complete the system and I listen to music on this system daily... bottom line, the expenditure has given me great joy and it helped a local business and it's employees survive the shit storm we were all going through back then.
For this reason I stick to just repairing my equipment only. I personaly like to get equipment broken and not fussed with.
Just found your channel and have been working around through the vids since they're informative and fun. I would just say if you're getting into vintage audio and expect to do it on the cheap, you better take some electronics courses because it's not gonna stop needing repairs. So, the onus is on the individual to find an honorable repair venue that trust can be built over time. I was up to my neck in vintage gear until around five years ago but just got out since I just didn't have the time needed to do it right. Great work, thanks.
Very well said !!!
There is ALWAYS a butthead or 2 or 3 that make small business's want to close the doors.
All part of it.
Keep up the good work !!!
Quite understand this. It is not a business for making easy money. I fixed vintage gear by myself and each time it is like a small adventure. For the over 50 years equipments, although restored at the best I could do, every time when I turn it on, still feel lucky when hearing the relay click sound.
Remember well buying a used car about (3 years old) from a reputable dealership. Looked and drove great, ask the salesman if it came with a warranty:
"yeah, it's got the 50/50 Guaranty - if it Breaks in Half, you get to keep Both Pieces..."
I thought that was pretty damn funny and it turned out to be a Great Car.
no no man I agree totally. because while I don't really know all that much about vintage audio repair I do know about bicycle repair having worked in a pro level bike shop for 10 years. And we would often get customers that would complain about the cost of a repair, saying things like oh I can't believe a drivetrain overhaul cost $100. well first off it's a dirty job and the biggest factor truly really comes down to time, people often forget especially nowadays especially people under the age of 30 that time is money. And I frequently had to remind people that time is money and so therefore it's going to cost you.
also especially on older bikes you'd have this scenario where the guy wants a complete overhaul and you go to start taking bearings out and as soon as you do you find a huge problem that needs to have parts thrown at it to make it work properly. And sure we could have used the parts that were there but considering the condition they were in it would have been like putting a band-aid over a gaping wound, and I can't honestly say how long that bottom bracket repair is going to hold up. it's better to put 60 bucks worth of parts in the bottom bracket completely replacing it with a new one that way I and you as a customer know that in the year and a half from now when you finally go to use the bike because you've decided that you put on too much weight, it will function like it's supposed to.
And I often found as a pro level shop the more money somebody had the cheaper they were. I could tell you a thousand different stories of people that would pull up in a brand new Mercedes s-class and then complain that they had to spend $30 on a front hub overhaul.
Totally agree with you. People don't understand what is involve. Just to get the parts or modify the board because parts are no more available, and you have to use all your knowledge to find a way around. Those intermittent problems, and all the rest. These pieces of equipment are priceless, but people do not want to pay what this hard work is all about. From an old technician that need multiple pair of glass just to see what he is doing with these small parts !
Thanks you, Alain
Thanks to the MacGyver of vintage audio! I bought one and had another one refurbished -- both excellent values for $ spent.
I totally agree…and just subscribed.
Repair shop vs. RESTORATION SHOP. Should be 60 day warranty on work performed. Other than that 100% correct.
My repair guy Vern always does a complete rebuild with new parts it usually runs in between $400 - $600 well worth it. He's backed up with rebuilds waiting 2 years is not unheard of he has a excellent reputation.
When I had my shop. I'd get the same thing with remotes, they'd be missing or bad and they'd blame me!! I had to have a form that I'd mark what was wrong with the item (marantz for instance) where is my wooden case? Seriously!!!! So, no case, broken glass ect. You are right how does a mechanic know he transmission is bad if the car does not run lol. Folks don't realize these are like classic cars. Parts are expensive if you can find them. With cars they have a book rate for hourly ie how long to do the job. Then say 60 bucks an hour. On Vintage cars it takes a while to get parts or make them so jobs can take a while. Good techs on cars and audio like this are RARE. With Audio it's even more rare as we are a dying breed. If we charged 50 bucks an hour to go over a unit and spend 10 hours to get it get parts and things it would get crazy so almost all these jobs are done for less than they should have been. I also learned when you have a customer who is awful like this guy. CUT THEM loose let them find someone. I used to tell these kinds of folks. Look, obviously I can't give you the level of service you require. So I'd recommend you go else where, where they have the expertise and ability to give you the quality of service you need. Ok, the guy/gal may vent once and make a scene but then you will never see them again. Trust me I had this kind and when they could not get anyone else to work on their piece they'd come back and I'd say nope.
Vintage audio is just like the classic car world. If you buy a vintage component, it is with the understanding that you either a) are competent enough to do your own repairs… b) are willing and able to learn to do it… c) know someone who is able to repair it… d) willing to spend a good amount of money on your new hobby. If you don’t fall into any of these 4 categories, then you can spend less money on a brand-new piece, with a warranty, and find another hobby.
Great discussion 👍. Some customers should take tech courses and spend multi years of getting EXPERIENCE. They would probably fail .I sure wish I lived close to your shop .I would of loved to have a experience tech work on my stuff .all the best 👌 buddy
Amen to everything you just said. As a fellow tech (PT, as a side gig) I can relate to every word.
LoL, funny how we all have the same experiences. =)
I agree with your comments. I'm also frustrated the business I do work for will complain after I repair something that another thing goes bad. It's the same as your oil change person explanation about the turn signal going out. The difference for me is, this store has people with experience with old gear, and should know by now this is a recurring problem. Unless you replace every part, something else probably will fail.
Been there, done that for 40+ years! I feel your pain! Some customers don't understand the skill level and experience required to repair/service audio electronics and make the repairs correctly, not just put a bandaid on them. The fact is, there are not a lot of us around anymore (well not even me -- I'm retired and too old to lift SX1250s or SX1280s or TEAC 3340s) And customers don't understand the cost of running a small audio repair business. It is very difficult for Audio service shops to find qualified techs. Simply because it is not the most lucrative line of work. Most trained and qualified techs will prefer higher income working industrial, commercial or computer electronics. You really need to love music and working on audio gear to be in this business! I bet you get the customers telling you that the problem according to what they read online is that the 33 uf caps need to be replaced, so it should be too expensive to fix! 😉 T
he correct parts for a lot of these classic audio components can be very hard to come by and can require a lot of time and research to find. Many of these manufactures went out of business years ago and warehouses of parts went to landfills!
💯 correct!
I was trained component level troubleshooting and maintenance for medical equipment in the navy, I would love to take the reins in the ventage audio field. I would come work for free to learn. Unfortunately I live in Houston Texas
Let it roll off your back like water on a duck Kevin! Bottom line as you so honestly said, we are not getting rich with what we do. We don't do it for the money. We do it because we love what we do. And we love vintage (and antique) devices! We loath the junk that is made today with no quality or longevity built in them. Landfill fodder is all they are. But the quality and integrity that went into making these devices is what we try so hard to preserve and promote to our customers. Hat's off to you sir, and your crew, in making these awesome devices sing as they were designed to do!
Truly appreciate you taking the time to comment! It's always nice to get confirmation from someone like yourself. Thanks for watching! Kevin
I just thought apart on the video on the reel to reel yeah probably nobody works on those they can be extremely difficult I've done many that were very difficult and I'll just keep it I won't even sell it cuz I got too much time in it and then once you fix it and it sounds fantastic you fall in love with it people got to understand with that kind of equipment it's super hard to do and get parts
My left channel started dropping out so I took my SA 9800 in for a full recap (I had the right channel fixed twice, the first time I got ripped off). Shout out to Jaydon Electronics in Orlando and Jacksonville, fl. They email me a picture of all the caps they took out and gave me the estimate and wanted my blessing to continue. I replied "I don't care what it costs. If I have to pay more for the vintage guys time I will. I want the best caps you have and will pay what ever it costs." That's what happened I paid more. And they don't typically takes months for me. I'm lucky I guess. Thanks Jaydon. Screw Audio 3000. The fact that the person still exists to fix my 9800 and 7800 makes me feel very lucky. It's a dying art.
Amen brother i work on my own stuff when i can.could have not said it better myself its not easy sometimes
Same goes for vintage cars (apart from high-price collectables). Even if anything can happen, it's fun though...
Just watched this. As the owner of 4 vintage amplifiers and two vintage receivers, I get it. Vintage equipment is always a crap shoot. I have a Sony TA-1150 built in 1973 that works perfectly after being refurbished years ago but I cross my fingers each time I turn it on.
Honest, high-quality repair services are one thing; hack jobs passed off as top-grade work are another.
And some shops produce Both of those.
Good luck finding out in advance which you will get.
Same lottery ticket for mechanics, plumbers, almost any trade services
This video just cracked me up, "we can not make your receiver bullet proof"... Anyways sorry for that interaction, I agree with you, it is also crazy looking for parts on eBay. I sometimes call it quits because getting another unit costs just as much as the parts.. One example, replacement knobs... I had to digest so hard was turntable dust covers for technics... There was a seller who removed removed knobs from a unit and sold the 2 separately. I jumped on the unit only to check out the knobs posted separately...
I dont fix tuners , but I do replace all the electrolytics inside them and I can say it takes hours . I understand what you are saying.
Completely agreed!
7:40 A while back, I bought a Fluke 45 DMM off of Ebay, for a very good price. It had only one, itty, bitty problem. The 250 ma current input jack was this weird screw-in, combination banana jack and fuse holder, and it was missing. No big deal, I thought. Surely, Fluke would have a replacement. NOPE! That model had been discontinued in the early 2000s, and as far as Fluke was concerned, that was like about when vacuum tube diodes replaced cat whisker & galena AM detectors! So, I made a replacement, with an external fuse. That DMM was a top-of-the-line meter, when it was made: 5 1/2 digits, a "self-calibration" feature, even dual displays. And it has a microprocessor...I hope to God it never needs to be repaired!
Everyone has clients like that. Try not to let it bother you.
Here in Chicago, there are maybe more than a few shops to get your vintage gear up and running. One of the best has I think the right system. They're open only Fridays and Saturdays. You bring your component in and he puts it on a workbench with you and goes through it all with you. You discuss the work to be done and he will give you a quote and the length of time for repair. If agreed, you leave with a ticket, and he gets in touch when completed. Here's the difference, you pay a third party that handles the cash transaction, not them. When they get paid, you can pick up the component (bag of replaced parts too)and the work is warranted. The customer can't use excuses for work that wasn't done, and I know that if it is an old(er) piece of gear that needs something on the order of a restoration he might not want to waste doing piecemeal work on something that he knows will be back in his shop repeatedly. Plus he has an incredible amount of component parts on hand. The owner is a meticulous, direct to the point type of person that cuts through the noise(crap) that other techs might spout, designs, and builds tube amps, and restores ancient picture(crt) tubes. I thought the TV in his shop that seems to be always running had a modern tube in it because I couldn't believe how geometrically accurate it is.
Not sure how they can give you a quote as by the time you know for sure exactly what is wrong you have already fixed it. There are times with common equipment and common problems that as a tech you will already have a good idea based on past experience but in general the tech has to basically fix it to give you a good quote.
What is the name of this shop you speak of? I live in NE Suburbs and would be interested in it. Lots of vintage gear, a few I'd like repaired.
Car mechanics charge $100 per hour, so audio repair people should at least charge that too. Repairs take time, so the price may seem high in comparison to the original price of the equipment, but repairing is bespoke work, not mass production in a sweatshop in China. So just keep up the good work!
I have a good collection of old receivers, I cycle through them. I will listen to one, everything functions perfectly and then retire it for a while. On occasion when it goes back in service, poof! The magic white smoke. Nature of the game.
Yeah, Kevin I got a solution for you on the dead beat customers.
1) make them take a video of their unit while it's on and tell them to show you how it's operating, that will show the light bulbs and what the problem is with the unit.
2) ask for a deposit,that way you will
Know they will pick up the unit.
3) if all those conditions are met and you have any more issues with their attitudes , I would tell them that we are So Swamped with work that we can't get to it , please come back later when I'm ready for your b.s. thank you
4) Go down a check list with the customer on a receipt and if they don't sign off on a procedure it doesn't get fixed. Email this to a customer he will have a copy.
Asking for a deposit is a double edged sword. Yes it assures the customer will come back to take the unit, but some people, not all, think that it gives them the right to push us over. I personally prefer not to take any deposit. All others advise are good thought.
Great upload, my friend. Might be up to see you guys in the spring with my Sansui 5000x. I’m just down the road in Columbia, MO.
Sorry to hear about your encounter with the douchebag…..
🎄Happy Holidays to ALL at Skylabs!🎄
That would be cool!
excellent
Determining a customers level of expectation is an art and not an exact science. If an experienced person can give as much info as possible to a client that’s a start then listen. Listen a lot and you’ll get what you need to know about this persons desires and maybe you’ll also hear tell tale signs of someone with unreasonable expectations. It should be enough that you and your staff are keeping vintage audio alive but I guess you need to do a little therapy as well. In short if you give a jerk enough opportunity he will expose himself once in awhile and just maybe have a smoother transaction. Take Care and thank you so much for maintaining the hobby I love.
I FEEL & EXPERIENCE YOUR PAIN ON A DAILY BASIS, I own a small one man motorcycle repair shop.
Respect!!!!!!!!!!
I work in a thrift, and its astonishing how many people you have to tell that purchasing second hand goods (for second hand prices I might add) is a different story than buying new with a factory guarantee. You have either one week or a 2 month guarantee on electric goods. That's it. Like you said you bought a 45 year old receiver, that comes with certain risks. You make the decision to take that risk or not, otherwise stick to new.
Watching this in 2022, hope the pandemic was good to you Skylabs
We got thru it. Thank you!
Now adays it is by manufacturers things have changed and there is no support or parts available. I have dealt with unreasonable difficult customers that are outrageous.