Long Beach, CA (or OC) electronic suppliers?

[eurekaiv]

Hi all! I'm looking for a local electronics supplier outside of Rat Shack and/or Fry's that I might be able to buy the occasional part from. Often times I just need a pot or two, a couple caps, or a microswitch and I've not been able to find anywhere to buy locally. You'd think there would be a plethora of businesses that carry this sorta stuff in one of our largest cities but hours of searching on google has yielded nothing.

[Enzo]

Did you look in the local Yellow Pages BOOK under electronics parts and supplies?

Even if you have a local branch of a major distributor, they may have a minimum counter purchase.

And frankly there is not really all that much demand for an over the counter retail electronics parts store. Radio SHack is even phasing it out, they make most of their money selling phone services and computer stuff.

[hasserl]

There are a couple of places in Fullerton, Orvac Electronics and Ford Electronics. Orvac used to be tits, a real nice place with a ton of "salvage" parts for sale, unsold inventory of other parts houses they'd buy up and offer at real good prices. I used to spend an hour or more in there every time I went, searching thru the stuff, and I found a lot of interesting items I couldn't live without. They also used to carry a full line of high voltage polyester and mylar caps, making it real easy to go down and get the right value if/when I needed it. Unfortunately, times change and so has Orvac. They've done away wqith all of the salvaged goods and replaced them with all kinds of crap that I can't see moving at all. It almost appears to me as if the owners have handed over operation of the store to the next generation, who knows nothing about electronics but thinks they are marketing geniuses. We'll see how much longer they are around, and they still are an OK source for some things, it's just real spotty if they'll have it or not. Look them up in google and give them a call first. Ford Electronics is still much like an old time electronics store, the old man hasn't passed away yet I guess. They still carry tubes even, though they ask too much for them. But they've got pots, caps, etc. not too bad a source. Again, give them a call to see if they've got what you need.

We lost a great store down in Anaheim called Ball Electronics, a great old store with a tone of good electronics stuff. The guy there used to dissasemble old tube equipment and keep the old tubes in boxes, you could go thru the boxes and pickout any tubes you wanted for a buck each. You could test them right there also on his tube tester.

Ahhh, the good old days.

[7string]

Hasserl, I'm so bummed that I work a mile away from the old Ball Electronics store and never knew it was there. Argh.

I've always stuck it out with Orvac. But, I'm gonna check out that Ford place this week. Thanks.

[hasserl]

Hasserl, I'm so bummed that I work a mile away from the old Ball Electronics store and never knew it was there. Argh.

I've always stuck it out with Orvac. But, I'm gonna check out that Ford place this week. Thanks.

Hey 7string, did you get down to Ford Electronics? What did you think?

[J Martin]

Talking about the "good old days" reminds me of all the surplus and electronic stores we had here on Arch Street in Phila in the 60's. You could buy anything from small parts to an entire tube based radar instalation.

[Enzo]

Oh yeah. There were several surplus outlets in the Washington DC area where I grew up. This was in the 1950s and early 1960s. One I liked sold things by the pound, so that radar CRT display unit was priced by the 50 pounds it weighed. A whole lot of WW2 surplus then. Just all sorts of stuff.

[7string]

Hasserl, I haven't made it over there yet, but will.

Need to decide on what to build next and finish the shopping list.

Probably start with a Fenderish bass preamp and a tube mic pre, but I also have a 100watt Marshall and a Showman begging for some attention.

Cheers