Is amp repair an addiction?

[Axtman]

[Note: I don't mean to make light of anyone who suffers from serious, unhealthy, and/or illegal addictions.]

I don't know about you guys, but I find amp repair very addictive. There is probably no better feeling (okay there probably is) than to flip the on switch, after hours of work, and have the amp light up and work (and not take down the neighborhood's electrical grid).

Whenever someone gives me an amp or piece of equipment that actually works I get a litle angry. "What am I supposed to do with this thing now?" It's like getting a crossword puzzle book with all the words filled in. Where's the fun in that?!

Also like an addiction, I find myself thinking about repairs when I am not repairing. "Maybe I need to check.........."

Are you addicted to amp repair?

[xtian]

I made amp repair a hobby, then a paying hobby, then a steady (but small) part of my income. Since 2012, I've repaired over 700 items. My day job is digital--pushing pixels--so it's nice to work on physical objects.

[Jazz P Bass]

I agree that the feeling that you get when a piece of is finally repaired is addictive.
The process of identifying and repairing the fault takes a special part of the brain that otherwise may go unused.

[nosaj]

Why Yes yes it is.
nosaj

[The Dude]

Don't get me wrong. I enjoy a good puzzle and also like the satisfaction when the puzzle is solved and I get something fixed. That said, I've been doing this as a regular job for 40+ years. Retirement will be welcome.

[DrGonz78]

Well it starts with a huge rush of dopamine to the brain. The first repairs are always huge dopamine inhibitors. But then the way the body regulates dopamine is reduced each time so we need a harder repair to get the same effect. Sounds like an addiction to me. Some must be in denial.

[Chuck H]

I've mentioned this here before... I design and build one offs for "clients" (?) Sometimes I only charge for parts just so I have someone to fund my aspirations. So, when a new idea or design (or a build error in execution) leads me to a connundrum it's frustrating... In the best way! I stomp back and forth and look up things on line in fits just thinking and checking. My wife has learned to understand that I'm actually in my element when that happens and I'm as alive, passionate and cognative as I ever get. It surely doesn't "look" like I'm having a good time, but I actually am. In my own way. That said I take very few projects and I haven't had one in about four years. So, though I'm not addicted I recognize how it could happen.

[Axtman]

A few years ago I looked around my basement. It suddenly dawned on me that I was running out of stuff to repair. I could actually feel my anxiety level rise. Luckily a bunch of stuff came in a few days later and I calmed down.

[Mick Bailey]

I've never been happy with buying something new, even as a kid. I'd much rather buy an item to repair and make it good. There's a satisfaction in having a challenge or puzzle to solve and a rewarding feeling when you have that moment of contemplation of a job well done. Where's the joy in just buying a new thing? This led me down the path of doing amp and guitar repairs for a living. I'd started out in electronics and did musical equipment repairs in the 70s, but ended up in the world of corporate IT. A chance encounter with an old friend ended up with me walking away from my old life and going back into music electronics. I'd say repairing stuff is a compulsion rather than addiction for me. I take the same view with cars, motorcycles, furniture and anything else.

My neighbour spends a lot of time doing crossword puzzles of the most obscure and difficult kind. In some ways it's like trying to figure out a fault with some readings, maybe a schematic and your brain. Only with repairs the outcome is tangible. The most satisfying result of them all is a fault that I figure out in my head first - an armchair fix - and get it in one hit. I also like restorations where a dead and neglected amp fit for landfill gets a new lease of life as a working item. The mixture of challenges - engineering, woodworking, electronics, refinishing etc. all give their own individual rewards.

[Axtman]

Mick,
I could not agree more!

[dubulup]

You guys are my people, I enjoyed reading this and agree with just about everything written...smiled even brighter seeing, NorCal, Seattle, and PNW...I'm up in Bellingham...and don't feel so alone (in my addiction) anymore.

[glebert]

You guys are my people, I enjoyed reading this and agree with just about everything written...smiled even brighter seeing, NorCal, Seattle, and PNW...I'm up in Bellingham...and don't feel so alone (in my addiction) anymore.

Another PNW amp repair addict right here.

[Axtman]

Also there is the satisfaction of keeping equipment out of the landfill and into the hands of musicians that will use and enjoy it.

[g1]

smiled even brighter seeing, NorCal, Seattle, and PNW...I'm up in Bellingham

Hello Lynden Skateway!

[Axtman]

Getting off topic here.......

I was just in Lynden, WA last week touring the Lynden Door factory.