Vintage Floor Model Stereos

[bsco]

Not sure where to post this as it is not related to music equipment so I am taking a chance and posting it here...Has anybody here on the forum getting requests to bring these old units back to life?? I have two of them here now for repair and restoration......I am also getting old vintage cassette tape decks and old turntables as well......anybody else here into this stuff???? Just curious......
Cheers

[Leo_Gnardo]

Not sure where to post this as it is not related to music equipment so I am taking a chance and posting it here...Has anybody here on the forum getting requests to bring these old units back to life?? I have two of them here now for repair and restoration......I am also getting old vintage cassette tape decks and old turntables as well......anybody else here into this stuff???? Just curious......
Cheers

Seems generation Y and the millenials are discovering the charms of analog audio. There's been a mini trend in vinyl & turntables over the last decade or so. Plus they're raiding parents & grandparents record collections, now cassettes too. And finding them at garage & jumble sales, boxes full left on the curb, can't resist!

I find turntables & cassette machines a giant pain in the butt to fix. There's no fast way to do a good job, and customers mostly pin their expectations about repair price to the cost of acquisition - LOW.

Some of those coffin size hi fi cabs have tube amps, mostly lowest quality possible. And the actual fidelity of the built in speakers is well, not much for fidelity. Did I mention they are a giant PIA to move around?

If you have the patience to deal with the gear, all power to you. Charge accordingly, and let your customers know in advance they're not going to be charged 1970's labor and parts prices. I keep a turntable and a cassette deck for myself, and point customers to other facilities that deal with them so I can concentrate on the work at hand, and not further clog my shop space with fragile turntables, enormous wooden boxes and tape machines of dubious quality.

[bsco]

Thanks for the reply Leo.....I am not planning on taking a bunch all at once.....one or two at a time with a turn around time of up to two months as I have other stuff to repair.....the stuff might not be hi fi but usually they are easy fixes.....if they are not then I turn them away......I charge for estimates and any parts that will be required they will have to order them and pay for them....then bring them to me....(I will direct them of where to go)....average repair cost....$150.....they drop off and they pick up....I will see how it goes and if it becomes too much of a pain I will just refuse it.....aaahh speak of the devil...somebody just dropped off a needle for their turntable in the floor model stereo......they ordered, paid for and dropped it off......I'll let you know how it all works out........
Cheers

[The Dude]

I get this every year just after Thanksgiving. Grandma wants to play her Christmas records and the turntable won't spin. I don't have room in my shop for a bunch of console stereos, so I usually turn them away. And, like Leo says, most of them expect to pay 70's labor prices. When I tell them what it will cost, it's usually the end of the conversation. A lot of the mechanical parts, if needed, are NLA or at least hard to come by. The other thing, speaking only for myself, is that I hate mechanical problems. Not that I don't end up fixing mechanical issues here and there, but I don't like it. I'd rather use a meter and solder iron any day over turntable lube and c-clips.

[bsco]

I saw the message the other day...didn't realize it was spam.....good that you deleted it....and banned the poster.....
Cheers