Any advise for opening a repair shop?

[Hobo]

Hey there,

 

I'm going to offer up my services as a keyboard tech, after years of repairing my own and building controllers etc.... anyone here have any advice, pointers, or tales from each side of doing this work, or getting work done?

 

I'm going to work from home.

 

Love to hear any experiences, good and bad!

 

Thanks.

[Joe Muscara]

Not related directly to what you're asking, but be sure you can work from home where you live. Some locations are pretty strict about using your home for a commercial enterprise. If the traffic & parking you bring is very minor, they should not notice. But all it takes is one neighbor to report you.

 

This could even apply to an apartment complex, I guess. I'm sure they have rules about using your apartment for anything besides a residence.

 

Again, it's probably not a big deal. If all you have is someone once in a while bringing a board by, no one will probably notice or care. But, if you have a steady stream of clients coming and going (and in a sense, I hope you will ), then be careful.

[J. Dan]

I do all my own repairs whenever possible.

 

The last time I used a shop was back in the late 80's. I bought a MIDI retrofit for a Korg Polysix, and to be covered under warranty it had to be installed by a Korg authorized service tech. Well, they had problems with it, had to send boards to Japan, it was a mess. I didn't get that keyboard back for almost a year.

 

Since then I've done all my own. Notably, I got a Jupiter 6 off ebay that had a bad CEM 3340 chip which I got from Wine County. Borrowed an Oscilloscope, got it all tuned up and calibrated and it's worked like a champ ever since. Also replaced the output board and end cap on my Alesis Fusion. Luckily they sell parts direct (some companies require you to go through an authorized service tech). Also fixed stuff for other people - a powered mixer w/blown output transisters, a Fender Guitar Amp.

 

I just can't bring myself to pay $50-$100 for somebody just to look at it without even knowing if they'll be able to fix it. I'd rather do it myself.

[ITGITC]

When considering all the keyboard players (professional and consumer-oriented) as well as the small number of reputable keyboard repair facilities, I think you should certainly give this idea consideration - particularly if you've got the skills and suitable capital.

 

I believe there are many consumers who, in this economy, may consider getting their keyboards repaired as opposed to buying new ones. Although some of us here on the forum have skills in this area, there are quite a few keyboard owners who don't.

 

I don't know what the formal process is of getting established with various manufacturers. However, I'm certain that it's important to get your name out to retailers in your area.

 

One of our highly esteemed forum members, MoodyBluesKeys, is very familiar with this business. He and I were talking about this on the phone just last week. Why don't you send him a note to see if he has any words of wisdom he could offer?

 

Like any other business - and especially during startup - it's not only what you know, it's who you know. You're off to a good start simply by participating in this forum.

 

Good luck.

 

Tom

 

[JMcS]

Fixing stuff is the easy part. Running a profitable business fixing stuff isn't. Do you have the diagnostic tools, access to common parts (resistors, transistors, ICs etc.), access to proprietary parts or the funding to buy them? Can you become authorized by the various manufacturers whose products you intend to repair? You probably would have to be to have access to schematics and manuals etc. How much walk-in business do you think you will get? Where are you located, how much competition would you have.

 

Taking your time diagnosing your own stuff and waiting weeks for proprietary parts is one thing. Telling a customer that it took you 6 hours to trouble shoot a blown transistor so it will cost them $450 ($75/hr) labor plus $1.49 for the part is another.

 

Is your intention to set up a company that becomes a full time business or a part time hobby working on stuff people you know or local keyboard players who hear about you bring you?

 

Also, you may have to deal with business licenses, insurance, bonding, zoning etc.

 

You might have better luck if there is some niche you can specialize in. For example, in Indy, the guy to bring your tube amp to is Uncle Alberts http://www.unclealberts.com/index.html

 

Good Luck.

[MoodyBluesKeys]

As Tom mentions, I ran a business servicing electronic organs, keyboards, amps, PA stuff, other musical stuff for about 28 years, closing it in about 1995, because of lack of work. I was based in eastern NC and then southeast VA. I found it necessary to do extensive travel to sustain the business. Even when I lived in the Norfolk-Virginia Beach area, I still was doing service for several dealers in NC. I am still in business, doing computer networking, having a shop about 100' behind my home (pictures on my web site).

 

The vast majority of my income over those years came from organ service and PA installations. Almost all of that work was done at the client site (They could bring me an instrument to my shop - I'm talking organs here, which usually weighed between 250 and 600 pounds - but the warranty stopped when it left the shop - I had too many times that the instruments got jostled enough on the road trip back to shake modules out. That would not be a problem with keyboards generally.

 

Organ sales died nationwide in the early 90's, and service followed. There is still one tech covering eastern NC that I am aware of - he covers about 40 counties.

 

As several have mentioned - where you live makes a lot of difference. Whenever I have moved, this was always one of the criteria - can I operate from the home? I will NOT buy a place with a lot of restrictive covenants. Where I am now, I cannot put up any signs (although my van has advertising on its side), and I cannot have anyone working in my shop who does not live in my home. Also check for required permits, licenses, taxes, etc.

 

The other issue will be getting factory authorization. It is hardest to get the first ones. Baldwin and Wurlitzer both were very approachable (something about being harder to sell product when the customer cannot get service). Yamaha had a higher standard, but my firm was Yamaha authorized. Note that most companies will REQUIRE you to handle warranty service, with time and price limits. Be sure to get a credit line with each company, otherwise you may have to pay for a $1000 board, then get credited back a couple of months later for the returned warranty board. MOST of the musical instrument manufacturers will NOT provide, or even sell service manuals and schematics except through their authorized service network. Most of them need to know your qualifications, each tech's qualifications, and a listing of test equipment. There may also be a minimum parts stock. A few of the companies will not authorize anyone outside of their dealer network; believing that the local dealers can manage service as desired (in this case, you go through the dealer to get manuals, parts, etc.)

 

Most of my work did not come from advertising - although word-of-mouth from existing customers was important. Most of it came from the dealers. In small towns, they are so glad to have someone competent to do the service that they will give you the service. In large cities, they typically want a substantial part of your charges to give you the work.

 

That is probably long enough (if not too long) to give you some idea. I enjoyed the business, but it did have some challenges.

 

[raddtunes]

I just want to wish you luck, because when we need you, MAN do we need you!!

 

That said, I would ask yourself this most important question: Are you starting this business because you see a need for it in your area, or mostly because this is something that you want to do?

 

 

 

 

 

[AUSSIEKEYS]

best of luck hobo

 

you were one of the first people I met on joining this site due to your conversion of a casio privia..you had implemented something I had thought of doing..I was impressed, and impressed on other things you showed on this site..I wish you well

cheers

[Hobo]

Hey thanks guys. Lots of sage advice here.

 

I'm doing this as part of a multi-faceted life, and this will probably be fairly modest as far as income goes. I'm in Scotland ( UK ), there's not really much competition and I figured , hey, I can do this stuff, I really enjoy it, and I could do with some money. I've not had a 9-5 for years and I need to diversify as bands are not making money any more, people are not buying CDs and concert sales are down etc etc.

 

I've met enough players who have a broken key or whatever, and have no idea how to fix it. I just love fixing things, it's in my nature, so therefore I thought maybe I could combine my love of fixing and my love of keyboards and make some cash - we'll see.

 

Really appreciate all your advice, it's given me some more ideas.