Can you service your own gear?

[Gary75]

I know there are quite a few guys on here who can and do, but how many people take the time to learn that aspect? As you can see from my sig, I have a few of the old classics in my possession. One of the things that amazes me are people, (and I include local rental companies who like to work on a shoestring), who buy the old gear and then get disheartened (and try and bodge it), because they can't afford to get the repaired by companies who specialise, and also think that learning how to repair them is something they shouldn't need to know because they are a musician first.

 

I know a few guys who have picked up cheap Rhodes pianos, organs, clavs etc, who are totally incapable of doing any repairs to gear which is always going to need a certain amount. Yet on knowing that I can do a fair bit, will ask me to sort stuff out, and the mention of cash is not really mentioned, because I guess they think I must enjoy 'tinkering' seeing as I spent hours reading manuals and online discussions/videos of the seasoned veterans who had no choice but to learn back in the day. I'm very reluctant to give them the easy option, and feel if they own them, then they should read their ass off like I did.

 

I have spent hours and days reading and re-reading material because I can't believe you'd buy vintage gear (unless your seriously loaded) and not want to know how to maintain them!

 

The only thing I have really shyed away from so far is my Wurli, because my eyes aren't up to the job of tuning and voicing it. Still, one persons classic keyboard they can't be bothered to learn how to repair, is a possible cheap deal for me at some point.

[JeffLearman]

I fix a lot of easy stuff, mostly mechanical or simple electrical. When it gets to electronics -- if there's more than two parts or any active circuitry (other than logic circuits) I'm way over my head, and I generally refer that to someone with a clue. Nothing has "logic circuits" anymore, either; it's all programmed or ASICs. I'm not gonna mess wess widdat.

 

It's surprising how much can be fixed by opening it up and taking a quick look, though.

 

A few years back Jimmy (BluesKeys) got a Hammond, only it had a personality disorder. It mostly kinda worked, only if you played this key with that drawbar out, and if you'd played a certain pedal, something different than expected would come out. It was real goofy, like a mind of its own.

 

I remembered from busted cars in the past, that totally goofy behavior generally meant a ground problem. Jimmy had found schematics on the web, and we pored over those and I checked all the grounds, and they looked OK.

 

We guessed it was a tonewheel connection issue, based on the above, plus the original owner said the problem started just after he'd had the tonewheel assembly worked on (removed, maintained, and reinstalled). So I focused on that, and slowly tried to piece together the correlations between the schematics and the reality (with difficulty) -- using a volt-ohm meter and sometimes powering on and playing. Very confusing beasts, those Hammonds. I slowly put together a kind of logical picture on how it worked (which I no longer remember), explaining what I thought I'd learned along the way to Jimmy, who kept noticing I'd contradict myself or forget something I said earlier.

 

Finally I found it, on the rightmost tonewheel wiring, the ground connection was *really* close to where it should have been, but off by one. That's why I missed it at first, before being more familiar with each connector on each tonewheel.

 

The main thing I learned was that Jimmy is a lot smarter than he looks! I would have made far too many mistakes without his looking over my shoulder and keeping me honest.

 

I wouldn't try tuning a Wurlie, though. Rhodes and piano are tricky enough for me (and other than touchups, I let a pro do my piano.)

[Al Coda]

I know there are quite a few guys on here who can and do, but how many people take the time to learn that aspect?

 

If you aren´t a educated and experienced technician, you cannot service gear completely alone and it´s much too time consuming learnig all the aspects.

For a musician, it also highly depends on which gear he owns and needs any kind of service/repair.

 

It is much easier to service electromagnetic gear like you mentioned below, Clavinet, Rhodes, Wurli, guitar related gear like amps and analog stomp boxes etc. and the most complex electromagnetic gear is eventually a Hammond.

 

Old analogue synths like a Minimoog are relatively easy to service,- if you find the parts and are able to do a good soldering job, the cleaning job and know how to calibrate the instrument.

 

When it comes to analog, digitally controlled gear,- or pure digital gear, you´d need much more skills and tools.

 

I have spent hours and days reading and re-reading material because I can't believe you'd buy vintage gear (unless your seriously loaded) and not want to know how to maintain them!

 

For almost every piece of gear I own(ed), I tried to find the servicemanual/service notes and collected.

Over the decades, I learned reading the schematics, parts lists, locating the parts in the machine and some more.

That was and is very helpful because I don´t need a tech for everything now.

 

If I have issues, I find these myself since a long time and in most cases also because some kind of personal test routines developed over the time.

It makes it easier to find and order parts myself which saves a lot of time for a technician and therefore saves your money.

 

For a musician, buying vintage gear only makes sense because of affection for it´s sound/sonic quality which is also a matter of taste whereas the vintage gear is usefull for the recording/studio environment most often, but not urgently necessary for live gigging.

So, if your studio doesn´t make much money because of the vintage gear available, it´s important reducing costs.

Having some knowledge about the gear and looking for parts yourself reduces costs, but costs your time and repairing all yourself costs more of your time.

 

There are cases, it´s cheaper, any qualified and trusty service tech/center does the work, especially if they have lots of parts already collected,- IF you understand your own time as a value.

 

If you have the time because you´re not so very busy as a musician by whatever reasons, it makes sense using your time and do as much as you can yourself.

 

When I look at your sig,- you might be able to do some service for your C3, Rhodes and Clavinet, but eventually not for your Plugiator ASX and the NORDs,- depending on what the issue is, mechanical, non mechanical etc..

 

The only thing I have really shyed away from so far is my Wurli, because my eyes aren't up to the job of tuning and voicing it.

 

I never owned a real Wurli and I didn´t want one when I had my Fender Rhodes and Rhodes pianos.

I was able to service the Rhodes and Clavinet myself completely, but had never the intention to do the soldering job when tuning a Wurli.

 

For all my other gear, I have the luck one of my friends is a very good tech as also a keyboardplayer and because he worked professional in a music shop´s service departement in the 90th, he already knows much gear from the past as well as actual gear he himself owns as well and he´s also skilled w/ computers of all kind, Mac, PC and the vintage ones.

 

He likes the knowledge I have about my gear and when I need him and he has time, we do the service together in my house in a private atmosphere, that´s fun.

Nonetheless I pay him, but it´s not that much I´d have to pay in a service center.

 

When I have problems w/ my gear, I describe the issue and we discuss via email, then trying to isolate the issue w/ help of the schematics/SM.

As a next step we make a date and try to reproduce the issue, then look into the gear.

In most cases we do that for several pieces of gear at once.

Then I start investigation for parts ressources and we order larger quantities of parts from only 1 distributor if possible,- DigiKey, Mouser or such.

If I have the parts, we make another date and do the work.

It´s very efficient.

 

The last time, we replaced all tact switches and batteries in a DX7mkIIFD, Oberheim XK, Rhodes MK80 and Oberheim Xpander in 1 nite and half a day and it was unbelievable cheap in the end.

 

I wouldn´t spend the money for a professional service center to do that.

 

A.C.

 

[Justin Havu]

Let's see, I've replaced two or three broken keys on a Triton EX76, installed a new backlight in my 01/W Pro X, other than that, not really. I've taken basic electronics courses in high school, so I know how to solder. My next project is repairing my Axiom49 mk I. It needs a new main board. Now, I just need to find one...

[ITGITC]

A few years back Jimmy (BluesKeys) got a Hammond, only it had a personality disorder.

I will refrain from making a snarky remark about drummers, their IQ - and their unique personalities.

 

Jeff - you made the top of my list getting that Hammond to work. It's about a hundred miles between your house and Jimmy's and you had to make that trip about four times, if I recall.

 

I have photos of riding out to the country with Jimmy to load that organ onto a trailer and help him move it into his house.

 

Jimmy's living room looks a lot like my music room - there are lots and lots of instruments and equipment (including a grand piano)... so much so that it makes it hard to maneuver after you've had six or ten beers on a Saturday afternoon.

 

Just sayin'.

 

Tom

 

 

[Skinny]

I would love to be able to do electronic/electrical repairs on equipment, but I haven't the skills.

 

I replaced the hammer tips and damper felts on my Fender Rhodes once.

 

I've soldered a couple of drawbar wires on my Hammond T-212 before.

 

My soldering is "iffy". I don't know the proper technique. But it worked, I guess.

 

Someday soon I'll probably have to have all the buttons repaired on my Triton Studio. From what I've read online, it's a major process, for which I'll pay a decent amount of $$$. I would love to have the ability to do that myself.

 

Ultimately, to be able to do real work on my C2/122 would be nice. There are things that need to be fixed that are beyond my abilities.

 

[J. Dan]

I've always fixed my own gear, and usually my bandmates if it's something they use for the band I'm in. Otherwise, I look for an exchange of favors. For example, I fixed a guitar amp and built a custom footpedal for a guy that has a studio with a nice collection of mic's, pre's, and and lots of plug-ins. I got some free studio time coming when I need it

[Skinny]

Hey Dan, I'm gonna bring my Triton to the Hang in November. Fix it up for me, will ya?

 

Kidding. Or maybe I'm not. Who knows. :idk

[Jim Alfredson]

Yep. My latest project is an old Yamaha CS50. Had one working voice when I got it. Now it has three. I know what I need to do to fix the fourth, just saving up money to buy the chip (damn you, Yamaha, for using custom, long out of production chips!)

 

Rhodes, Wurlis, Hammonds, pianos, synths... I've fixed them all!

[Skinny]

Hey Jim, I'm gonna bring my C2/122 to the Hang in November. Fix it up for me, will ya?

 

Kidding. Or maybe I'm not. Who knows. :idk

[J. Dan]

Hey Dan, I'm gonna bring my Triton to the Hang in November. Fix it up for me, will ya?

 

Kidding. Or maybe I'm not. Who knows. :idk

 

Hey Jim, I'm gonna bring my C2/122 to the Hang in November. Fix it up for me, will ya?

 

Kidding. Or maybe I'm not. Who knows. :idk

 

You have an aweful lot of stuff that needs fixing!

[CEB]

I don't have time to service anything myself except for the occasional leslie fix.

 

If I win Powerball it may be fun to restore my Farfisa Compact to original glory. Do they still make transitors?

[Skinny]

You have an aweful lot of stuff that needs fixing!

Well, to be clearer, the Triton works great for the most part. There is ONE button right now that takes a little extra pushing to work. But I know that Triton buttons are prone to failing over the years, so I know in the near future, I'll end up having the buttons replaced. I really like the board (now that I've got my K-sounds piano samples in there), and plan to use it for quite a while. (I bought it used, from a church, back in February, so it's still new to me.)

 

For the Hammond/Leslie, the rig works and plays. However, the Leslie seems excessively noisy, mechanically speaking. Occasionally, there is a really loud squeak when ramping up the rotors. That's usually before it's had a chance to warm up.

 

The organ itself has been modified over the years, and some things are not right. There are some missing harmonics on some notes/drawbars. The Trek II percussion decay slider seems to have no effect.

 

One of the drawbars doesn't work, so I looked in the back to see if I could re-solder the wire, but it's weird... the wire isn't even there. WTF? It's like some of the wiring was messed up over the years with the String Bass and Percussion mods.

 

So yeah, I do have stuff that needs to be worked on, but nothing urgent. I don't gig with or record the Hammond; it's just in the living room for me to play at my leisure. The Triton is fine, for now. But someday, repairs need to be made.

 

 

[mate stubb]

Yes, for the custom and vintage stuff (that's why I prefer it).

 

No, on the highly custom integrated and proprietary digital stuff.

[J. Dan]

Do they still make transitors?

 

Yeah, but they spell it different now:

 

[video:youtube]

[Joe Muscara]

Let's see, I installed the Leslie Connection Kit and the halfmoon switches on my A-100. I also replaced the upstop and downstop felts on both manuals, as well as a couple of tubes. I've zapped the PRAM vibrato scanner a few times, stubbornly not wanting to remove and disassemble it.

 

I removed the original Leslie 45 connection box from my Leslie and replaced it with a type 47 amp, including new tubes and capacitor. I also had to replace the upper rotor belt the other week.

 

I've opened my Wurly and cleaned up the noisy pots. I still need to go through and adjust the action a bit, I think.

 

I tune my small grand piano myself, though I'm sure most piano players with good ears would hate the tuning since I use a tuner for the whole thing. I've fixed broken things in the action, but it still needs to be gone through and regulated. There were no angled supports on the pedal lyre when I got the piano so I had to get some dowels and cut them myself.

 

These aren't things I offer to other people. When people find out I've tuned my piano, they say, "oh, you should come over and tune mine." I reply back, "you should really hire someone that knows what they're doing." If I bust something on someone else's piano, they're SOL until they get someone to fix it. OTOH, if someone asks me to help them work on something, I'll do that. I'm always willing to help a friend if I can and feel confident doing so. I've not had someone seem like they want to take advantage of me like the OP.

 

P.S. It's like Moe said, yes for the vintage stuff, no for the IC/digital stuff, except maybe for "hardware" fixes, such as cleaning the key contacts, replacing a broken key, etc.

[Dgas]

I service all my own gear and a good deal of other people's gear. Vintage, current, whatever. Hammonds, Leslies, amps, pedals, guitars, anything electronic/mechanical. Farfisa, Vox Connies & Jags, Doric, Howard, Acetones, Rhodes...If I spent as much time practicing as I do repairing, I probably wouldn't be so hamfisted on the keys.

 

CEB, Yes you can still get transistors for Farfisa. NOS Germanium transistors are available but you generally have to pick through a few & test for leakage to find good ones. I refurbed 2 Farfisa Compacts a while back; both are real beauts now.

 

 

[Gary75]

I'm fortunate in that my father is a retired tv radio engineer and he has helped out a hell of a lot. But as good as he is at fixing the physical problems, he doesn't know what a well voiced tuned Rhodes/Wurli/Clav should sound like because he's not a player, he goes at it at a purely technical angle of schematics etc.

 

But I actually get a buzz (if you'll pardon the pun) out of doing what I can, and I have had to learn the mechanics of the keys, as that's what you have to do to get them sounding good. Modern stuff is a non issue, you can't do anything with the boards these days can you. I'm amazed at how tv's are barely an inch thick now, with Dad having had to repair them back in the day (and lift the things!). Now it's just swap boards, and I think it's sad that the skills and training needed to faultfind/repair existing components is being lost.

[Jim Alfredson]

 

For the Hammond/Leslie, the rig works and plays. However, the Leslie seems excessively noisy, mechanically speaking. Occasionally, there is a really loud squeak when ramping up the rotors. That's usually before it's had a chance to warm up.

 

 

The grommets in the lower drum probably need replaced. They dry out. Squeaking is the first sign of failure. Eventually, the drum won't even turn because the grommets will be so dried out and cracked that they won't be able to "cling" to the spindle and the spindle will just spin inside them.

 

I have a whole bag of grommets if you want some. You can order just one or two from supply houses and most Hammond/Leslie repair places charge a lot for just a couple. If you want a pair, just PM me.

 

The organ itself has been modified over the years, and some things are not right. There are some missing harmonics on some notes/drawbars. The Trek II percussion decay slider seems to have no effect.

 

You might have some dead tonewheels. Are the missing harmonics on both manuals, in the same place (note)? If so, probably dead tonehweels.

 

One of the drawbars doesn't work, so I looked in the back to see if I could re-solder the wire, but it's weird... the wire isn't even there. WTF? It's like some of the wiring was messed up over the years with the String Bass and Percussion mods.

 

That wire might be feeding the Trek percussion. Is the wire missing from the upper manual drawbars?

[Seannn]

I'd love reading material on this if anyone can share some. I cleaned out my Farfisa Pianorgan III the other day; I opened it up and put it back together again, and in the process fixed the lid, which wasn't too secure. Unfortunately it still sounds like a rat is living inside, probably because of a motor issue. And one of the reeds just isn't producing sound. So, I'm not too sure how to go about fixing that problem. It's probably cheaper for me to pick up another one at $20-40.

 

I'd love to learn how to service and fix my gear, though. I'm of the younger generation and am concerned that in ten to twenty years' time, there will be less and less service people available for analog stuff, or just less people who are interested in repairing it, and treating the delicacies of these old instruments. I'm lucky that almost all of my gear is in full working order, but just like an old car (or your aging self), you need to take care of it.

[The Real MC]

When I was a kid I learned to fix stuff on my dad's model train layout. The experience helped me when I first got into keyboards, and when I got my bachelors in EE I started fixing my own stuff. I keep my own bench, tools, and a library of schematics for all my stuff. Unfortunately I don't have time to hire out my services.

 

I don't fix high voltage tube amps, I am not trained around that stuff. I don't bother with a lot of the new surface mount stuff, they are not designed for component level repair anymore they just replace the whole board.

[The Real MC]

Owning old stuff like EPs, Hammonds, and analogs has its price of admission. Like old cars, they have to be maintained. Many folks don't get this when they buy old gear. They also get discouraged when the old stuff lacks MIDI or modern remote manipulation. Unless you have the skills to repair or modify them yourselves, owning old gear is an expensive proposition.

[J. Dan]

I'm fortunate in that my father is a retired tv radio engineer...

 

[video:youtube]

 

[solpincus]

NO FREAKIN' WAY ! In 2011, I made THIRTY trips to CRUCIAL AUDIO to get any & all of my various synths & outdated clones repaired. Since i got the Nord c2 a year ago ? a couple of my wive's keyboards, & a 2 octave set of midi bass pedals. Put a soldering iron, or even a pair of pliers in my hand & YOU'RE TALKING STRAIGHT UP MANIC RAGE ( & extensive damages to my home, holding facility, or even at work. ) If it's broken, i take it to the AXE DOCTOR. all the rest of my faulty gear has been siphoned off through RE-TREAD BAY. AMEN.......

[mate stubb]

Hmm. You should at least learn enough soldering skills to repair a cable at a gig in an emergency.

 

With a decent iron and the correct solder, it's not a hard skill to learn.

[solpincus]

Not a bad idea . but i usually take at least 5 or 6 extra 1/4" cables, midi cables, extra tripe, etc. Besides, I'm mostly retired from active gigging because of numerous serious health issues. But when i did gig, the scenes i would cause in clubs around the bay area (when they let me out, that is ) when something went wrong... watch the movie RAIN MAN, or JACOB'S LADDER, & you'll be able to intuit the problem. I have serious admiration for those people who can fix ANYTHING .....I can hold my own playing , maybe, but the moment i pick up a tool of any kind , a bone fide Manic episode usually comes later. Sorry if i added a foreign element to this perfectly legit thread , but unfortunatley it is true. I'm sure there's others like me out there . There's a really far-out electronic band back in Boston called the BIRD SONGS OF THE METAZOIC who would give strange concerts around the town ....many serious musicians back there (Berklee) would go & see them back in 70's 80's

. These guys have cd's, but they are OUT THERE. I remember they would have serious issues with their pre-midi gear back then, and the show would stop temporarily. Once fixed, they would resume playing their bizzare, John cage like music. THEY were cool when it came to holding onto composure during the refractory moments.

[timwat]

Agreed that basic soldering skills are really valuable in the thick of battle. Built my first keyboard that way (PAiA kit) back in the late '70s. But nowadays I just carry spares of every cable and a change of underwear.

 

Recently had an odd one - disassembled my keytar to paint it and install straplocks. After re-assembly, it powers on perfectly under AC adapter but won't power on with batteries alone.

 

Now, a keytar is similar to a plasma TV - just five circuit boards and a handful of ribbon connectors. I was able to trace DC voltage along the PCB but couldn't figure why it wouldn't power.

 

Had to take it to CAE Sound in San Mateo, who has been in the biz for 30 years and has done repair and custom work for me several times. Ends up four surface mount resistors had gone bad. Straightforward, easy and cheap repair.

 

Must have been my fault, but now sure how I killed them. And damn, surface mount resistors are about the size of fleas these days.

 

 

[Jim Alfredson]

I had to learn how to fix a Hammond and Leslie when I was touring with the real thing. Otherwise, you're begging for a gig-ending problem.

[Skinny]

The organ itself has been modified over the years, and some things are not right. There are some missing harmonics on some notes/drawbars. The Trek II percussion decay slider seems to have no effect.

 

You might have some dead tonewheels. Are the missing harmonics on both manuals, in the same place (note)? If so, probably dead tonehweels.

 

Yes, same notes, both manuals.

 

One of the drawbars doesn't work, so I looked in the back to see if I could re-solder the wire, but it's weird... the wire isn't even there. WTF? It's like some of the wiring was messed up over the years with the String Bass and Percussion mods.

 

That wire might be feeding the Trek percussion. Is the wire missing from the upper manual drawbars?

Yes.

[mate stubb]

 

You might have some dead tonewheels. Are the missing harmonics on both manuals, in the same place (note)? If so, probably dead tonehweels.

 

Yes, same notes, both manuals.

 

Could also be a broken wire between the generator and manuals.