I love lazy people

[brainsmasher]

I do so love lazy people with more money than I have. I just picked up a HK 730 in superb condition this week with a dead channel. It had 2 bad fuses and a dirty balance pot so 15 minutes later it is kicking ass and taking names. 75% of all I have picked up in the last couple of years just needs a cleaning, how can people get rid of things without trying to make it work. If I throw something out it has caught fire been dropped and is missing anything that was not ruined by the fire or the fall. I am sure most who will read this have at least a dozen of the same kinds of stories.
Brian

 

[BlackSwamp]

I love em' too but it's not always laziness.

People often have no clue about dirty pots, refoaming surrounds etc. They figure, "DAMN, it broke,"

I was one of those people as it relates to audio not too long ago. I had no clue a simple squirt could do so much. It just couldn't be that simple.

The guy I bought my Mc stuff from had high quality components throughout but had never done a thing to any of them. Always sent it out to be "serviced" with no clue as to the simplicity of the "repair" Like anything else (auto mechanics) those that know and do it for a living are not always likely to give away the secret.

 

[brainsmasher]

Very true I got my first real stereo 4 years ago and had to learn how to clean then and there. Now it is second nature for me. I just have to get the balls up to try to tackle more involved repairs. I have most of the test equipment I might need but as far as using them I am still in the dark. Is there a dummie's book for this kind of stuff or someone close who likes filet mignon.
Brian

 

[bully]

Bob at Vintage Electronics is just up the road from you! Colorado Springs, IIRC.
Me, I've got a decent shop here in town, and EchoWar's just down in the KC metro area.

http://www.vintage-electronics.cc/

 

[merrylander]

I started young, subbing for my brother in his radio repair business when he went into the RCAF. Later it was a question of funds, so I started building my own stuff. Then someone invented the transistor and the theorists talked about electrons chasing holes - sounded downright indecent, so then I bought the electronics, but still kept building speakers.

Couple of years back I caught the fever again and got into the buy - restore - sell route, gradually acquiring test equipment here and there. Now it is as much for the sheer pleasure of making these 70s units sing again as it is for profit, but I have managed to make enough the get a new PC system. I have a book at home that, while not in the for dummies category, is pretty good. I'll try and remember to post the info over the weekend.

The neat part is the gradual upgrading of systems throughout the house. I can remember when any one of the systems I have would have been considered Nirvana.

Just got an email from the fellow who bought the CR-1020 from me - he is more than pleased and that makes it very worthwhile.

Rob

 

[brainsmasher]

My main problem is I can afford to buy 6 $20 stereos but cannot seem to be able to part with the same $ to have one repaired. The last thing I had repaired was my PL 400 and I love it but I trully want to learn to repair things not really for profit but for the knowledge. I have enough pieces here that need repair that I could put a 4 year degree on the wall of a tech's kid, and enough working pieces to sell to put a 4 year degree on my wall. I want all of my stuff to work for me, I have sold most of the ones that I do not really like and have these here for me and my shallow pleasure. A for profit tech will not sit down with me and explain how to use the stuff and I do not have the time to go to school now.
Brian

 

[oldmarantz]

I'm all right with you Brian, People in general don t want to move their ass
this week I found this in a bin behind a kind of Cash Conv.(I looked for packing)
One fuse was out in the amp I just bought the tuner in the same Cash! (7 bucks) to complete the chain.:

 

[yrly]

I saw that exact same Toshiba setup at a local thrift store but passed on it because they wanted $20 for each piece of the setup. The thing I hate about that store is they are all over the board as far as their pricing. While they have a working 27 inch Zenith TV (in pretty good shape too) from only a couple of years ago over there now for $3.48, they have a CD player from 17 years ago for $6.48 (and its in pretty lousy condition). They are too inconsistant with their pricing. Condition has no bearing, it seems its just what they feel like writing on it at any given time with no concept of its value. I bought a NOS dial tuned 13 inch color TV there once for $1.48. I have seen them charge an arm and a leg for Soundesign rack stereos (they had a complete one for $39.98), yet have a good receiver priced at virtually nothing. I love when the fix is something minor, a fuse, or on the vintage receivers missing pre in/out jumpers, improper use of the tape source monitor switches so they think it has no output. I also much prefer Goodwill's policy of pricing all the receivers at $5 much more consistancy there.

 

[rhinofly]

That toshiba is a sweet looking setup. I would have bought that in a hearbeat at thrift store prices. How does it sound?

 

[yrly]

I tried it at the thrift store with some vintage speakers and it sounded OK, but at $60 total for the entire setup I couldnt stomach the cost especially at the thrift store. Had it been cheaper I could have given it a good run around. It certainly looks nice, the FM reception wasnt bad for a concrete building. It played relatively loud (enough so for people to wonder what exactly I was doing).

 

[Kamakiri]

Originally posted by yrly
I also much prefer Goodwill's policy of pricing all the receivers at $5 much more consistancy there.

You must not have visited the one in the Airport Plaza lately.....those people are nuts

 

[Morden2004]

I never seem to get to a Thrift Shop in time to get these great finds

Paul

 

[RocknRoll]

I think those Toshiba components are very attractive. I can't understand why someone would toss them out. I might pay $60 for the set if they were as nice and need no repair. The Goodwill round here has nothing but overpriced junk - they gather and sell the good stuff on ebay.:uzi:

 

[yrly]

Kamakiri- the Airport plaza goodwill is way too expensive, I don't frequent them too often, last decent deal I got there was a pair of Utah WD-90 speakers in nice condition and working fine for $7. They seem to want upwards of $20 for anything! If I am out in the area I swing by but I don't expect to find much. Amvets on Ridge where I saw that Toshiba stuff is way too inconsistant in pricing. One day a CD player is $6, the next day its $16, make, model, age and condition don't seem to factor in much, they just seem to write a price on it and go from there. About the only good things I get out of Amvets now are Laser printers. Even then since I found that last fancy one, the Newgen Design XP w/ 68MB RAM, though its been pretty dry. The Amvets Toshiba setup was in fair condition, worked fine though. Not worth $60 in my estimation.

 

[whitetrash]

The Goodwill around me is hit or miss (Central New Jersey)!!! I swear that they use the old "magic 8 ball" or just pull numbers out of the air to set the price on their items. My pet peeve is they want to charge for each speaker, they don't get the concept that they are a pair and they are not some high-end audio store that sells them separately. It doesn't matter what condition they are in (never seen a good name brand pair with good surrounds) or if they are Soundesign or JBL, small speakers are $14.99 each and large ones are $29.99. I did get lucky today and found a pair of Cizek speakers and a newbie sales lady who rang them up at $29.99 for the pair (I wasn't about to say anything!!!). Forget about components, simple cheap BSR five band EQs are priced at $39.99 and old cheap CD players are $49.99. You want an amplifier or receiver? How about $69.99 for a Lloyds brand all-in-one system that had a missing tone arm and cassette door. The best was a mix and match system they had for $125, I only wanted the turntable and made an offer of $39.99 or $49.99 just for it. It wasn't like it was part of the system, heck it was lying next to it in a box. If I wanted the unit I would have to buy the whole system. I walked out, went next door for some food and while walking back to my car I seen some guy buying just the turntable through the window. I went back in there and the sales lady was selling it to her friend for $9.99, I made a big stink to the manager and walked out. The next day the turntable was back sitting there on top of the stereo system.

 

[brainsmasher]

It must be a sign. I went out today looking for a monitor for my second computer, and guess what I yanked out of the hands of a guy who went looking for a set of rca cables..... A HK PM 660 and Tu 615 for $20.00. Needs a little cleaning (see lazy) but a 80 wpc integrated and tuner for that price wow I must have a Karman Hard on kind of week going on.
Brian