SX-3900... Pretty on the outside, hacked to hell under the cover

txturbo

AK Subscriber
Subscriber
33733318886_5eb4da49d5_b.jpg



I picked up an SX-3900 on the big auction site that looked cosmetically decent but would not power on. I thought, how hard could it be to get it working? Plenty as it turns out.

Upon opening it up I discovered that someone had been in it before. I am not talking about a basic repair, you know a couple transistors cap or bulbs... No sir.

Cut wires, substituted sections, hot glue holding things together and literally used in place of solder.

A couple of examples:

The multi voltage selector has all the wires cut. And after examination there is no multi voltage tranny to connect them to. The back plate of the receiver shows it to be a multi voltage model but the transformer and rectifier are not. So are the part inside original or not? Is the back original?

33644736731_44bd80f5d7_b.jpg



This is a great shot.

Look carefully at the wires from the preamp to the amp. What you see is hot glue holding the wires on. Check out the lamps, lots of liberal use of the glue. The lamp for the quartz lock is soldered on with no shrink tube and the bulb is crammed under the plastic and broken. The am antenna is cut and manny of the wires to the back panel are lobbed off.

33389531140_8cf24e64d9_h.jpg


33644737431_d432de3b43_b.jpg




The amp section is a mess...

33644736271_35dd9d48d1_b.jpg


33644739571_3c5cc44017_b.jpg


33644740131_280ed7986b_b.jpg


This is just what I can see so far.

Should I send it back?
 
"Beware of pretty faces that you find. A pretty face can hide an evil mind."
Secret Agent Man, Rivers, 1966
 
That is one fugly mess. I hope you go back to the site you bought it from and tear the seller a new one with negative feedback. Return first if possible. Make a claim with PP if possible.
 
pretty outside looks are a function of the bonnet and the face plate - no more.

That seller is just a re-seller as evidenced by his current offerings and his past sales.
And he DID say "won't turn on". The rest is up to the various bidders, who all assumed the best - not the worst.
(don't feel too bad, I have done it too - assuming the best and overbidding for what I got)
The seller probably feels that he hit the jackpot with it, or if he knew better, glad he unloaded this hot potato.

After this Wednesday (April 5) I can talk more about this, but I have at least one "parts or heavy restore" 3900 here - no bonnet? or bad bonnet? Maybe a second as well.
I will have to locate it and dig it out. It may be possible for a dedicated individual to make a very nice unit out of the two (or three?).

His listing has a 14 day window after receiving the item to return it, auction closed on the 17th - so I hope I'm not putting you in a time bind?
 
Last edited:
If it was not as described, I would start a complaint right away. The seller will have to pay for its return shipping. The 3900 is notorious for being difficult to work on.
 
Seller has agreed to a full refund or I can keep it for a significant discount.
 
Back
Top Bottom