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SX-1250 Restoration in 2019 - Who's Doing It?

B

bgm1911

Member
Been sitting on a mint condition (case never cracked) 1250 for about 5 years,
waiting to find a reputable restorer. EW has been absent for over 2 years.

BTW, got the original box, purchase receipt dated 1-31-77 from Custom Hi Fi Discount Centers for $649, and the Pioneer sales flyer....pretty cool.

Can anyone chime in who is available for a total restoration of this receiver?

Thanks,

Mike
 
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Nice piece!

MattSD. He publicly displays his work, often offering advice and material lists for hobbyist. I cannot say the same for some other shops.

SaturationPT is also up for the job. Helped me a lot for my rebuild.

It's a (fortunately) common and we'll documented piece of gear. There are many who are up for the job, just make sure it gets the attention it deserves.
 
I was getting ready to drive my SX-1250 out to Las Vegas to have zebulon1, restore it. I ended up changing my mind and restoring the unit myself. zebulon1, has great knowledge of this particular unit and it is his favorite one to restore. I would also recommend finding a local repair because shipping that beast is a scary thought.
 
Thanks for the mention, however my day job is my priority and I only restore to collect.

There are some very good options above.

Be sure to talk over restoration options with your restorer, there are some things that could be considered optional, but in my opinion / experience the time and money put into the 1250 is well worth it and saving a little time and money just doesn't seem like it makes sense to me, ... once you've got the better part of a week's work into this beast you just finish the job.

Since you've waited 5 years, waiting for a top-notch restoration should be the "home stretch".
 
Thanks for all the replies.

As I mentioned, the case has never been cracked, and the receiver is like new with no marks or damage what-so-ever.
I thought about doing this myself for less than 1 second; this restoration needs to be left to a competent 1250 tech, not a first timer.
I want the value to go up, not down!
 
Kingbleu said:
I was getting ready to drive my SX-1250 out to Las Vegas to have zebulon1, restore it. I ended up changing my mind and restoring the unit myself. zebulon1, has great knowledge of this particular unit and it is his favorite one to restore. I would also recommend finding a local repair because shipping that beast is a scary thought.
Click to expand...

+1 for Zebulon1. That guy knows his stuff and doesn't seem like the kind of person who will ignore you if you ask dumb questions (can't say the same for some people here). Seems like a very patient individual with a very high understanding of how these work.

I am afraid of local shops. Some old timers are just so set in their ways who knows what they may offer. I like the fact that active members here are up to date on quality component offerings and have read/ask feedback from others who have been there and done that.
 
Another +1 for Zebulon.

I purchased one of his restored 1010's, and just last week, hit him up for a dial bulb. He sent me about 6 of the bulbs used in that, gratis.

Completely upstanding, fantastic member. The 1010 stayed, and the 1250 (restored by another) had to go, just let go of it about a month ago. Zeb had ultrasonically cleaned the switches, and there is NO noise. The 1250 had that Alps pot full of noise, and switches got noisy only a couple years after the resto. The resto was great, but those switches HAVE to be cleaned properly.

So, either blhagstrom or Zebulon1 would be a fine, fine choice.
 
Took my (newly acquired) 1250 to my tech today. Mostly to have the pots/switches cleaned (unused for 12 years) and have it checked out for any problems. Thinking of the OP, I did ask about doing a full restoration on one. He didn't seem too keen on the idea, probably because he already has a garage full of equipment awaiting repair (and more coming in all the time). He is however an excellent, ex MacIntosh tech who does quality work at very reasonable prices. If you ever have something that just needs repaired, send me a PM and I'll give you his info. He's a semi-mostly retired minister that does this to keep himself busy, and make some extra money. Super nice guy too!
 
avionic said:
Manymoons

http://www.manymoonsaudio.com/
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I was talking to a friend in Tulsa that was just at Paul's shop. Paul indicated he got 20 units in just last week. He has his own stack of gear to work on but no time. He is not the only tech with a bit of a backlog. Recommend that be part of the discussion if it is an issue but if this is true...

SaturationPt said:
Since you've waited 5 years, waiting for a top-notch restoration should be the "home stretch".
Click to expand...

Then no problems.
 
Why would someone take on 20 units for repair/refurb and not have the time to get them done in a reasonable amount of time = crazy. As you know there are very few competent techs that do this work anymore.
For the 1250 because it has 4 boards that are easily removed, it is possible to service them without shipping the whole unit. It is an option that I would entertain and have done so in the past.
If the unit has faults, the board re-building might not solve the problem(s) as I found out when I re-built an amp channel, it turned out to be the o/p transistors as well, even though I tested the amp channel in another unit. We were lucky that it did not smoke the re-built amp channel.
Taking all those switches/pots apart and cleaning them properly is a monumental task. Cheers to the ones that have the time and patients to take that task on. I think I could design/build a new pre-amp in the same amount of time :)
 
rcs16 said:
Why would someone take on 20 units for repair/refurb and not have the time to get them done in a reasonable amount of time = crazy. As you know there are very few competent techs that do this work anymore.
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Amen to that!

rcs16 said:
Taking all those switches/pots apart and cleaning them properly is a monumental task. Cheers to the ones that have the time and patients to take that task on. I think I could design/build a new pre-amp in the same amount of time :)
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Your making me jealous.
 
"Been sitting on a mint condition...."

Wait you didn't even turn it on ? Dude, I probably wouldn't have resisted :)
 
Jauk said:
"Been sitting on a mint condition...."

Wait you didn't even turn it on ? Dude, I probably wouldn't have resisted :)
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Of course I turned it on and used it briefly. There is noise, and it shuts very quickly. I totally expected a restoration was needed when I purchased it.

(it's mint physically, electronically it has issues - the case has never been cracked)
 
I was hesitant to post due to a couple of reasons.
One is: I just do my thing. I don't want to advertise for audio work using this forum. Although that statement is slightly hypocritical.
And I have a real 40 hour a week job, so lately, I only take on audio work if its interesting and unique, or I don't have anything in the Queue.
"bgm1911" contacted me about the restore on his 1250 and I had read this thread. I normally keep quiet about recommendations on service and system combinations.
He wondered, if me being second choice to Echowars (Glen) was something that bothered me. I was already able except the fact he was probably finished with his six year audio mission and I lived near enough to drive the 1250 to LAS and make a weekend out of it for him and his wife. :rflmao:
Wonderful gentleman and a retired service member who is a discerning audio enthusiast. How do I know this?
Wait till you see his 1250.
Getting this working is nothing. It could just sit there and be enough.
I've seen lot's amps and receivers to know I'll never see anything as nice as this 1250.
It's like it just arrived in the box from 1976.
I'm actually scared to work it.
Never been serviced and appears, never exposed to the atmosphere.
I had my buddy come over to help unpack it and we both witnessed the unveiling. Wow.

Bgm1911 and I, talked about what should be done and a basic approach to the audio restoration. We discussed the lighting and we are not that sure on what to do. All the lamps function. They are original, as is the rubber mountings, which are pristine. This is where I begin to wonder.
I started on the amps and removable boards - after stowing the pretty bits in a safe comfortable location away from the shop and people.
 
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It seems that the unit is in very good hands. Very astute of the owner to transport the unit rather than risk commercial shipping, even with the original packaging.

I have very little to add here, other than the heat of the incandescents is the enemy of rubber and vinyl. I can fully appreciate the desire to keep the unit as original as possible, and yet we've all had 45 years experience at seeing how the units bake when in use. Other than the potential for generating switching noise from LED current regulators, I would be tempted to archive the original lamps and install LEDs in every position. At the least, protect the cabinet interior with some form of reflective heat shield over the dial lamps if incandescents are going to remain.

Then there is the heat from the power supply/stabilizer, and its very "economical" use of heat sinks. I would be tempted to enhance that wherever possible.

I'm also going to guess that the original beer cans test well above their rated capacitance and with relatively low ESR once they have been exercised a bit. That doesn't help, I know, but if it ain't broke...

Aww, never mind. Here I am in the 10° of the midwest with snowblowers humming in the background, talking about heat issues with someone in Vegas. That demonstrates how bright I am.
 
zebulon1 said:
...
Wait till you see his 1250. Getting this working is nothing. It could just sit there and be enough.
I've seen lot's amps and receivers to know I'll never see anything as nice as this 1250.
It's like it just arrived in the box from 1976. I'm actually scared to work it.
Never been serviced and appears, never exposed to the atmosphere.
Click to expand...

Thanks Robert, those comments are reassuring that I have a unique 1250 as I waited a long time to find one that wasn't beat up.

I'm attaching a few pics so everyone can at least see what were're talking about. These are right before it was boxed to go to Robert; I don't have any from it
sitting in my system, as I haven't really used it:
20191201_102538

20191201_102538

  • Media owner bgm1911
  • Date added
20191201_102548

20191201_102548

  • Media owner bgm1911
  • Date added
20191201_102609

20191201_102609

  • Media owner bgm1911
  • Date added
 
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