I ran a repair shop for over 40 years, in the early days you could make a profit until the manufacture's started building cheaper electronics that took far more time to repair cutting into your ability to stay afloat. Finally, I was forced to close my doors, this was a craft I loved. It forced me to seek employment and work for someone else, now! I' am semi retired doing what I love the most, vintage repairs as a hobby. I was never wealthy, but love my work, watching your RUclips presentations has inspired me to get back in the field, for that you have my gratitude.
To johncunningham5435 : Guys like yourself are essential to the hi-fi hobbyist and music lovers. I'm sorry you had to close down your former shop, but glad you 👍👍👍started back up in semi- retirement. I also think some manufacturers caused you to lose business by building products that don't break, like my Adcom 555 mk2 amp which is still going strong after almost 35 years! However keep repairing equipment as long as you can my man! Music lovers like us depend on your services. This is from a 64 year old Black man O.G. Guys like you are what make America great.👍👍🙏🙏
@@skylabsaudio Just stay in business my man! Guys like you are what make America great! This is from a 64 year old O.G Black man and music/hi-fi lover. We depend on you 👍👍🙏🙏
I am delighted that you have now found a happy occupation with vintage electronics, John. It's not much different here in Germany, perhaps with the difference that the gaps between the regions are not so big. I am writing from the perspective of the consumer. By chance I found a very good vintage repair man about 12 years ago, he lives in Düsseldorf and I live in Cologne, two large cities only 20 miles apart. He is about 75 and I am 64 (still), he repairs professionally and has an engineering degree. He enjoys his work, he also maintains and builds acoustic installations for modern art museums. His prices for repairs are very fair. He has repaired all sorts of things for me where my skills stop, old fender amps but also my old beloved Mcintosh C22CE, old Leak and Croft tube gear from the UK. Helmut, and he only told me this in passing, was the electronic expert of the Düsseldorf electro band "Kraftwerk" from the 70s. I don't know if you know Kraftwerk in the USA...here they are cult. Helmut dismantled the then modern huge synthesisers into individual modules and built them into smaller flight cases to connect them together for the tours, he smiled and told me that he still meets the guys from Kraftwerk every week for coffee. I have the utmost respect for your job! Many of them are already really old, and soon many will no longer be around. It's exactly the same that hardly anyone can adjust a carburettor really well any more. Thank you all for your job, wherever you are in the world!
So true, I swapbrcvrs every few months sx950 or the Kr6600 or thesx850 or the kr6030 more rcvrs u have use 1 a month swap.out for another a month later swap for yet another, each 1 will.last longer an u getvto.look at another beauty
I own a vintage stereo store as well. I'm so glad that someone with a larger platform can tell folks the truths about this. Margins are very thin, the liability is very high. Repairs are rarely profitable, but are there to drive customers in, and drive further sales. Bless you.
I'm just glad folks like yourself are willing to run shops like yours. As a teenager I remember spending countless hours with friends in brick and mortar audio hi fi shops listening to stuff we could never dream of affording at the age of 16, and now when we can these places don't exist. Really looking forward to making the 4 hour drive to your shop one of these days to get that feeling back.
I remember those days too. It was as if we walked into a totally different universe and a different life. The guys running those stores knew that none of us teenagers could afford anything in their stores. But they let us listen to Klipschorn in the ultra special listening room. Planar speakers that amazed me., that I could not figure out how they sounded like they did. This was the mid 70s. The best we could do was make our own speakers, nothing even mid-fi, just loud.
I am starting to repair equipment for others in my basement now that I am retired. I probably make about $10 an hour doing this. I don't mind as long as I am working on cool stuff worth saving. The problem is getting stuff to work on. It is mostly word of mouth. So if anyone needs something fixed in the Omaha area, let me know.
The tech I go to says he puts the vintage prices people don’t pick up on FB or Craigslist for high prices and advertises that he repairs vintage audio in the description. Works for him evidently. By the way, you should be making more per hour. You are undercharging.
Another word of advise from another business owner. Owning your own business is not a 9 to 5 thing. It is a 24 / 7 thing. You have to devote yourself to it for atleast 5 years before you will really start to make headway. It is not easy, and it is not for everyone. If you have fear of taking risks. Then go and get a real job. Save yourself the trouble. But if you are up for a challenge. It can be very rewarding in the long run.
You cracked the code Kev! Who knew. Honesty, transparency, and vulnerability are what people actually want to see! Thank you brother, I find these so refreshing in such phoney times rolled in sprinkles. Thanks guys keep up the great work👍🏻
I still have and use a stereo system that I purchased new in the late 70's, it's funny to think of it vintage. I guess that's what happens when you get old.
Fellow small business owner here (just down Railroad Ave. from you, Kevin, behind La Barista coffee). I was the same way in 2015 when we started our motorsports gear business. Racing has always been a passion, and I finally took the leap, left the cubicle farm, and haven’t looked back. We’re not getting rich, but our office is like your place. A handful of us getting the work done but having fun and telling our stupid jokes and boring stories over and over. I enjoy your videos and love your store. Best of luck, Kevin!
You are a wise and grounded guy, Kevin, which is no doubt the reason for your success. I understand the grind and total displeasure of working for "the man" only to finally find relief in my recent retirement after over 40 years in the workforce. I'm glad you found satisfaction and joy in what you spend your days involved in well before retirement age. Keep it going my man, and keep the videos coming!
Greetings from the California coast. This video I found particularly interesting because I have been very sad at seeing all of our Hi-Fi shops closed down over the years. There's just about nothing left out here. I have often wondered why. It makes sense that there's little point in people running businesses that can't turn a profit, and also manufacturers wanting to skip that whole Middleman process. I have enjoyed collecting Hi-Fi gear since I was in high school in the 1970s. I've seen a lot of stuff come and go but I can't believe the price is these days on a lot of things including classic cars. Things of sure changed. Yes like so many other comments I would love to come by your store one of these days and meet you in person but I would probably talk your ear off so maybe it's best that I'm far away. One thing I would like to comment on is I really enjoy 78 RPM records and have a love for the post-war monoral tube gear. I'm particularly fond of the Fisher 80c preamp and the Mcintosh C20 preamp. Yes, an early stereo preamp. Both seem to play those early post-war records extremely well, and I enjoy using them. Anyways I'm still enjoying your videos and look forward to them every week. Thank you for helping to keep this hobby alive. I hope you get lots of young customers who come in and discover how fun it is! Best wishes, Dave.
So true about no money to be made on repairs. I take in vintage equipment locally because I like the work, and enjoy returning the previously broken item in solid working condition. Most of the things I work on hold sentimental value for the owners. “This turntable was my Mom’s, or Dad had this 6500 mkii in the garage.” It always takes me twice as long as I first estimate, so if I was doing this for the money I would soon go broke. It’s about the people, you can tell they are grateful when you get a video text the next day of the 6500 hooked up to a Technics SL-Q2 playing through Dad’s old Cerwin Vegas!
I bought my Marantz 2240 in 1974 from Vance Pflanz in Sioux City as my high school graduation present... he was originally a Team Electronics store so I had to laugh when I saw your picture here. Spent so many days there listening to equipment and buying records. Your videos inspired me to get back to vintage and just got a restored Marantz 2325, JBL 4312s and a Dual 1229 from my local vintage dealer. Love your channel!
When ever I visit a local vintage store I’ve felt they’re really expensive gear. But after hearing you I’m not so sure they’re profitable. T🎉he temptation to buy $400 on 🎉eBay vs $800 in a vintage store is great but risky. Our local vintage store offers a 90 day guarantee so that’s worth quite a bit to lessen anguish about a purchase.
I am getting closer to retirement age and your videos make me wonder about learning enough to become a repair tech. Not sure where or how to go about learning, but being able to work an extremely flexible schedule, part time, from home, does sound appealing.
You should go for it, get on E bay and look around your community, look for some old radios stereo, some may be junkie but that's how you learn. Get a scope, meter, test equipment, some old tube manuals and learn the basics.
I have considered my Harman Kardon integrated amp that I have owned since 1984 as part of my family. Now one of the channels is started to fade no matter what I do and I feel genuine sadness. Vintage audio gear has a soul. I too love the smell of vintage stereo gear.
On my Dads Pioneer SX626 receiver I took it to 2 shops here in Fresno. One charged me $150.00. I took it back 3 times and gave up. Then I took it to another place in Fresno. They had it 4 months and got it back in parts. Mainly screws, screws, and compositors. Then a friend who had a record store once. Made a trip to a friend 3 hours away. He fixed it in 1 hour. Recapped the unit. It cot me a bit, but love the results. I would pay to fix it, just know what they are doing.
Love your point about doing what you like and you will succeed. Advice given to me when I working towards my job was "Dude, forget it!" [actually in German "Mann, vergiss es!"]. Now I am a professional shell collector/marine biologist, aka, curator of malacology at a natural history museum. Music/Hifi is just a hobby, but I completely agree with your point, and tell it to all my students. Do what you love, then you will put time into it, then you will get good at it, and there is always demand for excellence, regardless of what it is. -- One difference, there are so few curator positions out there, you better have a plan B (maybe also C, D and E).
Thanks for providing a window into the realities of this business. I think it is useful information for everyone who owns vintage gear, not just those considering it as a business. It is very difficult to find a reliable, local repair shop. I am lucky enough to live an hour away from a family owned shop who’s been doing this for 60 years. They accepted 3 units of mine for repair. When I walked into their shop for the first time, I was thrilled to see a huge inventory for sale of everything you could imagine, freshly serviced by their technicians. I guess it’s a good sales strategy. I approached them as a repair shop, and they turned me into a potential buyer. People should really appreciate a local shop who can breath new life into their items!
I spent big money on a Vintage Yamaha B2 amplifier from 1977 to have a full restoration from the best in the country. It was working when I bought now it will continue to work long after I'm gone. Two more pieces to restore and I'm golden.
What I see about your shop is that I would guess most customers are more than willing to help you make your business a success. I wouldn’t have guessed you don’t receive profit from repairs but I watch a lot of RUclips videos on repairs and there is quite a few hours on just a service and couldn’t imagine hour many hours it takes to troubleshoot a piece of equipment. So with that said you must really like your job. I’ve never had a bad experience in your shop and when we talk you have some great advice and I love I can see the technicians working. Nothing to hide. Keep it up and will probably see you in the near future.
I am a tech. I have repaired countless pieces of gear, rarely repeats. I LOVE doing this, but money, nah, it justs pays my gas to get back and forth to my day job making solar wings for spacecraft. So I fully agree, I may not be getting rich, but my sanity stays! Peace, Love and Music!
I learned electronics repairing audio equipment in my dad's TV shop fifty years ago. During college I worked as a repair tech for an audio shop in Cleveland. Even though I've done digital HW and FW for the past forty years, I still love popping open the cover, diagnosing and fixing classic audio. You've got me thinking...
I feel very lucky to live close enough to visit your store from time to time - and always enjoy the experience. Very proud of what you've done with your business - and how you've also made these excellent videos on RUclips part of the value you are delivering to those into vintage HiFi. Thanks for everything you do!
Love your site Kevin and I am always enjoying the videos. However I can't say that I agree with everything. In this episode you are saying you can't make money in repairs. Yes it takes a combination of repairs and sales because you may not be doing repairs 8 hours a day every day. But to each repair in of itself I can't accept that the repair people (at least here in Atlanta) don't make money. At $125 an hour with a two hour minimum, then if it's a 5, 10, 15 minute fix then WOW! If it becomes more difficult an time extensive then so much more the better for the technician. I whole heartedly agree that repairs and sales together may not even cover your operating costs, but that is because of not enough repair work or enough sales, or both that would keep the lights on. But individually there is money to be made. Thanks and keep up the great videos. Wayne Hunter.
It's too bad there are not more shops like yours Kevin, but I can see why, there isn't. I have a friend who runs a one man operation part time as he has a full time job. Anyway, good luck with 2024....stay safe.
What worries me is the loss of great technicians and the know how on these types of nuanced systems. Its almost a "lost art" more than a technical science. Even with a year of high-school solid state electronics, I learned the basics, but these systems can get pretty mind boggling.
Loved the video. Sure can relate to the "people find out you fix vintage". I always tell folks, "a stereo system is never finished". I'd love to see a video on "the ultimate repair station" or something like that, showing how to set up a good repair bench. Keep up the good work!
I would also like to see more on the repair station idea, if possible. I have been struggling to find even stores that have the types of parts or tools needed to repair my own equipment. Yesterday, I found an independent Radio Shack and I instantly knew I was home!! The owner also did electronic repair. As I was leaving the store he had a couple people bringing in guitar amp after amp in for service. All of the repair technicians I know are in their 60's like me. Thank you very much for the videos.
I worked in consumer electronics in the 70s and mid 80s and really enjoyed it, had the same experiences you discussed. In the late 80s I went into medical imaging service, made about four times as much money. But it wasn't as much fun. I'm retired now, and went to do some bench work for an established audio shop , I repaired Pioneer and Marantz products. A friend bought the repair shop hoping to make a killing, didn't happen, I explained to him that it's a labor of love. The shop finally went out of business. I told him you can't make that big of profit. Your video is right on point.
Bravo! Brick and mortar niche retail businesses are wonderful if you love what you are doing and have fun doing it... I think keeping it simple only increases the enjoyment. My main business is furnishing, installing, servicing and repairing whole house water treatment equipment that requires me to make house calls. I keep a small inventory of parts and supplies on hand, and the rest of it is special order and local supply house purchases. Vehicle costs like fuel, insurance and maintenance increasingly eat away at my profits ... I will never become wealthy in this field, but working for myself doing what I like to do when I like doing it is so much better for me than many of the jobs I have had punching a clock and working for someone else.
What I miss is the smell of walnut when walking into the stereo store back in the 1970’s! Specifically Pacific Stereo here in SoCal! It was a heavenly high
Very interesting insite Kevin. I am surprised at the Vintage Repairs side and its struggles. I imagine the Niche part of services you provide are in high demand. Most everyone loves music, and those of us really into the older Vintage euipment wish we had a shop like yours close by. Keep doing what you do. From a distance its much appreciated. Cheers to SkyLabs in 2024!
I watch out for nice amps that are broken which I think I can repair. And when fixed, I sell them on. But, even with no business overheads, I don't make any profit - I only do it because I enjoy it, I learn, and I give nice old gear a new lease of life.
I believe the moonshot had a huge influence on the stereo manufacturers, especially the engineers, into designing great equipment. Also, again, precision was also by default influenced the artistic zeitgeist of the time. Hyper realism, especially in painting, was so key doing that time. I miss my kenwood and tecknics turntable I bought in '73. Loved the stereo place and especially those that worked there. Saved up my money then from working in a kitchen in HS. Great times.
Great video, from an honest standpoint. Love your quiet laid back approach to your passion. Never, thought much until now about there is little profit in repair of vintage. It is sad, as it now kind of makes vintage go the same way as newer equipment, becoming legacy or disposable. I have a lot of vintage equipment that is starting to have some issues. Sony ES receiver, multiple Sony ES CDP players, Harmon Kardon receiver, Dual & Pioneer turntables, multiple cassette decks, Panasonic RXDT 680 portable stereo, Pioneer 9700S receiver, Denon receiver, multiple speakers, and a favorite...Pioneer SX434. I am having the sad reality that some of this will become trash. I had to trash a Sony reel to reel for that fact no repair available. Repair techs are tradespeople with a unique skill set, and getting to be a rare breed. We have no repair, even close. I wish you were closer, I would get you to tune up/repair, and be happy to pay more, even if it was in the form of a tip added on. Great content keep up the interesting subject matter.
I am completely new to using a vintage receiver a stereo component that never entered my mind of owning one . Pioneer SX-5590 my first year with it has been eye opening new is not always better . The receiver was purchased at an estate sale I was the only one that showed any interest the widow told me the complete history of it when her husband bought it new in Germany . Quick story I had it to a good technician, over the next few weeks the SX-5590 embarrassed a new 6K Accuphase E-280 integrate I had which I have since sold . The receiver is in my home office system driving a pair of TeKton Lore speakers , an eye blinking spectacular match for this entry level floor standing speaker , currently 100 % digital streaming though some day I’d like to try a vintage table through it ,..Yes new is definitely not always better ,…
I personally think you should make a profit on repairs, you guys are like a Porsche mechanic or something like that and vintage or electronics repairs are harder to find and definitely a niche specialty service and I believe people like myself will pay a fair price to keep their equipment up and running the best it can. Appreciate the content and time you all take. Happy New Year!! 🎆
Thank you for this wonderfully insightful and accurate video. It is music to my ears. I cut my teeth with a silverface Marantz SR-2325 and because of that receiver I pursued an electrical engineering degree to be an amplifier designer. I got the hard knock in late college that amp design jobs are pretty much non-existent, but I stuck with it in the form of repairing audio equipment and guitar amps. My biggest feat to date was a Pioneer SX-950 that took A YEAR AND A HALF to repair because so many hands had tried to fix it that NOTHING worked right. I had to start from scratch with LTSPICE, modeling every stage of the power supply and amplifier, and eventually fixed it. The satisfaction I got from handing it back to the owner, to see the smile on his face. There's more to that story, because of the obsolescence I had to redesign a few subcircuits and was able to improve the THD by a factor of 10 (reduction). You hit the nail on the head about the cost of repair usually will exceed the value of the equipment. Maybe in the upper echelon of highly valued/priced equipment. As a practicing electrical engineer I feel I'm much too aware the 'dying breed' of analog engineers and technicians. I always extend an arm and leave the door open to opportunities to serve the audio community because it is at the heart of many of my life choices. Good job sticking it out with your shop, and yes, I too LOVE THE SMELL OF VINTAGE ELECTRONICS IN THE MORNING.
That was excellent. We have an excellent repair place here in fort Wayne. They also have limited sales floor. I feel so fortunate they are here. I've take several pieces to them over the years and agree, I'm so grateful for them. They've repaired by old scott tube amps, my phase linear turn table and a dbx expander. Those last 2 I inherited from my uncle and are very special to me. Those last two were a major challenge for them. In one they had to make a part from scratch that was not available anywhere. I've bought pieces there... A vintage electro voice speaker, a turntable for my son. I go in and check frequently as I want to do right by them. Seeing your video has motivated me to go in and see if there's anything for sale tomorrow. Oh, they also repaired my son's sansui!!!
Many valid points, reel to reels have been popping up on Marketplace. I blame you :) Truthfully I am fascinated but not ready to tackle the potential expense and I don't know who can repair them.
Aloha Kevin your store stories and outstanding knowledge of vintage stere😂o products brings me back to the 60s and 70s when I was growing up I'm in my sixties now and just remembering going to tower records and listening to incredible music pounding sounds captured me I can see hear and smell those days again and with no computers and everything high technology just a 1970 ss chevelle and 6x9 speakers
If it's your passion and you can make money from it, more power you. Luckily I live in an area where people are pretty much ALWAYS giving away vintage equipment and there are plenty of locations selling the stuff for dirt (I mean DIRT) cheap. So there are NO vintage stereo shops around here selling gear for hundreds of dollars a piece.
Working in an old-fashioned electronic parts store (yes, a few still exist) where the owner is a highly skilled repair technician, I get to see and hear some nice old equipment. I do some service, too, on a simpler level, and my specialty is turntables. It's fun when someone brings in a 1970s receiver that needs help and tells of buying it new. Even more fun is making it work right again and giving it a cosmetic cleaning so it looks as good as it can. Most fun of all, though it is extremely rare, is getting appreciative feedback.
Glad to hear you're feeling better. We're lucky here in Louisville to have a first rate repair shop that has been in business for many years. The cost, and lag time, have gone up, but when I bring home a piece of gear I know that if there still is an issue it will be made right. I am thinking of going into the the repair tech game myself. Hope 2024 is a good year for you Kevin!
Glad to see you back at and healthy. And yes, when I was younger, in order to learn electronic repairs, I would have to volunteer in electronic shops because there is no money in unfortunately, and as an automotive technician by trade, not much money there either. Like you said you do because you love it . Look forward to future videos.
Kevin, I love your candor. Thanks for sharing your experience. I am using your channel and the info you provide to wade into the hobby a bit. Visited my local vintage electronics store and enjoyed it. I hope your business continues to do well and that you continue with the awesome videos. Thank you!
A self made man. Who doesn't dig that?!? Well done, well explained, and easy to relate to. Thank you for the light into your business. It is inspiring. All the best in 2024 Kevin! Cheers!!
Great video. I haven't watched the last few, but I'm glad you've figured out the right audio levels. I didn't have to turn up the volume to hear you on this one. 🙂👍
Send them here! Magnetic Tape Recorder Inc. In Louisville, KY in business since 1956. Loved the video, everything you said is 100% true. Making money on repairs is difficult, retail is def where you make the money. It is possible to make money on repairs here, but we have low cost of living in KY and blessed circumstances. I'll come see y'all soon. We are looking for more shops to add to our network! Joseph
I learned years ago to never turn a hobby that you enjoy into your main business. It never ends well. Around this area there are no repair shops, no vintage audio shops. There was a few used record shops for a while but they've mostly gone away after 2020. I got into hifi as a kid with no money, everything I've ever owned was bought for less than $10 or $20, or broken and free. Having friends with electronics training helped a lot and learning how to buy at auctions and estate sales has gotten me a ton of vintage equipment over the years. My game was always to buy in quantity to get the best price. Never was it to buy one or two pieces at a time unless the price was so low it was worth it even if it needed to be fully rebuilt Now in my 60's with a home workshop that takes up half of my basement and the other half looking like a 1970's Hifi store, I still don't want to do repairs on other peoples equipment. But, I do get rooked into doing a few but they never turn out well. At the moment I've got an amp on the bench that belongs to a buddy, he bought it online, against my recommendation, it was even worse than expected and parts are non existent, or at least trust worthy original parts vs Chinese counterfeits. Three times now I though it was fixed, but had failures after about 20 or so hours of play time, twice leading back to bad new parts, and once a completely new failure that surfaced. A good bit of the problem is that he does not want to go all the way and spend the money for a complete overhaul and its had so many repairs that the main board itself is in poor shape. I'll keep fixing it but he'll never likely be able to trust it. I'm not even sure it was all that good when new but to him its a holy grail type of item. He tried to find a shop to take on the job but was flat out turned down by about 15 shops across the country. In hindsight, I should have never even offered to take a look at it. From the start he was $2K in the hole into a piece most wouldn't pay $100 for. My mistake was fixing a few of his other oddball amps and which he had given up on that all turned out to be fairly basic repairs. Now he's into this clunker for over $2500 and it still needs work and will likely need a full set of transistors and two massive filter caps that have proven to be unobtainium. To make it worse, he's the type who wants it too 'look' 100% original. So replacing old larger caps with new smaller but same value caps bothers him. He doesn't want me to replace the two huge filter caps because it'll "look wrong". The general public hates to spend money on repairs, and in this area, no matter what you sell, or how long it lasts they expect a lifetime warranty on it. I've sold used equipment 'as is' or "For Parts Only", and had people come back complaining it don't work or that it took $800 to fix it wanting me to pay for the repair on a pos I sold for $40 for the sum of its parts. I had a guy buy a set of knobs for a Pioneer about 8 years ago, I sold the complete set of knobs for $40. Half of what any were listed online for. 6 years later he shows up wanting his money back because he never used them because the receiver died and he got rid of it. He blew a gasket when I told him get lost. I've sold used items on CL and had people try to return different items saying it was the one I just sold them and it don't work. Never underestimate how low some people will go to save a dollar or to get something for free. When you say there's no money in repairs, I hear you. Around here so much as looking at something for someone will not only not make you any money but unless they feel you lost money fixing it they will never be happy.
Dude you are awesome. I’m in the getting started stage of trying to make the jump from marketplace reseller to having a legit shop and I’ve been discouraged lately, but the way you talk about how you got started is exactly how it has been for me. Fake it till you make it has been my personal saying for the entire time I’ve been doing this, and I also know so little about business it’s scary, but I’ve got a bit of hope and excitement back seeing that u we’re in the exact same position and made a successful business from it. So thanks so much and good luck in the future, you are a true inspiration!
As a person who just started doing restorations and repairs ( as a hobby ) on the more basic units I can completed get not being able to make a ton on repairs. 1 - Its takes a while to do this stuff and 2 - Nobody is going to pay $4-500 to fix a unit worth $300.. Im generalizing but still, I decided if I wanna enjoy this hobby I need to learn the basic repairs / tune up procedures myself or ill be diving into my wallet constantly.. Vintage is not cheap but damn is it fun and enjoyable! In the middle of a Fisher 202 restoration. Look fwd to the discord channel and more videos in 2024!
Thank you so much for this video. Very enlightening. I love vintage gear. I am fortunate to have a collection of very nice vintage receivers. In fact I have a Sansui G7500 that I bought new back in the day. It and all the other vintage receivers I have are all beautiful and sound great.I remember going into the stereo shops back in the 70's and it was awesome. Going into your shop must be a very enjoyable experience for people into vintage. Good for you!
Hi Kevin, I thought I'd tell you about the shop I have used. This is an old school TV repair shop, that has been in business almost 45 years. It's in a run down old strip mall, and you wouldn't think twice about it, if you drove by it. This is an old school TV repair place, but as most people transitioned to cheap flat screens they tossed in the dumpster when they failed, he switched to vintage electronics repair. As you know there are very few shops like this in the country. His shop has worked on 100+ year old antique radios with external horns. He has worked on McIntosh amps. He has worked on Crosley record players, Garrard 401s, and high end Technics. I have been in there when you could hardly move for all the vintage console stereos people brought in for repair. He is so good, he has worked on vintage electronics for the TV and movie industries. He has had people come in from much of the western United States to have repair work done. When I was last in there in early 2023, he told me he wanted to retire, but he had too much business. So what he has done has been training younger people to take over the work.
Wooow vravo vravo you're the most amazing honest person that's WY you went that far 👏 al my blessings from alburquerque NM I watched all you videos vravo audiolabs
The business changed in 1988 when Cambridge Soundworks began selling speakers by mail order. It was unheard of that anyone would buy a speaker without having listened to it, direct from the manufacturer.
Hi Kevin. Thanks for these videos. Things are so different here in South Africa regarding vintage audio prices, availability and models available than in the rest of the world, but I enjoy seeing what you guys find and get to work with that side. Awesome content!
This! Kevin, I kept shaking my head in acknowledgment of your talking points. I’m not an employee of, but have a local shop I try to help when I can. The guys that work there are like a second family to me and each person there is driving as hard as they can to make it succeed. The owner is a young, bright, entrepreneur who works extremely hard. Without the sense of community the store has, it simply couldn’t survive. The challenges are daunting, but the rewards are as well. We will survive!
It's important to remember that Hi-Fi shops didn't go anywhere, not really. I mean sure back in the day there used to be The Stereo Hut off of Macklemore avenue next to the tire shop and then there was crazy Joe's off of Warren Street in downtown. Of course now the stereo hut has become a pro audio dealer exclusively, but in the 90s the whole hi-fi landscape changed, shops and businesses that didn't evolve perished. That said though where I live there are no hi-fi dealers however within an hour drive east and west i can hit about six different ones. Also quite a lot of manufacturers still do sell brick and mortar, to resellers. Just look at NAD, sure you can order any of their products online all day everyday, butt you can also go down to the Hi-Fi shop, Hi-Fi buys in Atlanta in my case, and purchase any of their products there. I don't know I just really truly dislike this ease of disregard when it comes to availability of something and this sort of casual dismissal of how actually readily available this stuff is. For example I had my father-in-law say to me one time" hey you're into this stereo stuff, why aren't there any shops anymore?" And I just had to sort of chuckle and say actually no that's not true at all there's about six or seven shops within an hour of here all you have to do is google it. See that's what I dislike is this sort of thought that it isn't like it used to be so therefore it isn't at all, when that's not the case. I will say I have visited skylabs and almost bought a Harman kardon receiver from you guys and should have got it but didn't have room in the car on the road trip back. I still think about it though and kick myself for not picking it up
Great take thanks for sharing your thoughts. Very sad techs can’t earn a decent living at the craft. I found a tech a year ago and he is retired but loves repairing gear. I’m at the point I just want my gear repaired and I’m willing to pay for good work. Look forward to what your channel has in store in ‘24.
Hi Kevin, happy healthy funny 2024!! Love your vids, always precise, honest and without any arroagance as many others in this business! Thanks for sharing and keep going! Greets from Germany, Hamburg!
A new year, a new video and a really interesting insight. I bought my first piece of vintage yesterday, inspired by all your videos. Let the journey begin. (Caveat - I do own some other vintage stuff, but this is my first since really wanting to get into to the hobby more seriously, since discovering your channel.)
Really enjoyed this video. I appreciate the chance to understand what guys like you and stores like yours are up against. Leaves me wanting to buy your stuff and willing to pay extra to give business to local stores, to the extent they still exist.
There is a radio station outa Hawaii in here that plays live segments of their broadcasts, usually with a gal that is spooling up the vinyl. Good tunes.
I also had a shop,. My number one rule,."If you don't bring in your speakers when you pick up your power amp,. for a counter test.. NO WARRANTY !!".. I use to make the customer, hook everything up, and play with it for a good 5 minutes, before I let them take it. Otherwise they would be back within a hour, screaming at me "YOU DIDN'T FIX IT"
I ran a repair shop for over 40 years, in the early days you could make a profit until the manufacture's started building cheaper electronics that took far more time to repair cutting into your ability to stay afloat. Finally, I was forced to close my doors, this was a craft I loved. It forced me to seek employment and work for someone else, now! I' am semi retired doing what I love the most, vintage repairs as a hobby. I was never wealthy, but love my work, watching your RUclips presentations has inspired me to get back in the field, for that you have my gratitude.
Thank you, John
To johncunningham5435 : Guys like yourself are essential to the hi-fi hobbyist and music lovers. I'm sorry you had to close down your former shop, but glad you 👍👍👍started back up in semi- retirement. I also think some manufacturers caused you to lose business by building products that don't break, like my Adcom 555 mk2 amp which is still going strong after almost 35 years! However keep repairing equipment as long as you can my man! Music lovers like us depend on your services. This is from a 64 year old Black man O.G. Guys like you are what make America great.👍👍🙏🙏
@@skylabsaudio Just stay in business my man! Guys like you are what make America great! This is from a 64 year old O.G Black man and music/hi-fi lover. We depend on you 👍👍🙏🙏
Thank you very much William for your kind words, it is people like you that encourage me to continue vintage repairs that I love most.
I am delighted that you have now found a happy occupation with vintage electronics, John.
It's not much different here in Germany, perhaps with the difference that the gaps between the regions are not so big. I am writing from the perspective of the consumer. By chance I found a very good vintage repair man about 12 years ago, he lives in Düsseldorf and I live in Cologne, two large cities only 20 miles apart. He is about 75 and I am 64 (still), he repairs professionally and has an engineering degree. He enjoys his work, he also maintains and builds acoustic installations for modern art museums. His prices for repairs are very fair. He has repaired all sorts of things for me where my skills stop, old fender amps but also my old beloved Mcintosh C22CE, old Leak and Croft tube gear from the UK. Helmut, and he only told me this in passing, was the electronic expert of the Düsseldorf electro band "Kraftwerk" from the 70s. I don't know if you know Kraftwerk in the USA...here they are cult. Helmut dismantled the then modern huge synthesisers into individual modules and built them into smaller flight cases to connect them together for the tours, he smiled and told me that he still meets the guys from Kraftwerk every week for coffee. I have the utmost respect for your job! Many of them are already really old, and soon many will no longer be around. It's exactly the same that hardly anyone can adjust a carburettor really well any more. Thank you all for your job, wherever you are in the world!
You know what's almost as cool as running a vintage stereo equipment store? Having vintage stereo equipment in your living room. 😆
So true, I swapbrcvrs every few months sx950 or the Kr6600 or thesx850 or the kr6030 more rcvrs u have use 1 a month swap.out for another a month later swap for yet another, each 1 will.last longer an u getvto.look at another beauty
How do you make a small fortune in the stereo store business? Start with a large fortune. 😁😁
Kevin, I hate to stoop to a cliche, but visiting your shop is on my bucket list.
1990: got a job, went and bought a stereo system for your apartment ensemble. This ensemble included lawn chairs and milk crate end tables.
I own a vintage stereo store as well. I'm so glad that someone with a larger platform can tell folks the truths about this. Margins are very thin, the liability is very high. Repairs are rarely profitable, but are there to drive customers in, and drive further sales. Bless you.
I'm just glad folks like yourself are willing to run shops like yours. As a teenager I remember spending countless hours with friends in brick and mortar audio hi fi shops listening to stuff we could never dream of affording at the age of 16, and now when we can these places don't exist. Really looking forward to making the 4 hour drive to your shop one of these days to get that feeling back.
I remember those days too. It was as if we walked into a totally different universe and a different life. The guys running those stores knew that none of us teenagers could afford anything in their stores. But they let us listen to Klipschorn in the ultra special listening room. Planar speakers that amazed me., that I could not figure out how they sounded like they did. This was the mid 70s. The best we could do was make our own speakers, nothing even mid-fi, just loud.
It’s worth the trip! Bought a lot from Kevin when we lived in Des Moines!
I am starting to repair equipment for others in my basement now that I am retired. I probably make about $10 an hour doing this. I don't mind as long as I am working on cool stuff worth saving. The problem is getting stuff to work on. It is mostly word of mouth. So if anyone needs something fixed in the Omaha area, let me know.
The tech I go to says he puts the vintage prices people don’t pick up on FB or Craigslist for high prices and advertises that he repairs vintage audio in the description. Works for him evidently.
By the way, you should be making more per hour. You are undercharging.
Another word of advise from another business owner. Owning your own business is not a 9 to 5 thing. It is a 24 / 7 thing. You have to devote yourself to it for atleast 5 years before you will really start to make headway. It is not easy, and it is not for everyone. If you have fear of taking risks. Then go and get a real job. Save yourself the trouble. But if you are up for a challenge. It can be very rewarding in the long run.
You cracked the code Kev! Who knew. Honesty, transparency, and vulnerability are what people actually want to see! Thank you brother, I find these so refreshing in such phoney times rolled in sprinkles. Thanks guys keep up the great work👍🏻
I appreciate that!
I still have and use a stereo system that I purchased new in the late 70's, it's funny to think of it vintage. I guess that's what happens when you get old.
Fellow small business owner here (just down Railroad Ave. from you, Kevin, behind La Barista coffee). I was the same way in 2015 when we started our motorsports gear business. Racing has always been a passion, and I finally took the leap, left the cubicle farm, and haven’t looked back. We’re not getting rich, but our office is like your place. A handful of us getting the work done but having fun and telling our stupid jokes and boring stories over and over. I enjoy your videos and love your store. Best of luck, Kevin!
You are a wise and grounded guy, Kevin, which is no doubt the reason for your success. I understand the grind and total displeasure of working for "the man" only to finally find relief in my recent retirement after over 40 years in the workforce. I'm glad you found satisfaction and joy in what you spend your days involved in well before retirement age. Keep it going my man, and keep the videos coming!
Greetings from the California coast. This video I found particularly interesting because I have been very sad at seeing all of our Hi-Fi shops closed down over the years. There's just about nothing left out here. I have often wondered why. It makes sense that there's little point in people running businesses that can't turn a profit, and also manufacturers wanting to skip that whole Middleman process. I have enjoyed collecting Hi-Fi gear since I was in high school in the 1970s. I've seen a lot of stuff come and go but I can't believe the price is these days on a lot of things including classic cars. Things of sure changed. Yes like so many other comments I would love to come by your store one of these days and meet you in person but I would probably talk your ear off so maybe it's best that I'm far away. One thing I would like to comment on is I really enjoy 78 RPM records and have a love for the post-war monoral tube gear. I'm particularly fond of the Fisher 80c preamp and the Mcintosh C20 preamp. Yes, an early stereo preamp. Both seem to play those early post-war records extremely well, and I enjoy using them. Anyways I'm still enjoying your videos and look forward to them every week. Thank you for helping to keep this hobby alive. I hope you get lots of young customers who come in and discover how fun it is! Best wishes, Dave.
So true about no money to be made on repairs. I take in vintage equipment locally because I like the work, and enjoy returning the previously broken item in solid working condition. Most of the things I work on hold sentimental value for the owners. “This turntable was my Mom’s, or Dad had this 6500 mkii in the garage.”
It always takes me twice as long as I first estimate, so if I was doing this for the money I would soon go broke.
It’s about the people, you can tell they are grateful when you get a video text the next day of the 6500 hooked up to a Technics SL-Q2 playing through Dad’s old Cerwin Vegas!
I bought my Marantz 2240 in 1974 from Vance Pflanz in Sioux City as my high school graduation present... he was originally a Team Electronics store so I had to laugh when I saw your picture here. Spent so many days there listening to equipment and buying records. Your videos inspired me to get back to vintage and just got a restored Marantz 2325, JBL 4312s and a Dual 1229 from my local vintage dealer. Love your channel!
love the office space bill lumberg piece to prove out your point about being you..
Lol, such a good movie
When ever I visit a local vintage store I’ve felt they’re really expensive gear. But after hearing you I’m not so sure they’re profitable. T🎉he temptation to buy $400 on 🎉eBay vs $800 in a vintage store is great but risky. Our local vintage store offers a 90 day guarantee so that’s worth quite a bit to lessen anguish about a purchase.
I am getting closer to retirement age and your videos make me wonder about learning enough to become a repair tech. Not sure where or how to go about learning, but being able to work an extremely flexible schedule, part time, from home, does sound appealing.
You should go for it, get on E bay and look around your community, look for some old radios stereo, some may be junkie but that's how you learn. Get a scope, meter, test equipment, some old tube manuals and learn the basics.
I have considered my Harman Kardon integrated amp that I have owned since 1984 as part of my family. Now one of the channels is started to fade no matter what I do and I feel genuine sadness. Vintage audio gear has a soul. I too love the smell of vintage stereo gear.
On my Dads Pioneer SX626 receiver I took it to 2 shops here in Fresno. One charged me $150.00. I took it back 3 times and gave up. Then I took it to another place in Fresno. They had it 4 months and got it back in parts. Mainly screws, screws, and compositors. Then a friend who had a record store once. Made a trip to a friend 3 hours away. He fixed it in 1 hour. Recapped the unit. It cot me a bit, but love the results. I would pay to fix it, just know what they are doing.
The only vintage repair shop I am aware of in my area is run by a tech out of his home. He's very busy, cause there are none around.
Love your point about doing what you like and you will succeed. Advice given to me when I working towards my job was "Dude, forget it!" [actually in German "Mann, vergiss es!"]. Now I am a professional shell collector/marine biologist, aka, curator of malacology at a natural history museum. Music/Hifi is just a hobby, but I completely agree with your point, and tell it to all my students. Do what you love, then you will put time into it, then you will get good at it, and there is always demand for excellence, regardless of what it is. -- One difference, there are so few curator positions out there, you better have a plan B (maybe also C, D and E).
I have a great nearby vintage shop. Thanks for cluing me in on repairs
Thanks for providing a window into the realities of this business. I think it is useful information for everyone who owns vintage gear, not just those considering it as a business. It is very difficult to find a reliable, local repair shop. I am lucky enough to live an hour away from a family owned shop who’s been doing this for 60 years. They accepted 3 units of mine for repair. When I walked into their shop for the first time, I was thrilled to see a huge inventory for sale of everything you could imagine, freshly serviced by their technicians. I guess it’s a good sales strategy. I approached them as a repair shop, and they turned me into a potential buyer. People should really appreciate a local shop who can breath new life into their items!
I spent big money on a Vintage Yamaha B2 amplifier from 1977 to have a full restoration from the best in the country. It was working when I bought now it will continue to work long after I'm gone. Two more pieces to restore and I'm golden.
I be been looking forward to the first Skylabs video of 2024. You did not disappoint. Vintage HIFI is cool.
What I see about your shop is that I would guess most customers are more than willing to help you make your business a success. I wouldn’t have guessed you don’t receive profit from repairs but I watch a lot of RUclips videos on repairs and there is quite a few hours on just a service and couldn’t imagine hour many hours it takes to troubleshoot a piece of equipment. So with that said you must really like your job. I’ve never had a bad experience in your shop and when we talk you have some great advice and I love I can see the technicians working. Nothing to hide. Keep it up and will probably see you in the near future.
Happy 2024! Great video to start the new year!
I am a tech. I have repaired countless pieces of gear, rarely repeats. I LOVE doing this, but money, nah, it justs pays my gas to get back and forth to my day job making solar wings for spacecraft.
So I fully agree, I may not be getting rich, but my sanity stays!
Peace, Love and Music!
I learned electronics repairing audio equipment in my dad's TV shop fifty years ago. During college I worked as a repair tech for an audio shop in Cleveland. Even though I've done digital HW and FW for the past forty years, I still love popping open the cover, diagnosing and fixing classic audio. You've got me thinking...
I feel very lucky to live close enough to visit your store from time to time - and always enjoy the experience. Very proud of what you've done with your business - and how you've also made these excellent videos on RUclips part of the value you are delivering to those into vintage HiFi. Thanks for everything you do!
Love your site Kevin and I am always enjoying the videos. However I can't say that I agree with everything. In this episode you are saying you can't make money in repairs. Yes it takes a combination of repairs and sales because you may not be doing repairs 8 hours a day every day. But to each repair in of itself I can't accept that the repair people (at least here in Atlanta) don't make money. At $125 an hour with a two hour minimum, then if it's a 5, 10, 15 minute fix then WOW! If it becomes more difficult an time extensive then so much more the better for the technician. I whole heartedly agree that repairs and sales together may not even cover your operating costs, but that is because of not enough repair work or enough sales, or both that would keep the lights on. But individually there is money to be made. Thanks and keep up the great videos. Wayne Hunter.
It's too bad there are not more shops like yours Kevin, but I can see why, there isn't. I have a friend who runs a one man operation part time as he has a full time job. Anyway, good luck with 2024....stay safe.
What worries me is the loss of great technicians and the know how on these types of nuanced systems. Its almost a "lost art" more than a technical science. Even with a year of high-school solid state electronics, I learned the basics, but these systems can get pretty mind boggling.
Loved the video. Sure can relate to the "people find out you fix vintage". I always tell folks, "a stereo system is never finished". I'd love to see a video on "the ultimate repair station" or something like that, showing how to set up a good repair bench. Keep up the good work!
I would also like to see more on the repair station idea, if possible. I have been struggling to find even stores that have the types of parts or tools needed to repair my own equipment. Yesterday, I found an independent Radio Shack and I instantly knew I was home!! The owner also did electronic repair. As I was leaving the store he had a couple people bringing in guitar amp after amp in for service. All of the repair technicians I know are in their 60's like me. Thank you very much for the videos.
Thanks for all you do ! I like many others wish they were closer to you. Keep on truckin !
I worked in consumer electronics in the 70s and mid 80s and really enjoyed it, had the same experiences you discussed. In the late 80s I went into medical imaging service, made about four times as much money. But it wasn't as much fun. I'm retired now, and went to do some bench work for an established audio shop , I repaired Pioneer and Marantz products. A friend bought the repair shop hoping to make a killing, didn't happen, I explained to him that it's a labor of love. The shop finally went out of business. I told him you can't make that big of profit. Your video is right on point.
Bravo! Brick and mortar niche retail businesses are wonderful if you love what you are doing and have fun doing it... I think keeping it simple only increases the enjoyment. My main business is furnishing, installing, servicing and repairing whole house water treatment equipment that requires me to make house calls. I keep a small inventory of parts and supplies on hand, and the rest of it is special order and local supply house purchases. Vehicle costs like fuel, insurance and maintenance increasingly eat away at my profits ... I will never become wealthy in this field, but working for myself doing what I like to do when I like doing it is so much better for me than many of the jobs I have had punching a clock and working for someone else.
What I miss is the smell of walnut when walking into the stereo store back in the 1970’s! Specifically Pacific Stereo here in SoCal! It was a heavenly high
Very interesting insite Kevin. I am surprised at the Vintage Repairs side and its struggles. I imagine the Niche part of services you provide are in high demand. Most everyone loves music, and those of us really into the older Vintage euipment wish we had a shop like yours close by. Keep doing what you do. From a distance its much appreciated.
Cheers to SkyLabs in 2024!
I do the same thing, but late 20's/early 30's Ford automobiles.
I watch out for nice amps that are broken which I think I can repair. And when fixed, I sell them on. But, even with no business overheads, I don't make any profit - I only do it because I enjoy it, I learn, and I give nice old gear a new lease of life.
I believe the moonshot had a huge influence on the stereo manufacturers, especially the engineers, into designing great equipment. Also, again, precision was also by default influenced the artistic zeitgeist of the time. Hyper realism, especially in painting, was so key doing that time. I miss my kenwood and tecknics turntable I bought in '73. Loved the stereo place and especially those that worked there. Saved up my money then from working in a kitchen in HS. Great times.
Wish you a good health and happy new year!
Love your store and your videos!
Vintage stereo is a great hobby,I love it!
Great video, from an honest standpoint. Love your quiet laid back approach to your passion. Never, thought much until now about there is little profit in repair of vintage. It is sad, as it now kind of makes vintage go the same way as newer equipment, becoming legacy or disposable. I have a lot of vintage equipment that is starting to have some issues. Sony ES receiver, multiple Sony ES CDP players, Harmon Kardon receiver, Dual & Pioneer turntables, multiple cassette decks, Panasonic RXDT 680 portable stereo, Pioneer 9700S receiver, Denon receiver, multiple speakers, and a favorite...Pioneer SX434. I am having the sad reality that some of this will become trash. I had to trash a Sony reel to reel for that fact no repair available. Repair techs are tradespeople with a unique skill set, and getting to be a rare breed. We have no repair, even close. I wish you were closer, I would get you to tune up/repair, and be happy to pay more, even if it was in the form of a tip added on.
Great content keep up the interesting subject matter.
I am completely new to using a vintage receiver a stereo component that never entered my mind of owning one . Pioneer SX-5590 my first year with it has been eye opening new is not always better .
The receiver was purchased at an estate sale I was the only one that showed any interest the widow told me the complete history of it when her husband bought it new in Germany .
Quick story I had it to a good technician, over the next few weeks the SX-5590 embarrassed a new 6K Accuphase E-280 integrate I had which I have since sold .
The receiver is in my home office system driving a pair of TeKton Lore speakers , an eye blinking spectacular match for this entry level floor standing speaker , currently 100 % digital streaming though some day I’d like to try a vintage table through it ,..Yes new is definitely not always better ,…
I personally think you should make a profit on repairs, you guys are like a Porsche mechanic or something like that and vintage or electronics repairs are harder to find and definitely a niche specialty service and I believe people like myself will pay a fair price to keep their equipment up and running the best it can. Appreciate the content and time you all take. Happy New Year!! 🎆
I agree. However, the price of the work would quickly surpass the value of the equipment itself. This is the problem.
It is a great service to the community. Hopefully that knowledge gets passed along.
Thank you Kevin
Kevin, you nailed it again! Vintage audio is a labour of love.
Love the blue lights in the background!
In a 70s stereo shop- one benefit was getting high then selling to high customers- on good ole normal pot😏😎
I really like your'e attitude!! We need you guys. I'm sitting in a swedish forest listening to Dynaco SCA 35 and Snell E . Vintage for ever!!!
Thank you for this wonderfully insightful and accurate video. It is music to my ears. I cut my teeth with a silverface Marantz SR-2325 and because of that receiver I pursued an electrical engineering degree to be an amplifier designer. I got the hard knock in late college that amp design jobs are pretty much non-existent, but I stuck with it in the form of repairing audio equipment and guitar amps. My biggest feat to date was a Pioneer SX-950 that took A YEAR AND A HALF to repair because so many hands had tried to fix it that NOTHING worked right. I had to start from scratch with LTSPICE, modeling every stage of the power supply and amplifier, and eventually fixed it. The satisfaction I got from handing it back to the owner, to see the smile on his face. There's more to that story, because of the obsolescence I had to redesign a few subcircuits and was able to improve the THD by a factor of 10 (reduction). You hit the nail on the head about the cost of repair usually will exceed the value of the equipment. Maybe in the upper echelon of highly valued/priced equipment. As a practicing electrical engineer I feel I'm much too aware the 'dying breed' of analog engineers and technicians. I always extend an arm and leave the door open to opportunities to serve the audio community because it is at the heart of many of my life choices. Good job sticking it out with your shop, and yes, I too LOVE THE SMELL OF VINTAGE ELECTRONICS IN THE MORNING.
Love it!
That was excellent. We have an excellent repair place here in fort Wayne. They also have limited sales floor. I feel so fortunate they are here. I've take several pieces to them over the years and agree, I'm so grateful for them. They've repaired by old scott tube amps, my phase linear turn table and a dbx expander. Those last 2 I inherited from my uncle and are very special to me. Those last two were a major challenge for them. In one they had to make a part from scratch that was not available anywhere. I've bought pieces there... A vintage electro voice speaker, a turntable for my son. I go in and check frequently as I want to do right by them. Seeing your video has motivated me to go in and see if there's anything for sale tomorrow. Oh, they also repaired my son's sansui!!!
Many valid points, reel to reels have been popping up on Marketplace. I blame you :) Truthfully I am fascinated but not ready to tackle the potential expense and I don't know who can repair them.
Aloha Kevin your store stories and outstanding knowledge of vintage stere😂o products brings me back to the 60s and 70s when I was growing up I'm in my sixties now and just remembering going to tower records and listening to incredible music pounding sounds captured me I can see hear and smell those days again and with no computers and everything high technology just a 1970 ss chevelle and 6x9 speakers
Thanks for being so open and honest about how you got started and what it's really like.
Used to love going to the stereo store back in the day. Bought my first turntable an Acoustic Research from crazy Eddie himself
If it's your passion and you can make money from it, more power you. Luckily I live in an area where people are pretty much ALWAYS giving away vintage equipment and there are plenty of locations selling the stuff for dirt (I mean DIRT) cheap. So there are NO vintage stereo shops around here selling gear for hundreds of dollars a piece.
Where?
Working in an old-fashioned electronic parts store (yes, a few still exist) where the owner is a highly skilled repair technician,
I get to see and hear some nice old equipment. I do some service, too, on a simpler level, and my specialty is turntables.
It's fun when someone brings in a 1970s receiver that needs help and tells of buying it new.
Even more fun is making it work right again and giving it a cosmetic cleaning so it looks as good as it can.
Most fun of all, though it is extremely rare, is getting appreciative feedback.
Glad to hear you're feeling better. We're lucky here in Louisville to have a first rate repair shop that has been in business for many years. The cost, and lag time, have gone up, but when I bring home a piece of gear I know that if there still is an issue it will be made right. I am thinking of going into the the repair tech game myself. Hope 2024 is a good year for you Kevin!
You as well. Thanks
Glad to see you back at and healthy. And yes, when I was younger, in order to learn electronic repairs, I would have to volunteer in electronic shops because there is no money in unfortunately, and as an automotive technician by trade, not much money there either. Like you said you do because you love it . Look forward to future videos.
Kevin, I love your candor. Thanks for sharing your experience. I am using your channel and the info you provide to wade into the hobby a bit. Visited my local vintage electronics store and enjoyed it. I hope your business continues to do well and that you continue with the awesome videos. Thank you!
A self made man. Who doesn't dig that?!? Well done, well explained, and easy to relate to. Thank you for the light into your business. It is inspiring. All the best in 2024 Kevin! Cheers!!
Great insight Kevin. As a musician, engineer, and vintage gear restorer, bringing music into peoples lives is a total feel good.
Great video. I haven't watched the last few, but I'm glad you've figured out the right audio levels. I didn't have to turn up the volume to hear you on this one. 🙂👍
Send them here! Magnetic Tape Recorder Inc. In Louisville, KY in business since 1956. Loved the video, everything you said is 100% true. Making money on repairs is difficult, retail is def where you make the money. It is possible to make money on repairs here, but we have low cost of living in KY and blessed circumstances. I'll come see y'all soon. We are looking for more shops to add to our network!
Joseph
Thanks, Kevin. I liked getting a little look inside running a vintage stereo store. I hadn't realized how unprofitable repairs are, but makes sense.
The best to you Kevin Happy New Year.....
I learned years ago to never turn a hobby that you enjoy into your main business.
It never ends well.
Around this area there are no repair shops, no vintage audio shops. There was a few used record shops for a while but they've mostly gone away after 2020.
I got into hifi as a kid with no money, everything I've ever owned was bought for less than $10 or $20, or broken and free.
Having friends with electronics training helped a lot and learning how to buy at auctions and estate sales has gotten me a ton of vintage equipment over the years. My game was always to buy in quantity to get the best price. Never was it to buy one or two pieces at a time unless the price was so low it was worth it even if it needed to be fully rebuilt
Now in my 60's with a home workshop that takes up half of my basement and the other half looking like a 1970's Hifi store, I still don't want to do repairs on other peoples equipment.
But, I do get rooked into doing a few but they never turn out well.
At the moment I've got an amp on the bench that belongs to a buddy, he bought it online, against my recommendation, it was even worse than expected and parts are non existent, or at least trust worthy original parts vs Chinese counterfeits. Three times now I though it was fixed, but had failures after about 20 or so hours of play time, twice leading back to bad new parts, and once a completely new failure that surfaced. A good bit of the problem is that he does not want to go all the way and spend the money for a complete overhaul and its had so many repairs that the main board itself is in poor shape. I'll keep fixing it but he'll never likely be able to trust it. I'm not even sure it was all that good when new but to him its a holy grail type of item. He tried to find a shop to take on the job but was flat out turned down by about 15 shops across the country. In hindsight, I should have never even offered to take a look at it. From the start he was $2K in the hole into a piece most wouldn't pay $100 for. My mistake was fixing a few of his other oddball amps and which he had given up on that all turned out to be fairly basic repairs. Now he's into this clunker for over $2500 and it still needs work and will likely need a full set of transistors and two massive filter caps that have proven to be unobtainium.
To make it worse, he's the type who wants it too 'look' 100% original. So replacing old larger caps with new smaller but same value caps bothers him. He doesn't want me to replace the two huge filter caps because it'll "look wrong".
The general public hates to spend money on repairs, and in this area, no matter what you sell, or how long it lasts they expect a lifetime warranty on it. I've sold used equipment 'as is' or "For Parts Only", and had people come back complaining it don't work or that it took $800 to fix it wanting me to pay for the repair on a pos I sold for $40 for the sum of its parts.
I had a guy buy a set of knobs for a Pioneer about 8 years ago, I sold the complete set of knobs for $40. Half of what any were listed online for. 6 years later he shows up wanting his money back because he never used them because the receiver died and he got rid of it. He blew a gasket when I told him get lost. I've sold used items on CL and had people try to return different items saying it was the one I just sold them and it don't work.
Never underestimate how low some people will go to save a dollar or to get something for free.
When you say there's no money in repairs, I hear you. Around here so much as looking at something for someone will not only not make you any money but unless they feel you lost money fixing it they will never be happy.
Sounds like a cool, fun place to work! Every business has it's crap to deal with so when the good outweighs the bad it's always worth the effort!
Dude you are awesome. I’m in the getting started stage of trying to make the jump from marketplace reseller to having a legit shop and I’ve been discouraged lately, but the way you talk about how you got started is exactly how it has been for me. Fake it till you make it has been my personal saying for the entire time I’ve been doing this, and I also know so little about business it’s scary, but I’ve got a bit of hope and excitement back seeing that u we’re in the exact same position and made a successful business from it. So thanks so much and good luck in the future, you are a true inspiration!
Do it. It is that simple.
As a person who just started doing restorations and repairs ( as a hobby ) on the more basic units I can completed get not being able to make a ton on repairs. 1 - Its takes a while to do this stuff and 2 - Nobody is going to pay $4-500 to fix a unit worth $300.. Im generalizing but still, I decided if I wanna enjoy this hobby I need to learn the basic repairs / tune up procedures myself or ill be diving into my wallet constantly.. Vintage is not cheap but damn is it fun and enjoyable! In the middle of a Fisher 202 restoration. Look fwd to the discord channel and more videos in 2024!
Thank you so much for this video. Very enlightening. I love vintage gear. I am fortunate to have a collection of very nice vintage receivers. In fact I have a Sansui G7500 that I bought new back in the day. It and all the other vintage receivers I have are all beautiful and sound great.I remember going into the stereo shops back in the 70's and it was awesome. Going into your shop must be a very enjoyable experience for people into vintage. Good for you!
Hi Kevin, I thought I'd tell you about the shop I have used. This is an old school TV repair shop, that has been in business almost 45 years. It's in a run down old strip mall, and you wouldn't think twice about it, if you drove by it. This is an old school TV repair place, but as most people transitioned to cheap flat screens they tossed in the dumpster when they failed, he switched to vintage electronics repair. As you know there are very few shops like this in the country. His shop has worked on 100+ year old antique radios with external horns. He has worked on McIntosh amps. He has worked on Crosley record players, Garrard 401s, and high end Technics. I have been in there when you could hardly move for all the vintage console stereos people brought in for repair. He is so good, he has worked on vintage electronics for the TV and movie industries. He has had people come in from much of the western United States to have repair work done. When I was last in there in early 2023, he told me he wanted to retire, but he had too much business. So what he has done has been training younger people to take over the work.
Great, honest take on the business. Thanks for sharing!
Enjoy your videos a lot, and as someone who hates his job, I'm glad you found something you love so much.
That's what she said, thanks Kevin. May your wow and flutter be below the noise floor in 2024.
lol, you too!
Wooow vravo vravo you're the most amazing honest person that's WY you went that far 👏 al my blessings from alburquerque NM I watched all you videos vravo audiolabs
Thank you! 😃
The business changed in 1988 when Cambridge Soundworks began selling speakers by mail order. It was unheard of that anyone would buy a speaker without having listened to it, direct from the manufacturer.
Hi Kevin. Thanks for these videos. Things are so different here in South Africa regarding vintage audio prices, availability and models available than in the rest of the world, but I enjoy seeing what you guys find and get to work with that side. Awesome content!
This! Kevin, I kept shaking my head in acknowledgment of your talking points. I’m not an employee of, but have a local shop I try to help when I can. The guys that work there are like a second family to me and each person there is driving as hard as they can to make it succeed. The owner is a young, bright, entrepreneur who works extremely hard. Without the sense of community the store has, it simply couldn’t survive. The challenges are daunting, but the rewards are as well. We will survive!
Thanks for sharing!
Thank you! Don't find such honesty often on the tube. Continued success!
Definitely gonna be a fun one
Thanks Kevin, I needed this! Definitely a fun one!
I have wanted to open a vintage stereo shop on the Bay Area for years.
Thanks for the openness and the infos. Good luck!
It's important to remember that Hi-Fi shops didn't go anywhere, not really. I mean sure back in the day there used to be The Stereo Hut off of Macklemore avenue next to the tire shop and then there was crazy Joe's off of Warren Street in downtown. Of course now the stereo hut has become a pro audio dealer exclusively, but in the 90s the whole hi-fi landscape changed, shops and businesses that didn't evolve perished. That said though where I live there are no hi-fi dealers however within an hour drive east and west i can hit about six different ones.
Also quite a lot of manufacturers still do sell brick and mortar, to resellers. Just look at NAD, sure you can order any of their products online all day everyday, butt you can also go down to the Hi-Fi shop, Hi-Fi buys in Atlanta in my case, and purchase any of their products there.
I don't know I just really truly dislike this ease of disregard when it comes to availability of something and this sort of casual dismissal of how actually readily available this stuff is. For example I had my father-in-law say to me one time" hey you're into this stereo stuff, why aren't there any shops anymore?" And I just had to sort of chuckle and say actually no that's not true at all there's about six or seven shops within an hour of here all you have to do is google it.
See that's what I dislike is this sort of thought that it isn't like it used to be so therefore it isn't at all, when that's not the case.
I will say I have visited skylabs and almost bought a Harman kardon receiver from you guys and should have got it but didn't have room in the car on the road trip back. I still think about it though and kick myself for not picking it up
Great take thanks for sharing your thoughts. Very sad techs can’t earn a decent living at the craft. I found a tech a year ago and he is retired but loves repairing gear. I’m at the point I just want my gear repaired and I’m willing to pay for good work. Look forward to what your channel has in store in ‘24.
Hi Kevin, happy healthy funny 2024!! Love your vids, always precise, honest and without any arroagance as many others in this business! Thanks for sharing and keep going! Greets from Germany, Hamburg!
A new year, a new video and a really interesting insight.
I bought my first piece of vintage yesterday, inspired by all your videos.
Let the journey begin.
(Caveat - I do own some other vintage stuff, but this is my first since really wanting to get into to the hobby more seriously, since discovering your channel.)
Really enjoyed this video. I appreciate the chance to understand what guys like you and stores like yours are up against. Leaves me wanting to buy your stuff and willing to pay extra to give business to local stores, to the extent they still exist.
Appreciate that. I think supporting all small businesses in our communities is paramount.
Great video Kev...Thank you for your insight and honesty...Peace!
I really love this channel ! Thank You for doing all these great videos :).
There is a radio station outa Hawaii in here that plays live segments of their broadcasts, usually with a gal that is spooling up the vinyl. Good tunes.
Very insightful video.
I also had a shop,. My number one rule,."If you don't bring in your speakers when you pick up your power amp,. for a counter test.. NO WARRANTY !!".. I use to make the customer, hook everything up, and play with it for a good 5 minutes, before I let them take it. Otherwise they would be back within a hour, screaming at me "YOU DIDN'T FIX IT"
An amazing video. Thank you for your honesty and humility. Very informative. Keep up the good work.