Repairs at Crasno

Since I operate out of my home in Edmonton, Alberta, all repairs need an appointment; please contact me! My rates and policies are as follows:

• Please inform me if you'd like an estimate. By default, I proceed with a repair without giving an estimate unless it requires expensive parts (>$60.00) or substantial anticipated labor (>3 hours / $210.00).
• The warranty begins at the date of completion, and ends 365 days later. Only the work I perform is warranted; problems other than those I fixed are not covered, nor are any problems resulting from misuse or abuse. Up to $50.00 worth of parts are covered by me; above that, the warranty is whatever the parts supplier provides.
• Payment is required before I will release your item. I accept cash, Interac E-transfer, and PayPal (with 5% added to compensate for fees). Cheques are accepted only from businesses and institutions.
• Items not paid for and picked up within 60 days after completion (and after repeated contact attempts and reminders) will be sold or kept for my own use.
• I normally do not respond to calls or emails on weekends, which I reserve for resting, having fun, and working on my own projects. However, if drop-off or pickup is truly impossible during the week, a weekend arrangement may be possible. Holidays are completely reserved.

As well, though I prefer face-to-face exchange of items and payment, I can also repair things shipped to me, as long as you pay for all shipping costs, and contact me prior to shipment.

What sorts of things do I repair?

All of the above, and more! Yes, these are all things that I have repaired and photographed. If you have not already guessed, I have a great passion for fixing vintage audio electronics, especially musical devices. I am also quite fond of classic electronic test equipment. My specialties include:

• Keyboard instruments / Synthesizers / Organs:
  • Analog synthesizers, both monophonic and polyphonic
  • Electromechanical pianos and clavichords
  • Electronic pianos
  • Combo organs
  • Electronic home organs (vacuum-tube and discrete-transistor only)
  • Electrostatic reed organs
• Guitar Amplifiers (vacuum-tube and pre-2000s solid-state)
• Hi-fi Amps and Preamps (vacuum-tube only, with few exceptions)
• Reel-to-reel tape recorders
• Effects (tape echos, pedals, rack-mounts, etc.)
• Turntables
• Radios (vacuum-tube only)
• Electronic test equipment (power supplies, signal generators, counters, analog oscilloscopes, etc.)
• Movie projectors (pre-1970s 8mm and 16mm, including tube amplifier repair; however, no guitar amp conversions, see note further down)

For detailed examples of things that I have repaired, see the Articles page.

In general, the older the better; devices made prior to the 1980s have much better serviceability (including availability of parts and documentation) and higher materials quality as compared to modern products. In other words, they really don't build them like they used to. Although I have fixed various modern amps, keyboards, test devices, and so on, I am now quite selective in accepting modern things for repair, especially from the '90s onwards. Most modern things are not made to be repaired, and are thus not worth repairing unless the fault is obvious and the solution simple. They are also not my specialty, and I tend not to enjoy working on them much. I don't want to waste your money, nor my own time, so please understand if I refuse to take in a particular device because it is too modern. Factory service or E-waste are the two practical options for most modern things.

Some exceptions apply in terms of Roland warranty repairs, since I am now the only guy in Edmonton doing those. However, note that many Roland products are no longer eligible for warranty "field service" as of 2019 (when Roland released a remarkably extensive "DO NOT REPAIR" list)—they must be shipped to a factory service center.

Here are some things that I generally do not work on:

• Computers and their peripherals
• "Smart" phones and other so-called "smart" devices
• Anything "wireless" except vacuum-tube radios
• Digital audio & video equipment (CD, DVD, and MiniDisc machines, D/A and A/D converters, etc.)
• VCRs and Camcorders
• Most solid-state hi-fi amplifiers
• Cassette and 8-track decks, including Portastudios
• Appliances (microwaves, toasters, washing machines, etc.)
• Automotive and industrial devices

Also note that I will not perform a "guitar amp conversion" on any movie projectors or vacuum-tube organs. They are far more interesting and valuable as they are. The world has plenty of fine guitar amps, and they are easy to build, while the supply of quality projectors and organs continues to diminish, and they are not nearly so easy to build.

If you have a device in need of repair that does not fit in either of my two lists, feel free to ask me about it!