Repair Referrals

Our full-time technician has retired and our hours on the tech bench are limited. Below is a list of other shops that may be able to help you with things we no longer fix. We are happy to consult (preferably by phone) as to which shop may be the best place to take your repairs — or if it's even worth it. We often will have for sale similar vintage gear for the same, or even less, than what a full-scale repair might cost!

In general, we like all the people on this list, but every shop has its favorite gear! It's best to contact them directly for rates and the type of gear serviced.

Gene's Sound Service

House calls only, based in San Francisco but works most of the Bay Area. He does charge for travel time, but in our opinion is very reasonable. He will fix a lot of things many shops won't touch, and we are amazed at what he can fix on your kitchen table. Gene knows his stuff and is trustworthy to let into your home!

Phone: 415-377-1258 · genessoundservice.biz

Handy Electronics Service

Phone: 510-548-1782

He runs one of the last of the one-man shops. He works mostly on video components but is very knowledgeable and skilled in consumer electronics. He may not be our first choice for working on complex, higher-end audiophile gear with quirky problems, but Ying can do a good job on most of it!

Willy Herman Services — Orinda

Services select Nakamichi tape decks only.

Phone: 925-376-2146

Willy is the former owner/partner of DB Audio and SF Stereo. He is a true gentleman and does great work on a few specific items that are his specialty.

A Word of Advice

While we still love this vintage gear, much of it is now getting to be 35–40 years old or more. Nothing lasts forever, and many of the older sets are starting to have quirky, unfixable issues they weren't having when they were 15 or even 20 years old. While the Japanese manufacturers are great about using a lot of common, generic parts, often these repair parts are no longer available. Mechanical devices such as CD players and cassette decks are usually not economically feasible to fix!

There are other specialists that do installation work and repairs on esoteric items not listed here. If you email us and tell us the kind of gear you need serviced, we'll tell you who we like best for that item. We'd always appreciate feedback if you use someone on our referral list — we want to make sure you're happy with our referrals.