Frequently Asked Questions

What is my instrument worth?

This is certainly the number one question that we get asked. The honest answer is whatever someone is willing to pay for it. The value of older instruments varies wildly. Most of the older home organs frankly cannot be sold. On the other hand some of the classic drum machines, synthesizers and tape echo machines are currently hot items. Some older amplifiers and guitars are collectibles. The best way to tell is to check Ebay and see what your instrument is selling for. If it is not listed it is likely that there is little demand for it. Be sure to adjust the price to reflect condition of the instrument. Your local MITA technician may be able to give you some guidance as to whether you have a treasure or a boat anchor but only the market can give you the actual value.

Why do repairs cost so much?

Electronic repair techs in music industry have training in one of the widest ranges of technologies of any industry. Tube amplifiers, analog synthesizers, studio tape equipment, digital signal processors and an ever changing array of mechanical designs all require their own deep technological understanding and skills for proficient troubleshooting. This wide range of technologies also requires more extensive inventories of parts and manuals. Much of the trouble shooting is done to the component level since board replacements become unavailable within a few years of a products release. The parts and assemblies used in the repairs are all custom developed by the manufacturers and the development costs must be amortized over far fewer units than you see in the consumer electronics industry. All this is added to the basic overhead of running a business. MITA technicians are committed to the highest ethical standards of conduct and fair treatment of the customer. You can be sure that the price they charge is a fair representation of the services provided.

What about a free estimate?

The nature of electronic repairs is that the bulk of the work performed is in opening the instrument, gaining access to the circuitry, and isolating the problem. Once isolated the repair in most instances is straightforward and rarely complicated. By the time an educated estimate of the repair can be made, often 90% of the actual work involved has been performed. Individual technicians are free to set their own policy regarding, estimates but all of them make that policy with the constraints mentioned just described.

Can the Repairs be Guaranteed?

Every technician sets his own policy about warranty of their repairs but all of them must consider the following factors. The actual parts used for the repair are not made by the technician. When repairing older equipment the parts used are often NOS (new old stock). This means that the parts were manufactured when the instrument was still being made and have been sitting on a shelf since then. Some older electronic components can degrade while sitting unused. Sometimes used parts are the only available option. Key contacts, tape heads, and mechanical parts may not be available at all and may have to be repaired or reconditioned.

My Instrument is not that old... why can it not be repaired?

The electronics used in modern musical equipment has become highly customized and is only available from the manufacturers. Keyboard parts, button tops, knobs, and body parts are all available only from the manufacturer. Once the manufacturer stops providing the parts the only other source for those parts is a very limited supply of used parts from retired instruments. Few of the manufacturers are providing parts past 10 years from product availability. The technology in your keyboard, digital hard disk recorder or modeling amplifier is the very similar to that used in personal computers and very few 10 year old computers are still in service.