Synth repairs

[MrJim007]

I have a Roland Juno 106 that needs repairing and selling on, can any one recommend a good repairman in the south east. Im based in Brighton so the closer to there the better really! Cheers!

[jellyjim]

James Walker at Synth Repair Services is not local to you but comes with numerous recommendations

http://www.synthrepairservices.com/

He is horribly busy however.

I live down your way. Ask in GAK, they use to use a guy years ago who was pretty good.

[ramthelinefeed]

i live in Brighton and last week my Roland JX3P just packed in
I don't have a flightcase for it, so there's no way it's going up to James Walker in Stoke-on-Trent.... so I too was wondering who could do it closer to home.

I have used David Houlgate in Hassocks in the past, but he took about 11 million months to do the work.
I am getting a wee bit sick of repair jobs that take months, when the work is charged by the hour and you only get charged for 2 hours. I guess I'm just not famous enough to get to the front of the queue

[ken long]

Cimple will do it. Turnaround 2-3 weeks. I've had some good experiences in the past.

ken

Feline, you got the PG programmer for the JX? I used to use that setup. Its an amazing synth.

[ramthelinefeed]

Are you sure Cimple will do vintage gear?
I've used them for my Akai in the past and they had comically bad customer service, which provided a quite classic thread on here at the time lol

I have a PG200 programmer, yeah. And the Inque MIDI upgrade. I still find the JX3P to be rather 'meh' though, but nonetheless I've no desire to throw it in the bin.....
the trouble is when u have JX3P's + programmer going for under £300, repair can become uneconomical...

[vinyl_junkie]

Yeah it's an ok synth..the PG-200 for me is not realy needed cos the user interface is so simple imo, and so so so much better than my alpha juno which does need the PG.
I mainly use it for simple analogue strings, don't have the MIDI upgrade so it's a pain in the arse to use every time you turn it on hahah
I only paid 125GBP so if it broke down I dont think repair would be justified

[omvibes]

I've used KSR in south west London, close to the M25. Don't have their number with me, but google them, and you should find them. Quick turn around for stuff I've had with him. Oli

[ramthelinefeed]

all Google could find me was KSR Skip Hire in Barnet.

[Mook]

Skip hire might be appropriate!

Here ya go...

Tel: +44 (0) 20 8873 2044
kent_spong@hotmail.com

[ramthelinefeed]

Oh Kent Spong!
To be honest, I think his deluxe total-rebuild approach would be a little over-the-top for a clapped out old JX3P!

[Kola]

You southeners want to think yourselves lucky.

Theres bot all as far as synth repairs go up here in the north east that I know of.

[fatbenelton]

Actually, us Northerners have probably got it better when it comes to repairs......

James Walker (Synth Repair Services)is in Stoke on Trent
Tony Allgood (Oakley Sound Systems) is in the Lakes near Carlisle.
NOT exactly on your door step but it's a lot closer to you than it is to somebody in London. I'm happy to have a top man with an hours drive of my house.....

I would say that these two guys are probably the top synth repairers nationally so we should feel sorry for the Southerners!

[Kola]

Sorry mate but stoke on trent to me is way down south in the middlands somewhere.

Carlise is an option. Like all synth techs though they all take 6 months to do 2 hours work. I dont understand how there isnt a dedicated synth centre with a fast turn around time. You know like a proper business as opposed a man in his garage with a web site. There's obviously a market there hence the huge wait times.

[ken long]

Are you sure Cimple will do vintage gear?
I've used them for my Akai in the past and they had comically bad customer service, which provided a quite classic thread on here at the time lol

Perhaps, but they are (the only?) authorised akai repair centre in the UK. They also restored my SH101 and re-capped my 1200. But yes, I understand the concern regarding customer care.

ken

[Mr Arkadin]

Not good experience here with Cimple myself.

For all things Roland i would recommend Phil Delahaye near Milton Keynes:

http://www.delatronics.co.uk/

He's done my JD-800, JD-990, R-8M, SE-70, RE-501 and other bits and pieces for me over the years.

[ken long]

Great link. Much better rates.

ken

[ramthelinefeed]

I was rather alarmed by the god-bothering lunacy on the Delatronics website, however.
As an evil homosexualist I prefer not to do business with people like that...I just want my synth fixed, not my morals recalibrated.

[vinyl_junkie]

Without getting into any arguments about religion or what ever does it really matter if you get your synth fixed by some fanatic religious dude? So what you are gay? He doesnt have to know and why should any one care? You can choose to ignore what he has written.

To be honest I find it a little unprofessional to stick such details on the website (Deltatronics) no matter how much you belive in what you preach, to be hones't it's just not done in my book...thats personal [ ****** ] nothing relevant on the Roland/Boss servicing stuff.

[ramthelinefeed]

You can choose to ignore what he has written.

Yes, or I can choose to take my custom elsewhere! I chose the latter. The End.

[vinyl_junkie]

Lol fair enough..Whats wrong with you JX just out of interest?
And if you bin it I would be interested in that MIDI upgrade, is that the one where where when you turn the synth on it doesn't switch straight into omni mode every time and thus driving you crazy lol

[ramthelinefeed]

It's just dead, doesn't come on, and it isn't the fuses.....

[David Etheridge]

It's funny how you can have a repair guy relatively on your doorstep for years without ever realising it!
Hi-Fi and Car Radio in Worcester actually repairs not only what they claim to in the title, but amps, FX, desks and synths.
Brian at Hi-fi & Car etc. has just turned around a Digitech vocalist and a Kurzweil Pro 1 for me in about a week, and is close to solving a problem on another Kurzweil mod that has defeated all who've looked at it since it started playing up in 2003!
For all in the Midlands who need synth repairs, he's the guy to go to and really understands stuff (he admitted to me last week that he used to do loadsa home keyboard repairs for Yammy and Casio back in the day).
His rates are a LOT less than other folks, he's a great guy, and just down the road from Worcester Shrub Hill stn.
No website, but a call to 01905-26623 will introduce you to the main himself.
Usual disclaimer, apart from the fact that he keep my studio stuff (including my vintage tape machines) all running sweetly....


Best wishes,

Dave.

[baward]

You can choose to ignore what he has written.

Yes, or I can choose to take my custom elsewhere! I chose the latter. The End.

Amen to that!

Ben

[Original Jambo]

While we're on the subject there's also Jim from Singing Cat Services, who happens to be the only synthesiser tech I've heard of up here in Scotland.

He had been recommended by a guy who sold me a JX-10 and is currently trying to restore the patch memory on my Polysix. Don't know if anyone else here has had experience with him, but after talking to him on the phone its apparent that he knows his stuff.

Be good to know if anyone else is aware of him as he doesn't seem to have the same exposure as James and Tony. Comes across as a really pleasant chap too.