SF Bay area guys - good shop for synth repair?

[SixStringGeek]

I sold my Korg EX8000 recently to a guy who lives in downtown SF and he reports the delay chip is glitchy and wants me to refund him the cost of the repair - which I'm ok with if it isn't a crazy amount.

So the question is...where is a good place to get it checked out and fixed near SF?

[mikehalloran]

That's a good question.

If you don't want to cross ahe Bay Bridge, Height Ashbury Music Center is whom I'd ask first.
http://haightashburymusic.com

East Bay Audio Repair in Berkely has a pretty good reputation. It's behind the Elks Lodge.
https://www.facebook.com/East-Bay-Audio ... 559592961/


I know you didn't ask but if you have a Rhodes piano, this is the shop that services the Bay Area
http://www.fenderrhodes.com

[BobK]

I used Musician's Service Center in San Jose years ago - late 90s or early 2000s - and IIRC, had a good experience.

http://www.themusiciansservice.com

I don't remember many specifics, but IIRC the problem was that one of the outputs on my Roland XP-80 synth (which I used as my main axe for gigs) stopped working or was intermittently dropping out. They not only fixed whatever was wrong, but did a little extra, like cleaning the contacts, fixing the AC cable which was starting to wear out at the grommet where it enters the case, and maybe a few more things.

I seem to recall that when I called they were about to go on vacation for two weeks, but somehow managed to squeeze me in and get the job done quickly and at a reasonable price.

I live in Oakland, so it was a schlep. Since it was so long ago, YMMV. For all I know, the ownership could have changed.

CAE sound in San Mateo has been around for a long time and does a lot of authorized service. I had them repair a Yamaha P-100 digital piano, probably in the late 90s. I seem to recall them taking a long time, having relatively high fees, and also having a bit of an attitude, but they did get the job done.

[mikehalloran]

I used Musician's Service Center in San Jose years ago - late 90s or early 2000s - and IIRC, had a good experience.

http://www.themusiciansservice.com ...

I have used him before and was happy with the result.

[mhschmieder]

All the ones listed so far, as well as one whose name I forget in Oakland's Fruitvale neighborhood (as I recall), and a guy who was in San Rafael and at one time worked part-time out of the Bananas at Large store (along with his own shop) but I think may have moved it all up to Petaluma?

At any rate, start with the ones listed above, and if they can't fix that particular synth, then call Bananas in San Rafael to see if their rec is still in the business. It's been too many years since that guy fixed some of my synths for me to still remember the name or contact, unfortunately.