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We believe you can’t properly fix an old amp without really fixing just about everything. A decent analogy would be something like replacing all the fan belts on your engine while your wheels are about to fall off. Before you know it, you're broken down again. This doesn’t mean we go in there and replace parts simply because we like the smell of solder. Often times your coupling caps will last for a long time, as well as the other passives in there. It is also common for your preamp tubes, however ancient they may be, to work as well or better than much of what is in current production today! Frankly we would rather not change components that are more likely to change the sound of your amp unless it’s absolutely necessary. When it is necessary we pay special attention to like, kind and quality. Parts and more Parts A guitarist runs this place, and we deal mainly with guitar & bass players here. The reason we bring that up is because we want you to be aware that many hours have already gone into comparing and trying polypropylene caps vs. polyester films vs. mylar’s vs. silver mica vs. polystyrenes. Carbon composition resistors vs. metal film vs. metal oxide vs. carbon film. Same goes for preamp tubes; Phillips vs. Tesla vs. Sovtek, vs. NOS etc., and so on. With resistors it’s not always just about the sound. Sometimes a vitreous enameled wire wound is called for as opposed to a ceramic/cement (which will react like a fuse and open up on fast transient current spikes) or, where a flameproof is needed. Where a carbon composition is the more rugged & smoother sounding for tube plate loads though typically a little noisier. Usually we can replace with something that matches the original in quality and character. On the other hand, we can sometimes make improvements by selecting the right dielectric style cap or composition resistor at a particular stage in the circuit. Tubes We maintain a healthy supply of vacuum tubes ranging from current production selected types, US and Foreign New Old Stock, to the rare and esoteric such as Mullard, Telefunken, and Amperex. Many of our clients want the best and we try our best to deliver. We stock a wide variety for all situations. 
We purchase our power tubes in matched quantities and then we match them again on our own custom built rig.
You might be surprised at how unmatched so-called "matched" tubes can be. The world of tubes is not an easy one to keep up with these days. One might say "An EL34 is not always an EL34". On one hand we are grateful to anyone who endeavors to manufacture vacuum tubes today, and on the other hand... well let's just say it's a real challenge to stay current with which brands work well in various circuits.
Our advice with buying tubes is: purchase them from the
place that works on your amp. Ask for a guarantee. Occasionally a customer will come in with an amp and a set of store bought tubes, and we often have to say "take the tubes back, they won't last 2 weeks". It's not simply that we want the sale, it's that we want your amp to work for more than 2 weeks! Transistors Substituting transistors and FET devices is not as easy as it may seem. It takes a lot of know how, experience and a huge library of data books!
We buy most of our output devices in bulk and run them on a Semiconductor Curve Tracer for characteristic matching.
There are a few basic packages and a handful of manufacturers that we prefer to stick with. We believe our in house matching and selection of the right devices from preferred manufacturers has a lot to do with our low return rate in solid-state amp repairs. Return
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