TUBE AMPLIFIER SERVICES TWILIGHT AUDIO
Vintage and Modern Tube Amplifier Restoration Service
WE ARE NOT: A repair facility. We repair the equipment we RESTORE, but we should not be confused with services which simply repair malfunctioning equipment. Our focus is the Restoration and Custom Enhancement of Vintage and Modern TUBE AMPLIFIER equipment appearance and performance intended for use by our Client: not merely kept in some collection gathering rust and dust until the next Restoration Effort becomes necessary.
WE ARE: Consummate professionals, and exceptionally competent. A complete Tube Audio Equipment Restoration Service having years of experience with Tube Amplifiers of all types, sizes, and manufacturers. We can Restore your equipment, no matter what age or condition, to "like new, but different" or "nearly new" appearance, sounding as good as new or better, with an emphasis on extended reliability.
STAFF: The Staff dedicated to this work consists of Karl Wiessmann BSEE, PhD, Principal; Debra Gonnoud, Laboratory Assistant; and Diane Keary, Laboratory Technician. The three of us work together as a team on each and every item consigned to our care.
EXPERIENCE: Karl Wiessmann "cut his teeth" on tube electronics. Literally. He built his first "push-pull" 6V6 High Fidelity Audio Amplifier from "scratch" when he was seven years old, during 1952, from parts largely salvaged from old TV chassis. While still in High School, he started his own electronics business, assembling all kinds of "kits" for people lacking the ability or desire. Today, he is a freelance, independent Electronics Consultant, in continuous practice since 1974. Before that, he was National Director of Repair Services and Engineering Liason for Beckman Instruments, Cedar Grove (NJ) Operations. Karl is also a professional musician, playing Electric Bass and Keyboards since 1957, when he purchased the Fender electric Bass which is his primary instrument today. He has used, at one time or another, just about every Tube Bass Amplifier there is. When not engrossed in his consulting work, designing tube audio equipment, or restoring someone's pride and joy, Karl can be found performing our renovation "magic" on his vintage Hammond B3. Anyone have a really old, beat up Leslie(TM) 122 for sale?
Deb Gonnoud joined Karl's practice as his Lab Assistant in 1989, before she was married, through birthing two cute kids, all while keeping home and hearth for herself, her children, and an extremely understanding and supportive husband. She has been working as an electronics technician in various fields, including microwave, solid state, and micro-electronics and devices, for 20 years. Much of what Deb does, is done under a microscope.
Diane Keary joined the team last year, although she has been a close friend of Karl's for years, as our laboratory technician. In addition to her electronics expertise, she possesses invaluable skills across the broad spectrum of technologies necessary to perform restorations of distressed and damaged equipment.
COSMETIC RESTORATION: Most services will not even touch this aspect of equipment renovation. We pride ouselves for our abilities in this regard. The renovations we perform are not intended to restore the equipment to it's original condition, but rather, to restore the appearance to an attractive and functional state. We make no claims to be able to make any piece of equipment look like it did on the showroom floor, but we can make it look and feel attractive and fully functional, with close attention to detail, while retaining the character and lustre of distingushed service. We make every effort to eliminate rot and corrosion, through careful cleaning, repainting, replating and refinishing. The type of Cosmetic Renovation we perform is probably NOT suitable for serious "Antique" type Restoration.
RESTORATION SERVICES: Although we have been performing these services on an informal and casual basis for years, the advent of TWILIGHT AUDIO prompts us to formalize these services. We are obsessed with our comprehensive experience in diagnosis, repair, and design of High End and Musical Insturment Tube Audio. Over the years we have accumulated "hands-on" experience with a diverse range of Manufacturers, including, but not limited to: AUDIO RESEARCH (AR), ALTEC-LANSING, AMPEG, AMPEX, BOGAN, CERWIN-VEGA, CTS, DYNACO, EICO, FENDER, FISHER, GATES, HAMMOND, HARMAN-KARDON, HEATH, JBLANSING, JENSEN, KNIGHT, LAFAYETTE, LESLIE, MARANTZ, MARSHALL, McINTOSH, SCOTT, STROMBERG-CARLSON, VOX, and many others.
We repair all types of problems in Vintage and Modern Tube Audio Amplifiers. We do not work on solid state audio or any type television. We concentrate on Tube Audio Renovation.
Upon receipt of your equipment, we perform a complete, thorough and exhaustive evaluation of the equipment's condition, and generate a comprehensive set of recommendations with an estimate of the costs and "turn-around" for our recommended services. We charge a flat rate of $100 per piece of equipment, which is credited in full against the final invoice. Should you decide to proceed, this costs you nothing. If you decide otherwise, your cost is limited to the $100 fee plus shipping and packing charges.
Once you decide to accept our proposal (or part thereof), we require a 50% of estimate, non-refundable deposit, upon receipt of which we will begin your equipment's renovation. Once the work commences, the "turn-around" is usually less than 60 days, except when extra-special parts must be obtained or manufactured.
We will notify you when the renovation is complete, and generate our final Invoice, at which time, prompt payment is expected. When we have your payment in hand, the equipment will be shipped to you via UPS 2nd Day Air (Blue Label).
MANUFACTURER'S WARRANTY REPAIRS: We do not perform repairs covered under any original Manufacturer's Warranty; and we are not affiliated with any Manufacturer other than TWILIGHT AUDIO; send your equipment directly to the original Manufacturer for "IN WARRANTY" repairs.
DOCUMENTATION WE HAVE: We have literally tons of documentation on all kinds of equipment in our extensive library. What we do not have on file, we can often find on our friend, the Internet. Odds are, we have some (if not all) of the information we need to restore your equipment, or we can get it.
DOCUMENTATION YOU PROVIDE: Despite the fact we may have, or can get information on your equipment, it is always preferrable to obtain the information (schematics, manuals, literature, schematics, schematics . . . ) first hand, from the equipment owner. Any information you have and can supply us relative to the equipment you want restored will save us time, and save you money. The more you provide, the less we look up. The less we look up, the less time we spend on your dime. Easy. On rare occasions, the information you provide is ESSENTIAL. Do not hesitate to send us anything that might possibly be related; we promise to return it, undamaged.
DOCUMENTATION WE CREATE: From the moment your equipment arrives, during unpacking, examination, estimation, obtaining parts; every step along the way contributes to a detailed paper trail which includes reports, findings, special circumstances, etc. Our detailed documentation of your equipment's restoration is comprehensive, providing a unique perspective into the work performed, which includes a photo record. For a nominal charge, we provide a detailed summary of the work performed to restore your equipment. We always return every part we remove or replace.
VINTAGE TUBE AMPLIFIERS: Usually need a bit of work. Often need parts no longer made, and present big problems for lots of folks in the business. We'll restore it anyway. Years of contract equipment design has provided us with incredible resources; if we cannot find something, or substitute something better, we'll design and make what we need. You will really be pleased with our work. Vintage restorations cost between $500 and $2000, more or less. Parts are always additional, at cost +10%.
MODERN TUBE AMPLIFIERS: Are usually sent to us for some sort of enhancement, except the ones that got run over in the driveway. But we can fix them too. Sometimes you may have special parts you want installed; send 'em along. Tell us what you want done, and we'll let you know if it can be. We quote the work on a time and material basis.
MUSICAL INSTRUMENT TUBE AMPLIFIERS: We love 'em. Not only are they great to work on, yielding lots of satisfaction for a job well done, but so much can be done with them. It is truly amazing what a few "tricks of the trade" can do to supercharge your beat up, old, ricketty tube amp. Send us your poor, your sickly, your sad and lonely, your really beat up from that last tour tube amp and watch a miracle happen. We can fix it, enhance it, and bring out the best. Although Karl has no "real" guitar chops, he can still play a lick or two, and he knows what guitar players are looking for in their amps. Restorations cost between $300 and $1500, more or less. Parts are always additional, at cost +10%. If you're only looking to repair your amp, click on UNCLE SPOT in the links at the end of the page.
PREAMPLIFIERS and LINE AMPLIFIERS: As long as it has tubes in it and is strictly audio, we will work on it. There are lots of things we can do for your preamp or line amp. Aside from renovation, we can enhance performance, modify or change filters, etc. Restorations cost between $300 and $800, more or less. Parts are always additional, at cost +10%. Enhancements and Mods are quoted on a time and material basis.
PROFESSIONAL RECORDING and BROADCAST AUDIO EQUIPMENT: Few stations and fewer recording studios are using the old tube amplification systems these days, so we do not see much of this work. In addition, this equipment is usually quite large, so it must ship to us via truck, or Flying Tigers, or some such. Regardless, we are quite familiar with the audio systems of which we speak, and are quite willing to perform renovations for interested parties. Call and discuss this with Karl before you do anything.
KIT REBUILDING: So, you bought an assembled kit at a yard sale, and guess what, it's noisy, or it hums, or it was built by a plumber and he used his acid flux solder and a blow torch on everything, or it blew all the circuit breakers in the house when you plugged it in. Send it along. We can rebuild it for you. Many "kits" had pretty impressive specifications when they were built right. We'll take a look and let you know if it's worth doing. Basic Kit rebuilds cost from $200 to $500, more or less. Parts are always additional, at cost +10%. Enhancements are quoted on a time and material basis.
SPEAKERS and SPEAKER SYSTEMS: Usually do not have tubes in them, but there are some exceptions. We love to work on Leslie(TM) cabinets. Regardless, your speaker system is part of your tube audio system, and qualifies for our services for that very reason. If your system needs new speakers or recones, we have just the people to do it; including Musical Instrument Speaker specialists. Should the cabinet need refurbishment, we have just the cabinet maker for the work. Something not quite right with the crossover? We've got you covered. Whatever it takes, your speaker system is in good hands. Individual speakers are not of interest to us, however. But if you need help in that regard, give us a call, and we'll try to set you off in the right direction. System refurbishment costs between $200 and $2000, more or less. Parts are always additional at cost +10%.
CUSTOM MODIFICATIONS: Some custom mods we recommend; some you request. In any event, we are prepared to accomodate your requirements. Following the restoration process, and once we have your equipment fully functional, we can address the changes you desire. We can design custom circuitry, convert to our proprietary solid state rectification scheme, re-cap your amp, eliminate or reduce noise and hum, convert filaments to DC operation; whatever. Simply ask. We quote enhancements and custom mods on a time and material basis.
INTEGRATED HI-FI EQUIPMENT: Integrated equipment is equipment which combines two or more "component" functions on one chassis, usually the power amplifier(s) and something else, such as the preamp. When it includes the power amplifier, the preamp, and a tuner, the equipment is considered a "Receiver". We are pleased to work on Integrated Tube Audio, and restorations cost from $500 to $1500, more or less. Parts are always additional, at cost +10%.
ANTIQUE RADIOS: Are fun and educational. Broadcast band (medium wave) radios are often worth restoring and we have fun and learn something every time we do one. You may find them tedious to operate, as they often must be tuned at every stage (before the advent of SuperHet and Regenerative designs) because they lack an Intermediate Frequency (IF) stage(s). But it really is amazing the quality that can be obtained from some of these early sets. Because the parts are so primitive, they are hard to find and usually must be custom manufactured, so this can be very expensive. Time and Materials Only. Give Karl a call to discuss the possibilities.
AM and FM TUNERS: We do not work on Tuners. For quality work on tube tuners, see our friends at Vacuum Tube Valley and Metasonix (links below). They will be pleased to work on your Tuner.
TAPE RECORDERS and TAPE PLAYERS: While we will not work on the mechanical escapement of a tape player or tape recorder, we will be pleased to work on just about everything else in and on your TUBE tape machine. For this work, we want you to have it serviced completely on the mechanical end, so that the mechanics are performing flawlessly, before you send the equipment to us for restoration. We also require some high quality recordings on appropriate media for our test purposes, and we need these recordings from you, the owner. Time and Materials only.
TURNTABLES and RECORD CHANGERS: These things are 99% mechanical, and although they are a part of your Tube Audio System, we respectfully decline to work on them. We have no parts; We have no information; We lack desire; and we're pretty sure they are more trouble to us than they are worth to you. On these things we cannot even point you in the right direction.
MATERIALS: We use the best quality commercial grade components we can find. We can provide almost any high grade MIL spec or Industrial quality component you specify. Our parts policy for everything we do is cost plus 10 percent. Shipping and handling into our shop is incorporated into the cost. We maintain an inventory of parts for this work, but many pieces of vintage equipment require special parts (which can be obtained) and special parts which we must manufacture. The same policy applies, regardless. Cost plus 10 percent.
TUBES: We use only new tubes except when they cannot be obtained. We prefer New Old Stock (NOS) tubes, but when they become scarce we will obtain tubes of new manufacture from the most reliable source we can find.
RESOURCES: We have been in the contract design business for a long time. During that time, we have developed an extensive network of sources for all kinds of things. Need a transformer? We have a handful of guys who will make a single custom transformer for us, and for not major bucks either. How about sheet metal? We have a favorite source about three miles away from the laboratory, and they have a complete machine shop as well. If it's made of metal, we can get it made. Wood enclosure damaged? Or even destroyed? We have a really great cabinet maker to restore it or make you a new one. In fact, I cannot think of a single part we cannot have custom built. These things take time, but we can get it done.
TEST EQUIPMENT: Our audio service laboratory already has all the equipment we need to design and manufacture high tech, modern tube amplifications systems, so we already have what we need to do the restoration work. This includes, but is not limited to, digital and analog voltmeters and multimeters, oscilloscopes, function generators, distortion analyzers, network analyzers, spectrum analyzers, capacitor testers, bench power supplies, tube testers and tube curve tracers.
RATES: Unpacking/packing/handling: a flat, one time, $75 fee for these services, inclusive. Estimates: a flat, one time, $100 fee, which will be credited towards your final Invoice. Technician Labor: $75 per hour. Diagnosis, Design and Engineering: $125 per hour.
ESTIMATES: We must receive your $100 estimate fee payment and the $75 unpacking/packing/handling fee payment before you ship anything to us. Upon receipt of your equipment, we will immediately unpack and examine the equipment, promptly acknowledge receipt, and have our written estimate prepared and sent to you via email, snailmail, or fax, as you request, within 7 business days.
SCHEDULING: Our space is limited, Moreover, we want to focus on the work at hand, and too many projects at once impacts our concentration. We like to limit the number of active projects to three or four with no more than eight projects on hand at any moment. We like to complete one project, and ship one project every week. This makes a schedule imperitive. You must contact us to arrange an appointment for your equipment before you send us anything.
PAYMENTS: At present we accept Checks, Money Orders, and Direct Bank Transfers (wire transfers). In the very near future, we will be accepting AMERICAN EXPRESS, MASTERCARD and VISA.
PACKAGING: We will not accept damaged packages, so it is imperitive you follow these instructions exactly. You MUST use NEW corrigated cardboard boxes. We will not accept shipments in used boxes. The boxes you use to send the equipment to us will be used to return the equipment to you, so they need to be perfect. All equipment must be DOUBLE BOXED; a box within a box, with a minimum of 4 to 6 inches space between boxes, on all 4 sides, top and bottom, with cushion, foam, "peanuts", air bags, or bubble wrap tightly packed in the space between boxes. Tubes must be removed from equipment, clearly and separately marked as to their location in the equipment, individually wrapped in several layers of bubble wrap, and shipped in a separate box, with the same packing requirements as for the equipment. Each outside box should be sealed with plastic packing tape, reinforced non-asphaltic packing tape, or reinforced asphaltic packing tape and then reinforced with 1" fibreglas reinforced strapping tape completely around the box, 1 + 1/2 times, in at least 3 places, and in 2 directions, at right angles. Place "Fragile" and "Handle with Care" labels on the outside of each box, and a "Glass" label on the box containing the tubes. Include a sheet of paper with your name and address inside each box, and place two shipping labels on the outside, on different sides. Insure the equipment and tubes for their value. We have no way of knowing what damage was present when you placed it in the box, or which happened during shipment, and we are not liable for any damage incurred before we open your box. Use UPS 2 day Air (Blue Label) or FedEx 2nd day delivery, or better. DO NOT USE ANY MEANS OF GROUND SHIPMENT.
OUR WARRANTY: All our work is guaranteed for 1 year for craftsmanship. All replacement Tubes and replacement parts have the manufacturer's or distributor's warranty or our warranty for 90 days, whichever is longer. Design and Custom work is guaranteed to perform as specified when you receive the equipment, and for 60 days thereafter. THE WARRANTY "CLOCK" STARTS TICKING WHEN YOU RECEIVE THE EQUIPMENT. We cannot guarantee Cosmetic Renovations, except to the extent that they meet all promised criteria. YOU MUST OBTAIN AN RMA NUMBER FROM US BEFORE RETURNING ANY ITEM UNDER THIS WARRANTY, shipped at your expense. If your complaint is determined valid, we will pay for shipping to return the "Repaired Under Warranty" item to you. WE HANDLE "IN WARRANTY" ITEMS ON AN EXPEDITED BASIS.
MAILING ADDRESS - CORRESPONDENCE ONLY - WE CANNOT ACCEPT SHIPMENTS AT THIS ADDRESS:
Karl M Wiessmann - Electronics Consultant (kmwec)
9 Ridge Road - Lake Wallkill
Sussex, New Jersey 07461-4307
Telephone: 973.875.2316 Fax: 973.875.1172
SHIPPING ADDRESS - SHIP TO THIS PHYSICAL LOCATION (UPS and FEDEX only. US Postal Service does not deliver to this address):
kmwec AUDIO RESTORATIONS
3 Harrison Street
Sussex, New Jersey 07461
Go to http://www.kmwec.com OR kmwec.net OR kmwec.org for other contact information.
Telephone: 973.875.8415 Fax: 973.875.4935Other Places to go:
