Slippery Terms: Service, Repair, and Restoration

With the resurgence of popularity of vintage audio gear I find many of the “for sale” listing on the popular sales sites use a variety of terms to describe the condition of the item.  The following list highlights several of the common things I see and how I translate them to help prospective buyers understand what is being described.

• “Powers on but not tested”.   I translate this to mean “I powered it on but couldn’t get it to work” as clearly the value would be greater if they could say it works.  This means there is a high likelihood research by a skilled technician will need to evaluate if repairs are required.

• “Serviced”.  I translate this to mean “it powers on and seems to operate”.  It may also suggest that lamps have been replaced and controls have been cleaned (usually will reference to Deoxit the magic chemical that will make everything good - not really).  No serious work typically has performed past the basic inspection, powering up, and confirming some form of operation.  This typically also implies that the item has not bee evaluated by a service professional.

• “Restored”.  Perhaps the vaguest of all the terms I commonly see in ads is restored as it can mean anything from repaired to operating condition to full-on restoration to original factory performance.  I translate this to mean “it works, some (likely unidentified) components have been replaced, and has been cosmetically cleaned up”.  Unless the ad explicitly sates a full restoration of capacitors, suspect transistors, and applicable alignment I assume work will be required to return the piece to original factory condition.

• “For parts or repair”.  I translate this to means the unit has serious issues that the seller does not want to invest in to repair/restore.  For desirable pieces cosmetic condition is a crucial factor to evaluate if the item is worth considering.  Cosmetic imperfections are difficult (and expensive ins some cases) to address - particularly original knobs and face plates.

• “Restored with warranty”.  I translate this to mean work has been performed correctly and the seller will stand behind the item for a defined period - usually 60 days.  While this is technically not a guarantee it offers the most assurance the seller is not misleading the buyer.  It typically drives the highest price.

Purchasing vintage stereo items involves a sliding scale of risk as defined by what the seller says.  The least risk demands the highest price.

By Tim White