To clarify: I don’t like working on equipment that poorly-skilled technicians have worked on.

In a nutshell, I don’t enjoy cleaning up messes left by others, and I’m sure this is a concept most can relate to. The best scenario is hi-fi equipment that is unmolested, perhaps dirty or even broken, but in otherwise good, original condition. I am always happy to work on pieces that skilled technicians have worked on, but sadly, they are few and far between, a significant problem in this industry.

Many DIY and poorly executed commercial attempts at maintenance introduce faults such as damaged printed circuit boards and pads, compromised wiring and low-quality, incorrect or mismatched parts. This work almost never resolves the original issues and usually introduces new problems, all of which must then be diagnosed and resolved. A classic example is this Sansui AU-317.

The picture below is why I often refuse to look at equipment that has been worked on by the worst offenders:

This doesn’t only happen with electronics, of course, it’s everywhere. Every good mechanic understands the pain of working on a vehicle with loose, broken, stripped or missing fasteners everywhere. Likewise, doctors see bad plastic surgery all the time, etc, etc. Undoing bad work is tedious, time-consuming and therefore expensive, wherever it is found. When you’ve seen and rectified as much of this sort of thing as I have, you will understand why I generally avoid it!