Because in many cases the equipment will have been damaged or otherwise compromised, creating headaches for the next person.

I mean – do you like cleaning up someone else’s mess? Who does? This is really just a reflection of what many know and that is that the best equipment is usually unmolested equipment, in original condition, ready for someone who deeply understands how to care for it to work on it.

Refining this then, I am very happy to work on pieces some have worked on previously, but not many. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that equipment shouldn’t be worked on, but that it needs to be worked on by the right people. Sadly, across all fields, these sorts of people are few and far between.

Most DIY attempts at maintenance, and many ‘professional’ ones introduce faults like damaged printed circuit boards, compromised wiring and low-quality or incorrect parts. Very often, this work does not resolve the pre-existing issues older equipment may contain. Owners are then left with a complex mix of old and new faults, and new parts often of the wrong values and types.

Undoing this stuff can be time-consuming and tedious. It’s not part of my job description, nor is it something I enjoy, so in many cases I will reject such potential work on the basis that it has been ruined by the previous work. Thankfully I can choose what I work on, but this can be disappointing for owners who are often none the wiser until these issues are pointed out.