It is a fact of life that once you have accumulated all the gear you need and want, there will always be one or two items in need of repair. When we plan our purchases we tend not to think about having to repair it, but if you want to keep using a piece of gear for 10 years+ it will need maintenance. This requires the long term availability of spare parts and partly explains the popularity of devices like the 1176 and LA2A.
Other devices are more problematic. A recent case in point is Mackie's line of control surfaces, the Mackie Controls. Although cheaper than alternatives offered by Avid and SSL, these devices are expensive, especially if you buy the newer Pro line.
We have a setup consisting of the original range and understandably given the amount of usage they get, they need maintenance. This is a problem because 3-4 years ago they were discontinued as was all support and availability of spare parts. When you've spent between £800 and £2000 on gear this is not a good state of affairs.
These older models regularly appear on eBay and go for good prices, but we wonder if the buyers really know what they are letting themselves in for?
The biggest issue is with the Penny & Giles motorised faders. As we all know, anything with moving parts wears out and so it is with these. They can be cleaned, but if the string assembly has broken the only course of action is a replacement. However, they are no longer manufactured and parts have been scarce. Many owner have resorted to buying duplicate models from eBay and cannibalising them for parts, but many of these parts will be nearing the end of their life too.
As it happens, help has arrived in the form of a new european company with stocks of parts. We immediately purchased 2 spare faders. They were expensive, but considerably cheaper than the £2000 or so it would cost to sell our devices and upgrade to the Pro range.
Professionals wouldn't necessarily consider the short lifespan of this kind of gear a problem, because they can afford to upgrade, but for the project studio owner it's a major concern. Some of us don't want to upgrade. We find and become familiar with a device we like and want to keep using them for the rest of our music making lives. Perhaps this is not realistic?
Sometimes we wish we were guitarists with Les Pauls and Marshall amps. We can't imagine parts availability and maintenance is a problem for them!
Thanks for reading.
FairFax
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