R/E/P Community
R/E/P => Klaus Heyne's Mic Lab => Topic started by: duskb on April 07, 2016, 07:02:55 PM
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Does anyone (Klaus maybe?) know where I can get a CK1 repaired? I have one that stopped working for some reason and would like to fix it.
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I recommend the official AKG service station in L.A. for this kind of service:
AKG Acoustics, U.S.
8500 Balboa Blvd. Dock 15
Northridge CA 91329
(818) 920-3237
Contact a most qualified, experienced hand there, Bob Katz: [email protected]
Good luck!
KH
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is AKG back up and functioning? i contacted them early last year about just such a repair and they said they were remodeling their facility and recommended a couple of other local s. cal. shops. i checked in a second time and the story was the same.
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Long time AKG repairman Richard Land in Nashville repaired my CK-61 capsule last September for $275. He put a new diaphram in it. I've used him for many years and he was once AKG's official repair place in the USA for AKG mics.
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Richard Land, who runs an independent, (as far as I can tell) repair shop for AKG products was blunt when I called him to purchase the replacement diaphragm platelet for an existing CK1 assembly, about a year ago.
He let me know that he makes too little money selling me just the part I needed, rather than selling me the whole capsule.
Land's price quote was significantly above that of the official AKG service center in Northridge, whose veteran tech, Bob Katz, sold me not just the part I needed, but assembled and calibrated the new diaphragm platelet to the existing capsule.
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I recommend the official AKG service station in L.A. for this kind of service:
AKG Acoustics, U.S.
8500 Balboa Blvd. Dock 15
Northridge CA 91329
(818) 920-3237
Contact a most qualified, experienced hand there, Bob Katz: [email protected]
Good luck!
KH
Well, the number didnt work for some reason but I did email him. I'll report back.
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Well, the number didnt work for some reason but I did email him. I'll report back.
Thanks Klaus. I had a long and informative talk with Bob yesterday. I have no clue how I've been in LA for 20 years and haven't met him yet but the important thing is we did eventually find each other.
He no longer works for AKG's repair division but did tell me that the CK1 is highly repairable I just need to call them and set up a repair.
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(Bob) no longer works for AKG's repair division but did tell me that the CK1 is highly repairable I just need to call them and set up a repair.
Does Bob no longer work as repairman, but is still at AKG? Does he work independently now? (If so: contact info?)
"Call them" meaning AKG (where someone else is now doing the work)?
Please clarify.
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Bob Katz now has a different position within the Harman company now. I forgot what it is. But he is no longer doing their legacy repair work, sadly, and I don't think they are offering it.
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that's what i thought. does anyone have experience with Audio Design & Service in N. Hollywood, or Digitron Electronics, in Montebello? these are the shops that AKG recommended to me. or, for that matter, any other U.S. authorized AKG repair folks?
by the way, the message i got from akg nearly a year ago about this said:
"we are preparing for some construction at our factory service location to make room for a new experience center and show room that will affect our ability to repair products efficiently until the construction is completed."
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Bob Katz now has a different position within the Harman company now. I forgot what it is. But he is no longer doing their legacy repair work, sadly, and I don't think they are offering it.
Correct. He said he was moved over to Engineering after they dissolved his position.
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There they go, one after another. They either die or fade away. Sign of the times.
Serves us well, because too many customers now vote with their money for China dreck. Maybe it was a mistake to ever get that AKG tattoo.
Let's go boutique! At least no one has expectations beyond the life span of the boutique designer.
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Some companies still offer stellar support for most their legacy products: think Neumann and Sennheiser for example.
Original replacement parts may be as difficult or impossible to find for decades-old electronic devices as expert technicians familiar with their design, but both companies have managed to admirably-sometimes with custom redesign and parts substitutions that extend the service life of older equipment without negatively altering their original specifications and performance, often even further improving their reliability.
In the interest of full disclosure: Of my over 50 years' professional career in electronics and electo-acoustics I did spend 33+ years with Sennheiser Electronic Corporation and 25+ years with Neumann|USA. There I did advance from a position as Senior Service Technician, to Service Manager and spent the last 15+ years as Technical Director (now retired), which did include responsibility for Technical Services and the training of repair technicians and field engineers.
I hope this may have helped to facilitate at least another generation of qualified service technicians to keep on servicing worthwhile Sennheiser and Neumann vintage microphones...
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There they go, one after another. They either die or fade away. Sign of the times.
Serves us well, because too many customers now vote with their money for China dreck. Maybe it was a mistake to ever get that AKG tattoo.
Let's go boutique! At least no one has expectations beyond the life span of the boutique designer.
Well the good news is that given the ridiculous escalation in prices of the original stuff it's clear that the Chinese dreck will end up in a landfill long before a $10k mic ever will.
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So are we concluding that Richard Land is our main guy?
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Before I sign on, I would like to get positive testimonials about Land's work, especially his qualifications servicing vintage AKG mics.
Testimonials should be as solid and frequent as this: http://repforums.prosoundweb.com/index.php/topic,36375.msg532485.html#msg532485
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He's my main guy and has been for many years. I can't speak for others but he has always been professional and done great work for me.
Be thankful we have someone here that still does this work. That may not last that long either so don't wait until he's also gone.