I've actually been taking my gear to Steve Leung at VAS Audio. He and his son Ray are great to deal with, prices are reasonable, and he has a lot of vintage stuff to gawk at at his shop.
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Hey All
Old post, but I was wondering if Jim Nichols is still doing repairs in Maple, NJ. I've got an Pilot 240 that needs some love.
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The well-known electronics repair in Center City is gone. They were always busy with lots of vintage receivers in the shop. And then "poof"...gone.
Probably lost their lease like every other small business.
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No worries - I find it a little disconcerting that no one works on gear around here...is Philly not worthy? If need be, I will drive to NJ again and have Jim work on my stuff. Thanks for the response, good luck, and stay safe. |
rivendell1
You're right. Was surprised that he only works on preamps now and looked it up to confirm.
In the past, before he started designing and selling preamps & phono stages, he worked on everything "tubes". I know he is very busy.
I really don't have first hand experience with anyone else other than the two I mentioned. Sorry I couldn't be more helpful. |
Just checked their website,,,it says they only work on pre's and phono pre's and it actually says they do not work on amps. What work has he done for you? Thanks
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Hi barrysandy - I wish! Churchville is right down the road from me, but when I called the # I found for his business, his associate told me he doesn't work on amps. If that's not correct, can you supply a # for me to call. I wanted to use him in the first place. Thanks |
In the future, you might try RHB Sound Dezign, aka Backert Labs. Bob designs audio equipment and also does mods and repairs to tube equipment. He’s in Churchville, PA, north of Philly. He’s done dozens of jobs for me. The work’s outstanding, reasonably priced, with good turnaround time. I’ve known him for over 20 years and he’s a great guy too.
Bill at Music Technology is also a very good choice. Used him 2 or 3 times and always satisfied. He’s located outside DC. |
@rivendell1
That's great news and a thank you to @lou_setriodes .
I have an old amp with bias drift sitting on my floor.
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Hi all - Had Jim check my amp out today, says everything is fine. Made suggestions as to what to look for in my rig and other things to try to quiet the noise. Only charged me for his time, was down-to-earth and was no-nonsense. The tech in North Jersey was raising his rates to $90/hour, charged a minimum of 1 hour, and had an 8-week backlog. Maybe he's worth it...? For my money, I would gladly work with Jim again. |
I am in Montville NJ and my partner is in Bedminster - google us at vu jade audio. Happy Listening. |
Jim is very good friends with a couple of my local audio friends that I bought or sold gear too, your in good hands |
@rivendell1
I'd like to know your impression if you have the work done.
Thanks to Lou for the recommendation.
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Hi again, especially lowrider57, Jim at Barracks Trading Post says he can do any repairs I might need, so looking forward to meeting him. Again, fingers crossed. |
Good to know! Thanks all for the recommendations, much appreciated!
I reached out to Jim just now, I have my fingers crossed:) |
Jim Nichols is the tech at Barracks Trading Post in Maple Shade, NJ. He also builds his own tube amps as well and is a disciple of Lance Cochrane and is much closer than the others recommended. |
I feel your pain. I live in Philly and our trusted electronics repair shop has closed.
Good recommendations by jond. I use Ben Jacoby who I highly recommend, although shipping costs make repairs expensive.
If you find somebody local, I'd like to hear about it.
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If you can't find a tech check out Bill Thalmann at Music Technology in VA. Also Ben Jacoby in Brooklyn works on tube gear and is very good.
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