WHAT IS MITA?
MITA is an organization dedicated to the betterment of electronic service
in the music industry. Through continuous training, timely information
and access to the knowledge, experience, parts stores of technicians
across the world technicians are better able to face the ever changing
challenges that they face on a daily basis. Working closely with manufacturers,
dealers and service centers world wide, MITA is unquestionably the leading
resource for training, information, parts and daily support. A world
of experience lies literally a few keystrokes away.
MITA has it's roots in the earliest days of electronic music when the
electronic organ was the mainstay. It has continued to grow and evolve
with the changes in technology and the current leadership is working
hard to expand faster and further into every corner of the technology
and the world. New technologies are being aggressively incorporated
to improve the dissemination of knowledge and experience.
WHAT IS MY INSTRUMENT WORTH?
This is certainly the number one question that we get asked. The honest
answer is whatever someone is willing to pay for it. The value of older
instruments varies wildly. Most of the older home organs frankly cannot
be sold. On the other hand some of the classic drum machines, synthesizers
and tape echo machines are currently hot items. Some older amplifiers
and guitars are collectibles. The best way to tell is to check Ebay
and see what your instrument is selling for. If it is not listed it
is likely that there is little demand for it. Be sure to adjust the
price to reflect condition of the instrument. Your local MITA technician
may be able to give you some guidance as to whether you have a treasure
or a boat anchor but only the market can give you the actual value.
WHY DO REPAIRS COST SO MUCH?
Electronic repair techs in music industry have training in one of the
widest ranges of technologies of any industry. Tube amplifiers, analog
synthesizers, studio tape equipment, digital signal processors and an
ever changing array of mechanical designs all require their own deep
technological understanding and skills for proficient troubleshooting.
This wide range of technologies also requires more extensive inventories
of parts and manuals. Much of the trouble shooting is done to the component
level since board replacements become unavailable within a few years
of a products release. The parts and assemblies used in the repairs
are all custom developed by the manufacturers and the development costs
must be amortized over far fewer units than you see in the consumer
electronics industry. All this is added to the basic overhead of running
a business. MITA technicians are committed to the highest ethical standards
of conduct and fair treatment of the customer. You can be sure that
the price they charge is a fair representation of the services provided.
WHAT ABOUT A FREE ESTIMATE?
The nature of electronic repairs is that the bulk of the work performed
is in opening the instrument, gaining access to the circuitry, and isolating
the problem. Once isolated the repair in most instances is straightforward
and rarely complicated. By the time an educated estimate of the repair
can be made, often 90% of the actual work involved has been performed.
Individual technicians are free to set their own policy regarding, estimates
but all of them make that policy with the constraints mentioned just
described.
CAN THE REPAIRS BE GUARANTEED?
Every technician sets his own policy about warranty of their repairs
but all of them must consider the following factors. The actual parts
used for the repair are not made by the technician. When repairing older
equipment the parts used are often NOS (new old stock). This means that
the parts were manufactured when the instrument was still being made
and have been sitting on a shelf since then. Some older electronic components
can degrade while sitting unused. Sometimes used parts are the only
available option. Key contacts, tape heads, and mechanical parts may
not be available at all and may have to be repaired or reconditioned.
MY INSTRUMENT IS NOT THAT OLD WHY CAN IT NOT
BE REPAIRED?
The electronics used in modern musical equipment has become highly customized
and is only available from the manufacturers. Keyboard parts, button
tops, knobs, and body parts are all available only from the manufacturer.
Once the manufacturer stops providing the parts the only other source
for those parts is a very limited supply of used parts from retired
instruments. Few of the manufacturers are providing parts past 10 years
from product availability. The technology in your keyboard, digital
hard disk recorder or modeling amplifier is the very similar to that
used in personal computers and very few 10 year old computers are still
in service.
CAN I STILL GET TUBES FOR MY OLD AMPLIFIER?
Many of the more popular tube types are still being manufactured in
China, Russia, and eastern Europe. There are also still fairly large
quantities of unused old stocks of tubes that are available. Some tubes
are available but stocks are low and they command premium prices. A
MITA member technician can locate nearly any tube you need to restore
your classic guitar amplifier. We strongly advise however that you get
the work performed by a trained technician. The voltages in the old
tube equipment is very high and very dangerous. Also when changing tubes
biases need to be checked and adjusted. Failure to do so can shorten
the life of your new tubes and alter the sound of your amplifier. Also
tube failures can indicate other problems with the amplifier and only
a knowledgeable technician can track that down.
SHOULD I TRY TO REPAIR MY GUITAR AMP MYSELF?
While guitar amps tend to be conceptually rather simple pieces of equipment,
there are particular risks associated with delving into them without
clear understanding of what you are doing. Guitar amps contain very
high DC voltages to make the vacuum tubes work properly. This poses
an extreme risk of electrocution. Before opening up a guitar amp you
should understand where you will encounter these voltages and how to
safely work around them. If you do not fully understand this you should
never attempt to open up your guitar amp. Tubes are quite accessible
and are the most frequent point of failure in guitar amplifiers. Like
light bulbs they deteriorate with time and even "burn out".
While replacing the tubes will often make the guitar amp "work",
many tubes require proper biasing to make them work properly and to
maximize there service life. Changing tubes without knowing how to bias
them properly can make repairs short lived and may not deliver the optimal
tone. An experienced service person can maximize the life and satisfaction
that you get from your guitar amp.
WHERE CAN I GET TRAINING TO REPAIR ELECTRONIC
MUSIC GEAR?
There are currently no schools that we know of that still offer courses
in the specialized technologies that are used in modern keyboards, digital
recording gear, digital pianos, and the like. We know of no courses
that cover the old technologies such as the tube circuitry used in guitar
amps or the magnetic tape mechanisms and circuitry that are used in
the older studio recorders and tape echo machines. The only way to get
that training is through a personal mentor or by joining an organization
such as MITA. MITA is like having a worldwide network of mentors from
all corners of the music industry right at your finger tips. The tutorials
and technical articles in the members section of the web site cover
the whole range and history of electronic music. At the MITA convention
held every summer in Las Vegas major manufacturers and experienced technicians
present classes for 5 days straight presenting unparalleled learning
opportunities and the only form of formal classroom training available
in the diverse technologies that comprise the electronic music industry.
CAN NON-MEMBERS ATTEND THE CONVENTION?
Non-members can attend all sessions of the convention by paying the
non-member rates. Information about the upcoming convention starts appearing
here on this web site around January and includes convention rates and
sign up forms. Some non-members show up each year to attend specific
manufacturers courses to meet requirements for authorized service center
status. A quick review of the rate charts will show, however, that the
cost of membership will pay for itself with just a couple of days of
convention attendance. With that membership you will also gain access
to all of the technical articles on this web site, the forums, with
ongoing discussions in every segment of music technology, and the email
forum where you can request assistance from a world wide pool of experts,
and your business will be listed in the directory of service centers
on this web site. Your MITA membership will pay for itself many times
over.
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