A lot of "professional" shops do some mighty crummy work. It seems that when I take my car in for service I often have to do the work over again myself. We've all heard stories of people that brought radios or phonographs to "professional" shops and all they got was ripped off, or told "it's too old, buy a new one".

Hobbyists learn by doing, the same way "professionals learn. Someone that's learning sometimes needs a mentor, and that's one of the reasons this forum is here.

Ken D.

Oh, trust me I know there are "crummy" shops of all sorts out there Ken.
It took me a while to find a decent auto mechanic that was honest, considerate, and fair.
.....But, we're out there, doing the best we can.
Ya just gotta find us. - And by rights all service people should be honest and reputable - they're taking your money to do a job - but the reality is - the world is not perfect.

As for your "same way" comment - I disagree.
I went to school to start at ground level - I was taught by instructors trained to deliver the information to me in the proper order, starting with theory.
I learned that first - and comprehended - BEFORE they let me pick up a soldering iron.
Something most all DIY hobbyists simply refuse to accept - it takes too much time - it's not fun to learn the theory part.
They wanna jump right in and get dirty first.
To hell with Ohms Law and all that crap...... LOL.

So no, hobbyists do not "learn the same way" as us "trained professionals".

It's more like DIY'ers struggle and grasp their way though, indeed making many mistakes as well.

So with my proper training - my "mistakes" were practically non-existent in comparison.
And, I'm determined to be as "perfect" as I can - after all, people are paying me to do the right thing.

I enjoy getting in over my head, once in awhile. I will be the first to admit that changer repair/service is not on my list of things that I like to do. I got into a Collaro recently that was missing parts. I had another that was complete. I used it for "service information". I got another for parts. I used all my good words, but I got it working. This is a hobby for me. I learned to work on this stuff by reading and then doing. Totally self-taught. Not ten seconds worth of professional instruction. So what if I screw something up? I was working on a stereo I gave five bucks for. What did I really have to lose? Bringing that old stereo back to life was a rewarding experience. Using professional services in a pinch is okay if you want to spend the money. It seems to me that a decision to do that would be a personal one. This stuff is not rocket science. The only thing you can do for something old is to make it better. It is already broken, and broke is broke. Not likely I can make it worse. And contrary to popular opinion, I have found that 99% of the problems commonly found in a changer that has sat around for years can be solved with WD-40, some oil, an idler wheel and a needle/cartridge. All that technical mumbo-jumbo is an element seldom needed to get a changer to work. "Perfection" is seldom achieved and never needed in consumer electronics..........GREG

probably some of the so called "trained professionals" do a worse job than we do, simple because no matter what you pay end of day it doesnt belong to them they dont care and they just want to move on to the next one.
professionalism is seriously lacking these days........nuff said.

I have to agree that the first time the needle hits the groove on a piece of scrap, is very rewarding.
The hours spent polishing bakelite? The smell of reflowing solder at component level? Brushing old grease off in a solvent tank? A tweak here and there and it lives again! Priceless!
Sure glad I can "now" use my MIT masters degree in electronics engineering to make a living.

[quote="RemMIDI"]I have to agree that the first time the needle hits the groove on a piece of scrap, is very rewarding.
The hours spent polishing bakelite? The smell of reflowing solder at component level? Brushing old grease off in a solvent tank? A tweak here and there and it lives again! Priceless!
Sure glad I can "now" use my MIT masters degree in electronics engineering to make a living.[/quote]

That's great news!
I'm sure the extensive course in consumer electronics servicing will be of much value down the road.

Uh,.. this topic is about the essential tools?
Glad you stepped up again, and showed what a good learned schooled example there be here.

Can I get an A'men?

Not an amen, but sumfin' else.

Wow . The one thing that will help the most is to be very good at mechanical skills . I have fixed hundreds of record players with an ordinary set of tools , some cleaning supplies and some oil & grease . One problem is the rubber idler wheels . Phonographs are one of the easiest things to fix up .