Got questions about our restoration kits? You’ve come to the right place — quick answers to the things we’re asked most, so you can get on with the build.

Authentic Parts

All our kit parts are procured from the manufacturer or authorized distributors, with no exceptions. There are absolutely no counterfeit parts in our kits — period.

Receivers — Ultimate vs. Deluxe

We offer two kits for receivers. The Ultimate kit includes everything needed to fully restore your vintage receiver. The Deluxe kit is ideal for those newer to the process or on a tighter budget, and does not include the tuning sections or any audio-adjustment trimpots.

Documentation

All kits include extensive documentation — we believe in transparency. All of our PDF documentation is available to anyone prior to purchase; just ask. You’ll find the parts list, the service manual, an extensive Hints & Instructions guide, and more.

While our kits don’t include a step-by-step guide for every unit (we have kits for over 500 units and growing), the parts list, service manual, and Hints & Instructions guide are more than sufficient to get the job done right.

→ Parts Lists, Service Manuals and More

Capacitors

We proudly use only the best capacitors from known industry giants. The bulk of our caps are made by Nichicon (electrolytic) and Wima (film); we also use Kemet, United Chemi-Con, Panasonic, and Cornell Dubilier. Signal-path capacitors of 4.7µF or smaller are replaced with film caps. Very large caps (filter and coupling caps in amps and receivers, for example) are often physically smaller than the originals.

Other Parts

Caps and transistors are the heart of a restoration kit. Receiver and amplifier kits may also include replacement relays and replacement trimpots for audio adjustments. We stock most common relays for vintage audio gear, but there are outliers — if the relay for your unit is unobtainable or non-stock, the kit is priced accordingly, and stocked relays are shown on our parts lists. Relays can be cleaned/burnished if needed.

We do not currently stock mechanical parts like belts and pinch rollers, lamps, or fuse resistors. Most units didn’t use fuse resistors, but a few (thanks, Sansui) do — if yours needs replacing, you’ll need to source those separately.

Shipping

Most kits ship by the next business day via USPS with tracking. On rare occasions shipping may be delayed a day or two if we’re waiting on parts. Kit parts come in solid boxes, with parts in clearly labeled baggies separated by board — the label also lists the total quantity of parts in that baggie.

Service Manual or Packing Errors

Rare, but both happen. If your kit is missing a part or has the wrong value, just let us know — in most cases we’ll simply ship the missing part. In very rare cases (mostly international orders) we may instead offer a partial refund. We strive to send the right parts and appreciate your understanding when challenges arise. We’ve corrected many service-manual errors and continue to do so — please contact us if you hit one not already reflected on our parts list.

Restore, Not Repair

If your unit is non-functional for an unknown reason, do not install this kit without first diagnosing the problem. Our kits are built on the assumption that the buyer has a functioning unit. While plenty of noisy or problematic units work perfectly after a restoration kit, unless you’ve already traced the fault to bad caps or faulty transistors our kit replaces, assume the kit will not repair your unit. We offer some troubleshooting guidance in the Hints & Instructions guide, including links to helpful sites.

Production Changes

Some units saw minor changes to the parts used over their production run. In most cases we’re aware of this and provide parts for both versions. If your unit is an exception, let us know so we can get you the right parts and update our kits for future customers.

Transistors

Unlike electrolytic capacitors, transistors have a virtually indefinite lifespan if not abused. Our kits include only those transistors we now know to be noisy or otherwise problematic — in many cases the original transistors in vintage gear outperform modern equivalents. The same applies to most diodes, though our kits do often include replacements for some. We proudly supply OnSemi transistors when replacements are needed. More on transistors, including pinouts of popular replacements, is in our Hints & Instructions guide.