And the fun begins

[WRGKMC]

Had two of my buddies who play professionally for a living give me a call to repair musical gear repaired due to flood damage here in Houston. They will be bringing over some amps and guitars for me to restore as soon as they can get transportation. I'll likely document the process with pictures and post it here so others know what's involved.

 

I wont be charging them for the labor or spare parts I may have on hand but they will owe me a return favor if I have to spring for expensive parts. I do have plenty of spare speakers and parts but some things I may have to purchase and I'm not exactly in the best financial position for funding some things that may be needed.

 

The guitars I'm not too worried about. Solid bodies are pretty much sealed by their finish. Pickups can be dried and pots cleaned. Water in the truss rod shaft is my main concern because it can pretzel a neck in no time. Amps can be fine when circuit boards are washed with soap and water to remove contaminants. Water can get inside transformers and blow them but most have removable covers and I can use my air compressor to blow the moisture out. A hair dryer does the rest.

 

I know the word will get out to other musicians I've worked with over the years too. I'm just going to focus on the guys who play for a living first because they cant earn a paycheck without they're gear.

 

They also have computers and other electronic gear. The main thing is the hard drives. If the drive went under it may not be salvageable. I have taken them apart before but the chances of cleaning the disks and getting them to spin up is low. I know some companies who swaps the disks from one drive to another to salvage data but its an expensive process with no guarantees.

 

If its simply moisture I'll take rice wrapped in a paper towel, then stick it in a plastic bag with the drive and draw the moisture out then keep my fingers crossed they haven't gotten stains on the disks. I'll likely try and clone the drive at that point and see if I can get all the data off. I have spare towers I can give them if needed too. I have several units I no longer use but never got around to trashing. They may be a little slow but who cares so long as you can get to the personal data.

 

Like I said, I'll do this as a charity for fellow musicians here in town. Its not a quick process either you have to clean and dry things thoroughly before you attempt to power them up then bring them up slowly with a Variac which I can borrow from work. If gear is beyond hope then they can always sell it on EBay as non functional for parts. I've helped them do that on occasion too but its a PITA. You have to make something to pay for shipping and a percentage to EBay so the gear has to be worth the hassle.

[DeepEnd]

Good on you for doing this. Each of us has something to contribute. Keep us posted.

[WRGKMC]

Found another buddy, a drummer I worked with who was able to get most of his gear out before the waters rose. He has a couple of powered stage monitors that he couldn't haul however. He hasn't gotten back into the house yet to check them. They've been submerged for a week and the cabinets and speakers are likely toast. The heads may still be fine once they are pulled out and properly cleaned.

 

I told him I might be able to find some passive monitors for him and simply convert them to active, Or I could get the amps working and he could sell them and buy something else. In his case he was renting so there may be insurance involved so Its unlikely I'll see them very soon.