Yamaha reverb (R1000) repair

[moody]

Hi all.

 

I have just been given this old reverb unit and I was wondering if it is worth looking into repairing and what level of repair may be possible easily.

 

It has a couple of problems from my tests.

 

First and foremost, dirty pots. What's the best thing to do with this (I know that most people say not to spray anything in them).

 

Secondly. Noise without any input. All sorts of hisses and odd digital sounding beeps in the background. This seems to be before the parametric EQ as I can eq it out and is different sounding depending on which of the 4 major settings the machine is set to. (two settings are all hiss, two are electronic sounding plus some hiss).

 

Does any of this sound like standard problems with a standard fix?

[moody]

Looking further, the noise level may not be enough to be a problem. I'll have to test it in a rehearsal situation or something. The noise is there but it may be far enough back as to not be noticeable live.

 

It's got to be better than a noisy malfunctioning behringer which is my current only other option (the behringer toggle wheel is stuck in the left position).

[agedhorse]

Wow, that's a precurser to the Rev 7, don't recall ever seeing one in person!

 

I suspect that the "digital" noise you hear may be due to gain structure issues. The signal to noise ratio of the older digital devices is pretty limiter and that means the gain structure (adequate input signal to avoid needing to use excessive makeup gain) is essential.

 

As far as noisy controls, the only practical fix is to get some Caig DeOxit (or Caig R-5) and a tiny squirt into each control. Rotate controls about 10 times and that's the best you can do. Do NOT use common sprays of tuner cleaners as they may destroy the elements. I will bet the controls are still available though, but it's probably not worth the cost or effort to replace.