Repairing pedals... what to charge?

[afranks]

Hi-

I've just taken upon the task of repairing some pedals for a local music store, and I have no idea what to charge for my services!  What is the going rate for pedal repairs?  Obviously, there has to be a minimum charge, and go up from there as the repairs get more complicated, right?  Making *any* money doing pedal stuff is an entirely new concept for me, so any information would be greatly appreciated!

thanks-
-alan

[j.everman]

Typically your parts cost should not be much....most pedals
have broken wires so that does not cost anything but your time.
I ususally charge $30 per hour of work  + Return S&H.  So
take that as you will. If I can fix it in 5-10 min I charge $10-$15 minimum
for my time...alot of other places will charge you more though, but if your getting repeat business then I dont see that these prices are out of line.
Just make sure its worth your time.......

Happy Holidays.

[petemoore]

For my Local buddy is 35 installed including the ~6 switch...
 I took me about an hour of labor to do it...that's after I found a switch that's DPDT AND fits perfectly in a RAT...

[ExpAnonColin]

One thing to make sure is that the price is no greater than the pedal!

Normally I charge parts + return shipping + base charge of about 10 + about 10$ an hour or so.

-Colin

[afranks]

Thanks for all the info...  when I saw that Analog Mike charges $40 just as a bench charge, I figured my price should be well below that.

Happy Holidays, all...
-alan

[Mike Burgundy]

There is both the question of quality and the one of friendship.
I've fixed pedals for free, that required quite extensive work and expensive parts (DPDT's, for one). I've also done work for "other" people (meaning not close friends) and have asked money. Not as much as Analog Mike though, BUT keep this in mind: He has a business. He provides a service. He does so at top-notch quality. He doesn't say "hey, me and my girl are going out tonight so you'll have to wait a day or two" or whatever.
He provides, and makes damn sure he can. This involves other people and cost.
See where you fit in (from favour via symbolic payment to real hour-by-hour payment (you do need to be able to work efficiently for that one) to payment-for-the-ability-to-service-everything-you-can-throw-at-us-and-feeding-three-families-from-it) and make a guess. Also having a look at "local" stores/repair shops helps. Ask a TV-repairman what he charges, it works.

[Yun]

i do a Commercial BMP mods called the Super-Muff.  i charge 15 bux for All that J.Everman does, Plus WAY more.  i don't believe in Over-charging people.  it's just wrong.  No offence to anyone though.  Just my own opinion....

[Paul Perry (Frostwave)]

So far as repairs go, it is always a good idea to as if there is an upper limit not to go beyond.
Of course, with a mod you have done before, you can say in advance what it will cost.

[william]

This is something I've been thinking about.  I have been out of a job for a few weeks now, and am looking for some spare money.  I can fix pedals, but one thing worries me.  If I start repairing commercial pedal's, what will happen when a pedal arrives that I don't have the schematic for?  Such as some of the Tech21 stuff.  I had a friend who had about seven pedals and none worked.  I managed to fix all but one, and that one had something really wrong with it.  So I konw I can fix them, but that one that I couldn't fix kind of worries me.

[gez]

I managed to fix all but one, and that one had something really wrong with it.  So I konw I can fix them, but that one that I couldn't fix kind of worries me.

Just be honest with people, if you can't fix it tell them.  I haven't a clue about TV/video etc so I have to rely on repair men when things go wrong.  I can think of at least two occasions where I was told they couldn't locate the fault.  I had no problem with their replies as I wasn't charged for their time.

[Ansil]

I managed to fix all but one, and that one had something really wrong with it.  So I konw I can fix them, but that one that I couldn't fix kind of worries me.

Just be honest with people, if you can't fix it tell them.  I haven't a clue about TV/video etc so I have to rely on repair men when things go wrong.  I can think of at least two occasions where I was told they couldn't locate the fault.  I had no problem with their replies as I wasn't charged for their time.

exactly. that is the spirit.  i mean we are all human.. i tell you what though check out some of the sansamp stuff that we do have schematics for.  i started to trace out my triac, but i got low on cash. and i got depressed by the pic.    also beleive me don't ask sansamp for tech questions.    shoot they will shoot you down quick..  however if you do aproach them honestly and are upfront about what you konw and what you are trying to do then they sometimes offer som suggestions.  for instance.

Dear Ansil,
Thank you for your Tri-A.C. purchase. Due to the proprietary circuitry in the Tri-A.C. we cannot provide schematics or discuss particulars about the circuits. You can try modifying the pedal any way you wish, but I would like to point out to you that we tried increasing the gain, and the result was a noticeable increase in the background noise with a barely noticeable increase in the amount of sustain/gain. You may have better results adding another pedal in front of the Tri-A.C. such as a signal booster, EQ set to midrange boost, compressor with a slight volume boost, or an overdrive set to very low gain with a volume boost.

what i asked was this...............{i was lookin at the unit and i was wondering  is that a 100k pot in the drive section.?
 
the reason i ask is i noticed for some reason i need just a little more push with the dist.  and i was thinking of changing out the pot to say like 150k or such.}


mental note also they won't sell you a replacement chip. they tell you to just use a tl072

[william]

Yea, thats kind of what I was going by, the truth.  The one pedal I couldin't figure out I just told him, it's beyond what I had the resources for.  He was a friend so it was cool.  But the extra money could help, but yea, some companies are jerks when it comes to intellectual property and that concerns me a little.  I guess I'll run a short ad and see what response I get.

[troubledtom]

rule of thump $15 bucks and hr w/ a 2 hr min. plus shipping. well if it's real easy to fix i'll work w/ the client.
                  yep,
                    - tom