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Monday 10am - 5pm Tuesday 10am - 5pm Wednesday 10am - 5pm Thursday 10am - 5pm Friday 10am - 5pm

CAE Sound

Name: CAE Sound
Address: 285 N Amphlett Boulevard, San Mateo, CA, 94401, US
Telephone: +16503482737
Price range: $$$

CAE sound has been in business since 1979. Peter Miller founded CAE Sound to help working musicians keep their gear alive. That mission is still in force today.

We build custom audio electronics for musicians from the Grateful Dead to the Eagles, and we repair all sorts of instruments, amps, effects pedals, pro audio gear, etc. CAE Sound is devoted to the service, repair, and restoration of new, used, and vintage musical instruments and gear. They specialize in the vacuum tube and solid-state electronics found in amplifiers, keyboards, effects, and custom

accessories. For equipment used either on stage or in the recording studio, CAE Sound has provided parts and service for professional musicians around the world.

11/14/2024

A little action this week.

Give her some wheels!

11/07/2024

A this week.

Came in with a little scratch in its throat and no vibrato. Peter replaced the filter caps in pursuit of some strange hum and retired the V7 grounding.

Someone tried to get in here and fix the vibrato circuit, which led to confusion. But finally Peter located the miswire and VOILA… vibrato.

Replaced and connected the trim pot, replaced the k**b, a little burn and ready to return home.

10/31/2024

A this week!

There are no notes on the site yet for this repair, but I just could not resist posting. It’s a keytar, for Pete[r?]’s sake!

10/24/2024

The this week came in with a screen error. It was my first time being able to do an evaluation and repair on my own. I ran a diagnostic and factory reset and it worked like new…! Except it would randomly shut off and turn back on.

So Peter opened it up and and replaced the power jack. Teamwork makes the dream work. ;)

10/17/2024

Do you like it loud? Because we’ve got a this week.

Bad speaker! With an air leak and a shifting gasket. Have to wait for the new bass speaker to arrive, but meanwhile… scrub job.

So many things that come through the shop make me shudder at how I never cleaned any of my instruments.

Shout out to Elena for the picture assist. ♡

!

10/10/2024

this week.

I heard this amp was a family heirloom…! Elena found a new handle on and Peter drilled out the rivets of the old handle and beat that new one into submission. (

10/03/2024

Check out this this week.

09/26/2024

this week!

This rusty baby needed a good scrubbing. Peter ordered a new filter to replace the leaky main filter cap, cleaned up and replaced the cap, then realised the AC plug was broken. So he rewired the AC circuit, realised it was drawing too much current, and found a faulty output transformer.

He also replaced a few smaller caps on the board, did a lot of cleaning and polishing, and replaced all the rusted-out parts.

Good as new?

09/19/2024

I got a little excited and accidentally slipped a photo into Live from Peter’s Monday appointment, but here it is officially… a this week!

I was so excited for this. And also posted accordion-themed content this week? Coincidence? I don’t believe in ‘em!

The love letter Peter received after this job is so touching. « I guess I don’t realise how happy I make him, » Peter shrugged.

05/23/2024

This had already been dismantled, was missing pieces, and littered with incorrect hardware. Peter cleaned out the chassis and soldered in a new sustain pedal jack when he noticed the fraying ribbon from the power supply to the main circuit board.

When replacing the 10 pin ribbon, he realised it was the sustain pedal that was faulty, not the jack. So he replaced that as well and added shims to create space between the top cover and keys, to prevent slapping.

He then noticed some front panel buttons were not properly functioning and the reverb k**b was bent.

A week later, all the keys play as they should and the Nord is ready to return home.

05/20/2024

Charlie Butten once worked on this chassis that landed in the shop. This greatly excited Peter, as Charlie Butten is a legend and inspiration. Charlie invented the amplifier beltpack intercom [the distributed amplifier analog intercom system], co-founded ClearCom, and revolutionised live music. He is the godking of audio engineers. Rock music would not be what it is without Charlie and there was a time when all the great musicians knew this.

What a joy for Peter and what a way to meet your hero.

Photos and video of Charlie from Clear-Com. Watch the interview here: https://www.namm.org/video/orh/charlie-butten-full-interview

05/15/2024

A perfect example of why Peter has the coolest job.

The is a hyper-popular guitar amp in the industry. It’s the embodiment of « You’ve probably heard me, » as your favourite musician either used one or coveted its sound. The AC30 has its own Wikipedia page. Check it out.

This is a vintage amp from the 1960s which landed in Peter’s lap because its owner had concerns about a burning smell and ~scratchy pots.~ Doing what he does best, Peter opened it up and found the bass and treble k**bs working opposite jobs and the vibrato working only with the foot switch. In a quick search, it turns out the EQ pots for these models have a tendency to work backwards. Naturally, he fixed all these issues so the channels work as they’re meant to and the vibrato/tremolo is back in business.

But wait…

Turns out there’s a website dedicated to these beasts and the owner found his baby there. [ https://www.voxac30.org.uk/vox_ac30_16000s.html #:~:text=Serial%20number-,16142,-TB%20%2D%20currently%20in"16142" ]

Address

285 N Amphlett Boulevard
San Mateo, CA
94401

Opening Hours

Monday	10am - 5pm
Tuesday	10am - 5pm
Wednesday	10am - 5pm
Thursday	10am - 5pm
Friday	10am - 5pm

Telephone

+16503482737

Website

https://caesound.com/

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