COMPLETE RESTORATION SERVICE---MCINTOSH C-28

MUST READ---MUST READ---MUST READ---WARNING!!!If you try to buy this listing without reading it and knowing what it actually is, you will be in danger of a good scoffing. Note that this is not the actual McIntosh C-28 preamp being sold at a very good price. It is instead the service work required to make an old C-28 sound worlds better and be once again worthy of its name. If you have one of these babies, or are considering getting one, then read on.

You have had your McIntosh C-28 for years and you have always enjoyed it very much. Lately though, it has become a bit frowsey looking, and doesn't sound all that good. So you march off to the high-end store and tell the salesman that you'd like something every bit as good as your C-28. The salesman has an attitude. He says that his preamps are so much better that your C-28 may be compared to a cow pile. He tells you all of the oh-so-subtle sonic reasons why this is true. You don't understand any of it. You do understand the price though. Whew, buckorama! No help there. You wisely decide to look up the fellow who used to work on it back in the 80's. Hmmmmm. He's retired, and lives in Guadalajara no less. No help there. In some measure of desparation, you decide to call the fellow who was always second on the list. "Sorry pal, no we don't do those any more....we work on motorcycles now. If you manage to survive, they make you feel young". Oh @*&&^+%%! Now what? You cannot just forget about music.

You think it cannot hurt to look on eBay for another C-28. There are several and they are not too pricey, but you begin to think about it. "These might look cleaner than mine, but do they play better? There is no way to tell." Now you have arrived at this listing selling the C-28 complete restoration. Yes, I can see you looking at me right now. You have this hopeful look on your face. "Can it be true, can I really have my own C-28 restored to its former glory?" Of course you can, it is a McIntosh. Everyone knows that if you do the right stuff to a McIntosh it will get you way up into retirement, and perhaps beyond. What's more, that is exactly what I do....every day. What a deal!

So you wonder what "complete restoration" means. It is pretty straightforward really. First, you disassemble it and get all of the dirt out, being very careful about the glass front panel. Then all of the switches and controls are cleaned and deoxidized, and the lamps are replaced. Of course, it is always necessary to do a nice cosmetic on it. That means that the chrome is made to shine, the glass is carefully cleaned, and the knobs all get the toothbrush treatment to get all the funk out of the grooves on the knobs. It MUST look good! So much for the easy stuff. Now what?

Though actual electronic failures are always possible with these, they are not common. What is constant though is the need to replace a boatload of capacitors. You see, capacitors are affected by simply getting old. Most C-28's are now 30 years old, and that is simply over the line for capacitors. The power supply on the C-28 is somewhat complex, and there are quite a few electrolytic capacitors there. The multi-section cans are left standing on the chassis, and individual caps are installed to take their place. This gets rid of any hums and gives the unit an overall more "solid" feel like it used to have.

Next, you go to the phono section and the tone amp section. In these areas, there are a number of electrolytic caps and there are quite a few coupling caps as well. These are normally quite functional, but hardly ideal. So they are all replaced. Once this is done, you have pretty much arrived at really good condition overall. The little darlin' looks great and plays just like you always remembered. What a deal. At this point you can go back to that high end store and tell that wise guy that you don't need his fancy dandy preamp at all. Won't that be fun! You may have specific questions about your own C-28, perhaps it has a special problem or you fear that it might not come out as well as you would hope. Feel free to call and tell me these concerns and ask what questions you may have. I can be reached at 512-294-5635. The best time to call is weekday afternoons, central time.