Fix preamp/pickup in 1995 Yamaha APX-9-12?

TheBigDipper

My friend loves his APX-9-12 (a stereo 12string) when it's plugged in. The electrics, however, appear to be fried after a shorting problem somewhere. The jack socket (which was loose and may have caused the problem in the first place) has been changed, but the preamp doesn't power up. He's been told it's dead and the large retailer in the Poole area he took it to doesn't want the job of fixing it, based on the low value of the guitar (in their opinion) and the likely cost. 

Just curious about the opinions of those here who might repair this sort of thing. Any suggestions for my friend? I've suggested fitting a K&K Pure Mini and forgetting about the original electrics, but he's keen to restore it if it isn't going to be prohibitively expensive - he likes the stereo aspect of it. Anyone in the biz got any suggestions I can pass on?

Ta, folks. 

ICBM

As far as I know there is no simple way of fixing that now - Yamaha are out of replacement parts for ones as old as that.

Your best bet might be a component-level repair by someone like @Danny1969 - it's microscopic surface-mount components, I'm almost certain. Whether even that's possible without schematics and parts numbers, I don't know.

TheBigDipper

I’ve never owned an acoustic with a piezo and onboard preamp - just soundhole magnetic pickups or K&K passive under saddle. Could my mate just rewire the existing piezo to use an outboard preamp sitting at his feet? Genuinely don't know enough about them, clearly... 

ICBM

TheBigDipper said:

I’ve never owned an acoustic with a piezo and onboard preamp - just soundhole magnetic pickups or K&K passive under saddle. Could my mate just rewire the existing piezo to use an outboard preamp sitting at his feet? Genuinely don't know enough about them, clearly... 

Probably, yes. But it would lose the stereo capability unless he has a split output and two preamps, so it starts to get more complicated.

Is this one with the preamp box on the shoulder of the guitar, or three (or four depending on model) pop-out knobs? If it has a preamp box then a possible solution would be to replace it with a similar one, although that will usually involve modifying the guitar as makers can't seem to standardise the sizes of them. That would also most likely lose the stereo capability.

TheBigDipper

@ICBM. I don't know. I haven't seen it for a year and can't remember! But, TBH, let's just drop this. He & I spoke again before your last post and he's thinking of just leaving it as it is now.  Thanks anyway.

ICBM

No problem .

This kind of thing is one of my absolute pet peeves with equipment repairs - they make a nice enough guitar, then fit it with unique electronics that can't be easily replaced with anything else, and don't keep enough stock of spares to last more than a few years once it's out of production... so your only options are some sort of bodge, extensive and expensive reworking to fit something else, or just leave it non-functional. Presumably they expect you to just buy a new guitar.

DavidRees

my tuppence - is it really stereo or is it the usual combination sound hole condenser microphone and under saddle piezo with a mix control on the on board preamp gubbins - I say this 'cos I had a 2002 APX 9 six string which had that arrangement. if so alternatives may be easier  ...

TheBigDipper

DavidRees said:

my tuppence - is it really stereo or is it the usual combination sound hole condenser microphone and under saddle piezo with a mix control on the on board preamp gubbins - I say this 'cos I had a 2002 APX 9 six string which had that arrangement. if so alternatives may be easier  ...

I can remember this much - it has the ability to split the pairs of strings and send some to the left and some to the right in 2 or 3 different combinations. Fairly sure it’s just a piezo and no mic, but, as I've said, I've not seen it for a year at least. But I appreciate and understand your comment.