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We're experts at the repair of vintage instruments, including many brands that have gone out of business are no longer supported. Let CAE Sound refurbish and restore your beloved vintage instrument to be as good as-or better than-new. We have decades of experience with a wide range of gear including many products that are no longer supported or were built by manufacturers that have since gone out of business.

The expert technicians at CAE Sound are fully certified to provide factory authorized warranty service for electronic musical instruments and equipment from a wide range of manufacturers.
Services
From the beginning, the mission of CAE Sound was to help working musicians keep their gear alive. That mission is still in force today. In the late 1960's Peter Miller witnessed the birth of the music synthesizer and soon became hooked on electronic music and the incredible machines that made it possible.
CAE Sound maintains an extensive inventory of replacement parts for Hammond, Leslie, Arp, Moog, Rhodes, Wurlitzer, Hohner, Farfisa, and Crumar. We sell speaker cones, horns and rebuild kits, as well as offering a constantly changing variety of pre-owned spakers. Our pre-owned speakers are reconed, reconditioned and fully tested before being offered for resale.
Use original factory packaging if possible, as it is the best packaging for shipping any unit to us for repair. If you use original factory packaging in good condition, then our handling charge can be waived. The minimum handling charge can be greater depending on the quality of the packaging used to ship the item to us and the weight of the item.
We strongly recommend you follow these directions, rather than rely solely on your GPS mapping system. In San Mateo, take the Poplar Ave exit and immediately turn left on the frontage road, N. Amphlett Blvd. Turn right on E. Santa Inez Ave. and immediately left into the parking lot. We're in Suite 285.
Reviews (27)
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Shiba Holdings
May 21, 2022
Very unprofessional. They are not able to keep up with service, as They are too busy to figure out what is going on. They hang up the phone, and simply disregard you. Terrible service and zero professionalism.
Andrew Bachmann
Apr 23, 2022
One of the warranty service centers for my product. I got an estimate that the product would be ready in two weeks, but it took over a month to get it back. I felt some pressure on up-sell. Next time I'll try another place instead.
Dan Dippery
Apr 18, 2022
So refreshing to have such professionalism - with warmth. Took in a very tired, dusty Yamaha keyboard, well overdue for help. Elana explained their full-exam method - plus a 3-week waiting list - but hinted they would probably get to it sooner. Well, I brought it home today - just a week and a half later - looking and sounding like new! Peter Miller, Elana and the CAE crew are outstanding. They're in-shop and on-call. And very reasonable priced. You may have get in line, but it's truly worth the brief wait. And your instrument will thank you!
Antonio Sandoval
Apr 14, 2022
Not much to share, just to ask about phonograph repair prices. Their prices are ok.
HvyMtle Studios
Dec 20, 2021
This place is a gem. To be able to have my amps serviced or repaired and feel 100% confident and secure is gold. It's almost hard to believe I can even get someone at Peters level to work on my amps. My first experience has been such a pleasure I almost can't wait for something else to break.
Roberto Hernandez
Sep 19, 2021
I highly recommend CAE Sound. Peter is very professional and highly skilled. He repaired and brought my K2000 back to life! Very satisfied customer and will certainly be back as my other vintage equipment ages.
Chris Y.
Jul 16, 2021
Very nice people, Quality work, lucked out there local, I would, do recommend CAE SOUND. My guitar amp is back and on point! 99% of my playing is death metal. So you know I need amp working at 100% and CAE did the job. Much thanks to all the staff there.
Matt D.
Jul 10, 2021
Just realized I never wrote this review five or more years back when I needed servicing on my Kurzweil PC3X. I STILL have the same issue I took it into CAE for and am about to start gigging again, so in looking for a SF Bay Area repair company I saw their name and cringed at the memory. I bought a floor-model Kurzweil for a discounted price, and from the get-go it had issues with its pitch bend and mod wheels not working properly.

The Kurzweil has a built-in MIDI diagnostic feature that shows the MIDI CC values various controllers are sending. Both the pitch and modwheels were asymetric, meaning they were always applying some degree of modulation or pitch bend, and the amount was variable but always noticeable. I had to disable both controllers to work with the keyboard, but being as I was in an 80's synth-oriented band, these controls are pretty key to my being able to use the instrument.

I live about 90 minutes away from CAE, but at the time they were the closest authorized Kurzweil service center. I dropped the keyboard off explaining the problem to the nice gentleman at the counter. They said they were quite busy, but should be able to get it diagnosed and fixed within a week or so. A week or so later, I got a call saying they had checked it out, and there was nothing wrong with it.

I asked if they had run the built-in MIDI diagnostic, as that clearly demonstrated the issue. They continued to insist there was nothing wrong with it. As I live about 90 minutes away and work during the week, I wasn't able to immediately get back to pick up the keyboard. This was a while ago so I don't remember all the specifics, but I believe it took me about a month to go and pick it up.

When I did, they charged me a ridiculous storage fee of something like $200 for not picking it up right away, and whatever they charged for diagnosing (and not fixing) the problem. When I got it home and turned it on, the keyboard immediately exhibited the symptoms I took it in for. THESE PEOPLE ARE CON ARTISTS AND JERKS - STEER CLEAR! I think this is the first one-star review I've ever written, but this place richly deserves it.
Khayree
Mar 04, 2021
I own a Neve 1272 pre amp that was in bad shape. From the time that I took the preamp into CAE Sound Peter The technician was in communication with me. The young man Zohar at the front desk was also very helpful. Peter's expertise and familiarity with class A gear resurrected my Neve 1272 pre amp! It now works and sounds pristine thanks to CAE Sound! If you have important gear that needs repair CAE sound is the place to get it taken care of.
Jean L.
Feb 20, 2021
Our piano was having some sticky key issues and I wasn't sure if it was a manufacturing problem or that my kids had put a coin between the keys. I looked up Kawaii service orgs and checked with our piano teacher and CAE Sound was referenced by both. I contacted CAE Sound and they came out to work on our piano and I had a very good experience with their phone customer service and also how friendly they were when they came.

It was a decent amount of work where they had to remove all the keys, take them back to rework each of them. Then came back a second time to put all the keys back into the piano (it wasn't the coin, though there was a coin in there, haha). In addition, during this whole process they were mindful and safe during this pandemic time, with masks, as we were too.

It was really a pleasure having them work on our piano. I learned that Jeff had been working on pianos since he was in high school, and I noticed the detail that Jeff and his colleague/partner (so sorry I missed her name) had in their work on our keys. (I also want to mention I had a really positive experience with Kawaii warranty support as well).

All in all, our piano plays beautifully again and I was so glad to have discovered CAE Sound if we need anything again in the future. (I have an even older Kawaii at my childhood home that may need some work).
Joseph Gaude
Jan 21, 2021
So I blew my Alesis Micron up by using to hot a power source. I called Peter and he hadn't known about the synth that I wanted to get fixed but he explained his services and told me to bring it by so that he could look at it. Peter is very personable and he is very knowledgeable. A lot of experience! We talked about the scenario. He basically figured it out just by me telling him what I did.

I left the synth with him and then he got back to me the next day explaining that he had opened it up and diagnosed the problem. Mean while. Peter is working all by himself in his shop and is super busy! Told me that he wouldnt be able to get to my synthesizer for a while. three days later he emails me and tells me it's all fixed! Praise the Santa Maria!

All in all, very awesome experience. Even with how busy he was he fixed my synth in a short amount of time, his pricing is fair, and I would with no doubt take my electronics to him to have them worked on. Thanks Peter!
C. J. Flash
Dec 11, 2020
CAE's 40+ years of experience makes all the difference in the world. I have had nothing but great experiences with them in repairing my vintage gear. They keep you informed every step of the process and their customer service is beyond reproach.
Whitefaced M.
Sep 08, 2020
It's as if these guys actively don't want your business. I have tons of audio gear and a lot of experience in the field, so I found it puzzling to be given so much attitude when I asked some simple questions about repairing a studio monitor. This fellow Peter did not want to hear even a basic description of the issue (crackling in tweeter).

He then required me to bring in the gear, charged a high flat fee to diagnose the problem, refusing to give any turnaround time. The end result was a very high charge for a repair - over half what a new speaker would cost. A more trustworthy shop would likely have advised forgoing the repair and would have earned my trust.
Nasario G.
Jul 06, 2020
I brought my Motif 8 to CAE Sound for repairs. Peter Miller is the owner and lead technician. He is very professional, humble, knowledgable, and positive with running a busy and successful repair shop. It is worth my time and effort to drive from San Jose to San Mateo for his services. I would recommend CAE Sound for anyone needing pro sound, keyboard, guitar amp electrical services. Great job Peter. Thanks again.
KevorkianMetal
Dec 30, 2019
Peter and his crew are stellar individuals. They take the time to listen to your concerns and address everything. I have a very rare and valueable amplifier that had a very strange problem which no other shop or specialist was confident enough to work on; however, Peter and his staff found the problem once they dug into it. The shop can get quite busy, as this workload reflects the quality of the work. I highly recommend you come to CAE sound first before giving your electronic equipment to anyone else for service or modifications. You won't be disappointed! Thanks guys!
Dan M.
Jun 03, 2019
NEVER use these jerks! They REFUSE to sell you a simple part you need that can ONLY be bought through a licensed Roland dealer, so, they hold you hostage. E.g., they will "fix it for you" which costs more than buying a used working unit, when they COULD just sell you the part with some mark up. F these jerks. Terrorists.
John O.
Sep 24, 2018
Called this guy up to track down a part for a Roland RD700. He was too busy to talk to me on the phone, so he asked that I send him an email. He never responded to my email and I ended up tracking down the parts elsewhere.
Randy C.
Mar 02, 2018
I'm so impressed with their efficiency and professionalism. I dropped off an extracted keyboard out of a Yamaha Clavinova Piano and they ordered and replace the key-weight felt in less then a week. Peter did warn me that he couldn't test it because it was just the keyboard. I got it home and it worked perfectly. As in some reviews, you can expect to be treated as you treat them, they were exceptionally nice and I really appreciate the excellent job and communication by phone. Thank you
Nick S.
Sep 20, 2017
Horrible service and attitude. I walk in to try and get my Fender tube amp fixed and he ignores me to talk on the phone for 30 min. Also a very old ugly store that's completely unorganized and messy. I get no sense that these guys know what they're doing and I will be looking elsewhere to get my all fixed.
Peter R.
Aug 25, 2017
I took a Soundcraft FX16ii with an intermittent effects section problem to Peter two months ago. His quoted price was acceptable and his lead time was long but accurately predicted. I'd give five stars if the time to completion date was quicker. I was able to track progress online. Again, he completed the work in the time frame quoted, so there is value there.

This is an old school electronics repair shop. Gold records on the wall from a time long ago before the internet took over the music business. Peter can provide verbal history accompaniment. This dude is the genuine article. It has been 9 weeks since work was completed and my unit is 100%. I am very satisfied.
John S.
Sep 19, 2016
These guys are con artists. They charged me up front for a speaker repair, said they fixed it so it didn't test it at the shop. Got it home and it was in the exact condition as before. Not working. I brought it back they said they fixed it so I tested it at the shop. It didn't work so I asked for my money back. They wouldn't refund.

They took so long to help me I left the shop very frustrated! I have since talked to other musician friends and have heard their similar experiences. Please don't learn the hard way. Anyone who asks for a deposit for labor is a sure rip off! I will never deal with CAE sound again! John
Raum P.
Sep 15, 2015
CAE is listed on the Line 6 website as offering repairs and replacement parts. I called them today to order a couple parts and was told that unless I wanted to pay extra for the owner's time, he wasn't willing to even look up the part numbers and place the order. Totally rude. What a jerk.
Isabel R.
Jul 07, 2015
Called Fender to get instructions for repairing a defective new amp we just bought. They gave us phone numbers for two local shops to call. This one was closest, though a good 30 minutes away. Called and they said to bring the unit down. Gave their hours of operations (which are M-F 10-1 and 2-5 so, if you have a day job, you have to take time off).

No other instructions. Drove down to what appears to be a converted old motel. Tiny sign in front and a darkly lit room piled floor to ceiling with amps and other equipment. The first guy couldn't help us for some reason. Said he didn't know where anything was. The second guy (appeared to be the owner) came in, fiddled with his computer a sec then gave us the story a few Yelpers said they got too. Basically, that Fender only pays him $30 for "an hour of paperwork" (I'm pretty sure that's exaggerated) and that he asks customers to "pitch in" and pay another $40 for him to basically package up the amp and mail it back to Fender.

They then repair or replace it and mail it back to him. That's it. And that would take several weeks because he said (and showed us) that he's backlogged some 30-40 items. Guess they didn't pay the tip.
Moses L.
Apr 27, 2015
The work done here is pretty solid. I had a line 6 pedal that was not receiving inputs properly so I dropped it off and a week later it was resolved. The workmanship and the quality is solid as well. The actual technician does reliable work. I was off put however due to their policies in terms of pay $125 upfront and its not a guarantee that the issue will be resolved.

The drop off price was only for the 1st hour labor. If your item took more than 1 hour prepare to pay additional $125 per hour based on what the receiving person told me that did not include parts. Luckily my issue was apparent and a relatively simple so it was resolved with just the $125. I would probably come back to get my other stuff fixed if they were broken in the future, but if I find another shop with better price points and shop policies, I would most likely go there.
A. B.
Apr 07, 2015
Peter is a no B.S. wonderfully quirky, friendly, passionate Craftsman with a capital C. If your instrument is important to you, he's the guy you want looking after it. Peter has integrity and cares about what he's doing. Peter posts regular status updates through his website so you can see how your repair is going. He is a bit overwhelmed being largely a one man band with occassional help from an employee to allow him to focus more on doing repairs; so respect his time.

Be a little patient, pay the good man on time, and he'll get it done right in the end. He also doesn't have a lot of free space so if you don't pick your gear up soon after its repaired, you should experience deep guilt like I did. If Peter can't fix it, you may as well keep it for decoration or sell for spare parts. He also has a nice collection of vintage gear for sale so check it out before gambling on ebay. Peter is the only guy I'm comfortable leaving my instruments with. P.S.

My repair was a non-warranty issue so Peter probably was paid more reasonably and fair for the time he put in on my piano than if it was under warranty. Don't blame Peter for manufacturer's policies. He's the Craftsman who does the repairs. Judge him on that alone. Manufacturer's often squeeze service shops Go Yelp review the manufacturer for problems with their product quality or warranty policies.

If you have a Warranty job, Peter is still the guy to go to of course-but be extra respectful of his time and go to him for things outside of warranty jobs too so it's worth it for him to keep doing warranty work. There aren't a lot of Craftmen like Peter around anymore, so look out for the guy.
Mike J.
Feb 21, 2014
I really don't enjoy writing one-star reviews but in this case it is truly warranted. I brought a Fender Rhodes keyboard here several years ago. It had several "sticky" keys to be fixed. In addition the repairman was to make a special power supply since I only had the keyboard and not the original amplifier. Long story short, several hundred dollars and MANY frustrating trips from Sunnyvale to San Mateo later I ended up with keys that still stuck and a power supply that stopped working.

I still have it, maybe I'll use it as a paperweight. Furthermore the customer service was horrible, rather than just quoting a price for the repair the work was charged by the hour without even a rough estimate of how long it might take. I was strung along for weeks. On several occasions the repairman assured me work would be done within a certain time frame and then failed to deliver, in fact failed to even bother to CALL and update me. Never an apology, just bad attitude all the way. Enter at your own risk, you have been warned.
Tim G.
Jan 26, 2012
Phone call. CAE: "CAE sound." Me: "Yeah i'd like to get my keyboard looked at and would like to know how to go about it." CAE: (sarcastically) "Well we can't repair it over the phone." Me: "Obviously." I found someone else.