I knew a Charlie in Hollywood, CA. He was an old cranky Asian-American guy, greying beard, real guru stereotype, had a big store full of hi-fi and guitar and studio equipment. Every studio engineer in SoCal knew that if they needed something fixed, fast, no questions asked, you took your synth/guitar/studio equipment to him. He looked at you, told you exactly how much, exactly when to come back, don't argue with him or leave the shop immediately.

In the 90's I built my synth studio by buying cheap stuff that was considered borked - SH101's, Pro One, DX's, etc. - by some studio mishap - spilled wine, homicidal drummer, etc. All of it broken somehow, and thus cheap. A Saturday afternoon with Charlie, and it was like it was brand new.

So the point is, there are plenty of 'em out there, still doing the work. The key to it is always remember one thing, and one thing only: hardware rules us all. Working hardware, even more so.