This listing is for a collection of parts needed for the Premium Restoration of the Pioneer SX-1280. The pictures are intended to show disassembly and placement of these parts. The units in the pictures are examples and are not for sale.

BIG BONUS!!!!! I can hear you thinking: “What if I start this and get stuck and don’t know what to do next?”  Fear not!  This kit comes with a well detailed instruction sheet which will be very helpful to you or your technician.  Also,purchase of this kit entitles you to one free fifteen minute phone consultation.  Compile your questions, contact me so we can set up a time to talk, and I will point you in the right direction.  When you buy my kits, you are not left out in the cold!  Check my feedback!

Note:  If your unit is in need of this level of service, and you do not wish to tackle it and have nobody to do it for you, you can send it to me for service.  The first step would be to run a diagnostic to pin down the exact condition and needs of the piece.  I shall be pleased to help you with it.  For more information, check this listing: Vintage Audio Components-----Repair Service-----Bench Check and Report 

Be sure to check out my other listings on my eBay store: LION AUDIO TEXAS.

International Orders Welcome!

I have serviced the SX-1280 since they first came out. I see them frequently now for restoration work so I know exactly what they need at this time in their lives. Service needs change over time. When a lovely piece like this gets to forty years old, it needs some general help. Most of the 1280’s that come in for service are not outright blown up. They frequently work…..somewhat. They are, however, full of old capacitors, noisy signal path transistors, heat fatigued voltage regulators, and bad relays. Of course, they are in dire need of cleaning and alignment. This sort of job can be undertaken by a qualified technician or a serious hobbyist. Of course it helps to have the precise parts needed in hand, along with their precise locations. This kit is meant to supply that need. It is not a “paint by number” for those with no experience, but with moderate test equipment and some technical skill and patience, good results can be had.

Recommended Test Equipment:

Multimeter, Variac (5 amp or greater) this can be had right here on eBay starting at $41.84,  an oscilloscope can be useful if you have to trace a lost signal but it is rarely needed for this job.

The service manual is invaluable and may be had on line. Try HiFi engine.

The kit includes the standard and usual parts required on the following boards. The parts will be in individual bags for each board. There will be a list of parts for each of these boards with schematic designation. There will be a procedural tip sheet. This kit is not guaranteed to solve any and all problems. If your unit has an outright defect, it may be something in addition to the standard and usual. Great care should be taken to get polarities and transistor basing correct. Careful and tidy workmanship pays off. Be prepared to trouble shoot if you make a mistake or have additional problems.

Flat Amplifier Assembly. AWG-060

Equalizer Amplifier Assembly. AWF-031

Power Amplifier Assembly. AWH-074 (X2)

Power Supply Assembly. AWR-157

Protection Circuit Assembly. AWM-123

Tone Amplifier Assembly. AWG-059

The capacitors in the kit will vary but will be selected from the following: Power supply applications will be mainly Nichicon VZ and PW. On the other boards, they will be Nichicon FG, KW, FW, KT, VZ, PW, or Elna Cerafine or Silmic II. The semiconductors in the kit will be well vetted substitutes for the original Japanese numbers. I have been using all of these parts for quite some time, and they perform very well.

The total parts count in this kit is 85.

The kit does not contain lamps as some folks want incandescent and others want LED so lamps should be purchased separately. The kit does not contain tuner section parts as tuner work should only be attempted by tuner experts. The kit does contain the power supply filter capacitors. The filter caps will be the same value as the originals, 15,000uf @100v.  They will be 50mm diameter and four 50mm clamps will be included so they will be easy to mount.  When all of these parts are replaced, and the unit is cleaned up and alignments are done, reliability is enhanced, and the sonic quality is astounding. They knew how to do stereo back in the old days.

So why should you purchase a kit like this? How will it solve your problem? You don’t really want to ship it to someone who is an expert in dealing with this specific model, but you don’t really want your local tech to do it either. After all, he might be a good fellow and a decent tech, but he just doesn’t know this model and you just don’t trust that he will get to the bottom of it. This means that this parts kit is just what you need. You can present your tech with the precise parts that must be replaced. That will certainly help. What is more important though is the instruction sheet. The instruction sheet starts with general procedural instructions, then goes on to discuss each of the PC boards. What to do….what to watch out for….how to be sure that it is done correctly, that it performs like it hasn’t in years, and that it is stable, it will perform well for years. What could be better? With this kit, and with a patient and reasonably competent installer, you can get the kind of results you would not have thought possible.