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Which tuner to get and getting the most from it. Thank God, for the radio!

well

1) The S-3000 is a wonderful tuner

2) The mono, vacuum-tube Sherwoods are the best sounding inexpensive tuners that I know of, full stop.

3) I can enthusiastically second the previous recommendation of "Radio X"; Mike knows his stuff.

...but...

The cost of having a pro "top and tail" an S-3000 may well (far) exceed its value.

Now, mind you, I am not saying "don't do it", but I AM saying that the end result will almost certainly NOT be cost-effective, from a strictly objective perspective.

If you love (for lack of a better word!) this particular tuner and really, really want to render it a "forever" piece for your collection, then do it.

Otherwise, perhaps keep looking for another one in better working order (my track record with Sherwood tube tuners working well "as found" is extremely good, FWIW) -- if you find a good working/bad looking one, you can "hybridize" if you like (since you say this one is excellent cosmetically). You can also always "flip" the one you have now (with or without the above-mentioned "hybridization") to help recoup some expense.

I really couldn't ever recommend investing more than $100 (all-in) for an S-3000 (again, FWIW). NOT because the S-3000 isn't a wonderful monophonic FM tuner (and there is NOTHING wrong with great-quality mono FM; it beats mediocre sounding stereo FM all to heck, IMO), but because there are just too many of them around, too cheap (at least in New England -- and probably elsewhere, too, since they were made in Chicago).

Sorry for the run-on post; I am probably a little hypercaffeinated this morning! :-)

DSC_6480

In the interest of full and complete disclosure, as I type this I am owner of:

S-3000
S-2000 (AM-FM mono)
S-3000III (as yet untested)
S-3000V (MPX stereo)

The most expensive of the four was the S-2000, an eBAY purchase ($50).

all the best,
mrh


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