You may think that it would be cheaper to fix a PCB board than to just replace a few parts on a turret board, but consider this. Let's say a motherboard ( the main board for your amp per see ) costs $100 to replace, and you spend $150 in labor between the bench fee and labor/hr. You also have to wait for that board to ship, if even available. So not only does it still cost significant money to fix, but you have to wait a week or several weeks for the part to arrive. Let's say that your prized amp is made with turret board construction, most techs can fix it the day they get it on their bench unless by chance they don't have a part in stock. Often times there is no need to even remove the turret board, so time is shortened significantly for any repair at all. Single resistors and caps cost between $1 and $20 depending on the type. So for nearly half the money ( 90% of which is in labor at this point ), you can probably get your amp back in just a couple of days as opposed to weeks waiting for PCB boards to arrive.
I totally understand that many artists could care less about what is inside the box that is their amp, so long as it works and sounds good. There are just as many who fawn about the quality of their amps build, how it looks, and its perceived value in a generation or two. Vintage amps today cost what they do because there is a large enough market of people that will pay that kind of money for an old amp that likely needs repair, or will very soon. The best amps made today will be what is the new vintage 20-50 years from now.
Many years ago, all I cared about was if it sound good and did it work. As I started building amps, I realized how much energy, time, and effort goes into making them. I didn't just want the amp to work, it also needed to be a piece of art, otherwise what is the point? I saw how many DIY builds were literally just slapped together, how many people were asking on forums for help to fix their hot mess of an amp because they just didn't take the time to make it clean, and didn't do enough research into how their purposed circuit would work. I realized I had a talent that went beyond simply building an amp and when I hit the power switch everything just works. For me, it matters how it's built beyond just the circuit, beyond how it sounds, and beyond what someone else thinks of it. It has to be the best you can possibly get, that is my standard. Hence why I write books about it, research it and present my arguments for it. No one on this forum is going to buy my amps, I have nothing to sell, but if you come across one of my amps, it will nab all your attention.
As mentioned before by me and others, I am not knocking PCB construction. Tit for tat, it is every bit as good from all technical standpoints EXCEPT for repairability, artistry, and perceived value. There is no replacement for PCB designs when you need four channels, two or three FX loops, switching, midi control, and tube sensing circuits. The world's most sought-after and expensive amps don't have those features though. For some reason, single-channel, or low channel count amps tend to pull the highest dollar, regardless of construction type. Not sure why? I can say that for me, repairability is a huge deal. When I buy an amp, I want it to last a long time, and when it needs repair, I want it to be repairable.
