MMmmm! Kyaramel!
Replacement. If it is a G, then there are other issues to consider like the switches on the filter pots. I say replace because you cannot compare the "confidence factors" between cleaning and replacing in the ears of the users. Cleaning will be required every year, but the weeks leading up to a cleaning will be a lot of crunch for the users.
With what, I am not sure as of now. My go-to switch manufacturer, Arpamax in Spain, is not answering calls or emails. I have not tried their apathetic distributor Stanler in the UK yet. I'll need to be real desperate to do that. Both companies still show isostat on their sites. I hope one of the biggies is in the process of buying Arpamax. I checked stanler.co.uk and they are now P&P Electronics. Calling them tomorrow for price/qty. BTW the switches need for the SSL are Dialistat if blue plunger, Isostat if white plunger, ITT(Schadow) if plastic/phenolic body (used in later G series on EQ/DYN cards). I saw all three types on 611's and EQ/DYN cards but only Dialistat or Alps on Bus cards.
You are in the cat-bird seat to place an order for quantity. I would not say an hour per switch. They are tough to get out with only a desoldering station, even a Haako. There is not much clearance around the pins to get vacuum sucking the solder out. The two methods I have used are: go in with large dikes and chop all switches down to pins. Then make a jig to softly/firmly hold the module upright. Grip a leg with forceps and remove with a desoldering gun. The other is to heat a pad with a desoldering gun until the switch body softens and then grip and you pull the whole contact out. I like the first. With a big job like this it is all in the setup making a proper workspace, good jig, correct tools, non-stop tunes, no distractions, and trying a few different extraction methods to find your choice. The first module might take a day, but the last one only a couple of hours. I don't do it by module but by card if I have the choice. Only motherboards or bus cards or EQ/DYN cards(make sure you make some mark to differentiate them!)
Another "fix" used by a friend was to heat a contact and plastic, grip and rotate the pin 90 degrees to a fresh surface. Good for a quickie fix, but not across an SSL in your condition.
Mike
