I asked a similar question which was never really answered here in
context, so I can empathize.
> Never experienced real VCO's either. I'm not very techy minded and
> probably wouldn't attempt the tuning myself. How many people here
> have poly's in full working order and how long could I expect it to
> remain so before requiring another service?
>
Old Crow's site will give you enough information to keep a PolySix
running. My PolySix is in full working order thanks to info from
this group and Old Crow's site. If you get one that is suffering
from the battery acid leak, my guess is if it's repaired correctly
then you shouldn't have any other issues with circuitry other than
normal component aging, wear, and eventual breakdown. All
electronics suffer from this so there's little you can do about it.
Pots may get scratchy, buttons may not work right, but again this is
normal breakdown. In most cases you can clean these and keep them
working. If not, then they're easy to replace.
The keybed is the worst offender when it comes to PolySix issues. I
used to have a Poly 61 with the same type of keybed and essentially
the first time you remove the keybed to clean the contacts you should
expect to have to get in there from time to time to keep them clean.
It's an easy process which takes a few hours.
You can always try to have the contacts made more durable, which is a
solution I intend to implement, but I'm researching the best way to
do it. I think the contact kits Old Crow talks about may be the best
way to go.
As I've said to others here: IMHO the PolySix is well worth the
trouble it takes to get it up and running and then the care and
feeding it will require. Nothing I've played has as much character
as a PolySix.