Both of our shops are equipped with low/mid range Siglent scopes and signal generators. Like some of the other brands from years before the signal generator and scope mate up and can to automatic Bode plots and such.
SCOPE BUYING NOTES FROM AMP-HAUS:
Brand/Type/AGE: If you are not designing new gear - just troubleshooting something or building a kit type thing you really dont need a powerful scope. Get a new scope, I know there are tons of used ones out there, but honestly; if you are just starting out get an affordable NEW one in a KNOWN brand that is readily available at REAL outlets in your country (not Amazon or eBay). The last thing you want is to have your "new" scope to become your new fix-it project. If you are at this stage in your electronics work journey, you do not want to start with troubleshooting and calibration of an antique scope. Plus the equipment to calibrate test equipment is even more costly.
"A DMM is better"?!: I forget who said this above but I will spare your name here... A scope can do everything a DMM can do in the right hands, and much more. A scope IS a DMM (MM), and so much more - it's also your audio probe. Yes those are handy little tools too, but If I had to pick ONE... Scope!
Channels: You need, at minimum, double the number of channels you are working on if you plan on testing/verifying in that way. But a single channel scope can troubleshoot things as well, it can just be tedious. You will need two channels to do a Bode plot with most scopes.
Kajillihertz: to get started with basic work you really do not need a scope that goes way beyond audio, honest. 10-50MHz is more than enough for day to day repair.
Don't forget to get a matching NEW signal generator; or highly serviceable old one if you want to do Bode Plots manually.
I am not saying you don't want a DMM or Audio Probe, those are handy. But a scope can do those things.
What else is in the shop?
Other than the really expensive test equipment, both of our repair rooms have exactly the same day to day test and repair equipment, so anyone can effectible work from either room. We both have a small Fluke Handheld DMM that we use for quick troubleshooting/verifications, most often for checking heavy guitar amps before we lug them into one of the repair shops. Both shops also have 2 tabletop 6 digit DMM's (HP), these get used much more than the handhelds, eventually you will likely want one of those. The downstairs shop also has the R&S UPD Audio Analyzer, and Tekronix 576 Curve Tracer.
BOTH SHOPS ALSO HAVE A COPY OF THIS OLD HANDY BOOK: "Handbook of Oscilloscopes: Theory and application" by John D. Lenk
While very old and dated (many scopes do the tests mentioned in the book automatically now). It does give you some enormously valuable insight as to how to use your scope and why it's doing what it does. (pics attached). Get the second edition if you can find it (1982). With modern scopes the book is most useful form Chapter 8 and beyond. Somewhere before there they go over resistance and capacitance measurements.
Chapter 8: Using Oscilloscopes with Signal Generators (great stuff about filters and input/output impedance here)
Chapter 9: Checking individual components (transistor tests, FET tests, Diode tests, Potentiometers tests, relay tests..)
Chapter 10: Checking amplifiers and amplifier circuits (signal tracing, frequency response, power output, noise, distortion, phase shift, slew rate
Chapter 11: Checking Communications Equipment
Chapter 12: Checking Industrial Devices...
Well worth the couple bucks it normally brings on eBay.
I hope someone finds my Sunday morning ramblings helpful.
