Got a 27" TV, several years old, that the vertical seems to have gone bad
in. All I have is a thin, bright, horizontal line approx mid-screen.

I'm thinking of opening it up, pulling the vertical board, and replacing it.

More than likely, the vertical section may have worn capacitors and/or dry and
cracked solder joints. Can possibly be a very easy repair, provided that you
have the right tools and that you know what you're doing.

BTW, most TV sets, including those produced in the 1980s, have the vertical
scan circuit integrated in the mainboard.

If you don't have any idea as to how to perform a proper repair and can't spend
the money to get it fixed, donate the TV to a repair shop and buy a
replacement.

Don't get suckered into buying those Wal-Mart specials, though. They are
cheaply made, usually don't last very long, and are usually backed by abyssmal
customer service.

TVs you ought to consider: Sony, Panasonic, JVC, Toshiba (higher end models
only), Hitachi, Loewe, and Philips (higher end models only).

Brands to stay away from: Funai, Apex, KLH, Sylvania, Magnavox, RCA, GE,
Emerson, Orion, Norcent, Samsung, LG/GoldStar, Zenith, Sansui, Celera, Curtis
Mathes, Symphonic, and Konka. - Reinhart