Critical thinking... Or lack there of

[Ronsonic]

That's so funny!

I see this everyday at work (power tools service center).

Big carpenter company send a cordless drill for service complaining that it doesn't work. Please replace the brushes. Only the machine is sent in, without batteries or charger, to save on shipping.

I have almost got the counter help trained, but even still customers insist.

I HATE seeing a diagnosis or a request for a procedure on a ticket. Bugs hell out of me. I want the customer to tell me what the thing is doing wrong. Like your drill, all I'd want on that ticket is "Drill doesn't turn when I pull the trigger."

Of course I'm cranky.

[diagrammatiks]

i just finished my first couple of builds before finding this site. I gotta say I love you guys.

Also the B+ in my amp doesn't match the schematic I got off the internets. Should I buy a new transformer?

[Enzo]

B+ rarely matches the schematic. Many old Fender schematics say right on them that the voltages are approximate and may vary 20%.

[J M Fahey]

Agree and add: can't you be a little more specific?
As in: expected and actual voltages.

[R.G.]

i just finished my first couple of builds before finding this site. I gotta say I love you guys.

Also the B+ in my amp doesn't match the schematic I got off the internets. Should I buy a new transformer?

Nope, just buy a new internet.

[Chuck H]

Another +++
Parts tolerances are generally very close today as compared to yesteryear but wall AC is all over the place and tubes are a bit different too in their bias characteristics. So if, for example, your wall voltage is high AND the tubes you installed are biased colder than usual, your voltages will read quite high all over the amp. Also, some MFG's PT's are often a little higher on the HV secondary when compared to their specs even when everything else is as it should be. Don't know why MFG's do this, but some do.

[diagrammatiks]

but which one is correct for the vintage tones?

No I'm just kidding. I just redrew the load-lines. It was easier to change the bias then it was to recalculate the entire rc chain.

[Chuck H]

Which what? You haven't told us what we're dealing with yet. Low/high? What amp? etc...

"vintage" tone is subjective since you can't create all things equal much of the time. Speakers, filter cap ESR, pot tapers, tubes and cabinet materials are some variables that you can't always duplicate. Also, with a 20% tolerance on the parts the old amps were built with no two sounded the same. So what's the definition??? Speakers are the biggest factor since people seeking "vintage" tone are often listening to speakers that are many decades old. IMHE it takes a LOOONG time to break in a speaker to it's final tone and that doesn't take into account that new speakers simply use different materials than old ones. But...

As to voltages I would say that matching the voltages in the preamp is a good idea. Power tubes are different enough from what they used to be that I don't really know what voltage would be correct to make an EH6L6 tube sound more like an old Tung Sol 5881, for example. What seems to be the MO is to build the amp, adjust the preamp voltages via the rail and then find the bias point for the power tubes your using that gets closest to the tone your after. Subsequent 'by ear' tweaks to the amp can then get you closer. And, as mentioned, speakers take a long time to break in so the final sound of any amp, as compared to an actual vintage example, can't really be evaluated for a long time.

[diagrammatiks]

Sorry guys I was just making a joke about the types of questions ya'll seem to be complaining about.

I didn't actually have a problem. My bad.

[Enzo]

Well, welcome to the forum anyway. SInce we just met you, we had no way of knowing you were not serious.

[Ronsonic]

Sorry guys I was just making a joke about the types of questions ya'll seem to be complaining about.

I didn't actually have a problem. My bad.

The attempt at humor is appreciated. You can see, people here have been scarred.

[überfuzz]

diagrammatiks - Point taken, sometimes I two wonder whos making fun of who.

Cheers!

[Chuck H]

A nice dose of humility. Washed it down with a big gulp of pride and it's off to my day job.

It's plain to see the knee jerk reaction we have to such things... And telling.... Who's heroes would we be if we didn't have these kinds of questions to answer?

I think I can add another dimension to the inane poster scenario. The not uncommon lack of appreciation for the FREE service we provide. Often there is no shred of thank you and such posters just go away until they have another problem they didn't even try to research on their own.

[diagrammatiks]

You guys can have a preamptive thanks from me.

I just learned about that thermal wire stripper. I've been cutting shielded wire with a side-cutter.

I've just started reading through some of the active posts on the forums today. You'd think a lot of this stuff would be easier to google...

between aiken, geofex, tone-lizard, etc etc a faq exists for most of these issues already.

Still, I hang out with my tech a bunch when he's working and I've seen some funny stuff.

Actually, back when I was much greener I asked him to do some funny things too....

[überfuzz]

Still, I hang out with my tech a bunch when he's working and I've seen some funny stuff.

Actually, back when I was much greener I asked him to do some funny things too....

Did he pull the, don't ever, never, do what I'm about to do. *Tech starting to poke around with a screwdriver in the amp. Zapp zapp zapp.*