I was reading a thread a moment ago. Someone wrote in with some issue with his amp, and a member here suggested several things to look at. This member is someone whom I respect, someone I think knows what he is doing. But I realized, the suggestions made were totally not what I would have suggested at that point. But I had to consider that there was absolutely nothing wrong with these other suggestions, they just aren't the ones I'd start with.
Point being, there are as many approaches to service as there are servicers, and while there are idiots with soldering irons, most approaches are legitimate if they work. It saddens me a lot when some folks - mainly the less experienced - think there is only the "right" way, and then everything else. And the corollary to that, they tend to think there exists a list, telling us for each amp that when THIS happens, it will be THUS that is wrong.
Somebody likes to check tubes first, while I might like to check jacks first. Or whatever. Neither thing precludes the other. Most of the time, the ten things that come to the top of the list can be quickly performed in whatever order you like. So we ought to encourage the novice to spend less time worrying about which suggestion was the better, and just start working.
Gee, this thought was a lot more articulate in my head than it is now in print.
Point being, there are as many approaches to service as there are servicers, and while there are idiots with soldering irons, most approaches are legitimate if they work. It saddens me a lot when some folks - mainly the less experienced - think there is only the "right" way, and then everything else. And the corollary to that, they tend to think there exists a list, telling us for each amp that when THIS happens, it will be THUS that is wrong.
Somebody likes to check tubes first, while I might like to check jacks first. Or whatever. Neither thing precludes the other. Most of the time, the ten things that come to the top of the list can be quickly performed in whatever order you like. So we ought to encourage the novice to spend less time worrying about which suggestion was the better, and just start working.
Gee, this thought was a lot more articulate in my head than it is now in print.
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