Did Leo Fender use math?

[Axtman]

Since Leo Fender was trained as a radio repairman and not an engineer, I assume that did not use math when designing his amplifiers. I also assume he just tinkered and experimented with the tube amp designs published in the RCA tube handbooks, ARRL handbooks, and other electronic publications. Is this correct?

[The Dude]

Well, I wasn't trained as an engineer either and don't have an engineering degree. I went to tech school and have a diploma. Yet, I use math every day figuring out voltage dividers, current flow, etc., etc. I don't think you can work in the electronics field successfully without some math background. A good portion of electronics is math based. How much math did Leo use or know? We'll probably never know, but I suspect he used quite a bit.

[Chuck H]

There's not much about 1960+ vintage Fender designs that looks like the RCA handbook and there's not much in those designs that doesn't seem to take tube operating conditions into account (one exception I know of if anyone asks). So even if Leo wasn't technically an engineer I suspect he had some chops. I'm poor with math. Which is weird because I scored in the top 1% for math conception on my SAT.?. But I dropped out of high school and never went beyond algebra. I never learned math language and nomenclature with it's dots, sqiggly lines, brackets and such. But it's all just addition, subtraction, multiplication and division if you can only unscramble the formulas. I use math every day and especially when working on designs. I'm NOT an engineer or even a tech of any training. I guess my point is that math isn't exclusive to those with documentation proving they learned it.

And I'm pretty sure Leo did employ some credited engineers from time to time. He was probably more of an idealist, visionary and business man than anything else.

[xtian]

One thing Leo copied from the RCA manual is the damned stand-by switch. Replaced another one today, making mystery misery (burned fuses and popping noises) in a Tweed Bassman.

[The Dude]

...... I never learned math language and nomenclature with it's dots, sqiggly lines, brackets and such.....

I learned all of that stuff (not sure why). Had Trigonometry and several other advanced math classes. I even scored pretty high grades in those types of classes. BUT, if you asked me today what any of it meant, I'd be lost. I (and I expect many others) only retained/remembered the parts that have relevance to my job and that I use on a regular basis. The point is that, if you didn't learn all of that "squiggly line" stuff, you haven't missed much in regards to amp repair. Only education that applies to your type of work really matters,...... FOR THE MOST PART.

[Chuck H]

One thing Leo copied from the RCA manual is the damned stand-by switch. Replaced another one today, making mystery misery (burned fuses and popping noises) in a Tweed Bassman.

Yep. But that wasn't after 1960

In the BF designs the only thing I see that looks hinky is the 50k trem pot. It immediately follows large coupling caps and imposes a less than ideal load impedance
for the mix stage for those amps. In fact it was once popular to defunct the tremolo by disconnecting the trem pot ground on those amps to get better "fidelity" for players that don't use tremolo. This was even a mod reported to have been done on SRV's Vibroverb. And perhaps how it gained some recognition.?.

[The Dude]

This is a blatant thread hijack, so apologies to Axtman:

My worst subject in school was history. I couldn't understand the need to memorize dates and years that events happened. I think it's important to know history, but not so much exactly the day such and such happened. Anyway, after failing a history test badly, my teacher had a talk with me and told me that if I didn't know the answer, at least guess and have a chance of getting the answer right. So, I did just that on the next test and decided to have fun with it. I had lots of similar answers on that test, but the one I remember most was: Question: What was the first thing Eisenhower did when he got into office? Answer: Put new curtains in the East Room. I was promptly called back into the office for another visit with the teacher who was apparently not amused. I remember asking her to prove I was wrong.

[Chuck H]

No doubt anyone here could be diagnosed with ADD or ADHD or spectrum Aspergers or spectrum savant autism. Now, I'm not talking about serious disorders at all. Of course we need to care for individuals that are acutely or profoundly afflicted. But for most and mild circumstances these things used to amount to personality quirks. Our friends kept us in line. Today everyone and everything needs to be diagnosed as a singular mental "disorder" rather than some trait that might actually make someone special or allow them some yin to the yang of their shortcommings. It seems to me that most of us were alright and at terms with our quirks before newer cultural imperatives insisted that everyone is disabled. Just thinking out loud.

[nosaj]

Letters and numbers do not go together. Apples and oranges. But Geometry I could do because I could relate it to pool. I always wanted to get into physics but prerequisite was algebra. But I have found over the last few years I can work backwards. If they have let me into physics i could have learned what I needed for physics. So I got into skateboarding instead and did physics that way.
nosaj

[g1]

The original question should probably be answered yes as there is no specific definition given to the term 'use math'.
If you're measuring with a ruler and familiar with that system of measurement, you are probably doing mental math without even paying attention to it.
But I think Axtman probably meant engineering/technologist type formulas etc., to which my answer would probably be no.

[x-pro]

To read you all, you'd think a man was burning lamps and scorching his fingers..

[Helmholtz]

What difference would it make, if we knew?

[Chuck H]

Letters and numbers do not go together. Apples and oranges. But Geometry I could do because I could relate it to pool. I always wanted to get into physics but prerequisite was algebra. But I have found over the last few years I can work backwards. If they have let me into physics i could have learned what I needed for physics. So I got into skateboarding instead and did physics that way.
nosaj

That's a risky way to learn some fundamental laws

[nosaj]

That's a risky way to learn some fundamental laws

I learned quite a bit balance, braking gravity and bones. I learned carpentry with building ramps. I learned I am too old to be on a skateboard now. But all in all I learned a lot from it got introduced to a lot of music i might not otherwise have been listened to.
nosaj

[The Dude]

.....If you're measuring with a ruler and familiar with that system of measurement, you are probably doing mental math without even paying attention to it.
But I think Axtman probably meant engineering/technologist type formulas etc., to which my answer would probably be no.

You don't think Leo knew at least Ohm's Law?