: What? that Ernie Ball Service, the current owners of Music Man would refer
: you to me or that some would help people for free? I don't charge people
: for answering questions.

** Neither does anyone else " over the internet " - you moron.

Which proves how out of touch you are. Guys are selling manuals, circuit
diagrams and tech help over the internet with credit card pay capacity.
But you say it's not done so we'll all move on believing what you wrote.
Not...

: Since you know so much about transistors Phil, what's wrong with a
: T0-220 transistor package? The original devices were properly rated
: for the task and hold up well if the circuit is not abused.

: ** Bull**** - to BOTH asinine assertions.

Yeah, I noticed you didn't answer the question(s). Music Man made and sold
a lot of guitar amplifiers. How many have you made and sold Phil?

: Those TO220s were the simply the CHEAPEST devices MM could find that worked.

Not really... if you look at the period when the music man circuit were
built, it might be easy to say the TO-3 case transistor was just as
popular and probably just as cheap. The TO-220 case style choice was
probably not made on cost alone.

: Their total demise in normal service was as predictable as night
: following day.

So you say the many solid state cathode drive circuits still out there in
service are living on borrowed time..? Based on my paperwork here, the
last 23 Music Man amplifiers I've seen here shouldn't have left with their
original cathode drive TO-220 transistor circuits still in place...

: Not really, if you didn't have your head planted, you'd notice
: the low value series resistors in the cathode drive circuit, which
: can and should be sized to act like fuse links.

: ** WHAT ABSOLUTE BULL**** !!!

: There are NO such fusible resistors in any MM amp.

Man, you really have your head planted Phil. If you pull over ~500mA
through the 3.9 ohm 1w resistors in each of the JE1692 transistor emitter
leads, the resistor(s) should open. Since the JE1692 (cross to a 2n6292)
is rated about 7 to 10 amps Ic_max.. the resistors should fail first.
They don't have to have a label on them to say fuse link or fusable
resistors to be used in that capacity Phil. Using resistors as tube
cathode fuses was popular with a small company named Collins. I've got
some of their products from the early 60's with the same design. It's not
anything new.

: Even if fusible resistors were fitted, the puny TO220s would not be saved.

Depends on what happens during a fault condition really.


:The key is to put in the proper type output tubes and not
: have a high current short or flash over glitch.

: ** Asinine crapology !!

I guess professional tube manufactures and engineers have made
up the entier high pot testing fact and you're right?

: Tubes guaranteed never to arc or fail to a high current situation
: at the end of their life do not exist in the marketplace.

Sure they do, but that doesn't address the facts. I'll sell you a tube
that I guarantee not to arc or fail but you're going to pay 60x the
price for it and call it a special production/spec item.

The best bet is to protect against amplifier circuit glitch events. If you
ever cared to learn something about the subject, drop by web sites like
www.somis.org and http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek/ and read how people
protect amplifiers from glitch and parasitic problems.

: The intense vibrations in a "combo" amp guarantees that the OPPOSITE
: happens.

Opposite of what ever the heck you're now babbling on about?

: Not funny, real world. You set it once at the time of mfgr and
: get on with your life. If you actually understood the operation
: of the circuit, you'd know similar replacement tubes will rebias
: at almost the exact same idle current value.

: ** And when the new tubes are not exactly similar ?

The tubes set up nearly the same as the originals. It never hurts to check
the bias, but it's not required in a cathode drive circuit with similar
tubes.

: Or the bias components age and drift ??

The actual cathode current is slaved through the solid state drive circuit
and is dependant on it. All things considered, the drift should be
minimal mostly depending on resistor value changes. If you
understand it, the circuit oesn't take much to check out for proper
operation.

: Testing a NEW tube has no bearing on its possible failure, maybe years
: later.
: YOU are an ignorant, lying TURD.

I can't help you stop making an a$$ of yourself Phil. You might call Lord
Valve (Willie) at NDB Electronics in Denver and ask him if testing a new
tube is something to consider.

: The TO3 tube diver devices chosen by PV have way higher current, power and
: voltage ratings - for damn good reasons.

I only care to talk about Music Man Amplifiers. There is no comparison to
any other brand regarding the hybrid cathode drive circuit. Trying to go
off topic only shows how weak your electronics theory is.

: Power tubes in guitar amps rattle to bits, burn out and often fail
: spectacularly.

Your playing dodge and weave... and doing a bad job of it.
.... Has nothing to do with the cathode drive circuit. "Cars on the
freeway rattle to bits, burn out and often fail spectacularly".

: Those puny TO220 transistors in MM amp's cathodes *blow up* all the time.
: When an output tube fails to a high current draw, it takes the
: driver device with it - INSTANTLY.

You know all Phil, you're an ex'pert. drip under pressure..

: This naturally kills the parallel tube too, in a 4 tube model.
: No such thing is possible with tubes driving the outputs.
: YOU are just NOT interested in REALITY !!!!
: **** OFF !!!!
: YOU MICKEY MOUSE IMBECILE !!!
: ....... Phil

"The most tender nerve is right behind the bulls horns". Some day
you'll un-plant your head and learn something new Phil. By the looks
of things, it won't happen anytime soon. Plus you've got to learn
to clean up your potty mouth.

s.