Console consultation

[nohiss]

I'm helping a friend with a 1962 GE rc-1430a tube console hifi. His dad bought it new and he wants to restore it as a surprise for pops. Prior to taking the back off I expected to find simple probably solid state electronics but to my surprise this thing is loaded with tubes and all kinds of unfamiliar gadgets. It looks like it even has some sort of reverb system. I'm a little reluctant to start disassembly due to my lack of what I'm looking at. Are there any good resources? I have found a schematic but that's about it. Your guidance is greatly appreciated. Cheers.

 

[swechsler]

There will hopefully be a diagram on the inside of the back panel that will show the location and type of each tube. You'll want to get hold of a tube tester as there's a good chance that some of them are bad (tubes don't generally die from age, rather from use, although the pins can become oxidized over time). Back then, before many people called a repairman (not to be sexist, but in this time period it was inevitably a man), they would remove their tubes and bring them to an electronics store (like Radio Shack, but there were others) that sold tubes. They'd have a big floorstanding tube tester (one example below), frequently with racks stocked with the more common tubes; you'd plug your tubes one at a time into the tester, and it had a meter which would let you know if the tube needed replacement.

However, for any other work, you should be cognizant of the voltages inside, which are much higher than you'll see with solid state. Additionally, it's not uncommon for the chassis to be connected to one side of the line cord, which means it can be energized at 120V at all times.

To get started, it might not be a bad idea to watch a few videos about repairing tube equipment so you know what you're getting yourself into. One I quite like is Mr. Carlson's Lab; he's done quite a few tube repairs.

 

[Dswankey]

That you found a schematic is a good start, Pictures, if you can, of the tube unit & the schematic will be helpful for the tube gurus here at AK to assess and offer suggestions for moving forward.

If it were me I would hit the "report" button as seen at the bottom of your post and when you see this * type in asking a moderator to move this thread to the dedicated "tube audio" subforum here at AK. This way you're more then likely to have the aforementioned tube gurus be able to see the thread

An while you're at it see if you can re title your thread "Console Consultation is vague may re name it "1962 GE RC-1430a tube console help"

*


https://www.audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?forums/tube-audio.14/