Need help IDing console

[djnagle]

Hi All, I am helping a friend build up a system. He lives in rual northern Michigan and has not worked for many months. So, He found a pair of DIY speakers that we are refirbing and now he is looking for an amp. He wants tubes and so he is keeping his eye out of a console. He does not have the gas money to drive all over northern Michigan and I can't tell him what years consoles went to solid state.

So, what years, in general, did consoles go to solid state from tubes?

ps. here is the link to his speaker refirb.

http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=236624

 

[TheRed1]

It depends on the brand. Magnavox, which I believe was an early convert to SS, began the transition in '62 and was entirely Astro-Sonic (transistorized) by '63. Fisher, on the other hand, was much more conservative and began to offer SS/tube hybrids beginning in 1964 on their higher-end models and finally went 100% SS in 1967. Problem is that consoles are almost never advertised with the model year mentioned. You're lucky if you get a model number or even the brand name sometimes.

Often it is more practical to look for clues like the apparent weight of the tone arm on the turntable (the heavier the better), or if the back panel is perforated to allow the heat generated by tubes to escape or even the styling of the cabinet (the busier, more ornamented and awkward-looking the design, the less likely you are to find tubes). However, there are exceptions to these general guidelines and often it's only by actual inspection that you can be sure since the possibility exists that the electronics are not original to the cabinet.

If you post a picture here on AK you can generally get a consensus as to the likelihood of there being tubes within. (Just be careful not to post something like a Fisher President or a Magnavox Concert Grand or you might start a stampede!)

 

[djnagle]

It depends on the brand. Magnavox, which I believe was an early convert to SS, began the transition in '62 and was entirely Astro-Sonic (transistorized) by '63. Fisher, on the other hand, was much more conservative and began to offer SS/tube hybrids beginning in 1964 on their higher-end models and finally went 100% SS in 1967. Problem is that consoles are almost never advertised with the model year mentioned. You're lucky if you get a model number or even the brand name sometimes.

Often it is more practical to look for clues like the apparent weight of the tone arm on the turntable (the heavier the better), or if the back panel is perforated to allow the heat generated by tubes to escape or even the styling of the cabinet (the busier, more ornamented and awkward-looking the design, the less likely you are to find tubes). However, there are exceptions to these general guidelines and often it's only by actual inspection that you can be sure since the possibility exists that the electronics are not original to the cabinet.

If you post a picture here on AK you can generally get a consensus as to the likelihood of there being tubes within. (Just be careful not to post something like a Fisher President or a Magnavox Concert Grand or you might start a stampede!)

Thanks Red. Those are great guidelines. There is not much advertised in northern Michigan, unlike Detroit metro area, but Dell is hearing of them from time to time. I will post pics if I can. Cheers.