A "What the..." moment

[dieseljeep]

Originally Posted by Charlie

Wow... someone went thru a lot of trouble there!

I thought for sure that the set used a 6CB5 originally, but I looked up the schematic. Maybe the later production sets used it, as the 6CD6 is a little taxed in that circuit. I know for sure that the 21" model uses a 6CB5, as well as the CTC4 & CTC5.

[vintagecollect]

Really interesting when somone can hack a fix. CHris, buzz me on New phone, can blog when mobile!

[N2IXK]

I can verify that you can still get free replacement tubes from Rat Shack, but the new tubes will NOT carry the lifetime replacement guarantee. You also need to be persistent about it, and talk to the store manager, not the cellphone salesdroid behind the counter.

About 3 months ago, I was able to exchange a pair of gassy "Lifetime" gold pin 6L6GCs for a new pair. The manager had to call the regional office, who said that the warranty was still valid WITHOUT the original receipt, but that tubes were now a "special order item" and might take a while. It took almost 6 weeks to get the new tubes, which were Russian "Sovtek" branded.

6L6GCs are one of the relative handful of tube types that are still in production, however. You might have a bit more difficulty having RS replace a 6CD6 or a 6BK4.