[Guest]

Bill-- first off, thanks **very** much for the info. It's a bit intimidating to know that it's a fairly major project right off the bat, but I'll take a look at the reference link you've provided, and see how I think I'll measure up to the job.

I don't have a Variac, but I was warned that the unit was not operational when I bought it... hopefully, that doesn't mean someone's already fried something inside/underneath the amp or tuner. In any event, my first thought was along the lines of what you outlined-- to carefully pull out the amp, and take a look underneath to see the general condition. I'm guessing by your comment on the degree of difficulty that there's probably a lot under there!

Incidentally, does anyone else think it's a bit strange to have a stereo console unit with only one speaker mounted in it? (As you look at the front of the unit, the single speaker enclosure is in the bottom half of the right grille panel-- the left panel opens to show the amp selector and radio controls, with a square-ish empty space underneath, presumably for a reel-to-reel deck.) Further, on the back of the unit, the RCA jacks next to the electrical safety interlock at the top of the amp enclosure are marked for EXT AMP (left one) and TAPE (right one), but it's not quite clear to me if they mean those to be inputs or outputs.

I was a little apprehensive about the heat shield that sits underneath the large tube (the 5U4GB) on the amp, because it is crumbling a bit on one of the corners (which I think is visible in the the close up picture). Is it possible or desirable to attempt to seal the edge, or is it wisest to just leave it alone, and avoid disturbing it as much as possible?

Thanks for your help so far, Bill-- it looks like I may need to line up a few knowledgeable friends to get this girl singing again...!

-Kevin