20-04-2015, 04:46 PM
They were pretty reliable from new. Tin whisker transistor problems didn't show up for many years - well outside of the warranty period. Likewise, capacitors were fine from new. Output stages were generally reliable and more often than not only went wrong if people did something daft with them (like a short circuit in external loudspeaker wiring).
Most weren't especially easy to work on, but it was possible with care. But that was by experienced engineers - not people who are relatively new to the game. There are easier sets to "cut your teeth" on. For example, Hacker made great sets that were built with future maintenance in mind. Generally, a pleasure to work on, with plug-in connectors and modular construction. Pick yourself up a Hunter RP38A or a Sovereign II RP25A. Then download the manuals and study them, as they were a work of art in their own right.
I find continental sets to be the hardest to work on - in no particular order, Grundig, Tandberg, Braun, and several others besides. But they were cleverly designed and made, and do generally last well - it's hard to get too upset when a set gets its first failure in 40+ years...
Most weren't especially easy to work on, but it was possible with care. But that was by experienced engineers - not people who are relatively new to the game. There are easier sets to "cut your teeth" on. For example, Hacker made great sets that were built with future maintenance in mind. Generally, a pleasure to work on, with plug-in connectors and modular construction. Pick yourself up a Hunter RP38A or a Sovereign II RP25A. Then download the manuals and study them, as they were a work of art in their own right.
I find continental sets to be the hardest to work on - in no particular order, Grundig, Tandberg, Braun, and several others besides. But they were cleverly designed and made, and do generally last well - it's hard to get too upset when a set gets its first failure in 40+ years...
