> He feels like he does not know enough
Nobody born knowing this stuff.
How IS he going to learn??
Running to Ed's house? Ed doesn't know everything. And what if you go out of town? Or have to wash your hair that night?
Sluckey has talked about a luncheonette(?) where the electronics techs hung out, and talked about cars, girls, and maybe a few electrons. Where the new guy could blurt an ignorant question and the old hands would throw him, maybe a fish, but also a fish-hook so he could do his own fish next time.
I agree with you and told him the same. Not much hair to was anymore, but I like the line.
If he would have been hanging around with me BEFORE I learned the little I know about amps, he would have probably feel better about it. He has no idea that radio and old TV repair is more difficult than a guitar amp. He thinks my learning increased, which is has, but in terms of difficulty radio has guitar amps beat.
Please no one flame the comment above, I mean no disrespect to amp builders. In building amps, there is much more varied skills needed needed like wood work, tolex or finishes. I even fold my chassis on most builds. It is designing amps that I intend to sponge off the knowledgeable folks here. I am getting close and I thank you both along with many others. IMO designing is the difficult stuff because just as soon as I depend on say an expected voltage from experience of a previous build, something in the new design changes it more than expected. Like for instance, how do you know in advance what plate voltages will be. Data sheet gives approximations which sometimes are not even within 20% due to more load than expected.
This was his first scratch build. Prior he built 2 kits from Mojo and Mojotone really does a great job with their kits. I did convince him to start back lurking, but he saw a thread a few years back where someone was humiliated by one of our Moderators. IMO the guy who got offended read into a lot more than what was really there. I prefer not to go back and rehash as it is not my style. It is just what my friend is afraid of. Yes, immature, but aren't we all in some way.
With some folk, no knowing something seems to me to be considered a character flaw to them. What a lost opportunity to learn. You cannot know what you do not know. Just like I started this thread simply by saying I did not know. I thought the gain would be similar to a triode stage unbypassed, I just simply had never done it.
BTW, his is now bypassed with a 80uf/50v and the measurable output clean was just under 4 watts unbypassed and just over 8 bypassed.