[TV MAN]

Mike, that is so funny! I was the exact opposite! I experimented with a Radio shack transistor course, and decided tubes were the way to go after I smoked a couple transistors
I used what I could find sitting out in the trash when I was younger. Back then, it wasn't uncommon to see an old record player, radio or TV sitting out on trash day. I had a wire basket on the handlebars of my bike (caught flack over it too) and brought home some really cool stuff! Really tho, what sold me on the tube stuff was that after getting a really nice transistor rack system (separates) and not liking all the computer hiss, noises and all that stuff, found an old Dynakit 70 and Pas3 in a stereo store for a couple hundred (yeah, I just dated it), took it home and hooked things up and was totally wowed! Noooooo comparison! Bought another 70 later same place for just a shade over 100 and set them up as monoblocks. Loved it! So, yeah, those tube electrons flow through my veins, and yeah, I've been zapped a few times. Try tapping the shunt regulator on a Zenith TV with a lead pencil