[TV MAN]

Tim, I did some digging, and found that transistor checker. Been years since I used it. It does check transistors in circuit, but you can also get false readings. It also checks for leakage, etc. It is foolproof in the respect of how you connect it. Just run the switch up or down until you get a sound. From my experiance, you can check a transistor for shorts with the diode checker function of a DMM such as a Fluke 77. Most are either good or bad. No inbetween, I mentioned the caps - cheap, and you will rule them out. You might try some kind of signal into the cartridge connection - I have seen these go bad and cause the symptom described. Again, food for thought...

   

Tim