Half the power in amp

[emilio]

I have a Bugera 333xl 120w combo. I was wondering if I can take some tubes out in order to cut the power? I need very little power for the small practice room we have and want to save the tubes if possible. I really don't want to risk causing damage to anything. I appreciate any help you can give.

 

[GilmourD]

Re: Half the power in amp

You can remove a pair of the power tubes, but you'll be dropping from 120 watts to 60 watts, which really isn't that much quieter.

The 333XL is a master volume amp. You could just turn down the volume.

 

[75lespaul]

Re: Half the power in amp

By pulling two tubes, doesn't that change the impedance as well? Don't quote me on that, but I believe I've read that before.

 

[GilmourD]

Re: Half the power in amp

By pulling two tubes, doesn't that change the impedance as well? Don't quote me on that, but I believe I've read that before.

Yes, that two. I forget which direction it goes in (halves or doubles whatever the normal output is).

But, like I said... Master volume? Easy as a knob turn. I rehearse just fine with my rehearsal studio's DSL100 at about 2.5 on the master.

If you want power tube distortion, you're going to need an attenuator of some form so that you don't blast your face off.

 

[Edgecrusher]

Re: Half the power in amp

pulling 2 tubes to save wear on the other 2 is a bad idea... No one here mentioned you HAVE To pull either the middle 2 or the outside 2... you cannot pull the 2 on the left or right and you have to halve the ohms on the back of the amp.

If you run the amp this way for some time and you put the other 2 tubes back in the wear will be uneven. The old tubes will draw less current than the new. At best the amp will be a little more noisy from the imbalance. At worst it if the imbalance is severe enough it can cause some weird surging in the sound issues.

Let the tubes wear as a set. Even an attenuator is an imperfect solution if you want to save wear on your tubes. An attenuator sound like pewp if you crank an amp to 10 and then dial it down to conversation levels. Its good if you need to run your amp on 5 but sound like its on 3. But it will still wear the tubes like the amp is on 5.

If you need something very quiet for your practice space I would suggest a different amp. That way you can save your tube amp for when it counts.

 

[GilmourD]

Re: Half the power in amp

pulling 2 tubes to save wear on the other 2 is a bad idea... No one here mentioned you HAVE To pull either the middle 2 or the outside 2... you cannot pull the 2 on the left or right and you have to halve the ohms on the back of the amp.

If you run the amp this way for some time and you put the other 2 tubes back in the wear will be uneven. The old tubes will draw less current than the new. At best the amp will be a little more noisy from the imbalance. At worst it if the imbalance is severe enough it can cause some weird surging in the sound issues.

Let the tubes wear as a set. Even an attenuator is an imperfect solution if you want to save wear on your tubes. An attenuator sound like pewp if you crank an amp to 10 and then dial it down to conversation levels. Its good if you need to run your amp on 5 but sound like its on 3. But it will still wear the tubes like the amp is on 5.

If you need something very quiet for your practice space I would suggest a different amp. That way you can save your tube amp for when it counts.

This. Edgecrusher knows his stuff.

I would've touched upon these points, but I really think he should just turn the master down. LOL

Sent from my Moto X 2014 using Tapatalk

 

[Edgecrusher]

Re: Half the power in amp

but I really think he should just turn the master down. LOL

I agree there...

I mentioned the other stuff cause he wanted to save wear on his tubes. In reality low master volume settings will save his tubes.

 

[emilio]

Re: Half the power in amp

Now that you mention it Edge, it sounds very logical and makes me feel kind of retarded. lol. Thanks a lot!

 

[Edgecrusher]

Re: Half the power in amp

Now that you mention it Edge, it sounds very logical and makes me feel kind of retarded. lol. Thanks a lot!

Sorry wasnt my intention... I just wanted you to know all the possible cons it could have before you decided to go ahead with it.

 

[emilio]

Re: Half the power in amp

I know man. I thank you all very much for your input. It was helpful. \m/

 

[Detroitblues]

Re: Half the power in amp

Get a Peavey Valveking MH20 and your problem is solved. Cutting the wattage in half won't help.

 

[GuitarStv]

Re: Half the power in amp

I stumbled across this Premier Guitar article on pulling tubes from your amp: http://www.premierguitar.com/articles/20713-ask-amp-man-removing-output-tubes-to-reduce-power . Interestingly, it mentions that you can pull both the outer, both the inner, or pull alternating tubes with no problem.

 

[GilmourD]

Re: Half the power in amp

I stumbled across this Premier Guitar article on pulling tubes from your amp: http://www.premierguitar.com/articles/20713-ask-amp-man-removing-output-tubes-to-reduce-power . Interestingly, it mentions that you can pull both the outer, both the inner, or pull alternating tubes with no problem.

That does make sense since the two tubes on each side are in parallel with each other, so it doesn't matter which you pull as long as you pull one from each side. Here's an AB763 Fender Twin as an example. You can see how each side is wired.

 

[Kais]

Re: Half the power in amp

you could take out 2 tubes, rebias and go...but like someone said it wont be that might quieter. Also some have reported the bass becomes more flubby and other bad things.

 

[GilmourD]

Re: Half the power in amp

Like I said before...