Having an amp since '87 or '88 and not changing the tubes?

[wasteofo2]

My friend wrote into guitar one (or some simmilar guitar magazine) and asked Tom Morello if it was true his marshall heads were hotrodded. He actually got his question published in the issue (he's the last question, Conrad Capalbo), and tom said that nothing could be farther from the truth. He said that he got his current head in '87 or '88 and hasn't changed a tube since, and something to the effect that him and his amp tech are amazed.

I was always under the impression tubes went bad in like 2-3 years, is what he's saying really possible, especially considering the kind of tone he gets?

 

[mrid]

He likes the tone of bad tubes...plus he uses a MV head.

 

[jmv]

Well, i know that some super high quality tubes have high estimated life... like, 2 hours a day, everyday, for eleven years....

i dunno.

 

[Lewguitar]

Yeah it's possible. Preamp tubes and rectifier tubes, especially high quality NOS US and European tubes, can last a very long time: many years. Output tubes usually need to be replaced more often. Lew

 

[That90'sGuy]

According to my Triamp manual: the tubes included are of the highest quality and will last for years.

BS! They're Ruby tubes and they're horrible. We'll see how the Triamp was meant to sound in a week.

 

[Gearjoneser]

I'm surprised someone like Morello wouldn't be smart enough
to change the tubes in his Marshall. It's possible that tubes
can be run reasonably hard for 10 yrs, but he's gonna be sorry
when he's standing on a big festival stage somewhere and
blows a power tube. I wonder is he even packs spares, if he
doesn't even care to change them every year, like he should.
What kind of a Harvard man is he anyway?
The only tubes I've seen that can last that long are
Siemens (which are probably what's in his Marshall), Mullard,
GE, and Sylvanias.

 

[That90'sGuy]

A professional player I know told me tubes should be replaced every 100 hours regardless of make. I think that's a tad bit crazy myself, considering I only change them once every few years. (usually 3)

 

[Pandemonium]

I wonder what power tubes he uses? I doubt if EL34s would last that long, maybe a good set of KT88s or 6550s would.

 

[wasteofo2]

Well he says they're original, so i guess just find out what kind of amp he has and what marshall was putting in them circa the late 80's.

 

[Gearjoneser]

I also have a feeling that Tom Morello likes to push the image
of a guy who's so "anti" that he doesn't want to look like a guy
who cares about gear. BS! I'd bet his tech changes those tubes once a year, like most pro's.

"Ya don't gotta lie to kick it, Tom" We know you're a
white collar Harvard grad who wants to look like a rebel. LOL

 

[wasteofo2]

Well I know he's very public about modding his guitars and pedals, I can't imagine why he'd want to hide his amp maintenance when his home-made pedals are well known to all his fans.

 

[green_insomniac]

I think some of you are being a little too harsh about the issue. Tom Morello got to where he is because of talent and no one can deny that. Besides, he wouldn't know if the tubes were changed or not. His techi probably changes them and he doesn't know it. I too read the article in the new Guitar World that landed on my doorstep (or mailbox) this morning. It just sounds like he was a bit "mis-informed". I can't say as I like the man but we don't all need to attack him at once...

 

[59paul]

I change my oil,.......every 3,000 miles

 

[That90'sGuy]

Tom's the man. He knows how to use his effects well and he has a real groove and beat to the stuff he writes. It provided the background for Zach to rap to with Rage.

He's awesome for doing this new political acoustic stuff as the Nightwatchman. I really want to hear clips of it.

I didn't like Audioslave right away, especially because I was bitter about the breakup of Soundgarden, but I love it now.

He doesn't seem to care a lot about gear. He doesn't have fancy equipment.

 

[lastwinj]

The only tubes I've seen that can last that long are
Siemens (which are probably what's in his Marshall), Mullard,
GE, and Sylvanias.

dont forget the revered Western Electric 300b. some were installed in the 30's and 40's and are still going strong today in commercial equipment.

germ

 

[Grandor]

Who cares about soundgarden breaking up?
RATM breaking up is what pissed me off.
Zach was better imo than the new soundgarden guy. I know it's apples and oranges. But they just lost their vibe.

Morello is a champ.
Don't knock the guy

 

[That90'sGuy]

Soundgarden was only a pioneer of the grunge era and released some amazing singles like "the day i tried to live", "spoonman", "rusty cage", "outshined" and "black hole sun"... besides that, they just suck... right

Rage was fresh in the beginning, but they got old after a while.

And Audioslave was never meant to be another Rage-esque band. It's a supergroup. Morellos playing is even greater with a real singer.

 

[KoreanGuitarMan]

Morellos playing is even greater with a real singer.

He even plays real solos now, with an LP!

 

[Bludave]

Ho volume, Hi gain eat the tubes up!! I have a 69 Super reverb that I bought 15 years ago, and it has only be retubed once. My Marshall 900 which I always play with more gain, and volume has been retube twice in about 10 years, so who really knows. When my tubes start to go the volume drops off considerably, thats when I know it is time to change 'em