Re: the peavey rockmaster works like a champ.
you people have created a monster. i played the peavey today.i could not even think of turning the volume past 5..i get the tube thing.the notes articulated one by one into earfulls of joy.picking soft or loud has noticable variences.it all boils together in this bubbling mix of sounds i could feel. i can articulate a note by the way i pick it..wow..how cool is that? i have bought my last solidstate amplifier.
That post quoted above should be vaulted as definitive reference when anyone asks "are tubes better?", or "what's the difference between tubes and s/s?" or "Thinking about buying my first tube amp" or "modelling is the future .... tubes will disappear" and similar questions.
Congratulations, and welcome to Hollow State ! Welcome to the warm side !
On a more serious note .... you will hear mention of 'filter caps' (capacitors). They are large electrolytic capacitors in the power supply. They are often considered to have a working life of ten years, but often last for twenty or thirty before they need replacing. because your amp may be almost thirty years old, they may begin to show signs in years to come. An early sign is often an increase in humm level when the amp is on.
What i'm saying is .... you haven't mentioned any excessive humm level, so the filter caps are probably fine at the moment, but because of the age of the amp, they may need to be replaced in the next few years (as should any other electrolytic capacitors in the circuit). It is perfectly normal in the world of tube gear, and nothing to panic about .... I'm not sure what a tech would charge to replace the filter caps where you live, but i would hazard a guess of US$100 ?? (someone else will be able to give you a more accurate figure probably). But it is money well spent, and i half expected to hear that this amp didn't work properly, had to go to a tech and the first thing that would have been done was new filter caps.
SO ... i'm saying that the amp will have a cap job ahead in it's life at some point, it's normal for old amps, so don't freak out about it, be prepared. My suggestion would be to get a recap done soon, before you get too deep into it ... then you'll know that it's been done and you won't need to worry about it for another couple of decades, and your amp will be performing strongly and reliably.
But i'm really happy that the amp seems to be working well and is introducing you to the special magic of an ancient and mostly-abandoned technology that does something to sound that none of the newer technologies have quite captured. You've crossed a line now, it's a whole new world. Your ears are gonna love it !
