chadrussel1221
New member
hello all, I have troubles with muddy bass frequencies on my tube amp and was curious if there were some tubes I could swap out to clean it up. 3x 6V6GT, 6SL7GT, and a 12AY7 are in there at the moment
Tube swapping
- Thread starter chadrussel1221
- Start date
chadrussel1221
New member
Re: Tube swapping
oh **** yeah, I checked all but one, now I feel stupid, its a 5y3. Its a vintage Gibson six amp
oh **** yeah, I checked all but one, now I feel stupid, its a 5y3. Its a vintage Gibson six amp
chadrussel1221
New member
Re: Tube swapping
its a straight up GA-6 can't upload a pic right now but it says gibson 6 on the front
its a straight up GA-6 can't upload a pic right now but it says gibson 6 on the front
Left_Hand_Strat
New member
Re: Tube swapping
Stupid question from an idiot here:
You sure the speaker aint going dead on you?
EDIT: as in on the way out?
Stupid question from an idiot here:
You sure the speaker aint going dead on you?
EDIT: as in on the way out?
chadrussel1221
New member
Re: Tube swapping
speaker did sound bad until I cleaned it (Jensen P12R), installed it in a different combo amp and worked very well, and the wiring is flawless albeit dusty and stained, the only thing I modified was the on/off switch, because it was held together with rivets I couldn't clean it so I hotwired it to turn on as it was plugged in
speaker did sound bad until I cleaned it (Jensen P12R), installed it in a different combo amp and worked very well, and the wiring is flawless albeit dusty and stained, the only thing I modified was the on/off switch, because it was held together with rivets I couldn't clean it so I hotwired it to turn on as it was plugged in
chadrussel1221
New member
Re: Tube swapping
I just want a better low-end
I just want a better low-end
glassman
Electron Herder
Re: Tube swapping
If your amp has never been touched, you are way overdue for the electrolytics to be swapped out. Don't wait until it totally craps out on you as it will likely take the power transformer out with it and getting an exact replacement isn't going to be easy.
Don't throw new tubes at this amp until you have a stable power supply. They won't sound right anyway...and your older tubes will probably sound better than new ones once the amp is in good shape.
If your amp has never been touched, you are way overdue for the electrolytics to be swapped out. Don't wait until it totally craps out on you as it will likely take the power transformer out with it and getting an exact replacement isn't going to be easy.
Don't throw new tubes at this amp until you have a stable power supply. They won't sound right anyway...and your older tubes will probably sound better than new ones once the amp is in good shape.
chadrussel1221
New member
Re: Tube swapping
the power supply is stable and my grandfather say the electrolytics wouldn't affect the power transformer, he was a master electrician at GM so I trust what he says
the power supply is stable and my grandfather say the electrolytics wouldn't affect the power transformer, he was a master electrician at GM so I trust what he says
misterwhizzy
Well-known member
Re: Tube swapping
If it were GE, I'd respect that. GM not so much. Listen to glassman.
If it were GE, I'd respect that. GM not so much. Listen to glassman.
glassman
Electron Herder
Re: Tube swapping
Your grandfather actually has a valid point and is correct when it comes to a lot of industial equipment and some consumer equipment. The metal can electrolytics from back in the old days literally can last forever; I have audio equipment from the 1950's that I will never need to change the electrolytics in. Those were the old 40 and 65 degree celcius rated cans; they can be reformed over and over. Your Gibson doesn't have those type electrolytics in it. They "may" last 40+ years but anything beyond 30 is a crap shoot. and yes, they will literally burn down the power transformer and fill your house with smoke. When they dry up, they become a dead short; if that short is on the high voltage side of the power transformer, it may not blow the fuse. I had a Gibson GA20RTV on my bench a couple years ago that did just that; as soon as you turned it on, smoke would billow out of the chassis but the fuse didn't blow. It stunk my shop up something terrible. Once that power transformer is gone, there ain't no bringing it back...and when it goes, it will be in the wink of an eye with no warning and no time to react.
Your grandfather actually has a valid point and is correct when it comes to a lot of industial equipment and some consumer equipment. The metal can electrolytics from back in the old days literally can last forever; I have audio equipment from the 1950's that I will never need to change the electrolytics in. Those were the old 40 and 65 degree celcius rated cans; they can be reformed over and over. Your Gibson doesn't have those type electrolytics in it. They "may" last 40+ years but anything beyond 30 is a crap shoot. and yes, they will literally burn down the power transformer and fill your house with smoke. When they dry up, they become a dead short; if that short is on the high voltage side of the power transformer, it may not blow the fuse. I had a Gibson GA20RTV on my bench a couple years ago that did just that; as soon as you turned it on, smoke would billow out of the chassis but the fuse didn't blow. It stunk my shop up something terrible. Once that power transformer is gone, there ain't no bringing it back...and when it goes, it will be in the wink of an eye with no warning and no time to react.
chadrussel1221
New member
Re: Tube swapping
my capacitors are rated to 85°C but I understand what you're saying, is there a way to tell if they are dry or am I better off just swapping them all out?
my capacitors are rated to 85°C but I understand what you're saying, is there a way to tell if they are dry or am I better off just swapping them all out?
