Turning Tube amps on/off

[zippy]

Ok, I feel REALLY stupid for asking this.. but I am a total rookie when it comes to tube amps. What is the correct procedure for turning them on and off? I know there are certain things you are supposed to do to preserve the tubes... but I'm kind of confused about the order of turning on the standyby switch.. unplugging your guitar.. etc.. thanks! :smack:

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: Turning Tube amps on/off

Turning on the amp.....Standby in the "standby position" Turn the power on,wait about 15 seconds and click the standby to on...

Turning off the amp...Different theories....Some people like to go to standby and then shut the amp off..In Dave Funk's Tube Book..He says to shut the power off,wait about 10 seconds and then put the standby switch to off....Turning off isn't as much as a big deal as making sure you wait for the heaters and the tubes to warm up....

Not at all a stupid question!

 

[texasguitarslinger]

Re: Turning Tube amps on/off

The standby switch is there mainly to allow the tubes to warm up before you put current across the plate. I don't believe it really "hurts" the tubes to go to on immediately but you won't have any sound for about 6 to 10 seconds because the tubes have to warm up first.

If you want to avoid loud pops and crackles through your speaker when plugging in your guitar put the amp on standby or get a Planet Waves cord with the on/off switch.

 

[mrid]

Re: Turning Tube amps on/off

I usually let EL-34's warm up for 30 seconds and 6L6's warm up for 60 seconds. When turning the amp off, I switch it into standby for about 10 seconds, then off.

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: Turning Tube amps on/off

The standby switch is there mainly to allow the tubes to warm up before you put current across the plate. I don't believe it really "hurts" the tubes to go to on immediately but you won't have any sound for about 6 to 10 seconds because the tubes have to warm up first.

If you want to avoid loud pops and crackles through your speaker when plugging in your guitar put the amp on standby or get a Planet Waves cord with the on/off switch.

The tubes do need to heat up or you risk stripping the cathode metal...One of the reasons most tube amps have the standby switch...Not all,but most of them..MRID has a great idea in the way he does it..

John

 

[zonniewiw]

Re: Turning Tube amps on/off

How I do it ....

1 Let them give the time to heat up , about 10 minutes is more than enough in stanby mode.

2 Than you start using your amp

3 unplugging your guitar isn´t a prob , but never disconnect your cable to your box when your amp is on , it is very bad for your amp .

4 If you play 2/3 hours a day you should replace your end tubes in , lets say 4 years max . The problem is you won´t hear tubes go down because it goes very slowly . But if you put in new ones ....

Your pre tubes you won´t have to change unless they are broken . (I usualy keep a set of pre-tubes in my bag , you can change them always . (look out by changing that you don´t touch the end tubes , you could get hurt)

You will have to take it to a amp engineer to change the end tubes, because the tubes will have to be adjusted to your amp by a ociloscope.

Johnny

 

[Ken]

Re: Turning Tube amps on/off

Your pre tubes you won´t have to change unless they are broken .

Please correct me if I'm wrong, especially because I'm not a tube amp owner, but I was under the impression that the Pre's wore out faster and it was the power tubes with the longer usage life?


On a sidenote, as with anything else, it would probably bad to flip the switch off and on repeatedly. Don't turn the amp on until you know you'll be using it to avoid the "Oh...well I need to do this first" and shut it off and then start it back up.

 

[Quencho092]

Re: Turning Tube amps on/off

10 mins is a long time.....i never do more than 3.

 

[Old Ghost]

Re: Turning Tube amps on/off

Please correct me if I'm wrong, especially because I'm not a tube amp owner, but I was under the impression that the Pre's wore out faster and it was the power tubes with the longer usage life?

Nope. It's the other way around. Preamp tubes lasts a lot longer than Power Tubes.

 

[zonniewiw]

Re: Turning Tube amps on/off

Please correct me if I'm wrong, especially because I'm not a tube amp owner, but I was under the impression that the Pre's wore out faster and it was the power tubes with the longer usage life?


I recently had changed my end tubes of my marshall 9200 after four years ,

The engineer tested also my preamp tubes from my 9200 and jmp1 that is about 6 years old and they are still good , he said to me that you won´t have to change a pre tube unless it´s broke .

He also found a error in my my marshall 9200 , said they made some resistor to weak in the begining of those amps

He does only repairs on tube amps for a living , so I believe him , if he wanted he had sold me another 6 pre tubes so ....

Johnny

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: Turning Tube amps on/off

Preamp tubes go microphonic,but as a rule last longer than output tubes...There are voltage differences and lots of techie stuff that plays into this also,but....LOL

 

[Ken]

Re: Turning Tube amps on/off

Nope. It's the other way around. Preamp tubes lasts a lot longer than Power Tubes.

DAg...I'll be jiggered. Well, I was wrong! :smack:



Learn something every day....

 

[Old Ghost]

Re: Turning Tube amps on/off

3 unplugging your guitar isn´t a prob , but never disconnect your cable to your box when your amp is on , it is very bad for your amp .

Box? If you mean't unplugging the Speaker Cable from the amp when it's ON, yes that's a big NO NO!!! Running the amp without speaker load can cause a major damage to the power transformer and will result a very very expensive repair. Unplugging your guitar from the amp even when it's ON doesn't hurt the amp.
The correct way to turn ON a tube amp: First, make sure both the Power and Standby Switch is at the OFF position. Plug the amp to AC outlet. Turn the POWER Switch ON. Wait at least a minute or two. Turn the STANDBY Switch ON. Your ready to go.
To turn it OFF. Turn the POWER Switch OFF. Wait at least 5-10 Seconds. Turn the STANDBY Switch OFF.
Your Power tubes will last a lot longer if you do it right. Tubes are like light bulbs and they NEED TO WARM UP to properly operate.

 

[twoheadedboy]

Re: Turning Tube amps on/off

My amp is a '59 bassman clone, and the guy who built it for me told me to give the amp 2 minutes to heat up before flicking the standby. He says it has to do with the type of rectifier tube we chose to go with with the amp. Different rectifier tubes can handle different voltages being thrown at them I guess. With most amps i generally give it about a minute though. As far as turning it off goes, he says it doesn't matter.

 

[zippy]

Re: Turning Tube amps on/off

Hey, thanks for all your help guys, I REALLY appreciate it.

But anywho.. So, you play with the standby switch ON?

 

[Old Ghost]

Re: Turning Tube amps on/off

Hey, thanks for all your help guys, I REALLY appreciate it.

But anywho.. So, you play with the standby switch ON?

:laugh2: You have to or there ain't gonna no juice coming out of your amp. Yes, the Standby Switch should be ON.

 

[BigBazz]

Re: Turning Tube amps on/off

ive been talking to an amp maker/builder, he said that its actually best just to turn the power right off when turning off, to let the valves/tubes bleed properly and that stanby wasnt needed for turning off.

 

[HamerPlyr]

Re: Turning Tube amps on/off

ive been talking to an amp maker/builder, he said that its actually best just to turn the power right off when turning off, to let the valves/tubes bleed properly and that stanby wasnt needed for turning off.

Agreed. I flip 'em both off at the same time. The warm up thing is valid- power on first and then a few seconds (I usually wait at least 30 seconds, only because I divert my attention to something else) before flipping the standby switch, but I always turn both of them off at the same time.

Leo Fender told me that this was the best way to do it, and then Randall Smith confirmed it. Fred Crate disagreed, but I don't trust him.

 

[Zerberus]

Re: Turning Tube amps on/off

After a few talks with people "in the Know" (my old Tech, Andreas Hecke of Tube Amp Doctor, and a few builders...), I´m pretty sure that you don´t need standby when turning off, but can just "turn it off" w/o caring what the story is on the standby.

Turning on, heating tubes and all, no question. 1-2 minutes, but mine usually just get´s dragged in, let it stand 5 minutes turn it on, and flip standby @ soundcheck, which should be about 30 minutes later or so

 

[Nightburst]

Re: Turning Tube amps on/off

I always asumed that I had to switch the amp to standby first when shutting it off. Apparantly it really doesn't matter?
For 'on', I let it warm up for about 5 - 10 minutes.

During gigs I do the soundcheck, then switch to standby untill the the show starts. (which is a couple of hours later). Then the amp has to breathe fire all night (3 bands playing) untill about 12:30 when the last band has finished the set. In between sets the amp goes to standby mode.
Is this harmfull or just hard on the tubes?