All Questions
Tagged with amplifiers vacuum-tube
22 questions
10
votes
7
answers
1k
views
What is the value of having tube amp in guitar power amp?
Do we really need tube amp for power amp? I understand that the tone change is done in the preamp. And preamp with tube sounds a lot better than solid state amp as it's more rich and full in tone. ...
- 163
2
votes
2
answers
191
views
5 watt tube Amp has 2 8ohms outputs and I have 2 1x16ohm speakers. Can I connect them together?
I have a Harley Benton GA5 head (5 watts tube amp head) which has two 8 ohms outputs.
I also have two 1x16 ohms cabs, one with a Celestion vintage 30 and one with an Eminence speaker.
Is it possible ...
- 21
3
votes
4
answers
9k
views
Can I use headphones with tube guitar amplifier without headphone jack?
Newbie here (no electrical knowledge).
Question: For a 15 watts tube amplifier without a headphones output, is it safe to use the external speaker out jack to plug it to headphones, mixer or USB ...
- 155
3
votes
3
answers
8k
views
Is it mandatory to let tube amps warming up ? What are the risks of not doing that?
I heard literally everywhere that it is really important to let my amp warming up for some minutes before playing the guitar (or give some audio do the input).
Strange thing is that the recommended ...
- 133
1
vote
1
answer
139
views
Can I connect a microphone to a valve amp? [closed]
Is it possible/a good idea to plug a mic into a valve amp? I've heard that the output of a mic is too high for it. Anyone know if this is true? Since I don't want to try it out.
- 11
2
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Tube amplifier buzzing
I'm having some issues with buzzing coming the amplifier. When I turn the amp on I get a buzzing noise from the speaker. I've found that it's related to the TV in the next room, when this is turned ...
- 31
0
votes
1
answer
422
views
Tube Amp to Headphones
I have a B-52 AT-100 all-tube amplifier head. I currently have it connected to a LINE-6 Spider 412 four-speaker cabinet. In order to really drive the tubes, I have a vintage Scholz Power Soak, which ...
- 313
3
votes
1
answer
3k
views
What is a buffered effects loop in a guitar amp?
I've just purchased an Orange Rocker 15 combo valve guitar amp and one of its features is a
valve driven effects loop
also referred to as a buffered effects loop.
What does this actually mean? I'...
- 779
2
votes
3
answers
1k
views
my Fender Super Champ X2 makes a whooshing sound, will new tubes fix this?
I have a Fender Super Champ X2, a couple years old (bought it used).
When I first turn it on, it makes a noticeable, but not deal-breaking, swirling/whooshing noise for five or ten minutes until it's ...
- 121
3
votes
1
answer
827
views
keeping tube amps in optimal condition
Over the holidays I acquired my first tube amplifier, a VOX VT20X. I'm not really sure whats required to keep a tube amp sounding its best for as long as possible or if they even require special ...
- 379
4
votes
6
answers
5k
views
Do vintage guitar amplifiers really sound better when run at lower voltages?
I got a Marshall JCM800 2203X about a year ago and on the back of the amp it has selectable input voltage settings for 110V, 220V and 230V. Since I live in the US, the voltage that comes out of the ...
- 795
0
votes
3
answers
6k
views
How can I connect an external cabinet to use it at the same time as a combo amp's built in speaker?
I have combo amp with a 12 inch speaker that runs at 8 Ohms. I have a 1x12 cabinet that runs at 16 Ohms. I would like to use the combo amp speaker and the cabinet at the same time. The combo amp has ...
- 219
2
votes
1
answer
126
views
Potential Tube Amp Issue
So, I cocked up today. I recently moved house and dragged out my amp head and cab today, hooked everything up and was jamming away to check it all still worked fine. Sounded a little odd, but I put ...
- 1,114
4
votes
4
answers
5k
views
1 of 4 power tubes went bad; buy a matching quartet or replace the one?
I have a Peavey Windsor running Ruby EL34B-STR's. One of the power tubes went bad.
I can order another Ruby EL34BSTR and re-bias the amp (idk if it has a bias for each tube or not) and I assume it'...
3
votes
1
answer
655
views
Preamp Valve gone in 'hissing' amp?
Roughly 3 years ago, I purchased a VHT Special 6 Ultra (Combo) Valve Amp. It has recently been 'hissing' (not sure if this is the correct description), and this noise increases with higher wattage and ...
- 31
5
votes
3
answers
12k
views
How to buy the "right" power attenuator for a tube amplifier?
I want to get a tube amplifier, but the tube amplifiers I fancy are generally at least 22W.
I live in an apartment with thin walls, so I have to get it down to conversation/TV volume.
This brings me ...
- 277
11
votes
3
answers
8k
views
Tradeoff between powering off and leaving tube amplifier on during breaks
The life span of a tube(both pre-amp and power-amp tubes) depends on the amp "usage" and how often you turn on/off your amp. But I need some clarification on the definition of the word "...
- 915
6
votes
6
answers
16k
views
What's the best choice to get more gain out of a tube amplifier
The story behind this question:
I got myself a nice little combo for my bedroom-workouts (related to playing guitar, of course :D ), a Blackstar HT1-R which is a lovely little 1 watt 2 channel ...
- 1,031
23
votes
4
answers
4k
views
When should I be concerned about calibrating the bias of vacuum tubes in an amplifier?
I think it would be useful to discuss the concept of bias as it pertains to guitar amplifiers. I have read some articles saying that you should always rebias your amplifier when you change the power ...
- 11.6k
14
votes
2
answers
9k
views
What do the different tubes in an amplifier do?
Preamp vs Phase Inverter vs Reverb vs Power vs Rectifier.
Many people get really, really confused when they try to understand anything about tubes. I spent a very long time myself trying to ...
- 11.6k
33
votes
7
answers
133k
views
How do I know when it's time to change a tube on my amplifier?
I think this would be a wonderfully instructive question to people who are new to tube amplifiers. In short, how do I know that it's time to change a tube, and what's a good strategy for figuring out ...
- 11.6k
30
votes
9
answers
7k
views
Why do tube-based guitar amplifiers sound so good?
Is it just a cultural thing ("they've always sounded that way") or is there some basis in music theory for this?
fitzbog