I've been playing guitar for 28 years, but never have had the opportunity to play as many tube amps as in the past few years. I play mostly at office / studio volume levels, which means I can usually hear my pick hitting the strings. It also means that I can hear when tubes buzz, rattle, and sing. In EVERY tube combo I've played, I can hear the tubes rattle when I play muted notes on the low E string. Mesa, Fender, Randall, Bogner, and Carvin, even when in perfect running order, they all do it.
In testing these amps, I unplug the internal speaker and run out to an external cabinet. Bingo--no more tube ringing. This is why I prefer heads and separate cabinets!
I'm pretty sure this is not microphonics, because the sound the tubes are making is not being fed into the amplifier's circuit--it's simply the mechanical noise of metal and glass rattling in sympathy to the sound being produced.
Does this match your experience with combos?
Combos, tubes, and sympathetic vibration
Moderators: pompeiisneaks, Colossal
Re: Combos, tubes, and sympathetic vibration
Yes, combo amps are torture chambers for tubes.
My definition of a microphonic tube is when you hear a ringing note that keeps ringing for a little while after you stop playing, or it can be when you are playing you will hear it riding on notes.
Tube rattle in my experience is when the filaments rattle against the cathode (at least that is what I think is happening).
This noise happens only when playing as it is the sonic waves causing the rattle.
Sometimes you can lessen these affects by using the high temp silicon O rings that you see for sale on ebay.
I used some on a Carvin Belair combo and it seemed to help that.
Another trick somebody here mentioned was to buy some heat shrink tubing slightly bigger than the tube and cut a piece that covers about the top 2/3 of the tube and shrink it with some heat.
This supposedly dampens the tube better than the O rings, but I haven't tried it.
My definition of a microphonic tube is when you hear a ringing note that keeps ringing for a little while after you stop playing, or it can be when you are playing you will hear it riding on notes.
Tube rattle in my experience is when the filaments rattle against the cathode (at least that is what I think is happening).
This noise happens only when playing as it is the sonic waves causing the rattle.
Sometimes you can lessen these affects by using the high temp silicon O rings that you see for sale on ebay.
I used some on a Carvin Belair combo and it seemed to help that.
Another trick somebody here mentioned was to buy some heat shrink tubing slightly bigger than the tube and cut a piece that covers about the top 2/3 of the tube and shrink it with some heat.
This supposedly dampens the tube better than the O rings, but I haven't tried it.
Tom
Don't let that smoke out!
Don't let that smoke out!
Re: Combos, tubes, and sympathetic vibration
A wide rubber band Band works great also.
Re: Combos, tubes, and sympathetic vibration
A wide rubber band works great also.
Re: Combos, tubes, and sympathetic vibration
I wonder how the rubber band will react to the heat?
Tom
Don't let that smoke out!
Don't let that smoke out!
Re: Combos, tubes, and sympathetic vibration
My d-lite has been working for a couple of years with no trouble. Probably at some point the heat will dry the bands out and I'll have to replace them.
Cost: pennies
ampdoc1
Cost: pennies
ampdoc1