How Do You Store an Amp?

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Cotton
Posts: 2
Joined: Fri Feb 09, 2007 4:20 am

How Do You Store an Amp?

Post by Cotton »

Howdy!

Got a quick q for anyone here... I'm keeping my vintage marshall heads and fender combos.... Using recent amps daily...... not wanting caps and such to dry out from non-use on the vintage amps....

How often should I fire up the amps?

Can I fire up the amps without inputting a signal or connecting a cab? For example, can I put my 69 super bass on standby and then power on with all controls on zero and nothing plugged in? let it run for a half hour or so with no attached cab or signal and then back to standby for a minute and then off for another 30 days?? OR do I need to play through the amps???

I'm kind of asking around and thought I'd try here...

Thanks, folks.. I do appreciate it....

Cotton
rfgordon
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Joined: Tue May 02, 2006 12:59 am
Location: Virginia
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Re: How Do You Store an Amp?

Post by rfgordon »

Tube Amp First Commandment: NEVER, EVER, EVER, EVER apply hi volts on a tube amp with no load!!!

Most books say to operate amps with electrolytics at least every six months. You could use an attenuator as a load. Weber's MASS is suitable for that, just turn it all the way down.

You should pass signal thru the amps in order to have current flow thru the electrolytics on the cathode resistors. You can always just plug the headphone feed from a stereo in and let it run for a half hour or so.

Some say: never store an amp in a room you wouldn't sleep in, so no attics or musty basements. If you ship them all to me, I'll make sure they're properly played and cared forjavascript:emoticon(':twisted:')
Twisted Evil
Rich Gordon
www.myspace.com/bigboyamplifiers

"The takers get the honey, the givers get the blues." --Robin Trower
Cotton
Posts: 2
Joined: Fri Feb 09, 2007 4:20 am

Rich, THANKS!

Post by Cotton »

That's what I needed. I can arrange all that. And I'm glad you mentioned the room... Its a room a sleep in all the time... a studio with a humidifier on the furnace and ac. the typical humidity is 36% on the desktop hygometer sitting on a desk. It never seems to vary much from 36%. Thanks, again!

Cotton
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