Thomas234 wrote:Hey guys!
I have a few questions regarding maintenance. I'm new to tube amps.
1. When im reading through turning it off they said to leave the stand by on and some say to leave the stand by on?
I have a peavey valveking 100w, not the best amp but it does the job
2. What would be the best valve replacement? (is it the preamp that defines the sound?) I love the sound of the marshall amps but I really dont know what valve I need. I love the JVm410 amps, i'm more into satriani stuff haha
3. How often do you have to change the output/power tube if you only use it at home? like 1-2 hours a day
4. how often do you have to change the pre amp valves? i heard they last for a long time
5. for maintenance, will the tubes last longer if I turn it on and off? i use it for home so I p[lay my guitar different times during the day so im not sure if its healthier for the tubes to stay on or off. I usually play for 1 hour sometimes 2 and sometimes 30mins and then i turn it off for 5 hours then i play again.
6. will my tubes last longer if i play in low volume (volume knob at 2oclock) considering there's not much wattage being used?
7. is it bad for the tubes if it hasn't been used for 2-3 months?
the condition of my tubes are good so far, everything lights up evenly and the glass is clear!
This will pretty much everything I need to know i hope!
1) Also we should define what standby on is. When it is on, the switch is actually off.
It is in standby until you close the switch, which supplies the high voltage
to the tubes.
Switches don't generally like DC voltage which is what a standby switch is
switching. They tend to arc after a while.
So when turning off a tube amp with a standard standby switch it is fine to just turn the power off which is AC.
2) A tube amp is the sum of it's parts. Some guys can hear a mouse fart and can tell instantly the difference between preamp tubes.
As we age, we lose our high frequency hearing first.
As tubes age they lose their high end response first so it's kind of a double
edged sword if you are say, over 50 and have played loud music most of your life.
That being said, if you have a handful of tubes, roll them through the amp to see if you hear a difference.
Be aware if you are not playing the amp very loud, you may not hear a difference at all.
Preamp tubes can last a long time, (years) especially if they are good vintage tubes.
3) Power tubes generally have a shorter life than preamp tubes but a tube is a consumable device and they all have a finite lifespan.
Nobody can tell you that X Brand of tube will last 700 hours.
They may last well beyond that or they could short out and fail within hours of installation.
They will get weaker over time as well as lose their high frequency response.
This all happens pretty slowly over time in most cases and you may not notice it because we turn those tone knobs to compensate for all but drastic changes.
4) See above.
5) When a valve heater or light bulb is energized (turned on) it has a inrush of current because a cold element
has lower resistance than when t is heated, this allows a larger current to briefly flow when first powered up.
Not only that but there is a mechanical shock to the element due to EMF.
Ever notice that a light bulb will often burn out when you turn it on?
I think that if you are going to be playing through the amp an hour or two later it is fine to leave it in standby.
But I would not leave the house with a tube amp powered up.
6) Cranking an amp is probably harder on the power tubes but depending on the circuit and bias method the life time of the tubes can vary greatly.
The heater voltage and heating effects are often times what ages a tube even at bedroom levels.
Also after many hours of use, the coating on the cathodes is depleted, but that
takes a long time.
Sure diming an amp is going to be harder on all things considered.
But like I said, the hardest thing on a tube amp is turning it on.
7) No, but what does age more without use is the electrolytic filter capacitors.
They have a finite lifetime and actually not using the amp is harder on those filter caps than daily playing.
So at least turn on the amp once a month or more to keep the caps formed.
Google reforming caps.
Hope this helps and this is my own opinion which may be different from other members.
Welcome to the Amp Garage.
