Members Poetic Maggot Posted March 9, 2011 Members Share Posted March 9, 2011 Hey guys, I am still relatively new to this forum, only 3 threads in! Heh, but yeah, I am going to finally purchase a Peavey 6505 112 combo amp I am so excited!!! I have been reading up on how to properly take care of a tube amp since I have been using solid states since I first started learning how to play guitar a few years back (gets set to get flamed) Anyway, it seems simple enough, just replace the tubes whenever they turn white or there is a drop in sound quality, make sure not to bump it on anything and surround it with cushions when it is stored in a car so it won't crash, keep it out of the cold, always have a cover on it whenever you are moving it around, and put it standby for up to 2 minutes when turning it on and off... Um, is that all? If so yay! If not, aww... that does raise some questions for me though. Like, do all tube amps come with a standby switch? and how does it work? Do I just turn the guitar on, immediately flip on the standby switch, wait a few minutes, then flip the standby off and start shredding? Then when I am done instead of turning the amp off, just putting it on standby again for a few minutes, flip it back off, then turn the amp off? And is it true that you need to turn the volume knob on the guitar down to 1 whenever you turn on the amp? or off for that matter? I dunno since the same applies to the amp volume at least for my solid state. Also, what happens if you accidentally leave the amp on standby? Does it even matter? Oh, and here is a major issue that is causing me some stress: the whole transformer blow-out issue. I heard that you always, always need to have a tube amp connected to a speaker, unless it is off of course, otherwise the transformer could blow up. They also say that this applies to tube combo amps as well. Does it though? I mean a combo amp already has a speaker built in to it right? I am SO confused Besides that though I think I am golden... unless I missed anything or need to be corrected, feel free to do so! This is my first tube amp and I wanna make it last years and years Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ron Burgandy Posted March 9, 2011 Members Share Posted March 9, 2011 main thing you need to know: play it. you'll know if something goes wrong. beyond that, just play it and you'll know when {censored} needs to be changed. don't even mess with the standby switch. read up on how it's worthless, and then just forever leave it on. then forget about turning your guitar all the way down. seriously, just plug in to the thing, turn it on, and play. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guitarbilly74 Posted March 9, 2011 Members Share Posted March 9, 2011 Replace tubes whenever there is a drop in tone quality, always keep a spare set because tubes can go bad at any time for no reason at all. The 6505 has a fixed bias so you don't need to bias the amp, just let the vendor know you need tubes that will fall into the range of the 6505. The standby switch doesn't matter, use it as a mute function in between breaks or don't use it at all, it won't hurt the amp. That's it, tube amps are not the fragile creatures people say they are just the above and some common sense and you're good. Don't stress too much about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members iloveespguitars Posted March 9, 2011 Members Share Posted March 9, 2011 3 Basic Rules: 1) Let it standby and warm up for atleast 30 seconds ( I warm it up for 5 minutes because where I live is kind of cold and I just want to be extra-careful) 2) Let it standby a little bit BEFORE shutting the amp down. A lot of people go right away "Power off" "Standby on", again I give it a little time on standby before completely powering off. 3) Don't be stupid with it (i.e. knock it around, power button is "on" and plugging the power cable in, change tubes when there's a problem (don't let the problem get more severe...),don't try to fix tube amps (unless you know what you are doing, in your case I don't think you do) so take it to a repair center,etc...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Poetic Maggot Posted March 9, 2011 Author Members Share Posted March 9, 2011 Replace tubes whenever there is a drop in tone quality, always keep a spare set because tubes can go bad at any time for no reason at all. The 6505 has a fixed bias so you don't need to bias the amp, just let the vendor know you need tubes that will fall into the range of the 6505. The standby switch doesn't matter, use it as a mute function in between breaks or don't use it at all, it won't hurt the amp. That's it, tube amps are not the fragile creatures people say they are just the above and some common sense and you're good. Don't stress too much about it. Oh... wow, that is so weird. So I don't need to let the amp warm up or anything? and i just need to ask the vendor for new tubes and I can just take 'em home and screw them in? weird. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ron Burgandy Posted March 9, 2011 Members Share Posted March 9, 2011 3 Basic Rules:1) Let it standby and warm up for atleast 30 seconds ( I warm it up for 5 minutes because where I live is kind of cold and I just want to be extra-careful)2) Let it standby a little bit BEFORE shutting the amp down. A lot of people go right away "Power off" "Standby on", again I give it a little time on standby before completely powering off.3) Don't be stupid with it (i.e. knock it around, power button is "on" and plugging the power cable in, change tubes when there's a problem (don't let the problem get more severe...),don't try to fix tube amps (unless you know what you are doing, in your case I don't think you do) so take it to a repair center,etc...) you shouldn't be telling people what to do. just saying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Poetic Maggot Posted March 9, 2011 Author Members Share Posted March 9, 2011 3 Basic Rules:1) Let it standby and warm up for atleast 30 seconds ( I warm it up for 5 minutes because where I live is kind of cold and I just want to be extra-careful)2) Let it standby a little bit BEFORE shutting the amp down. A lot of people go right away "Power off" "Standby on", again I give it a little time on standby before completely powering off.3) Don't be stupid with it (i.e. knock it around, power button is "on" and plugging the power cable in, change tubes when there's a problem (don't let the problem get more severe...),don't try to fix tube amps (unless you know what you are doing, in your case I don't think you do) so take it to a repair center,etc...) Oh, okay thanks! So after I turn it off should I still let it go on standby for a little bit? i dunno 'cause the other people here said the stand by doesn't matter so I am a bit confused. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members iloveespguitars Posted March 9, 2011 Members Share Posted March 9, 2011 Oh, okay thanks! So after I turn it off should I still let it go on standby for a little bit? i dunno 'cause the other people here said the stand by doesn't matter so I am a bit confused. Well, you want to know how to "take care" of a tube amp right? I'm only stressing the standby because that's how you "take care" of the tubes. It will make sure the tubes are properly warmed up before operation. I don't know what the rest of these fools are talking about, but if you research other forums and tube amp manuals, I bet they will all tell you the same thing. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jlb32 Posted March 9, 2011 Members Share Posted March 9, 2011 I wouldn't... if he wasn't asking... Well, you want to know how to "take care" of a tube amp right? I'm only stressing the standby because that's how you "take care" of the tubes. It will make sure the tubes are properly warmed up before operation. I don't know what the rest of these fools are talking about, but if you research other forums and tube amp manuals, I bet they will all tell you the same thing. Cheers I know alot think the standby switch is important but IMO and alot of others it really isn't. IMO it's mainly there as a "Standby" or "Mute" if you want to take a break, etc.. without completely turning everything off. It really doesn't do much as far as warming up the tubes or cooling down the tubes. I've always heard the amp will power up and cool down at the same rate regardless of the "standby" switch. There are many amps that don't even have a standby switch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Poetic Maggot Posted March 9, 2011 Author Members Share Posted March 9, 2011 wow... this is whole standby vs no standby argument is making my head spin i don't know who to believe anymore ._. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members whataracket Posted March 9, 2011 Members Share Posted March 9, 2011 Do a search on "vacuum tube cathode stripping" to understand what the issue is and why standby switches are included in amp designs. The search will show that there is disagreement on how much of a tube life effect there really is by heating the tube before applying the high voltage. You can read to form your own opinion. I don't claim to know the answer, but I warm up the tubes for a minute before turning on the standby switch. I don't believe there is anyone in amp design that argues there is any tube life benefit to using the standby switch during shutdown. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Poetic Maggot Posted March 9, 2011 Author Members Share Posted March 9, 2011 oh okay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members babybatter Posted March 9, 2011 Members Share Posted March 9, 2011 most amps sound better running real hot and loud. it will probably help your sound if the amp is left to warm up a bit. but theoretically you should be warming yourself up with the amp... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members soundgardener75 Posted March 9, 2011 Members Share Posted March 9, 2011 The longer I leave my Ampeg on standby before firing it up, the better it sounded. And as time passed by, it gets louder. That's just me though. The amp's the first thing I setup on gigs, turn it on standby, setup the rack and pedalboard, tune, then standby off. It would be pretty much ready to go by then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Poetic Maggot Posted March 9, 2011 Author Members Share Posted March 9, 2011 The longer I leave my Ampeg on standby before firing it up, the better it sounded. And as time passed by, it gets louder. That's just me though. The amp's the first thing I setup on gigs, turn it on standby, setup the rack and pedalboard, tune, then standby off. It would be pretty much ready to go by then. How about when you turn it off? Do you just turn off the whole amp completely at once or do you just leave the standby on and then turn it off? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members soundgardener75 Posted March 9, 2011 Members Share Posted March 9, 2011 How about when you turn it off? Do you just turn off the whole amp completely at once or do you just leave the standby on and then turn it off? I turn the amp's power off, after it makes that loud whistling noise, then I turn the standby on. No problems on my end. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JaGi Posted March 9, 2011 Members Share Posted March 9, 2011 Turn on, leave on standby for a minute at least. Turn standby of then turn main power of. Simple really, this is just standard practise to me. It's better to let it warm up and cool down gradually, intense heat cycles on the tubes will only shorten their life Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Nerine Posted March 9, 2011 Members Share Posted March 9, 2011 Has no-one said don't turn it on without a speaker connected? Oh NVM, it's a combo. Still applies though I guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members benjamin801 Posted March 9, 2011 Members Share Posted March 9, 2011 I have some amps with standby switches and some without. On the ones without, obviously I don't worry about it. On the ones with, I turn the power on, leave it on standby long enough to grab a guitar and a cord, plug in, then switch from standby to on. 30 seconds, maybe. I do the opposite when I power down. It's force of habit more than anything. I can't say for sure that it's prolonged the life of my power tubes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members RupertB Posted March 9, 2011 Members Share Posted March 9, 2011 Regarding tubes: The only reliable method for telling whether or not a tube is "good" is a high-voltage tube tester. Since those are expensive, most of us have to fall back on the "swap out" method. About once a year for power tubes and every 2-3 years for preamp tubes (adjust based on how heavy your use is) I take an hour to swap in my "backup" set of tubes. If the tone & volume are significantly better with the new set, I know my old ones are getting toward the end of their useful life. I keep these for "emergency spares" since they are still functional, if only for a short-term fix. Even new tubes fail sometimes. As soon as my new set of tubes goes in, I order a new backup set. If you rely on your amp for gigging, you should not be without a backup set. Regarding Standby: When you turn your amp on & leave it on "Standby," you are warming up the heaters in the tubes. Depending on the tube, this usually takes 10-15 seconds. Once the heaters are warmed up, your amp is "safe" to play. Turning your amp on and immediately disengaging Standby won't hurt your amp or tubes, as long as you don't immediately start wailing away with the amp turned up. Once the heaters are warmed up (again 10-15 seconds) playing won't hurt anything. Yes, I like the sound of an amp that has warmed up for a while, but that isn't a safety issue. The reason that some amps have no standby is that they, generally speaking, are tube-rectified. Since it takes about the same time for the rectifier to warm up as the heaters in your other tubes, there is no danger of pulling current through your tubes while they are cold. The danger of cathode-stripping is more of a concern with solid-state rectified amps, which present current to the tubes immediately, unless the standby is left engaged. Regarding the order of Standby/Power for shut down: There is no wrong way to turn your amp off. Together, one or the other first. Doesn't matter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Holy-diver Posted March 9, 2011 Members Share Posted March 9, 2011 Powering off doesn't matter. Just turn it off when you are done, it wont help at all to put on standby first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Poetic Maggot Posted March 9, 2011 Author Members Share Posted March 9, 2011 Oh, wow this thread really came to life while I was at school Thanks to everyone, I finally get it xD So I just switch the standby on first, let the amp sit for 15-30 seconds, turn the standby off, turn the power on, then fastforward a bit, turn the amp off without bothering with turning the standby back on. Yay, I feel smarter ;D But erm... if you guys could help me out with the other part of my post, does it matter if I need to have a speaker cab plugged into my amp even though it is a combo? I am still a tad worried about that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Belva Posted March 9, 2011 Members Share Posted March 9, 2011 As far as turning it on without a speaker connected: not a good idea, but it doesn't mean instant amp death. If you discover you did that, turn the bitch off before plugging the speaker in. Failing to do so is what will cause the output transformer to go kaboom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jlb32 Posted March 9, 2011 Members Share Posted March 9, 2011 But erm... if you guys could help me out with the other part of my post, does it matter if I need to have a speaker cab plugged into my amp even though it is a combo? I am still a tad worried about that. There is a plug running from the amp to the combo speaker. If you want you can disconnect the combo speaker and hook up a external speaker cab like a 2x12 or 4x12. You can also hook up a external cab and still use your combo speaker. No matter what though the combo speaker or a extension cab needs to be hooked to the amp before using it. With no speaker load you could damage the amp. If you never unplug your combo speaker then you have nothing to worry about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Holy-diver Posted March 9, 2011 Members Share Posted March 9, 2011 also having no cab plugged in wont kill it really fast, i have accidentally turned on almost every amp i have with no load, and nothing happened. i did realize rather quickly though fwiw. no sound is a pretty good indication that you didnt plug something in Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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