Members Telecruiser Posted September 7, 2009 Members Share Posted September 7, 2009 I have a Dr Z MAZ 38. I love that amp. I turn the power on for about a minute and then flip the standby switch to the ON position. I reverse the procedure for turning it off. Question - Do you need to warm the amp up when turning it ON or just making sure it is "warmed down", as described above, when turning it off? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guitarsk8er239 Posted September 7, 2009 Members Share Posted September 7, 2009 I would do both just to be safe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tommythelurker Posted September 7, 2009 Members Share Posted September 7, 2009 warm it up when turning on. Turning off doesn't matter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Brick Posted September 7, 2009 Members Share Posted September 7, 2009 ok, this is quite the TGPesque thread. I warm it up for 10 seconds max, then I jsut turn it off, no big deal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mbarn3065 Posted September 7, 2009 Members Share Posted September 7, 2009 For powering up, turn it 'on', wait one minute, and then take it off 'standby'. For powering it down, turn it 'off', wait at least one minute, and then turn 'standby' on so you don't forget it next time you use the amp. The standby switch controls the plate voltage. With the switch off, no voltage. If the plates are cold when you hit them with that voltage it seriously affects the metal in ways that greatly shorten the life of the tube. So if you have a standby switch, you should always have it on standby, ie. not "on", when you turn the power on. However, when turning power off, it's my opinion and practice that you should leave the amp off standby, ie. "on". This has no effect on tube life, but it empties the powerful filter capacitors which store a charge strong enough to KILL YOU if you become its conduit. Leaving standby off for the minute after powering off the amp fully discharges the caps and leaves your amp save to fiddle with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kayman121 Posted September 7, 2009 Members Share Posted September 7, 2009 ok, this is quite the TGPesque thread. I warm it up for 10 seconds max, then I jsut turn it off, no big deal There is no cork sniffery in minimizing shock to tubes for longevity's sake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tommythelurker Posted September 7, 2009 Members Share Posted September 7, 2009 However, when turning power off, it's my opinion and practice that you should leave the amp off standby, ie. "on". This has no effect on tube life, but it empties the powerful filter capacitors which store a charge strong enough to KILL YOU if you become its conduit. Leaving standby off for the minute after powering off the amp fully discharges the caps and leaves your amp save to fiddle with. ok not saying its bad but wanted to point out a few things First of all, it takes much less than a minute for the tubes to cool to the point where they won't conduct, more like a few seconds. Second of all, never rely on this method to make the amp "safe" to fiddle with, always check it with a meter (you may already know this but wanted to mention it for others who may not). Third of all, if you're not going to be fiddling with it, it's not an issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GCDEF Posted September 7, 2009 Members Share Posted September 7, 2009 What Tommy said. Power on for 30 seconds to a minute, then standby off. Powering down I just hit them both together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members KsE fan Posted September 7, 2009 Members Share Posted September 7, 2009 I like to let my amp warm up for about 4 minutes if I can. Make sure everything is nice and hot... for turning off I put it into standby then shut it off a minute later, if I just go standby, off (quickly) it kinda powers down with a thud... and putting it into standby for a minute, then powering down usually makes the thud go away. (it's not a thud really, more like a tic tac being dropped on a wood floor) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mbarn3065 Posted September 7, 2009 Members Share Posted September 7, 2009 ok not saying its bad but wanted to point out a few things First of all, it takes much less than a minute for the tubes to cool to the point where they won't conduct, more like a few seconds. Second of all, never rely on this method to make the amp "safe" to fiddle with, always check it with a meter (you may already know this but wanted to mention it for others who may not). Third of all, if you're not going to be fiddling with it, it's not an issue. You're correct about "never rely on this method to make the amp "safe" to fiddle with", you always need to check it with a meter. When I said fiddle I was thinking of like just taking the chassis out off the cabinet, not doing a cap job or anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bumhucker Posted September 7, 2009 Members Share Posted September 7, 2009 (it's not a thud really, more like a tic tac being dropped on a wood floor) Thanks for clarifying, and 30 seconds is plenty, noob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jlb32 Posted September 7, 2009 Members Share Posted September 7, 2009 For warming up most amp manufacturers seem to recommend 30 seconds to 1 minute to let the tubes heat up. For powering down I usually just put it in standby for 30 seconds or so then turn the power off even though I don't think the powering down procedure really matters. The tubes are going to cool at their own pace regardless of how you turn the amp off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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