Members dr_love6977 Posted January 22, 2008 Members Share Posted January 22, 2008 What does the rating on tubes (early distortion, etc,) represent? When I worked at GC we were tought that it was the type of distortion they put off. Ie: early distortion would be classic rock type distortion. So that's always been my belief. After reading about descriptions of the ratings, it seems like it's how early the tubes break up, like early distortion would mean the tubes break up more quickly than tubes with a "late distortion" rating. Which is correct? Don't judge me on this either, that's just what I was taught from the get-go with tube amps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members worldoftone Posted January 22, 2008 Members Share Posted January 22, 2008 "Later distortion" generally translates into more headroom. i.e. more volume before breakup. - WOT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tommythelurker Posted January 22, 2008 Members Share Posted January 22, 2008 It's the same thing. They probably told you "classic rock" because back in the day they got distortion by cranking the amp up really loud, so a tube that broke up early meant more distortion at lower volume so you wouldn't have to crank it up quite as loud. These days modern amps get most of their distortion from the preamp and usually have a very clean power section, so a power tube with later breakup may be better suited for these types of amps to get a clear tight distorted sound. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mamberg Posted January 22, 2008 Members Share Posted January 22, 2008 you are right with your thinking now - once again, misinformation from GC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dr_love6977 Posted January 23, 2008 Author Members Share Posted January 23, 2008 you are right with your thinking now - once again, misinformation from GC Go figure. So, with my DR, would the distortion get too "loose" if I had a power amp section with an early breakup following a high gain preamp setup? Would I just be better off getting power amp tubes that are "late distortion"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mamberg Posted January 23, 2008 Members Share Posted January 23, 2008 These days modern amps get most of their distortion from the preamp and usually have a very clean power section, so a power tube with later breakup may be better suited for these types of amps to get a clear tight distorted sound. ttl had it right, if you have a 'modern' amp with a master volume and preamp full of tubes, you don't really need to get into the power tubes to get your distortion. of course, power tube distortion and preamp distortion are not the same, so you may prefer running you preamp cleaner, and pushing some early breakup power tubes a little harder. you have to be the judge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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