Members primeholy Posted October 9, 2007 Members Share Posted October 9, 2007 I just got my first tube amp a Crate Blue Voodoo 120 circa late 98 (I know a lot of peeps dont like em but so far so good for me) for $300 at Guitar Center Thursday. I have no idea if the tubes have ever been or when they have been replaced. I was wondering how I should go about replacing the tubes. Should I buy the tubes myself(maybe get some besides what it came with?) and take it to a technician or just take the amp to him and have him get the tubes? And what other kinds of maintenance should be done on an amp approaching 10 yrs old. And also what is a reasonable labor charge for putting in tubes? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members 3 Headed Moses Posted October 9, 2007 Members Share Posted October 9, 2007 Preamp tubes you can do yourself but you have to have the Power Tubes biased before you can install. go to www.dougstubes.com. This is a great site, you can get everything you need and all the info to go along with it too. Most amps of that price range should have the tubes replaced, especially if they haven't been changed yet. They all have different qualities and change the amp dramatically so be ready to try several out until you find what you want. It's just par for the course when you own a tube amp. I suggest JJ ecc83s gold pins in the preamp section. Not quite as saturated butthe tone is incomperable. And they're not too pricey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members primeholy Posted October 9, 2007 Author Members Share Posted October 9, 2007 Preamp tubes you can do yourself but you have to have the Power Tubes biased before you can install. go to www.dougstubes.com. This is a great site, you can get everything you need and all the info to go along with it too. Most amps of that price range should have the tubes replaced, especially if they haven't been changed yet. They all have different qualities and change the amp dramatically so be ready to try several out until you find what you want. It's just par for the course when you own a tube amp. I suggest JJ ecc83s gold pins in the preamp section. Not quite as saturated butthe tone is incomperable. And they're not too pricey. Thank you. What will give the most tonal change preamp or power tubes? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cage77 Posted October 9, 2007 Members Share Posted October 9, 2007 I just did a few Google searches and learned a few things that might help. The amp comes stock with 12ax7's in the pre and 6L6GT's in the power amp section. According to some sources, the power amp section is auto-biasing. Here's a link to a current manual (www.crateamps.com is a sad site for info)- http://www.americanmusical.com/manuals/crate/bv120head_manual.pdf If you are comfortable doing electrical tech work, then keep on Googling for more info. If not, run down to a local shop, talk to the amp tech and discuss what sound you want and the best tubes for the amp. As for labor charges, I couldn't really tell you....I do the work myself... Hope this helps.... Brandon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members primeholy Posted October 9, 2007 Author Members Share Posted October 9, 2007 I just did a few Google searches and learned a few things that might help. The amp comes stock with 12ax7's in the pre and 6L6GT's in the power amp section. According to some sources, the power amp section is auto-biasing. Here's a link to a current manual ( www.crateamps.com is a sad site for info)- http://www.americanmusical.com/manuals/crate/bv120head_manual.pdf If you are comfortable doing electrical tech work, then keep on Googling for more info. If not, run down to a local shop, talk to the amp tech and discuss what sound you want and the best tubes for the amp. As for labor charges, I couldn't really tell you....I do the work myself... Hope this helps.... Brandon So if I found out for sure that it is auto biasing would I be able to just put them in and that is it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members 3 Headed Moses Posted October 10, 2007 Members Share Posted October 10, 2007 Yep, my old Peavey did the same thing. Kinda handy. As for what makes the most difference, I'd say the preamp section does most of the coloring but the power section has the final say in tone so they're both pretty important. And they're not so expensive that you can't just replace them both if they need it. Your ears will notice the difference and you'll be glad you did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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