Members ryanstanley Posted November 2, 2006 Members Share Posted November 2, 2006 so everybody knows, you gotta warm up the tubes before they really shine.... so how do you do this at gigs, especially if you're first to play?? so many bands i see just set up and go, and sound great.. hows that possible with tubes? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sunburstbasser Posted November 2, 2006 Members Share Posted November 2, 2006 Most tube amps have a standby switch, which leaves the power tubes connected but not the preamp. Turn on, wait a few minutes, and it'll sound pretty good usually. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Thumper Posted November 2, 2006 Members Share Posted November 2, 2006 When I power up, I leave my amp in stand-by for about two minutes. During breaks, I set it back to stand-by. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members phatbassdood Posted November 2, 2006 Members Share Posted November 2, 2006 Turn the amp on to standby a few minutes before you start, or leave it on standby after you've done the soundcheck (or linecheck if your first on!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members takeout Posted November 2, 2006 Members Share Posted November 2, 2006 You really only need about a minute or two. Just long enough for the plates to heat up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ryanstanley Posted November 3, 2006 Author Members Share Posted November 3, 2006 you kidding? our amps usually dont sound good till about a half hour after powerup.... EDIT: well, the JCM900 SL-X doesn't, anyway... the rest sounds alright i guess. i wonder if its a problem with the amp?? the guitarists usually play clean btw-- it would sound fine at high gain, pretty quickly. it's just real dirty and harsh on clean for a while, then it sounds great Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members James Hart Posted November 3, 2006 Members Share Posted November 3, 2006 Originally posted by ryanstanley you kidding? our amps usually dont sound good till about a half hour after powerup.... Have it/them looked at. 2 to 5 minutes is all I ever give mine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ryanstanley Posted November 3, 2006 Author Members Share Posted November 3, 2006 does it not sound considerably better after about an hour though? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members willsellout Posted November 3, 2006 Members Share Posted November 3, 2006 With the mesa, it only took about 20 minutes for it to really start filling out. You could hear it open up, it was actually kind of cool. Dan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members obscuridad Posted November 3, 2006 Members Share Posted November 3, 2006 As an owner of an Ampeg SVTII Pro head, i totally understand what it is to have a tube amp. I'll admit, u get a warmer sound when the tubes r allowed to heat up, but most of the time, you're not allowed that time to let your amp preheat for about 20 minutes. But you are able to play ias soon as the amp clicks over and that only takes a few seconds after you turn it on. If you give the amp at least a few minutes before you play, then everything will sound good. The first thing i always make sure I do as soon as I get on stage is plug in the amp so it gets an much time to warm up. Then when its time to play, everything is set. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Fiery Furnace Posted November 3, 2006 Members Share Posted November 3, 2006 Originally posted by ryanstanley does it not sound considerably better after about an hour though? I know exactly what you are trying to say. This phenomenon is usually observed in the studio: the first few tracks are laid down, then some more, and more, and we listen to the last songs we did, compared to the first, and we usually end up redoing the first ones. Why? The amps have warmed up, the (tube) preamps, the players, everything has just warmed up and gotten better. So yes, many times, the tube amps will sound better after about an hour or so, when they've had time to really heat up. But in terms of good practice, it only needs a few minutes to warm up on standby before you can play it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members misterhinkydink Posted November 3, 2006 Members Share Posted November 3, 2006 Originally posted by sunburstbasser Most tube amps have a standby switch, which leaves the power tubes connected but not the preamp. Turn on, wait a few minutes, and it'll sound pretty good usually. The standby typically cuts the all high-voltage to all tubes (because it's an easier circuit) and it always cuts it to the power tubes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members badmotor Posted November 3, 2006 Members Share Posted November 3, 2006 If the Marshall takes half an hour to warm up properly, it might be time for a re-tube. Only get it serviced by a professional. As tubes get old and worn out, they take longer and longer to warm up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jugghaid Posted November 3, 2006 Members Share Posted November 3, 2006 Originally posted by badmotor If the Marshall takes half an hour to warm up properly, it might be time for a re-tube. Only get it serviced by a professional. As tubes get old and worn out, they take longer and longer to warm up. They also may need to be rebiased. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Natan Zada Posted November 3, 2006 Members Share Posted November 3, 2006 a tube amp that isn't warmed up yet still sounds better than solid state Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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