Ara Ajizian

Different Tubes, Different Tones A basic guide to power tubes and their respective sounds. By Ara Ajizian, Harmony Central Editorial Director Upgrading to a tube amp is one of the best investments you can make in your sound. Although modeling technology has come a long way, there's just something unmistakable that happens when analog circuitry and vacuum tubes meet electricity and a great guitar. One potential area of confusion for those new to tube amps is the sonic difference between the many types of power tubes used in amplifiers. For this primer, we'll cover the four most common power tubes you'll encounter: 6L6, 6V6, EL34, and EL84. While each offers its own subtle nuances and response, in general, a 6L6 power section will deliver classic "American" tone reminiscent of larger Fender amps—distinct, chime-like highs and and a bold low-end voice, with a thick overdriven sound that sustains well. 6V6 tubes are typically associated with classic smaller, lower-wattage Fender amps like the Champ, Princeton, and Deluxe Reverb. Tonally, they have more focus in the midrange than a 6L6 and a softer touch in the lows and highs. EL34 and EL84 power tubes can be thought of as the "British" counterparts to the 6L6 and 6V6, respectively. If you love the sound of a cranked Marshall, you'll want to focus on amps that use these varieties. EL34-powered amps tend to have a lot of muscle to flex, and deliver tasty lower-midrange tone that cleans up nicely at lower volumes. EL84 power tubes are great for enhancing the subtleties of humbuckers, and lend themselves to grittier overdriven sounds. Of course, these are just basic guidelines, and there are other factors that contribute to an amp's tone. But it should serve as a good starting point when you're ready to dive into the world of tube amps! Ara Ajizian, Harmony Central's Editorial Director, has been playing bass and guitar as well as singing since he was 18, and soon that love of music combined with a passion for writing; launching what's now a decade-long career immersed in the gear world. He's thrilled to be back on the Harmony Central team after two years as Managing Editor for Musician's Friend covering gear, bands and events and gigging in the Los Angeles area.

Keep up your interest in playing with these helpful tips By Ara Ajizian Every holiday season countless guitars and basses are unwrapped, and a new generation of players is born. Most start with the best of intentions and a desire to master their instrument, but over time, the reality sinks in that being a successful player takes time, patience, and lots of practice, and before long, many lose interest. Here are a few simple tips that can help keep you motivated and expanding your abilities. Take lessons Find an instructor in your area who has experience teaching new players, as he or she will have the necessary patience as you stumble through your first few scales and develop a lesson plan that fits your skill level and keeps you wanting to play. Local music stores and classifieds (both online and print) are usually a great place to find out about instructors in your area. Bond with your instrument Spending time with your new instrument is imperative. I don't mean candlelit dinners or walks in the park . . . well, walks in the park are fine, actually. The point is if you're holding your guitar, you're likely going to play it. If it's an electric, pick it up and run through scales unplugged while you're watching TV. It won't make much noise and your fingers will enjoy the workout. Play what you love The rigamarole of learning theory and practicing scales can burn you out quickly, and while achieving a level of competence in these areas is certainly rewarding, you'll get no better satisfaction than learning an actual song. Find a song by a band you like that's not too challenging (virtually every band has one) and work your way through it. Chances are you'll learn a lot during the process. One of the best tools for this is a guitar trainer like those from TASCAM (Fig. 1) that let you slow down the speed of a CD or MP3 without changing the pitch, so you can work through tougher phrases at your own pace. Fig. 1: TASCAM's GB-10 is one of several training devices the company makes, including ones for guitar, bass, and vocals. Songbooks, CDs, and DVDs that focus on specific artists, genres, and albums. We've even got a new selection of Lessons On Demand that you can instantly access with your computer. Combined with your lesson material, you'll be able to work through songs before you know it. Accessorize There are loads of practice tools (Fig. 2) that can help improve your dexterity. From practice necks to finger exercisers, these tools will keep playing on your mind when playing your instrument isn't practical. Fig. 2: Planet Waves' Varigrip makes it easy to maintain and build your hand strength when a guitar isn't handy. Off to the woodshed Learning to play an instrument is a life-long journey, and the toughest part is the first few steps. Following these tips will help you through those bumpy patches and get you on the road to a lifetime of enjoyment playing music.

Power to the pedal...but you have to do it right by Ara Ajizian Volts, amps, current, polarity, regulated, unregulated...these are some of the terms you've undoubtedly encountered (and probably been confused by) when it comes to powering your effects pedals with anything other than a 9V battery. It seems complicated, but in this article we’ll tackle the essentials you need to know. Before we dive in, let me remind you of the Golden Rule about powering your effects pedals: If the manufacturer includes or recommends a specific power supply, use it! An included power supply is designed to match the pedal's requirements and is always the best choice for powering your pedal in lieu of a battery. However, not all pedals include a power supply, and batteries aren't cheap, so let's look at what you need to know before buying an aftermarket power supply or power brick. Volts and Polarity Typical stompboxes require 9 volts of DC power and use a center-negative plug scheme. How can you tell if yours has these requirements? First off, if it also runs on a 9V battery, that's a good clue it's a 9V pedal. Second, most pedals print the voltage requirement and the tip polarity around or near the power supply input jack. With the TC Electronic Arena (Fig. 1), the jack is labeled clearly—you can see it's a 9V pedal, negative tip, and also that it draws 100mA of current. Fig. 1: The Arena pedal from TC Electronic is totally unambiguous about what kind of power it wants. Although most compact stompbox effects are 9V, there are plenty of exceptions—some pedals require 12V, 18V, or 24V, however there are all sorts of variations. The main benefit of a higher-voltage pedal is typically more headroom, and therefore, more dynamics as well as more level before distortion. For example if your guitar has high-output pickups, consider experimenting with higher-voltage pedals to determine if they have a positive impact on your sound. Milliamps The other important effects pedal power spec is the current draw in milliamps, often expressed as a number followed by mA. Regardless of the voltage an adapter produces, if it doesn't provide enough current, the pedal won't work or will under-perform. Additionally, if you're using a power supply for multiple pedals (like a Visual Sound 1 Spot or one of the Voodoo Lab Pedal Power models; see Fig. 2), you need to make sure that the total draw of all the pedals you're powering doesn't exceed the mA rating of the power supply, or you'll run into trouble. Fig. 2: The Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 4 x 4 has four 9V isolated high-current 400mA output sections (2 with 12V option), and four 9V isolated 100mA output sections. You may hear conflicting advice about current draw. Some say, "As long as the adapter's rating is at least what the pedal requires, it will work." In other words, if you have a pedal with a 40mA draw, and a voltage-matched adapter that has an output of 100mA, it will be fine because the pedal will only take what it needs. That's only true of a regulated power supply—one that maintains the right voltage regardless of draw. An unregulated power supply will not, so if it's rated at 9V of output at 100mA but the pedal draws only 40mA, the voltage output can actually increase—which is bad news for your pedal. Types of Current We all love AC/DC...the unstoppable riffage, the blazing solos, the double entendre-laden lyrics. Your pedals, however, can only love AC (alternating current) or DC (direct current), but not both. Most of the time it's direct current they want, which is why you hear the term "power adapter" used a lot—a wall outlet produces alternating current, and the power supply "adapts" it to direct current. In the case that your effect needs AC power, you'll want to make sure you use an appropriate power supply, but the rules for voltage and current draw still apply. Go Forth And Acquire Power! So there you have powering pedals, in a nutshell. Whether you're shopping for a new pedal and want to know if your power brick will work with it, trying to find an aftermarket adapter for one of your favorite pedals, or simply looking to stop dropping so much coin on batteries, having this knowledge will ensure your prized pedals won't go out in a puff of smoke. Remember that Golden Rule from the beginning? I'm going to say it again: If the manufacturer includes a power supply or recommends a specific one, use it! In fact, some effects makers like Electro-Harmonix specify that using a power supply other than the included/recommended one will void the warranty. When in doubt, stick with batteries or contact the manufacturer directly for a recommendation.