Got my first tube amp today (standby question)

[toejam]

My amp finally came today, a Mesa/Boogie F-30. It's got two EL84 power tubes and four 12AX7 preamp tubes. Anyway, I'm not quite understanding the manual, but it says make sure the standby switch is in the standby position, wait at least 30 seconds and then flip it to the on position. As for the main power switch, do I flip that on first before I do the standby thing? I think that's right, but I just want to be sure. Also, when powering down, do I just turn off the main power first or standby first?

[LesPaulCustom]

Re: Got my first tube amp today (standby question)

Toejam:

You want to power up the amp first, but have the "standby" engaged....this allows the pre-amp tubes time to warm up before applying a load to them.....saves tube life.....

As far as powering down...I always place the amp in standby for like 5 minutes and let the amp idle a bit before shutting down.

Another important consideration, DO NOT move a tube amp immediately after shutdown...it can damage the filaments in the tubes.

That is my $0.02 worth, but Pete (TwisterAmps) will be able to help you a lot more than me [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[charvelguy]

Re: Got my first tube amp today (standby question)

It's kinda like how you're supposed to let your car idle for a minute after startup when the engine is cold before engaging it into gear and putting a load on the motor...
Starting it up and driving normal right away supposedly causes premature engine wear.

[toejam]

Re: Got my first tube amp today (standby question)

Thanks, guys! Makes more sense now. [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[Cleveland Metal]

Re: Got my first tube amp today (standby question)

I'm such a bad owner... I just turn the main rack power on and play... [img]images/icons/frown.gif[/img]

[The Enema]

Re: Got my first tube amp today (standby question)

you have to have the amp on standby, with the main power switched on for a little while, what time you should leave it on varys, a few mnutes to let the tubes warm up... then you can switch it off standby and play

when you finish you just do the same in reverse

David

[Soloist1]

Re: Got my first tube amp today (standby question)

The preamp tubes aren't really the ones you have to worry about. The more expensive power amp tubes are. Preamp tubes will possibly last forever. If you don't warm your power tubes up enough they will have a shorter life span. Give them about a minute or two. The smaller EL84's warm up pretty quick. Bigger tubes like KT88's and EL34's and the 6L6 type need more time because they are a much bigger bottle.

[toejam]

Re: Got my first tube amp today (standby question)

Thanks, everyone. It's good to know this stuff about tubes. All I've ever used were Valvestate or other solid state amps. I'm digging this amp a lot. I've only been using it a low levels in my living room, but I'll bring it down the basement later and crank it up a little more. So far, I've only played my Hamer with two EMG 81s through it and only have the gain at about 1 or 2 o'clock and it seems about enough, and the contour switch for the second channel gives a preset boost with a little more gain! The clean channel sounds awesome, even has a bright pull switch on its gain control, and the separate reverbs for each channel is definitely a plus. [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[ October 25, 2003, 04:47 PM: Message edited by: toejam ]

[Soloist1]

Re: Got my first tube amp today (standby question)

Hey Joe the beauty of the EL84's is that they open up a lot quicker at lower volumes before most of the big power tubes ever will. You get that great power tube saturation without destroying the house.

[toejam]

Re: Got my first tube amp today (standby question)

Yeah, that's one of the main reasons I wanted an amp with EL84s. I did a little research, and read about what Pete wrote about different tubes, and that helped with my decision.

[monk]

Re: Got my first tube amp today (standby question)

Interesting topic.

Can anyone with a bit of knowledge explain why you should leave the tubes on standby for a while before you shut the amp off?

[Twisteramps]

Re: Got my first tube amp today (standby question)

Originally posted by Monk:
Interesting topic.

Can anyone with a bit of knowledge explain why you should leave the tubes on standby for a while before you shut the amp off?

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">1) it helps the tubes cool gradually. May not be a real significant thing, but it can't hurt. When I gig with tube amps, I put em on standby for about 3 minutes at least while I start putting up guitars and stuff. Then I shut the amp off. Also, DON'T MOVE YOUR AMP while the tubes are still hot if you can help it. This can damage the tubes. Ditto for taking an amp with hot tubes into a really cold area - let the amp cool down as much as possible before you take it outside in the winter to your vehicle, and when you bring it in, wait a little bit before you turn the amp on so you aren't just slamming that amp that has been freezing in your trunk with heat and voltage.

2)when you turn the amp on next time it's already in standby mode.

FYI, standby just interrupts B+, or high voltage, to the tubes. The heaters still work - that's why your tubes are glowing even if the standby is on. I've heard some people even recommend up to 5-10 minutes on standby before operating the amp... I think this is extreme, but with some NOS tubes costing crazy amounts of dollars, it might be a good idea. Also, there are some amps without standby switches. This is usually a money-saving thing (wow, they saved the cost of a switch) but also some amps with tube rectifiers don't need them as much. The tube rectifier slows down the amount of voltage that hits the tubes on startup, since it has to heat up before it distributes the B+ on to the other tubes.

Pete

[Shotgun]

Re: Got my first tube amp today (standby question)

Originally posted by Soloist1:
The preamp tubes aren't really the ones you have to worry about. The more expensive power amp tubes are. Preamp tubes will possibly last forever. If you don't warm your power tubes up enough they will have a shorter life span. Give them about a minute or two. The smaller EL84's warm up pretty quick. Bigger tubes like KT88's and EL34's and the 6L6 type need more time because they are a much bigger bottle.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">That is what I thought. My tube preamp doesn't even have a standby, and I thought it was because it was the power amp tubes that you wanted to standby, not the little 12AX7s.

Keith