Operating a tube amp without a load

[atilla]

At a gig a few weeks ago, an FOH stepped on my speaker cable and yanked it out of my Laney head's speaker output. It was out for less than a minute before I figured it out.

I know tube amps need a load, but was this long enough to cause any damage to my head? It hasn't acted any more or less finicky since this, but I haven't used it much, either.

[siggy14]

Re: Operating a tube amp without a load

[ QUOTE ]
At a gig a few weeks ago, an FOH stepped on my speaker cable and yanked it out of my Laney head's speaker output. It was out for less than a minute before I figured it out.

I know tube amps need a load, but was this long enough to cause any damage to my head? It hasn't acted any more or less finicky since this, but I haven't used it much, either.

[/ QUOTE ]

I doubt anything anything went bad if it still sounds the same, usually what can happen is you can blow tubes or the fuses used to protect them.

[horns666]

Re: Operating a tube amp without a load

when you mean.."load"

can you be a a little more specific.. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[thurston]

Re: Operating a tube amp without a load

Were you playing when the speaker was unplugged? I've heard thats when the real problems can occur.
It sounds like its fine though. If you're running a signal through the head with no speaker load, the output transformer can blow pretty quick, and those damn things aren't cheap.

[siggy14]

Re: Operating a tube amp without a load

[ QUOTE ]
when you mean.."load"

can you be a a little more specific.. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[/ QUOTE ]

[ QUOTE ]
Were you playing when the speaker was unplugged? I've heard thats when the real problems can occur.
It sounds like its fine though. If you're running a signal through the head with no speaker load, the output transformer can blow pretty quick, and those damn things aren't cheap.

[/ QUOTE ]

Bill was just being sarcastic there and a sexuall deviant, i think we got him all worked up in the Jani Lane Topic.

He says in his post that someone knocked the speaker cable out of the amp for about a minute, if the amp is still working fine i would say he got lucky and no damage was done.

[horns666]

Re: Operating a tube amp without a load

"He says in his post that someone knocked the speaker cable out of the amp for about a minute, if the amp is still working fine i would say he got lucky and no damage was done."


Oh man, you got that right...very lucky!

[atilla]

Re: Operating a tube amp without a load

[ QUOTE ]
Were you playing when the speaker was unplugged? I've heard thats when the real problems can occur.
It sounds like its fine though. If you're running a signal through the head with no speaker load, the output transformer can blow pretty quick, and those damn things aren't cheap.

[/ QUOTE ]

I was playing when it happened. When I stopped hearing myself, I ran back there and plugged back in.

Way later in the set, my volume dropped and I saw that two tubes were glowing hard enough to make my transformers cast a shadow, and the other two were pretty dim. I powered down and brought it up again, and everything survived the gig.

That was a gig from hell. My gear sounded like shit the whole night.

[jim777]

Re: Operating a tube amp without a load

What's an FOH exactly? [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

[yabba]

Re: Operating a tube amp without a load

normally it's Front of House, but maybe in this case it's something more like Fucking Oafish, uh.. Harebrain? hehe

[atilla]

Re: Operating a tube amp without a load

Yabba, you are correct on both counts!

[Dreamland_Rebel]

Re: Operating a tube amp without a load

"you just got lucky"

[horns666]

Re: Operating a tube amp without a load

isn't that a dokken song??... [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[Death]

Re: Operating a tube amp without a load

[ QUOTE ]
isn't that a dokken song??... [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[/ QUOTE ]

yep