The truth about handling a tube amp

[DonP]

The standby switch kills the high voltage to the tube but leaves the heaters running.

The reason you let the tubes heat up first, is because applying high voltage to the cold tubes strips the material from the cathode, causing excellerated wear and tear (cathodes wear out normally, and that's why you need new tubes).

I'm not sure on shutdown which way is best.

On shutdown, if you kill the power without going to standby, the heaters are still hot for a lot longer than the high power will last, and it will help discharge the caps.

If you go to standby first then power down, your caps will remain fully charged until the bleeder resistor (if included in the design) drains then, so it could be a safety issue if you work on your amp. Not really an issue if you aren't messing with the amp. Also, by doing it this way, you won't forget to start in standby mode.

Sam,

I think your TSL100 might be "channel switching" or "mode switching" when powering down that is causing the pop. My DSL100 doesn't pop when powering down, but it's not nearly as complex as the TSL100.

[horns666]

I will explain this all over again from scratch..in much more elaborate detail. Since I did not make myself clear the first time. That is my fault..I take the blame for this one.

[toejam]

Make sure that your amp has a steady diet and at least 8 glasses of water per day..so that the tolex will remain supple and will not crack with age.

I only give my amp 4 glasses of water, I pour the other 4 on the floor, then I step in the puddle while playing.

[horns666]

I only give my amp 4 glasses of water, I pour the other 4 on the floor, then I step in the puddle while playing.

Yes, that is an old trick if you have only a two prong plug. The water on the floor acts as a ground which gets rid of 60 cycle hum..cool Joe!

[shreder13]

I think your TSL100 might be "channel switching" or "mode switching" when powering down that is causing the pop. My DSL100 doesn't pop when powering down, but it's not nearly as complex as the TSL100.

I've owned a Randall tube amp, a Krank, 3 mesas and a DSL and all pop if I turned them off before letting them go to standbye for a while.

[DonP]

I've owned a Randall tube amp, a Krank, 3 mesas and a DSL and all pop if I turned them off before letting them go to standbye for a while.

I have no idea then. My DSL100 doesn't.

I don't think it hurts powering down either way, but going to standby first seems to have the added benefit of being ready for the next time you power on.

[SlasZ]

The fact that the Uberschall only has one knob for power -> standby -> play must mean that you should always go through standby. There's no other way to turn it off

[horns666]

The fact that the Uberschall only has one knob for power -> standby -> play must mean that you should always go through standby. There's no other way to turn it off

Sven, Stop trying' to complicate things will ya!!

I'm trying to explain something ova-here..

[SlasZ]

Sven, Stop trying' to complicate things will ya!!

I'm trying to explain something ova-here..

We're waiting

[Robert Burns]

Yes, that is the correct practice. however, when I was talking to the carvin tech on the phone, he was giving me the impression that its ok for the amp to be without a load for quite sometime before it blows its covers.

Also, with regards to impedance mis-matching, it seems tube-amps are designed to withstand a 2:1 load-mis match. So, if you have the amp set at 8 ohms and plug it into a 4 ohm cab, the amp would still be A-ok. In fact, when i was using a 5150 into my weber attenuator as a dummy load, I had at sometime hit the switchable ohm switch to 4 ohms instead of 8 ohms and it was quite a while before I noticed it and switched it back. My amp was just fine.

*** But if memory serves me... it was right after doing that, that you lost your BRUTAL !!! :ROTF: So it may have damaged your amp afterall!

[CharvelRocker]

The fact that the Uberschall only has one knob for power -> standby -> play must mean that you should always go through standby. There's no other way to turn it off

Some Orange amps are like that too.

Btw; I hear if you throw forks and screw drivers at the speaker magnet, it makes them louder. I also tried putting some glass cups around my tubes, thinking it would make a bigger vacuum and more volume, but it didn't work What am I doing wrong?

[Cygnus X1]

Some Orange amps are like that too.

Btw; I hear if you throw forks and screw drivers at the speaker magnet, it makes them louder. I also tried putting some glass cups around my tubes, thinking it would make a bigger vacuum and more volume, but it didn't work What am I doing wrong?

You're using the wrong kind of forks, and screwdrivers.
Just Google it, there are some good suppliers around.

And, I hope you know you're supposed to use silicon sealant on the glass cups, or the vacuum will leak right out. I think Torres sells the right sealant.

[scotty]

If you are worried about time, there is one more option. Just leave everything in the on position. When you need to turn it on, plug it in. When you want to turn it off, just unplug it. Remember when unplugging you can save more time by just pulling on the cord rather than walking a couple of extra feet to unplug it right at the the power outlet.

[Cygnus X1]

If you are worried about time, there is one more option. Just leave everything in the on position. When you need to turn it on, plug it in. When you want to turn it off, just unplug it. Remember when unplugging you can save more time by just pulling on the cord rather than walking a couple of extra feet to unplug it right at the the power outlet.

Seems to me that puts an instant load on everything, same as flipping the power switch on with the standby disengaged. A cathode stripper, in the worst way.

[El_Kabong]

Rubbing hand extracted Narwal sperm onto the tolex will also keep your amp new looking for years. But it does smell bad if you put it on hot tubes- not recommended.