What tube should i get for my amp

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Features Opinion. A quick guide on how to gauge when the tubes in your amp are in need of swapping out. By Chris Fantana. If in any doubt whatsoever, do not substitute one tube type for another!

Generally, when power amp tubes fail they do so either quickly amp lights up but produces no sound , or spectacularly generally by glowing an unusual colour or making loud pops or bangs, followed by complete failure. They can also deteriorate more slowly over time, resulting in a loss of top end detail or low end power. If everything else in your chain is good but your amp just seems to lack sparkle or authority, it's a great idea to try a new set of power tubes—you may find the old set were still performing well enough to be kept as an emergency "spare spare" set!

It's worth mentioning again at this point that if your amp starts smoking or producing a burning smell, it's likely that the damage is more extensive. Failed power tubes can sometimes take out their protection circuit, occasionally overheat part of the board, or in extreme cases even blow an output transformer.

Switch the amp off immediately, grab a backup you packed one, right? Unlike the preamp tubes, which can replaced on a "plug and play" basis, the power tubes in most amps need to be biased for optimum performance.

The phrase "fixed-bias" does not mean the bias is not adjustable, more that it is adjustable but to a fixed ideal point. Power tubes are generally biased as a matched set of four like in most W amps , or as a matched pair like in a 50W amp. Some class AB amps like the Marshall DSL are biased separately on each of their two distinct push and pull "sides," allowing for two matched pairs to be fitted in place of a matched quad—or in a 50W amp, two unmatched tubes to be fitted in place of a matched pair.

This, however, is probably your amp tech's territory, so if in doubt you should just carry a matched set of whatever tube complement your amp carries. An unmatched set, or individual replacement of one or two failed tubes will likely get you through a gig, maybe even the remainder of a short tour in a pinch, but the power tubes should always be appropriately matched and correctly biased for optimum long-term performance. What it actually means, in short, is that the amp itself does not feature adjustable bias, and instead the tubes must fall within a safe range for the amp.

Again, like a car tyre, the safe range is fairly broad—a somewhat colder tube set will usually feel slightly less responsive but will last significantly longer, and a hotter set will feel more lively but will wear out quite fast.

It's fairly standard practice for production amps to be biased a little cold from the factory; meaning that even a hotter set of tubes won't pull them out of the safe range. This is essentially the principle behind a non-adjustable bias amp; it will have a colder bias set at the factory in order to safely accept a wide range of tubes, negating the need for adjustment while maintaining good overall performance.

If you have a non-adjustable bias amp, you can either replace your tubes like-for-like relatively easily done if the existing set have a rating label attached to them , or talk to a reputable tube retailer who will be able to sell you a set that fall within the ideal range.

Equally, if you wish to change brand, you can simply talk to a reputable aftermarket supplier who will specify a set of tubes that match your amp's requirements. One final type of amp worth knowing about is the cathode-biased type. First off let's give some general advice : If you want to replace Power tubes on your amp, after the replacement you should adjust the Bias or have it adjusted by someone who can do it without risking his life , in order to use it at their best and avoid to ruin your power amp.

If you want to learn more about how to set the bias, check out This Page. Preamp tubes instead cannot be biased or adjusted, you can just replace them. Also you don't need to use except for exceptional cases preamplifier tubes of the same brand, you can use a different brand for each position, if you wish.

A low gain amp cannot be turned to a hi gain beast just by replacing tubes, although the tube that you put in the first position may change a bit the general sound of your preamplifier: a 12AT7 will make it more dynamic, a 12AX7 will make it more overdriven and gainy, a will make it cleaner, and a preamp tube will last more or less 2 or 3 sets of power tubes.

Now, according to the Tube Town Map , we can give some general advice in choosing the right tubes for your amplifier, keeping in mind that obviously these are not rules and many more tubes than these, which are just the most common , so the only real way to choose the right tube for you is to do some test. During the Fifties, tubes were used in every consumer electronic product, including radios, TVs, and audio gear, but by the transition to solid-state was in full force, and tubes were found mainly in some guitar amps and high-end audio components.

During that time, most U. Fortunately, the manufacture of tube guitar amps has enjoyed a healthy resurgence over the years, and interest in new amps and maintaining old amps is keeping tube factories operating in Russia, China, and the Slovak Republic.

The not-so-good news is that the quality can vary from month to month and from production run to production run. Many tube merchants test and match their tubes before selling them, but the quality of the testing and matching is not consistent from supplier to supplier.

I typically use Tung Sols in the first preamp stage because they have a warm sound. I also like Chinese 12AX7 tubes in the phase inverter because the bright tonal character adds a nice bite.