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Post subject: tube lifespan
Posted: Tue Sep 14, 2010 10:11 am
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another question I had on hte Hot rod Deluxe(I know it all depends)

but I I were to play it just every weekend 4-8 hours, what would be the expected tube life?

thanks


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Posted: Tue Sep 14, 2010 10:40 am
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It's an absolute crap-shoot.

I've seen OEM Groove Tubes and chi-com re-issues (generally known to be of "el cheepo" contruction) last seemingly forever.

In contrast, I've had vintage NOS US-made mil-spec glass (regarded as the "Cadillac" among vacuum bottles) fail after only six months or a year.

You pays your money and you takes your chances.

Arjay

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Posted: Tue Sep 14, 2010 11:59 am
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If you don't move your amp ( schock) until tubes are cold = longer life


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Post subject: Re: tube lifespan
Posted: Tue Sep 14, 2010 1:48 pm
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mca wrote:
....I were to play it just every weekend 4-8 hours, what would be the expected tube life?

thanks


My HRDlx still has the original output tubes (Groove tubes), over ten years and still good. The bias in the HRDlx is set perfectly from the factory, so you should get maximum life from the tubes. Generally 2000-5000 hrs of life can be expected, depending on the bias and other factors. A very conservative estimate of tube life is 2000 hours. At 8 hrs use every weekend, that would be almost 5 years. It is very possible to get up to 5000 hrs or more from properly biased tubes. At your rate of use, 5000 hrs would be about 12 years. Like the others have stated, it isn't certain about the life of the tubes, but this is at least a fair expectation. I have tubes in amps that are over 40 years old and still work fine. I have heard of others that have had similar results. :)

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Post subject: Re: tube lifespan
Posted: Tue Sep 14, 2010 2:19 pm
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shimmilou wrote:
mca wrote:
....I were to play it just every weekend 4-8 hours, what would be the expected tube life?

thanks


My HRDlx still has the original output tubes (Groove tubes), over ten years and still good. The bias in the HRDlx is set perfectly from the factory, so you should get maximum life from the tubes. Generally 2000-5000 hrs of life can be expected, depending on the bias and other factors. A very conservative estimate of tube life is 2000 hours. At 8 hrs use every weekend, that would be almost 5 years. It is very possible to get up to 5000 hrs or more from properly biased tubes. At your rate of use, 5000 hrs would be about 12 years. Like the others have stated, it isn't certain about the life of the tubes, but this is at least a fair expectation. I have tubes in amps that are over 40 years old and still work fine. I have heard of others that have had similar results. :)



thanks so much, it makes me feel better about converting to tube amps :)


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Posted: Tue Sep 14, 2010 7:44 pm
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Let me put it to you this way: How long does a light bulb last? Some seem to burn out a month after you changed it. Others seem to last forever.

That all being said, tubes ARE a wear item - like the strings on your guitar. Sure, they may not be broken, but they do wear with use. I'm not suggesting you should change them often, but their tone character will gradually change with extended use.

I've got a 1973 Champ with it's original tubes still in it and they sound fantastic.

On the other hand, I have a 1980 Fender 75 with its original preamp tubes and they sound kinda dull.

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Posted: Tue Sep 14, 2010 7:57 pm
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Powdered Toast Man wrote:
I've got a 1973 Champ with it's original tubes still in it and they sound fantastic.


Indeed.

I have a 1965 Princeton Reverb that, until about four months ago, had all of its original glass.

You just never can tell about tube life.

Arjay

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Posted: Tue Sep 14, 2010 8:52 pm
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Retroverbial wrote:
Powdered Toast Man wrote:
I've got a 1973 Champ with it's original tubes still in it and they sound fantastic.


Indeed.

I have a 1965 Princeton Reverb that, until about four months ago, had all of its original glass.

You just never can tell about tube life.

Arjay


Ok, well, kinda. Actually I recently pulled the old tubes and subbed in new JJ's. The original RCA's sound fantastic, but I want to preserve them for studio work.

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Posted: Wed Sep 15, 2010 5:34 am
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Well,another thing about tube amps is that sooner'r'later you're gonna find out that it's fun to try different tubes.....leaving the same tubes in an amp for years even if they sound great is kind of like sleeping with the same.......oh wait,I better drop it. :wink:


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Post subject: Re: tube lifespan
Posted: Wed Sep 15, 2010 1:34 pm
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shimmilou wrote:
mca wrote:
....I were to play it just every weekend 4-8 hours, what would be the expected tube life?

thanks


My HRDlx still has the original output tubes (Groove tubes), over ten years and still good. The bias in the HRDlx is set perfectly from the factory, so you should get maximum life from the tubes. Generally 2000-5000 hrs of life can be expected, depending on the bias and other factors. A very conservative estimate of tube life is 2000 hours. At 8 hrs use every weekend, that would be almost 5 years. It is very possible to get up to 5000 hrs or more from properly biased tubes. At your rate of use, 5000 hrs would be about 12 years. Like the others have stated, it isn't certain about the life of the tubes, but this is at least a fair expectation. I have tubes in amps that are over 40 years old and still work fine. I have heard of others that have had similar results. :)



Most HRDlx amps were and biased pretty cold from the factory. I believe it was done deliberately to avoid heat related problems and quick tube failure. That would result in really long life of the tubes. I'm not a conspiracy guy, it's just a theory I have. Even Juston Holten mentioned the factory cold biasing on his site as we as many other folks on many other forums have pointed out. Mine was biased extremely cold from the factory and sounded just eh.

I gigged and rehearsed with my 76 Twin for over 25 years with the original bottles. In it's heyday it was used anywhere from 15 to 30 hours per week. Like Arjay said, it's a crap shoot. New production tubes are nowhere near as robust as old ones.

The colder you bias the tubes, the longer they'll last but your tone suffers. All in all, it's your ears and your tone. :wink:

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