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Post subject: Can a Tube Amp be Stored Vertically? (Twin Reverb)
Posted: Wed Jan 05, 2011 4:57 pm
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I have a recent issue Twin Reverb, and it's just too much for my den at home. I need to get it out of the way to make room for a Blues Jr., much more appropriate. I have a spot to put it, but would have to stand it on it's end to fit. I'm not intending to run it when positioned thusly; just store it that way. Would it damage the amp to do so?


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Post subject: Re: Can a Tube Amp be Stored Vertically? (Twin Reverb)
Posted: Wed Jan 05, 2011 5:03 pm
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I can't think it would hurt it.
Prolonged playing, causing heating issues, might affect it but that would be a lot of playing...

I'm sure others will chime in.

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Post subject: Re: Can a Tube Amp be Stored Vertically? (Twin Reverb)
Posted: Wed Jan 05, 2011 5:17 pm
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Hi insguy,

No problems standing it on it's side, or even upside down. It will even work fine turned on when on it's side or upside down. :idea:

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Post subject: Re: Can a Tube Amp be Stored Vertically? (Twin Reverb)
Posted: Wed Jan 05, 2011 6:22 pm
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Awesome. The Twin is a great amp, but I swear to God that I can only turn the volume up to about .5 in my den, and that's just not enough to get the creamy, bluesy distortion I'm after. I bought my daugher a Blues Jr. when she graduated last summer, and I've been envious ever since. Now I get to go shopping for my own (laquered tweed with Jensen, please).

Thanks for your advice on this!


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Post subject: Re: Can a Tube Amp be Stored Vertically? (Twin Reverb)
Posted: Wed Jan 05, 2011 10:22 pm
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Hi insguy,I tell you what-I'll swap my Blues Jr. and a lifetime supply of air guitar picks and strings for your Twin...Deal?

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Post subject: Re: Can a Tube Amp be Stored Vertically? (Twin Reverb)
Posted: Thu Jan 06, 2011 3:59 am
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No problem to sore it upside down, you can play that way too ,


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Post subject: Re: Can a Tube Amp be Stored Vertically? (Twin Reverb)
Posted: Thu Jan 06, 2011 9:57 am
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Guitslinger, a tempting offer to be sure, especially with those air guitar picks thrown in...however I believe I'll hang on to the twin. I don't gig often, but it'll come in handy when I do! :lol:


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Post subject: Re: Can a Tube Amp be Stored Vertically? (Twin Reverb)
Posted: Thu Jan 06, 2011 8:31 pm
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since you already have a Blues jr in the house, try a egnator rebel20 before you buy anything. :wink:

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Post subject: Re: Can a Tube Amp be Stored Vertically? (Twin Reverb)
Posted: Sat Jan 08, 2011 8:48 am
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i'm not sure if an amp should be placed sideways when operating. i myself have thought of doing this to divert heat away from the chassis (in a combo amp where tubes are below the chassis). but then i wondered if that would be a healthy environment for the tubes themselves.

think about it, when the amp is sideways, the tubes that are sitting on top of the "stack" are getting cooked by those below. the highest tube is receiving the wrath of minimum 3 tubes' heat combined. i realize that a logical counterpoint would state "how could this be bad if the tube is already producing heat anyway? What's the difference?"
Point taken, but something still doesn't seem right. Tubes radiate heat, but should they be absorbing heat from 3+ other tubes? I would expect this to be more harmful than not.

Upside down is a great idea, i have thought of this too, but I play a Pro J, so upside-down isn't possible for me unless i make a custom stand so the cable isn't being bent between the stand and amp, which seems overbearing.

so heck, i just sit it right side up. to combat the heat, i bought a couple mini DC fans from radio shack, wired them in parallel to a wallwort, and wiretied them inside the tube viewing/cooling window. they blow out, so cool air circulates from below, up past the tubes, and out. seems to work well, the cabinet feels quite cool even after a few hours. i'm getting 15 cfm with the 2 fans. its not 100% effective, im sure a bit of heat still sneaks away, and then there's the trannies tucked up behind the chassis, but oh well. didnt want to alter the amp, otherwise i would have mounted the fans at chassis level. maybe i'll make a backplate one day to do this, but time is limited for me, and that too might be overbearing.


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Post subject: Re: Can a Tube Amp be Stored Vertically? (Twin Reverb)
Posted: Sat Jan 08, 2011 2:20 pm
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Yes, tube upside down like all Fendr combo amps are not the best but this work since 50 years. Don't forget to keep the glass of your tube clean , no finger print, this will help evacuate heat from the tubes, Nobody do that.


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Post subject: Re: Can a Tube Amp be Stored Vertically? (Twin Reverb)
Posted: Mon Jan 10, 2011 6:50 am
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msvolpe wrote:
i'm not sure if an amp should be placed sideways when operating. i myself have thought of doing this to divert heat away from the chassis (in a combo amp where tubes are below the chassis). but then i wondered if that would be a healthy environment for the tubes themselves.

think about it, when the amp is sideways, the tubes that are sitting on top of the "stack" are getting cooked by those below. the highest tube is receiving the wrath of minimum 3 tubes' heat combined. i realize that a logical counterpoint would state "how could this be bad if the tube is already producing heat anyway? What's the difference?"
Point taken, but something still doesn't seem right. Tubes radiate heat, but should they be absorbing heat from 3+ other tubes? I would expect this to be more harmful than not.

Upside down is a great idea, i have thought of this too, but I play a Pro J, so upside-down isn't possible for me unless i make a custom stand so the cable isn't being bent between the stand and amp, which seems overbearing.

so heck, i just sit it right side up. to combat the heat, i bought a couple mini DC fans from radio shack, wired them in parallel to a wallwort, and wiretied them inside the tube viewing/cooling window. they blow out, so cool air circulates from below, up past the tubes, and out. seems to work well, the cabinet feels quite cool even after a few hours. i'm getting 15 cfm with the 2 fans. its not 100% effective, im sure a bit of heat still sneaks away, and then there's the trannies tucked up behind the chassis, but oh well. didnt want to alter the amp, otherwise i would have mounted the fans at chassis level. maybe i'll make a backplate one day to do this, but time is limited for me, and that too might be overbearing.



+1, I was thinking the same thing. There are a lot of tubes in a Twin as well as a lot of power being generated. The power and output tranny themselves generate a lot of heat. It would worry me to let all that heat rise to just one corner of the amp without some type of fan or at least a vent. If it's a reissue, I'd worry about the PCB.

Just for the record, fingerprints do not hurt vacuum tubes. They are not like halogen light bulbs. I think the only thing that might bother them is a lot of dust because it may keep the heat trapped a little more in the tube. I've had tubes last for decades without keeping them free of fingerprints. As a matter of fact, I always checked to be sure my tubes didn't come loose in all of my Fender amps after I moved them from the car to the venue and never wiped them off.

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Post subject: Re: Can a Tube Amp be Stored Vertically? (Twin Reverb)
Posted: Mon Jan 10, 2011 8:43 am
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Yes finger print on amp tubes are not like finger print on Halogen, but a clean glass help dissipate the heat from the power tubes.


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Post subject: Re: Can a Tube Amp be Stored Vertically? (Twin Reverb)
Posted: Mon Jan 10, 2011 8:46 am
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Has never hurt mine. The bottle is pretty thick. Like I said there is no proof that fingerprints hurt vacuum tubes. It's a total myth.

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Post subject: Re: Can a Tube Amp be Stored Vertically? (Twin Reverb)
Posted: Mon Jan 10, 2011 10:40 am
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Are you serious : total myth ?


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Post subject: Re: Can a Tube Amp be Stored Vertically? (Twin Reverb)
Posted: Mon Jan 10, 2011 10:59 am
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The only specific written documentation I've ever seen regarding fingerprints on a tube was in the USAF maintenance T.O. for the AN/FPS-6/6A height-finder radar when changing out the thyratron (high-power tunable-frequency transmitter tube). In that instance, the bottle was to be cleaned of any fingerprints or other effluvia before operation with some GSA-cataloged glass cleaner (I've forgotten the FS# for it but we always used Windex).

That said, I'm not in the habit of eating barbecued ribs or fried onion rings while handling or changing tubes. I can say with certainty that clean glass will not impede the general performance of a vacuum tube.

:mrgreen:

Arjay

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