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Post subject: Spare tubes?
Posted: Thu Mar 14, 2013 6:36 pm
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Sorry folks, another dumb newbie question from a first-time tube-amp owner... :oops:

Is it standard "best practice" to have a set spare set of tubes in your kit bag... or do you just buy what you need when/if they die?

(If there is a good resource I could read - like a "Tube Amps for Dummies" - then please feel free to point me at that!)

Thanks
A


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Post subject: Re: Spare tubes?
Posted: Thu Mar 14, 2013 9:08 pm
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aj.in.oz wrote:
...Is it standard "best practice" to have a set spare set of tubes in your kit bag...


Yes, always a good idea to have spares. For a HRDlx, one spare 12AX7 will cover any of the first three tubes, but it would be nice to have two or three spares, and a spare set of output tubes. You can experiment with different preamp/PI tubes (the first three smaller tubes), without the need to bias, just plug and play and listen to see which you like best. When buying output tubes, find out which are your favorites, and buy a matched quad. That way you can install and bias one pair, and if you have to install the second pair, no need to re-bias.

aj.in.oz wrote:
...(If there is a good resource I could read - like a "Tube Amps for Dummies" - then please feel free to point me at that!)...


Google: "Tube Amps for Dummies", and start perusing the links.

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Post subject: Re: Spare tubes?
Posted: Thu Mar 14, 2013 9:29 pm
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Thanks shimmilou!

Yep, Google is my friend... :-)


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Post subject: Re: Spare tubes?
Posted: Fri Mar 15, 2013 1:30 pm
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For me personally, Having to tote around a set of backup tubes and worry about that I live more on the edge. I mean, as long as my tubes are not too old and they've been reliable for me I'm good to go. In the worst case scenario if my amp dies, I'll play through the PA.
:mrgreen:

Edit: NOT that it's a bad idea to carry spares. Just not my style. Maybe it's yours? That's cool. I wonder what poll results here would say about people who carry backup tubes to practice / gigs.

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Post subject: Re: Spare tubes?
Posted: Fri Mar 15, 2013 1:37 pm
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It's been my experience that on-stage amp failures generally require more time to troubleshoot and rectify than an unruly audience or impatient club owner will permit. I always pack a spare second amp for that scenario (though I've never had to resort to using it).

HTH

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: Spare tubes?
Posted: Fri Mar 15, 2013 2:38 pm
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Retroverbial wrote:
It's been my experience that on-stage amp failures generally require more time to troubleshoot and rectify than an unruly audience or impatient club owner will permit. I always pack a spare second amp for that scenario (though I've never had to resort to using it).

HTH

Arjay



+1...Arjay is right, if your power tubes go, something more is prolly going on, so a back up amp is a must...although I must admit, I did gig with just a single amp for a bit and was lucky...although it was a Vintage Fender Tube Amp so maybe not just lucky!

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Post subject: Re: Spare tubes?
Posted: Sat Mar 16, 2013 8:15 am
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Retroverbial wrote:
It's been my experience that on-stage amp failures generally require more time to troubleshoot and rectify than an unruly audience or impatient club owner will permit. I always pack a spare second amp for that scenario (though I've never had to resort to using it).

HTH

Arjay


+100

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Post subject: Re: Spare tubes?
Posted: Sat Mar 16, 2013 11:14 am
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A "at the ready" back-up head is a must if you gig with older tube amps.
My main gig amp is a '65 Bandmaster that just recently went "funky"
in the second set. So for the time it took to do one tune without me I hooked up
my Blues Jr. (head conversion) to the cabs. (All set up just behind my main
spkr cab, AC plugged in with spkr lead ready.)
Of course a BluesJr can't replicate the chime of an old Blackface but you can
come a lot closer to your sound than a "duct taped" patch cord into the PA!



also the other guitarist and I share a TubeCaddy (Tube Depot) with a full compliment
of fuses & tubes for the Fenders & Dr.Zs always in the equipment truck.)

in the early days we were lucky & happy to have tinfoil to make a fuse so
with 30 some years of giggin' you get real grateful to having back-ups for everything & anything!!


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Post subject: Re: Spare tubes?
Posted: Mon Mar 18, 2013 7:59 am
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Funny thing is, I had better luck with my older amps than my HRDlx. When I bought my HRDlx I thought I'd be okay for a while. Man was I wrong. My 76 Twin never dumped on stage in over 30 years. My HRDlx 3 times in less than 6 months. That's why it's gone. With my Twin, I never even carried a backup. Same went with my 66 Vibrolux Reverb, or my 74 Bandmaster. My 74 Champ still never saw a shop. Reliability shouldn't be a huge crap-shoot. Half the problem is that today's tubes aren't manufactured as well as the old ones. I did a gig this weekend and brought my Egnater Rebel 20 and my Tweed Deluxe 5e3 clone that I built with a BYOC ABY switcher box. It was my clones maiden voyage and it did great and now a couple of musician buddies want me to build on for them.

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Post subject: Re: Spare tubes?
Posted: Mon Mar 18, 2013 9:17 am
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True, true about the older tube amps. The Bandmaster 2nd set "funk" was only
a wake up call to retube.
"If it ain't broke, don't fix it" DOES NOT PERTAIN to tubes!
I have been very guilty of waiting till last minute to get new tubes
and with running the bottles at full throttle with an attenuator, it
doesn't take long before they weaken.
BTW That tube case I mentioned is called a TubeCube.


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Post subject: Re: Spare tubes?
Posted: Tue Mar 19, 2013 3:43 pm
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Spare amps are great for big gigs if you have the room; I always have a Smokey amp in my guitar case and it can drive a 2x12" Fender cab quite nicely -- as long as there's a mic on the cab for the PA...

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Post subject: Re: Spare tubes?
Posted: Wed Mar 20, 2013 5:58 am
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Retroverbial wrote:
It's been my experience that on-stage amp failures generally require more time to troubleshoot and rectify than an unruly audience or impatient club owner will permit. I always pack a spare second amp for that scenario (though I've never had to resort to using it).

HTH

Arjay

^ Agree. I carry a Crate Power Block (physically small 150w SS) and would hook it up to the combo's speaker in case of failure. A couple of pedals, and it doesn't sound half bad....certainly beats stopping the gig. BUT I too, never had to use it.

Where to draw the line? We don't have a backup PA system, and I don't even take a second guitar (probably should). Space constraints, for one prohibits. Maybe for a very high paying, very large (near stadium sized) gig all bases should be covered, but for the smaller tavern gigs we do mostly, it's too much effort, so we risk it.

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