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Post subject: tube bias- sorry to be such a pest
Posted: Thu Oct 31, 2013 7:58 am
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:roll: ok- hopefully you can point me in the right direction, or to a source for this.

first of all, I don't feel comfortable playing around inside of an amp. I will find a tech in my area to take care of any problems I have.

let's say I am at a gig, and I have tube issues. I know you can just plug and play pre-amp tubes. my deluxe vm has 6l6gc jj tubes. I have been advised to keep spare tubes around. if I just replace a power tube, am I risking any harm to the amp by not re-biasing right away, or is it just a matter of tone?

I am new to this whole tube thing, and just want to prepare myself.

thanks for your patience with me gang-this old dog is trying to learn some new tricks!


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Post subject: Re: tube bias- sorry to be such a pest
Posted: Thu Oct 31, 2013 10:06 am
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You do what you have to do to finish the gig.

Just watch out for explosions and fire.

Just kidding. :lol: :lol: :lol:

Make sure you check things as soon as possible afterwards.

My suggestion would be to buy a matched quad of tubes, two of which go in the amp, the other two act as spares. That way if one or both tubes die in the amp, the spares will match and no adjustments will be necessary immediately. Keep in mind though, that unless the tube just died of old age, there could be a problem in the amp that caused the tube to die and will need to be addressed ASAP.

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Post subject: Re: tube bias- sorry to be such a pest
Posted: Thu Oct 31, 2013 11:28 am
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bluesky636 wrote:
You do what you have to do to finish the gig.

Just watch out for explosions and fire.

Just kidding. :lol: :lol: :lol:

Make sure you check things as soon as possible afterwards.

My suggestion would be to buy a matched quad of tubes, two of which go in the amp, the other two act as spares. That way if one or both tubes die in the amp, the spares will match and no adjustments will be necessary immediately. Keep in mind though, that unless the tube just died of old age, there could be a problem in the amp that caused the tube to die and will need to be addressed ASAP.


That's exactly what I did when I gigged all the time. For my Bandmaster and Vibrolux I bought a match quad set, had the amp biased for the pair and kept the other pair as my spares. My Twin was a different story. At the time I couldn't afford a matched Octet of 6L6 power tubes, but I kept my backup amp on stage with me ready to go. The original power tubes in my Twin lasted 30 years. I had the amp re-tubed and serviced before I sold it. That Twin was a great amp.

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Post subject: Re: tube bias- sorry to be such a pest
Posted: Sun Nov 03, 2013 12:56 am
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Roadie
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63supro wrote:
bluesky636 wrote:
You do what you have to do to finish the gig.

Just watch out for explosions and fire.

Just kidding. :lol: :lol: :lol:

Make sure you check things as soon as possible afterwards.

My suggestion would be to buy a matched quad of tubes, two of which go in the amp, the other two act as spares. That way if one or both tubes die in the amp, the spares will match and no adjustments will be necessary immediately. Keep in mind though, that unless the tube just died of old age, there could be a problem in the amp that caused the tube to die and will need to be addressed ASAP.


That's exactly what I did when I gigged all the time. For my Bandmaster and Vibrolux I bought a match quad set, had the amp biased for the pair and kept the other pair as my spares. My Twin was a different story. At the time I couldn't afford a matched Octet of 6L6 power tubes, but I kept my backup amp on stage with me ready to go. The original power tubes in my Twin lasted 30 years. I had the amp re-tubed and serviced before I sold it. That Twin was a great amp.


a 6L6 exploding is NOT a pretty thing......I pushed a set one day longer than I should have.....I guess 35+ yrs IS a bit much....
still have the other 3 wrapped and in a shoe-box, Amporex (sp?) IIRC

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Post subject: Re: tube bias- sorry to be such a pest
Posted: Mon Nov 04, 2013 8:16 am
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In 45 years of playing, I've never had a 6l6 or any tube explode. I had one short and blow a fuse in mt 66 Vibrolux, but never explode. Some of the old tubes can last for decades with no problems. Remember, tubes were used in military applications for a long time and had to be reliable. Today, it's a different story. That Twin never failed me. I ran it hard but not full out. Used the standby switch religiously and let the amp cool down before it was moved an inch. I never just tossed it around.

Here's a photo of it and my 72 Strat before I sold the amp a few years ago. It was a great looking and sounding amp. It was too loud and heavy for what I do now, but I still regret selling it.
I took the photo too. It's what I do for a living. :wink:

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