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Post subject: Spares
Posted: Wed Apr 29, 2015 8:02 am
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Hi all,

I recently bought and started gigging with a new Fender Super Sonic 60. I love the amp - it's very versatile and I can dial in a great range of clean and dirty tones with my Strat and LP (and probably other guitars if I cared to). This is my first tube amp, though (after 27 years of playing), and I am wondering what is generally done about spares.

By "spares" I mean specifically tubes. This bad boy has 2 x 6L6 power tubes, 2 x 12AT7s and 6 x 12AX7. That's a lot of old school tech that can crap out during a gig. Do you guys carry spare tubes when you gig? If so, how many? Also, how easy is it to troubleshoot/replace a bad one during a gig?

Here's what I am thinking for my setup:
- A matched pair of 6L6s if there's an issue with the power tubes (get them biased after the gig, but at least I could get through the gig, right?)
- 1 each 12AT7 and 12AX7 (maybe 2 just in case?)

Now when things start sounding bad... not sure I am smart enough to quickly figure out what's what and replace them short of replacing each one and trying it out. Is there a better way?

Related question - can you replace a tube with the amp in standby, or should it be completely shut down when doing so? The former method would probably make replacement on the fly go a lot faster.

Thanks all!

-Andrew


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Post subject: Re: Spares
Posted: Wed Apr 29, 2015 9:39 am
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Forget about trying to troubleshoot or repair an amp during a gig -- there simply isn't time.

I always bring a spare amp with me though I've never had occasion to need it. That said, it would not be inappropriate to bring along some spare bottles as you've proposed. As well, extra fuses wouldn't be a bad idea either.

The amp should be switched completely off before any attempt to replace tubes, whether in the field or on the bench.

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: Spares
Posted: Thu Apr 30, 2015 7:43 am
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Thanks! fuses are a good idea too! I guess I'll pick up some spare tubes. Worst case I'll have some tubes for when they just wear out. I will kill the power too when swapping.

-Andrew


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Post subject: Re: Spares
Posted: Thu Apr 30, 2015 8:51 am
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I think the most important thing Arjay suggested is a spare amp. Even just an SS amp if you can't afford a second tube amp. Certainly better than standing on the stage w/yer thumb up where the sun don't shine. :mrgreen:


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Post subject: Re: Spares
Posted: Thu Apr 30, 2015 2:26 pm
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I think a spare amp would be best as the more knowledgeable guys have suggested. I would suggest saving pennies for a Mustang III V.2 which could be found used for around $250. It is 100 watts, lightweight and can dial in an incredible amount of tones INCLUDING a very good model of the Super-Sonic burn channel. Should do great as a backup and you could also use it for bedroom practice.

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Post subject: Re: Spares
Posted: Fri May 01, 2015 7:27 am
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Thanks again guys. I do have a SS amp (Peavy Bandit 112) that could do nicely as a spare for gigs. At my church, where I often play, there's already a spare Hot Rod Deluxe (which isn't a bad primary either).

-Andrew


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Post subject: Re: Spares
Posted: Fri May 01, 2015 1:29 pm
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A 60-watt Super Sonic seems a bit "overkill" for church......

:shock:

Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY


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Post subject: Re: Spares
Posted: Mon May 04, 2015 5:45 am
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Retroverbial wrote:
A 60-watt Super Sonic seems a bit "overkill" for church......

:shock:

Arjay


Well, I'll tell ya... one of the things I love about the SS60 is that it sounds good at low volumes. It's a master volume amp so you can crank up the gain as needed and keep the master down around 2-3. Since the gain isn't coming from the power tubes it still sounds good. Worst case I can attach an attenuator, but haven't needed to. We just isolate the amp it a hall behind the stage and mic it up.

Before that I was using the church's Hot Rod Delux with the volume on 12 and an attenuator. You control your grit with the guitar volume. It sounds pretty good as well, but I wanted a little more control and more volume parity between clean and dirty (plus channel switching without having to play with the guitar's volume knobs).

-Andrew


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Post subject: Re: Spares
Posted: Tue May 12, 2015 9:06 am
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With tubes, if my amp uses matched pairs, I buy matched quads, just so I don't have to worry about biasing. I also bring a spare amp. You can always try a tube swap during a break if you want.

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