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Post subject: Re: Fender Bassman 500 - sweet!
Posted: Fri Jan 04, 2019 11:54 pm
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I don't know when I'm going to hook up the Ampeg again. I do want to try the Squier Jazz through it, and the one great thing about it is I don't have to wait for any tubes to warm up before I can play. That's one thing about solid state that I like. I don't have to deal with any of the hassles of tubes. I've never been that hung up on the whole tube thing, anyway. Maybe it's because I've mostly used solid state heads, and only have had two head that had any tubes in it at all. The Orange, and the Ampeg SVT-3 Pro that I had years ago.

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Post subject: Re: Fender Bassman 500 - sweet!
Posted: Sat Jan 05, 2019 6:57 am
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I grew up with tubes, and used them for a while. That's all that was available at the time. The tube does give a nice tone, but so do the newer SS. And for me the tubes aren't worth the extra hassle that they can produce. Tubes aren't as readily available as they once were. Expensive too. At most convince stores, 7-11's etc., they used to have tube testing machines. Mainly because of the TV's used tubes. And they had a stock of tubes to buy right in the tube tester setup. So testing an amp's tube could be done there. They didn't always have amp type tubes there, but at least you knew which tube you needed.

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Post subject: Re: Fender Bassman 500 - sweet!
Posted: Sat Jan 05, 2019 2:44 pm
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Yeah, pretty much everything had tubes in it at one time. It's funny, that technology is at least 100 years old, yet it's a lot more expensive to deal with. Maybe that's because it's kind of a specialty thing, because it's not commonplace anymore.

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Post subject: Re: Fender Bassman 500 - sweet!
Posted: Sat Jan 05, 2019 5:02 pm
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Well for one thing now, you don't have a big electronics company like Sylvania spitting out thousands of tubes a day. When you have a tube amp these days, it's almost a must in you go to bed prayers, and please God save my Amp Head Tubes, AMEN! I loved my Fender Super Bassman, but I didn't want to gamble on if, and when the tubes would start to go. Tubes can go at anytime. They don't need to be old to fail. SS are more reliable.

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Post subject: Re: Fender Bassman 500 - sweet!
Posted: Sat Jan 05, 2019 11:22 pm
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You're not even going to get the same ones that you could back in the 50's or 60's, unless there's some NOS lying around, and how much is that going to cost? You have to get them from other sources, and who knows if they'll even sound the same, or have the same reliability. It's an extra gamble, I think. I suppose if you really got to have it, then go for it. I don't need to.

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Post subject: Re: Fender Bassman 500 - sweet!
Posted: Sun Jan 06, 2019 5:44 am
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The selection of new tubes aren't that plentiful to say the least. It's been a long time since I changed out tubes in an amp too.

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Post subject: Re: Fender Bassman 500 - sweet!
Posted: Sun Jan 06, 2019 9:42 pm
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I changed out a preamp tube in a mic preamp that my girlfriend has, I think a couple of years ago, or close to it. One of those 12AX7 ones. That was the extent of me doing that. I can't recall if I ever did that before, if I even did. My Ampeg SVT-3 Pro had those in it, but I never had to mess with them. The transformer fried out in it, though. It would have been a hell of a lot cheaper to change out tubes, than what that cost to fix. :roll: Nowadays, you can buy a new bass head, or a really decent used one for what that cost at the time. Of course, back then, you didn't have cheap amps, unless you managed to scrounge up some beat to hell Peavey.

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Post subject: Re: Fender Bassman 500 - sweet!
Posted: Mon Jan 07, 2019 4:37 pm
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Yeah, the preamp tubes are usually fairly easy to change out. And all reality, the power tubes are easy to remove, and replace. it's just the procedure on how to access the tubes. That's different on every tube head.

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Post subject: Re: Fender Bassman 500 - sweet!
Posted: Mon Jan 07, 2019 8:58 pm
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Don't you also have to deal other issues when installing them? Something to do with biasing, or whatever that is. I've heard the terminology, but I never really looked into it, since I never had to deal with it.

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Post subject: Re: Fender Bassman 500 - sweet!
Posted: Mon Jan 07, 2019 9:57 pm
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PaulLF wrote:
Don't you also have to deal other issues when installing them? Something to do with biasing, or whatever that is. I've heard the terminology, but I never really looked into it, since I never had to deal with it.


That's where you need to get the tubes in matched sets.

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Post subject: Re: Fender Bassman 500 - sweet!
Posted: Tue Jan 08, 2019 12:12 am
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What happens if you don't?

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Post subject: Re: Fender Bassman 500 - sweet!
Posted: Tue Jan 08, 2019 6:14 am
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PaulLF wrote:
What happens if you don't?


Basically, the sound isn't as good as it should be.

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Post subject: Re: Fender Bassman 500 - sweet!
Posted: Wed Jan 09, 2019 1:59 am
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Does it do any damage to the amp, as well?

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Post subject: Re: Fender Bassman 500 - sweet!
Posted: Wed Jan 09, 2019 6:48 pm
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PaulLF wrote:
Does it do any damage to the amp, as well?


I don't think so, but it's been a while since I even changed out a tube on an amp. And when I did they were matched.

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