Re: tube question

["Daniel Hein" <slimz57@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Don and everybody else that answered my question, thanks for the help.  Just 
wondering where's a good place to get the JJ power tubes you mentioned, and 
how much they cost?

Thanks again,
Dan






>From: The Bernadettes <mdestefano@xxxxxxxx>

>Daniel,
>     Power tubes wear out faster.  Pre-amp tubes don't have to be changed 
>unless they go
>noisy, short out, arc, or just sound plain lousy.  If you like the sound of 
>the amp, I'd
>leave the pre-amp tubes alone.  Pre-amp tubes can last quite awhile, 
>especially if
>they're the older US or Western European manufactured NOS tubes.
>     Power tubes are another story.  If they do short out, they can 
>sometimes take other
>components with them (such as the screen resistors).  Usually you'll have 
>some warning
>such as visible arcing inside the tube, weak power, and weak frequency 
>response.  Age
>has little do with wear, it's use.  Tubes will last forever if not used so 
>you can't
>judge by 5 years.  If you used the amp regularly, (say gigging every 
>weekend, and
>rehearsing once or twice a week) for 5 years, you're probably due for a 
>power tube
>change.  If the amp hasn't seen much use in 5 years, then don't sweat it.  
>Also, the
>type of tubes and type of amp has a lot to do with it.  Again US or WE NOS 
>tubes will
>tend to outlast the newer Russian and Chinese made tubes, 6L6 GC tubes will 
>outlast 6L6
>WGB or GB or 5881 tubes, especially in amps with higher plate voltages.  
>For instance,
>my silverface Super Reverb, which has high plate voltages, went through a 
>set of NOS 6L6
>WGB's in about 6 months, but I've had a pair of JJ 6L6 GC's in there now 
>for over a
>year, still going strong.  The JJ's are rated to withstand much higher 
>plate voltages.
>If you have a local amp tech with a good tube tester, pull the tubes and 
>have them
>tested.
>
>Hope this helps some,
>Don D.
>
>Daniel Hein wrote:
>
> > Hey folks,
> > My guitar player mentioned something about changing my tubes every 
>coupla
> > years.  I've had my amp for maybe 5 years, with the same tubes.  To my 
>ears
> > it still sounds good, but maybe if I change the tubes it'd sound better?
> > Does it depend on what tubes they are (who manfuactured them)?  I don't 
>know
> > who made the tubes, the amp is a Sonny Jr. 2 and it's the stock set-up 
>if
> > that helps.  Don't know if the pre-amps wear out faster than the power 
>tubes
> > or what.  Any help would be appreciated.
> >
> > Thanks,
> > Dan
> >
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