Tech Ed 14 -Replacing Tubes in a Guitar Amp

[Trakstar84]

I have a tube amp that sounds and responds perfectly, but it gives static and cracking when it is getting warmed up. What should I do?

[bracdc]

What is that AMP?

[FaceLikeTheSun]

Hey great Vid.

I have a mesa boogie dual rectifier trem-o-verb and the tremolo buzzes a lot, and not only that, the amps volumes get soft and crackly after playing it for a while. Are these pre amp tunes? or output tubes? Something I can change myself or take it to a shop? What do you recommend? Thanks.

[megaluisdeth]

Those are some big ass power tubes!

[CesaRVendettA]

what about the BIAS? ;P

[flipsy87]

DUDE HAS NOBODY TOLD U NEVER TO TOUCH THE ACTUAL TUBE BARE HANDED? IT WILL PRETTY MUCH RUIN THE TUBE IF U DONT CLEAN IT WITH ALCOHOL!!!

[valdivia562]

this guy said tubes so many times now the word sounds made up

[BTumblin94]

So the orange glow means the tubes are working? cause I've read some articles saying they should be blue, and that orange is bad. Can anyone clear this up?

[blackmorejimi]

Can you tell me if the Egnater Tweaker which got 6v6 stock can be loaded with kt 66 ??Nice video

Thanks

[livepunx]

guys,with your experience tell me if i need and specialist or i need just to change the power tubes.i was playing the other day and then nothing the amp turned OFF NO SMOKE SMELL AT ALL,i pull out the tubes and one of the tube haves a white head and the other seems to be normal silver color.is there anything else or just need to change the tubes ??? im worried cuz is my first tube amp and i didnt know if the new tubes are going to burn as hell.PLEASE HELP ME

[Jlird808]

Yeah are u supposed to be using ur bare fingers like that? thought u needed a cloth or gloves

[jaj145]

how would one know which tube is needing replaced?

[shredicon86]

So you don't blow your shit up when you switch it back on, make sure its connected to the speaker cab.

[rssnowblind0]

Does this apply to tubes that are hanging for example like in a combo amp? You don't always have to take the chasis out do you?

[x0Schuyler0x]

thanks man!

[PhysicalGraffiti10]

I have a Marshall 1959SLP but it has 4 EL34's but I want to put in 4 KT88's how do I do this? Help please?

[macer67]

FYI. you should never handle new tubes with your hands, as the oils from you skin will cause the tubes not to heat evenly on the outer glass of the tube, thus shortening the life span.

Cheers

[StoryWB]

@macer67 thats what i was thinking..

[13Musicmachine]

I'm presuming you would use the same technique for a fender deville ? Also is it possible to change out 12ax7 tubes for 12au7 or would that require modification ? I'm looking for a smoother , less distorted od that can be added to with a couple od pedals .

[wipers86]

your video helped thnx man you mentioning the sound of the amp helped

[DarkAngelEU]

thanks for uploading this, SOO much better than expertvillage ;)

[panter7722]

good day. I have a problem with a marshall jcm 2000 dsl head. latch on properly, the tubes light up fine, but nothing is heard it all, I opened it and everything looks good does not look that burned inside, the fuses are good, you could help me

[BrUSomania]

My reverb effect has died out. Is it caused by old tubes?

[laudypapa1]

1:54 is the amp mad?

[hydrolisk1792]

You should clean that chassis a bit, looks rusted in some spots :)

[liamzuid]

That sound out of the amp after replacing them was that just the head?

[Denvermorgan2000]

I dont like rocking the powertubes because you can break the alignment pin in the middle.

[guitarthroat]

how hard is it to remove the chassis, locate the bias pot, calculate the proper bias range and set the bias with a multimeter?

[Axeman2006]

What is with all the techs on youtube using bare greasy hands on tubes...yikes.

You should always clean the tubes with alcohol (yes even brand new) and use gloves to install them, also I don't think "rocking them" is a good idea.

[straighshooter1972]

Thankyou for this video! I have found it really helpful. Keep 'em coming!

[JaxyNikil]

That Garage Is a Punk Place to Jam !

Old Dusty Amps with brand new tubes in em....Wires......Mess...

Couldnt Give Any better Rock Feel !

[tormentor87]

dude thanx alot 

[mfkato]

Great video...

Thanks!

[Twiz9491]

great vid! i am curious though shouldn't you wipe off the tube before you put the covers back on and turn it on because cant the oil from your hands crack a tube? also aren't you supposed to drain the filter caps before you even mess with changing tubes? i just got a Ashdown Fallen Angel 60w amp and im thinking i need to change the tubes it has a pair of Electro Harmonix El-34hs can i just change them with the sames ones or will it still need to be biased? sorry about all the questions :P

[The7DeadlyStrings]

@Twiz9491 think he washed his hands. :) just like al guitarist should before they play .

[TheKadung]

I have a ringing like jingle in my amp when I play, does that mean the tubes need to be removed, shake to see if it's the tubes itself. Or do I need to get silicone rings to stop the noise? or is it something else? please help.

[senorchristoph]

Great video bro! I am curious though....what is the name of that amp?

[Zhorellski]

I've got a traynor ycs50 that came with 2 sovtek 5581's, do I still have to rebias if I replace it with the same 5881's but different brand?

After use, how long do i have to wait to make sure it's safe to pull the tubes out?

[Pianoblacks]

for gods sake... please use fucking gloves!

[archenemyowns]

When ever you use a guitar tube amp, do you have to have a speaker load on the head?

[natetheboywhocant]

@MrIplayguitar Youre right. The oil on from your hands can cause hot spots and make the tubes crack or even shatter. so use a cloth or gloves.

[govtmule13]

The first thing you do is UNPLUG THE AMP!

[Obelix5150]

If I have a 100w amplifier with 4 poweramp tubes which is too loud, can I remove two of the poweramp tubes to reduce it's output? how?

[cichlidkeeper89]

i would e-mail the manufacturer.

[shackleton1]

Why remove it from the head cab?

[bmwm3cs]

@shackleton1 There is no reason. Maybe he just wanted the camera to get a better view.

[overandoutt]

can i change only the 4 power tubes for jcm 2000 and not worry about the other tubes? my clean channel is distorting, thats a tube issue iim assuming..

[tigreslokos]

usefull, thanks

[carlosnorberto2000]

Esse cabaço tirou as valvulas originais e substituiu por chinesa......burro

[guzmoney]

How do you know to change preamps vs power tubes? Like what effects would each have when its going out on you?

[bigskymind81]

how do you know when its time to change the tubes? coz my amp is crackling when i hit a chord( Eb power chord) but on the other chords its normal sounding..help..thnaks

[blackstrat712]

Replace the tubes and see if that cures it. Or take it to a tech, that way if it is something else he/she can troubleshoot your amp for you. There are several things that can cause this. You could have a loose wire, etc. I would take it to a tech if I were you.

[guitaraddict73]

How often should tubes be replaced? Do they have issues or do they just not sound as good as they used to?

[natetheboywhocant]

@guitaraddict73 yeah. your output will dwindle and youll hear crackling and other various shit sounds that you dont want. Depending on how much you play your tubes should be replaced every 1-2 years.

[Blink182PunkRocker]

i was looking at my tubes because they sound horrible, im assuming there dead, but anyways i took a couple out to see how to take out tubes and i put them back in and i was gonna play guitar and started up my amp and it made a real loud noise and i looked at the back of the head and a tube was sparking and flashing... what happended????! :( and how can you tell if tube are bad? there have a light purple glow, and i have a Mesa Boogie Triple Rectifier

[DeathPony4U]

It's also possible that you're having some speaker issues. I've run into this before, and at specific frequencies you can get resonance with the speakers if they happen to be wearing.

[rockexpert]

@bigskymind81 check your guitar 1st like tuning the bridge saddles and if your running pedals to them make sure the volume is leveled to the amp

[AlTheKiller7]

@bigskymind81 Check your cable and your instrument first

[AlTheKiller7]

@bigskymind81 Check your cables and guitar first. What amp do you have ?

[reach205]

@bigskymind81 my valve king head is doing the same thing.

[TheFenderstud]

Nice video, very informative. I have a Fender Blues Jr that is about 7 years old and has the original tubes. Lately it has not been sounding as good as it used to. Would you recommend replacing the pre amp tubes?? They are 12AX7s.

Also, can I do it myself and which brand would you recommend?

thanks

[blackstrat712]

I would recommend researching forums such as Harmony Central. I am not familiar with your amp and I have found different amps to react different to different tubes. There are several choices and I am sure you can easily find tubes that are hotter or better sounding. Most stock tubes are kind of middle ground since OEM does not always try to make it's product for any certain genre. But yes tubes can start getting weak sometimes. It should be easy to research. Good Luck...

[MrJackanthony]

@blackstrat712 Hi. Nice video. Im thinking of buying a mesa express 5 50 (and maybe a vox night train) they would be played daily for about 4-5 hours. do you have an idea when I would have to replace the tubes(roughly?) or is that a stupid question?. Thanks

[blackstrat712]

@MrJackanthony Hi, and I don't really have an answer for you. I played solid state amps for a long time and I just recently started playing tube amps myself. This video was from a CD in a magazine.

[MrJackanthony]

@blackstrat712 Okay:) Not a problem. Thanks anyway.

[ibanezman007]

@MrJackanthony It really depends on how hot your running the amp. For example, if you need to turn your Vox up to 10, replace them more often than you would in the mesa boogie. So I would recommend the Mesa Boogie because you don't need to run the amp as hot, and therefore, replacing the tubes less.

[crluehmann]

@MrJackanthony It depends on how hard you drive them (if you drive the preamp tubes they'll cause distortion, if you drive power amp it'll be loud (and will eventually cause breakup and distortion)) -- but under moderate to heavy ware a power amp tube will last at least 6 months and preamp tubes can last up to 2 years.

[blackstrat712]

It wouldn't hurt. Some things are effected by oils in your skin such as halogen bulbs. I am not sure if amp tubes are effected in the same way or not.

[BrainRemovalD3vice]

arnt you supposed to wear gloves