The Beginners Guide To Owning a Tube Guitar Amp Part 1

This video is aimed at the rookies..... so if you are a new tube amp owner, or just want to avoid some common pitfalls, Enjoy! If you all like this stuff, I'll make a part 2, where I go into a bit more detail. I've seen many a failed amp over some simple stuff, so this should cover the absolute basics of owning a tube amp.

[@THEQueeferSutherland]

They're not called "valves" in the UK, they're called "chewbs".

[@stiiimes]

Charleston Chube

[@Skade_Vandal]

Waiting for my evh 5150 III 50w amp . In my life its my first tube amp, and i find this to be very helpful! Big thanks to contributing to us who are new to them. Earned a new sub! Keep up the good work!

[@DeadKoby]

Thank you. I've been laying low a bit from youtube since I've been buried in work.... but I'll have something neat to show eventually.

[@Bob-ir2bj]

Well done. You touched on excellent points and presented it all really well. I'm not a rookie but its always nice to hit the refresh button once in a while. Keep up the good work, and if you can, I would continue with this series. Thanks for the efforts.

[@DeadKoby]

I appreciate that! I'll see what I can come up with for the next round. I have a few ideas floating in my brain, but I'll have to translate them into non-nerd English.

[@encompassthyeclipse7278]

@@DeadKoby very interested in anything you may come out with on tube amp care and maintenance, subscribed

[@gingercat777]

Standby switches were introduced by Fender to protect the FILTER CAPS.....No other valve driven piece of equipment has a standby....TV's, radio's, transmitters...etc etc. To quote Merlin Blencowe.....a standby switch is just an expensive mute switch.

[@normanperkel139]

Thank you for this.. I’ve been using tube amps since the early 90’s, and for the most part I knew the big no-no’s. However, your approach and teaching style had me hanging on your every word. I’m not sure how the video came up in my feed, but I’m glad it did. You now have a new subscriber here and I look forward to learning all I can from you.

[@DeadKoby]

Thanks for checking it out.

[@wingnutmcspazatron3957]

I'm a joyful owner of a brand new EVH 5150iii 1×12 combo, and I came here to learn how to make that baby last. Excellent video, very informative.

[@DeadKoby]

Glad you liked it!

[@MyNameWasTecho]

This video just appeared in my timeline and, for once, the KZbin algorithm delivered gold. As a newbie to owning a tube amp this is so helpful. So much good information shared without a hint of a condescending tone is absolutely refreshing. A recently asked a question on an amp forum, making it clear I was a newbie and essentially knew nothing, and you’d have thought I was questioning the parentage of the majority that responded. Thanks again for sharing this content 👍👍👍

[@DeadKoby]

@@MyNameWasTecho not a problem Glad it helped.

[@badbach66]

Man, this a lot of work lol. Sorta regret just getting a 5150 iii 100w head which should be arriving this week. Its my first tube amp ever. Hope everything goes well!

[@DeadKoby]

You'll be fine if you just handle it with respect. I went all out with the best practices.

[@8KilgoreTrout4]

I'm in the same boat as you. I just got the same amp and I feel kind of over my head, I sound way better on my digital effects :(

[@akshaydalal6987]

Thanks a lot. Great video.❤

[@DeadKoby]

You're welcome 😊

[@bronyraur661]

speed at 1.25, and solid

[@stephenasbridge878]

Very informative. Thank you.

[@DeadKoby]

Glad it was helpful!

[@jenniferwhitewolf3784]

Save up and buy a good quality amp once, instead of a hard to repair complex feature laden mess. I bought a 2 year old Fender Vibrolux Reverb in 1968, and its still working fine at 54 years old. Buying GOOD quality first will save you money in the long run. Some high dollar tube amps are not high quality, high reliability. High Price is not a measure of high reliability. Ask a lot of questions of older players that have been around for 20 or 30 years..

[@DeadKoby]

Actually, build quality is something I want to address in a future video. Hand-wired, vs. Good PC board, vs. BAD PC board... Yes, there's tube amps with PC boards that aren't junk. Legally, ROHS solder has created more reliability problems in electronics, and although it's intention was to cut down lead in the trash, It's led to more electronics in the trash in general.

[@PainterDans]

Having a good cover or case also helps the tubes in your amp change temperature slowly, just like a good guitar case. When bringing gear inside or taking outside. Good Video 👍

[@richard-ey6bn]

an informative video thank you for sharing your knowledge.. now I feel more competent with the valve amp..

[@DeadKoby]

Thanks. I can always think of MORE things I should have mentioned... but covering the basics was the goal.

[@ebandcamp]

Smart buying the 4 pack of matched power tubes !

[@DeadKoby]

Thank you. Unfortunately tube prices are a bit ugly now... . but it's not like they go bad resting on the shelf.

[@PainterDans]

I use a Fayetteville ps2 (6L6 tubes) to power a rack preamp, on the weekend it’s on all day, even when I stop playing for hours I just leave it on. Never had a problem.

[@yusdiy]

This is a must watch video. Thumbs up DeadKoby.

[@DeadKoby]

Thank you. I'll see what good ideas come for a part 2.

[@hildolfrdraugadrottin7279]

I'm confused. I've always heard your supposed to turn your standby switch on, let the tubes warm up then turn the main power switch on. This is the first time I've ever heard to turn the main switch on and then the standby switch. And then there's people that say it doesn't matter if you use the standby switch or not. Personally for the last 20 years or so I've always turned on the standby switch on first.

[@DeadKoby]

Standby/On Switch on Standby, Main power Switch on............. warm up the tubes, flip the standby switch to operate.

[@hildolfrdraugadrottin7279]

@@DeadKoby Thanks for the info. I guess I've been doing it wrong for years.

[@billrenfro7113]

Experts now agreed that you should never put your amp in standby. You should always leave the standby switch in play position. Turn the power switch on and off as necessary. If you are going to take a break, simply reduce the volume to zero and leave the amp on. You have probably noticed that if you let your amp warm up and then turn the standby switch on, you will hear a significant pop. This in-rush to the capacitors and tubes is damaging and should be avoided. The standby switch is only provided on new amps because people expected it to be there, not because it is needed or is useful or is necessary.

[@jenniferwhitewolf3784]

👍👍👍👍 Good to see you do this introduction for the ones starting out. 👍👍👍👍

[@DeadKoby]

Thanks 👍

[@gugan_1678]

Any advice for properly turning off the amp? For my Fender reverb deluxe, I switch off standby then main power, but I still hear a pop when switching off the standby.

[@DeadKoby]

Just flip the mains off. Or both at the same time.

[@d.n.5259]

Just got my 1st tube amp yesterday..... thankyou for this informative video. 😮 👏

[@DeadKoby]

I hope it helps you out. Thanks for checking it out.

[@shauryasinghmusic]

My blues junior iii doesn’t have a standy, what should i do to the amp during a 1-2 hour or 15-30 min break period? If i am teaching/studying/playing.

[@DeadKoby]

Less than a half hour break, I'd leave it on and just zero the volume.

[@shauryasinghmusic]

@@DeadKoby Thank you so much! What’s the limit for switching on & off a tube amp in 1 day , in your opinion ?

[@Greywolf74]

Thank you so much for this! I bought a tube amp for my first amp and dont know a thing about them!

[@DeadKoby]

Cool... as a tube amp builder, I've come to realize that many musicians only know if they like the sound or not.

[@akaalphagamer3558]

@@DeadKoby hey are there any saftey things I need to know or can I plug and play?

[@caleblanning8568]

If I put my amp in my room which is always cold because of my air conditioning, would the glass break. I really want a tube amp but Im worried about breaking something

[@DeadKoby]

I have never experienced this happening. Broken tubes are very rare.

[@trolologuy02]

I’m pretty sure it’s just for extreme temperature differences, like below freezing. When your tubes get working they get really hot, over boiling temp, and getting rapidly heated to that temperature from freezing can cause some damage to the glass

[@adrianhanson9584]

I like the happy /angry switch 😁👍👍

[@DeadKoby]

Me too. That particular amp is generally super clean... so "angry" removes the negative feedback loop, and lets it roar a bit more.

[@cmcgloughlin]

I have a fender vibro champ XD and sometimes i take off the speaker cable to just record from line out (to keep from waking family). Does the line out compensate for the lack of speaker or should i stop this practice?

[@DeadKoby]

It's not a good idea to do that. You could use or make a 4ohm dummy load, and replace the speaker with it for silent recording. It would only cost about 2 or 3 dollars.

[@cmcgloughlin]

@@DeadKoby thank you! I dont think I damaged it yet but will certainly stop this practice. Thanks for the heads up, subscribed

[@carlosanvito]

The line out jack is simply a low-level signal from your preamp. It has nothing to do with the tube output stage. Looking at the schematic, it appears that there's a shorting contact on the power output that's closed when the speaker cord is disconnected. Likely, that saved your amp but you should never rely on that. Strongly suggest you stop running the amp without a proper speaker load. Running a tube amp without a load could cause the output transformer to fail and much more. Bottom line = $$$ to repair.

[@konjunto2477]

I just rec'd a brand newHarmony H650 Tube amp. Do i need to acclimatized before plugging and playing? Thank you

[@DeadKoby]

Only if it is far colder or far hotter than the room it is to be operated in. I don't know the climate where you are. Temperature concerns are using when someone brings an amp into a heated building from a frozen car in the winter.

[@konjunto2477]

@@DeadKoby Average temp here in Western Wa is like 55 degrees *F right now. It just came of the FedEx truck fron Southern California. Thank you for the reply.

[@DeadKoby]

The thing to think about is the glass in the tubes can be "shocked" by temperature change. So when it's cold out, let them get to room temp first. When you're done playing, let them cool to room temp before taking it outside. When I play a show, I always show up early, and bring the amps into the venue to rest for 30 mins... thus they aren't being fired up whilst the winter cold is still affecting them.

[@davidconboy5822]

This video was great, thank you. Ordered my first tub amp and should be here in 2 days. Trying too learn some dos and don't before it arrives. I'm a subscriber now. Again, thanks. 😊

[@God-CDXX]

great co-lab of info

[@DeadKoby]

If it is well received, I'll expand and go into a little more depth. Unfortunately, there's so many different amps out there that I can't run a list of which require re-bias, and which ones don't, because even the same model name is different from year to year to year.

[@L84andy]

Yes definitely don't use the standby switch!!! when you you are taking a break from playing just crank up all of the controls to ten. Even if your taking a long nap or going to bed, and you plan on playing the next day just keep it on all night. no matter what don't use the standby switch. The Manufacturer of your amp is stupid and the standby is switch is only there to trick you..........

[@DeadKoby]

Feel free to dig deep into the topic. There's hours of reading material. Thanks for joining the conversation.

[@DynastyOmens]

i really love this video...however touching/handling tubes with bare hands is never really better than using say...a lint free cloth to handle them. Think about how the oil from your fingers that leave prints and how that changes the thermodynamics of the tube...they are made with very thin glass to start with and if you want to max the life they should not only heat up slowly but evenly and consistently. Correct me if i'm wrong or maybe this isn't a huge deal? either way...awesome job on the video

[@DeadKoby]

The glass isnt that thin. This idea came from halogen light bulbs, and isn't true of these style tubes. Its a tube amp myth...