simpleman3441 Posted January 18, 2010 Share Posted January 18, 2010 I have tried to find books on amps to learn more, but there doesn't seem to be anything good out there. This is my best source for info. So is it bad to crank the amp to 12? I just tried pushin that Blues Jr. to get a really thick sound on a particular track and it started makin some strange noises. I'm going to go ahead and assume this is the damage from stressin the output transformer in my previous topics (unless you tell me otherwise). I'm wondering if turning the volume (which I think is the preamp power) up all the way to get a really dirty sound is bad for the amp even with the speaker properly plugged in. We cannot accelerate the growth of a tree by pulling on its branches. - Ricardo Iznaola Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caevan O’Shite Posted January 19, 2010 Share Posted January 19, 2010 What were these strange noises? Could they have been either oscillating/parasitic feedback (sounds like squealing or whistling noises, very electronic and NON musical, often not affected by the pitch of a string or a whammy bar)? Or, could they have been acoustic/sympathetic feedback, singing/humming/howling sounds that are directly controlled by the strings, either changing in pitch as a string or strings are bent or whammied, or stopped completely if the strings are muted or the guitar's volume is rolled back or off? Or were they staticky, sizzling, hissy, popping, humming, buzzing electrical noises? Or... what? Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do? ~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~ _ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larryz Posted January 19, 2010 Share Posted January 19, 2010 You should be able to run the volume on full tilt boogie as long as you remember to turn the guitar down a little...you can overdrive a tuber and get some real good sounds but you may think about saving the little guy (amp jr.) and giving it a break once in a while...better to use a pedal if you want to run loud 100% of the time...IMHO...but there is an expert on another guitar forum thread that can answer better than I... Take care, Larryz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jasco Posted January 19, 2010 Share Posted January 19, 2010 I'm of the opinion that tube amps only achieve they're potential when turn up near full volume. I run mine like that all the time and don't have many problems. "Imagination is more important than knowledge." - Albert Einstein http://www.thesymbols.net http://www.jascoguitar.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
picker Posted January 19, 2010 Share Posted January 19, 2010 I'm of the opinion that tube amps only achieve they're potential when turn up near full volume. Kinda depends what tone you're going for. Balls-to-wall distortion, oh yeah. Jazzy clean or country twang, not so much. I run mine like that all the time and don't have many problems. have a buddy who's a Hendrix freak, really has his stuff down, both his licks and his tone. He goes through a lot of amps, just like Hendrix did, and for the same reason; he runs his amps pretty much full out. Large & small amps abused like that will sooner or later shut down. You will either blow the speaker, or cook off some component. Unless you have a boatload of money AND a tech on staff to repair your amp when it blows up(ala Eric Barrett with Hendrix's 100 watt Marshalls), you might want to consider laying off on it a tad. Otherwise, you'll be buying new ones pretty regularly, and/or the local repairman is gonna know it inside out. Always remember that you are unique. Just like everyone else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gabriel E. Posted January 19, 2010 Share Posted January 19, 2010 Learn to solder and you'll be ok. I run my amps pretty hot (I use a speaker attenuator). So far I've only had to replace a couple of fried capacitors and that's because I was pushing the voltage by using a non-spec rectifier tube. Most good quality amps can handle being pushed. You'll go through tubes faster but that's how you get the sound. "You never can vouch for your own consciousness." - Norman Mailer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jasco Posted January 19, 2010 Share Posted January 19, 2010 I'm of the opinion that tube amps only achieve they're potential when turn up near full volume. Kinda depends what tone you're going for. Balls-to-wall distortion, oh yeah. Jazzy clean or country twang, not so much. I don't really get "balls to the wall" distortion, but rather a bluesy tone that can be clean or distorted based on how hard I lean in with my picking hand. Also note that I'm not using amps with hi-gain preamps, but rather vintage or reissue vintage type gear. I run mine like that all the time and don't have many problems. have a buddy who's a Hendrix freak, really has his stuff down, both his licks and his tone. He goes through a lot of amps, just like Hendrix did, and for the same reason; he runs his amps pretty much full out. Large & small amps abused like that will sooner or later shut down. You will either blow the speaker, or cook off some component. Unless you have a boatload of money AND a tech on staff to repair your amp when it blows up(ala Eric Barrett with Hendrix's 100 watt Marshalls), you might want to consider laying off on it a tad. Otherwise, you'll be buying new ones pretty regularly, and/or the local repairman is gonna know it inside out. Again, I'd disagree. I was on the road for 11 years doing 220 dates per year running two tube amps HARD and I rarely had problems. Over the whole time I think I blew 1 speaker, a couple of tubes, and a transformer. "Imagination is more important than knowledge." - Albert Einstein http://www.thesymbols.net http://www.jascoguitar.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desertbluesman Posted January 19, 2010 Share Posted January 19, 2010 Try it through an extension cabinet set some distance from the combo like 5 feet. Crank 'er up and see what happens. dbm If it sounds good, it is good !! http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm?bandID=143231&content=music Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larryz Posted January 19, 2010 Share Posted January 19, 2010 This thread started out on a little blues jr...and what may be OK on big tour amps may not work well on the smaller stuff chasing your gigs around with caps and soldering guns (...although if you blow the speaker Simpleman you can always mic it and play Satisfaction)... Take care, Larryz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simpleman3441 Posted January 19, 2010 Author Share Posted January 19, 2010 What were these strange noises? Could they have been either oscillating/parasitic feedback (sounds like squealing or whistling noises, very electronic and NON musical, often not affected by the pitch of a string or a whammy bar)? Or, could they have been acoustic/sympathetic feedback, singing/humming/howling sounds that are directly controlled by the strings, either changing in pitch as a string or strings are bent or whammied, or stopped completely if the strings are muted or the guitar's volume is rolled back or off? Or were they staticky, sizzling, hissy, popping, humming, buzzing electrical noises? Or... what? I haven't had a chance to play it since I posted, but I did roll of the volume on my guitar to see if it was causing it and it didn't go away. I think it was a little of both. I definitely remember squealing and thought it was my guitar feeding back till I turned down the guitar. I also remember some oter stuff that could have been described as staticky, sizzling, hissy, popping, humming, buzzing electrical noises. I had the "volume" pot cranked full tilt, the "fat" switch on, and the master at about half. I don't regularly go for this sort of sound, but I needed something really thick for that particular track. We cannot accelerate the growth of a tree by pulling on its branches. - Ricardo Iznaola Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simpleman3441 Posted January 28, 2010 Author Share Posted January 28, 2010 Third one's the charm it seems! This one was just taken out of the box when I got it. Checked the speaker and it was not in the footswitch jack. Plugged it in IN THE STORE! and then cranked it pretty far. Sounded clean then and I've gotten a few real nice tracks from it since. Sorry if I've been a pest through this whole thing! Thanks for all your support, though. We cannot accelerate the growth of a tree by pulling on its branches. - Ricardo Iznaola Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caevan O’Shite Posted January 28, 2010 Share Posted January 28, 2010 Hey! That's great! Can you post some clips, particularly examples of what you like so much about it, and maybe even some pics? Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do? ~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~ _ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larryz Posted January 28, 2010 Share Posted January 28, 2010 That's great news SM3441, hope it gives you many years of pleasure...and some good recordings... Take care, Larryz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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