Feel free to ask Myles

[Mike Gug]

Originally posted by Mike Gug:

Originally posted by myles111:

Originally posted by Mike Gug:

Hey Myles... question...

 

I am experiencing a faint crackle in an amp.

 

Someone just gave me a used tube amp (what a cool guy!), and I can hear a slight crackle. I've played it once so far, and the crackle appeared after a few minutes of playing, so I assume it's the tubes(?). The volume level of the crackle is audible regardless of the guitar's volume knob position, so I assume it's an amp issue. The crackle is faint, but it kind of sounds like you just put put a needle on a slightly dirty LP record.

 

It's the Peavey Classic 30 combo. It's the model that does not have "PEAVEY" across the front grill. Possibly a few years old. Likely has not been used much. It's from a studio, non-smoking.

Mike

 

This is almost surely a tube. Try swapping a fresh 12AX7 in V1 then V2 etc.

 

Preamp tubes are the worst culprit

Thanks. Am I remembering correctly that tubes have to be "matched"?

Myles: Update on my Peavey Classic 30: I took it into the shop because of the crackling while on idle. Turns out that the tubes and capacitors are fine. Might be the board(?). The tech is advising that I'd have to ship to Peavey for repair.

 

The labor costs may be prohibitive. Here's what I'm thinking... if this whole endevor is going to run me $300 for a 50 lb. amp, I'd rather spend $300 more and get a 22 lb. Reverend 5-15 Goblin.

 

Any ideas on possible diagnosis or options? ie. sell for parts etc...? Maybe a second opinion?

 

Thanks.

[myles_rose]

Originally posted by Mike Gug:

Originally posted by Mike Gug:

Originally posted by myles111:

quote:

---

Originally posted by Mike Gug:

Hey Myles... question...

 

I am experiencing a faint crackle in an amp.

 

Someone just gave me a used tube amp (what a cool guy!), and I can hear a slight crackle. I've played it once so far, and the crackle appeared after a few minutes of playing, so I assume it's the tubes(?). The volume level of the crackle is audible regardless of the guitar's volume knob position, so I assume it's an amp issue. The crackle is faint, but it kind of sounds like you just put put a needle on a slightly dirty LP record.

 

It's the Peavey Classic 30 combo. It's the model that does not have "PEAVEY" across the front grill. Possibly a few years old. Likely has not been used much. It's from a studio, non-smoking.

Mike

 

This is almost surely a tube. Try swapping a fresh 12AX7 in V1 then V2 etc.

 

Preamp tubes are the worst culprit

Thanks. Am I remembering correctly that tubes have to be "matched"?

Myles: Update on my Peavey Classic 30: I took it into the shop because of the crackling while on idle. Turns out that the tubes and capacitors are fine. Might be the board(?). The tech is advising that I'd have to ship to Peavey for repair.

 

The labor costs may be prohibitive. Here's what I'm thinking... if this whole endevor is going to run me $300 for a 50 lb. amp, I'd rather spend $300 more and get a 22 lb. Reverend 5-15 Goblin.

 

Any ideas on possible diagnosis or options? ie. sell for parts etc...? Maybe a second opinion?

 

Thanks.

---

Mike - that is a big chunk of money for an amp that you could probably buy off ebay working for that amount or less.

 

If you are near me I'd be happy to check out the amp free of charge.

[Mike Gug]

Funny you should mention that. My bro-in-law and I are making a guitar-centered trip to So. Cal. Fast food and fast fret boards. We were thinking Nov 18 (Fri)or 19 (Sat). I'd be glad to bring it down, if you're really interested.

[myles_rose]

Originally posted by Mike Gug:

Funny you should mention that. My bro-in-law and I are making a guitar-centered trip to So. Cal. Fast food and fast fret boards. We were thinking Nov 18 (Fri)or 19 (Sat). I'd be glad to bring it down, if you're really interested.

Mike ....

 

Drop me an email or call me at GT during the mornings at 1-800-459-5687 and I will be happy to get together with you and check it out.

[picker]

Geez, guys, be sure to let us know how the Classic 30 crackle problem works out and what was the culprit cause.

[silas32321]

Hey guys, I just started playing the guitar and I hear all this talk about keys and scales and all that stuff. I know about dorian, minor, major pentatonic but Im not sure about the others. I also know there are 12 keys. I was wondering if the scales change as you change keys, or are they just played higher or lower up the neck of the guitar? Say I am playing in D and I want to play the minor pentatonic scale...would the scale change because I am playing in D or would it stay the same???

 

Also if there is any scales you guys would suggest learning other then dorian and the minor and major pentatonic I would greatly appreciate it.

[caprae]

Myles: Sustain/feedback question. I've got two VOX amps: the AD30VT and AD15VT, both of which have a tube. My son has a 15 watt Marshal MG15 solid state amp. His amp will squeel like a pig and when the overdrive is cranked you can stop playing and it will continue to feedback. My question is do solid state amps feedback more AND have better sustain, or is these just characteristic of the amps I have?

Thanks, caprae

[myles_rose]

Originally posted by caprae:

Myles: Sustain/feedback question. I've got two VOX amps: the AD30VT and AD15VT, both of which have a tube. My son has a 15 watt Marshal MG15 solid state amp. His amp will squeel like a pig and when the overdrive is cranked you can stop playing and it will continue to feedback. My question is do solid state amps feedback more AND have better sustain, or is these just characteristic of the amps I have?

Thanks, caprae

The sustain issue is not a solid state vs tube issue, it is a front end gain in the design issue. The small Marshalls and Roland Cube series have very high front end gain if desired.

[caprae]

Originally posted by myles111:

The sustain issue is not a solid state vs tube issue, it is a front end gain in the design issue. The small Marshalls and Roland Cube series have very high front end gain if desired.

Myles: Thank you for clearing that up. I guess we could buy a sustain pedal for the VOX.

 

Just out of curiosity, how do guys like you that have seen so many amps feel about the this line (Valvetronix) of VOX amps?

[myles_rose]

Originally posted by caprae:

Originally posted by myles111:

The sustain issue is not a solid state vs tube issue, it is a front end gain in the design issue. The small Marshalls and Roland Cube series have very high front end gain if desired.

Myles: Thank you for clearing that up. I guess we could buy a sustain pedal for the VOX.

 

Just out of curiosity, how do guys like you that have seen so many amps feel about the this line (Valvetronix) of VOX amps?

I have a section somewhere on my website with my thinking on "modelling amps".

 

Basically .... I believe in using the right tool for the job and these amps are really great for a lot of things. They give you a lot of features in a package, are lighter than the tube amps of the same general size, need no bias adjustments or tube replacements and work really nicely where you want a lot of different sounds out of one amp.

 

I think they are pretty darn cool.

 

The tube vs solid state thing will rage on for a few more decades but there is nothing that says a solid state amp cannot sound great. I know a lot of speed metal players that love those new little Roland cube amps because they have a lot of front end distortion and gain at very low levels.

 

The tube amps have that touch sensitivity thing going for them, headroom without going into clipping, no limiters in the circuit as most SS amps have, and that player interaction aspect. But if these things are not an issue it opens a big arena to a lot of really great products.

[Ricardo.]

I got a question! I've been thinking of replacing the speaker (a Jensen 'Special Design' 50 watt 8 ohm) in my Behringer V-ampire Lx1-112 modeling amp. But I'm not sure if it will improve the sound quality; I have noticed that if I plug my old Ep-800 solid-state 15W into another amp via headphone jack, the tone improves tons (so I realize speaker influences sound greatly).

 

So, how do I test a current speaker and determine whether it would benefit from a replacement?

[myles_rose]

Originally posted by Starcaster:

I got a question! I've been thinking of replacing the speaker (a Jensen 'Special Design' 50 watt 8 ohm) in my Behringer V-ampire Lx1-112 modeling amp. But I'm not sure if it will improve the sound quality; I have noticed that if I plug my old Ep-800 solid-state 15W into another amp via headphone jack, the tone improves tons (so I realize speaker influences sound greatly).

 

So, how do I test a current speaker and determine whether it would benefit from a replacement?

You test speakers to see if they are working properly or blown, or rubbing, etc. You really do not test them to see how they will possibly work in a specific application.

[muscmp]

myles:

i apologize if i am duplicating my post. i have 50's and 60's fender and gibson amps which have bad tremolo/vibrato circuits which need repair. an audio repair tech told me that they are not repairable. is this true? if not, where would i find the proper parts to get them repaired. the amps are: 1967 fender pro reverb, gibson ga15rvt, ga20t, ga20rvt and ga79rvt.

thanks in advance.

[Mike1959]

Myles,

 

Already posted a msg with the title 'msg to Myles' and then I saw this posting so please ignore former.

 

If my memory serves me correctly, I remember having an email discussion with you - via your Groove Tubes account - about the newer model Marshall Bluesbreaker combos with the deeper chassis that can accomodate the KT66 tubes.

 

If you are the Myles I'm thinking of, did you ever try out the Bluesbreaker with the KT66 tubes?

 

Regards

Mike1959

[myles_rose]

Originally posted by muscmp:

myles:

i apologize if i am duplicating my post. i have 50's and 60's fender and gibson amps which have bad tremolo/vibrato circuits which need repair. an audio repair tech told me that they are not repairable. is this true? if not, where would i find the proper parts to get them repaired. the amps are: 1967 fender pro reverb, gibson ga15rvt, ga20t, ga20rvt and ga79rvt.

thanks in advance.

All of these amps are totally repairable with no issues at all. Call TrueTone Music in Santa Monica and ask for Billy Yates.

[myles_rose]

Originally posted by Mike1959:

Myles,

 

Already posted a msg with the title 'msg to Myles' and then I saw this posting so please ignore former.

 

If my memory serves me correctly, I remember having an email discussion with you - via your Groove Tubes account - about the newer model Marshall Bluesbreaker combos with the deeper chassis that can accomodate the KT66 tubes.

 

If you are the Myles I'm thinking of, did you ever try out the Bluesbreaker with the KT66 tubes?

 

Regards

Mike1959

Mike,

 

The ONLY tube I use in a Bluesbreaker that have the deep cab is the KT66HP in a #6 rating biased at 32mA.

[Mike1959]

Hi Myles,

 

Perhaps I'm thinking of someone else. Anyway, first off hello from a newbie in the UK. Secondly, I was hoping you might be able to advise me; I recently acquired a used Nomad 45. I bought it because of its versatility and I want to use it mainly for recording. The green channel has some great sounds, with some of the orange channel settings following behind, but the red channel is not too good sounding. The low end with all of the high gain settings (all red channel and some orange channel settings) sound overly compressed and mushy. Hence, I would like to improve the higher gain tone.

 

What would you recommend in terms of both pre and power amp tubes. Also, should I re-bias the amp. I know Mesa say your shouldn't and theres no need, but Ive been getting a lot of contradicting information, specifically that the fixed bias is set to run a little cold (whatever that means) and that I should re-bias to get the most from new/matched tubes. As you are likely to recommend alternatives to the stock Mesa EL84's, I thought Id ask.

 

Appreciate any advise and Thanks in advance.

 

Regards

Mike

[myles_rose]

Originally posted by Mike1959:

Hi Myles,

 

Perhaps I'm thinking of someone else. Anyway, first off hello from a newbie in the UK. Secondly, I was hoping you might be able to advise me; I recently acquired a used Nomad 45. I bought it because of its versatility and I want to use it mainly for recording. The green channel has some great sounds, with some of the orange channel settings following behind, but the red channel is not too good sounding. The low end with all of the high gain settings (all red channel and some orange channel settings) sound overly compressed and mushy. Hence, I would like to improve the higher gain tone.

 

What would you recommend in terms of both pre and power amp tubes. Also, should I re-bias the amp. I know Mesa say your shouldn't and theres no need, but Ive been getting a lot of contradicting information, specifically that the fixed bias is set to run a little cold (whatever that means) and that I should re-bias to get the most from new/matched tubes. As you are likely to recommend alternatives to the stock Mesa EL84's, I thought Id ask.

 

Appreciate any advise and Thanks in advance.

 

Regards

Mike

Mike,

 

Mesa does not match their EL84s. They do not feel there is a need but to my ears in class A amps output matching is very important. Listen for yourself.

 

Mesa does not even rate their EL84s as an example as they do their other output tubes.

 

I prefer EL84S #6 in your amp.

 

On preamp tubes, in v1 I prefer a longer plate tube over the current Mesa offering. That is just my personal preference though. I also use only matched phase inverters.

[Mike1959]

Myles,

 

Thanks for the advise. If my understanding is correct, I can install the EL84S #6 tubes into the Mesa and not worry about the bias. If I can ask one more question please, and then I'll go away (promise) - what improvements can I expect with these tubes?

 

Thanks again.

Mike

[myles_rose]

Originally posted by Mike1959:

Myles,

 

Thanks for the advise. If my understanding is correct, I can install the EL84S #6 tubes into the Mesa and not worry about the bias. If I can ask one more question please, and then I'll go away (promise) - what improvements can I expect with these tubes?

 

Thanks again.

Mike

The amp is self biasing.

 

Improvement?

 

1. The amp will sound like a wool grillcloth was removed. Not that it will be that much louder, but it will have more sparkle, clarity, definintion.

 

2. More sustain by quite a bit ... your output section will be matched.

 

3. Longer output tube life .... better tubes but also matched output tubes.

[Mike1959]

Myles, thanks - than sounds great. I can't wait to try it out, but Will have to wait to end of month to replace all those tubes as I used this month's allowance on the amp itself

 

I will post to let you know how it goes. Thanks again.

 

Mike

[muscmp]

Myles:

thanks for your response and i'll check with him. do you know offhand if the photoresistor can be found if that is what is causing the proreverb's vibrato from working?

thanks,

[myles_rose]

Originally posted by Mike1959:

Myles, thanks - than sounds great. I can't wait to try it out, but Will have to wait to end of month to replace all those tubes as I used this month's allowance on the amp itself

 

I will post to let you know how it goes. Thanks again.

 

Mike

Mike

 

You are very welcome.

 

Let me know what you find.

[myles_rose]

Originally posted by muscmp:

Myles:

thanks for your response and i'll check with him. do you know offhand if the photoresistor can be found if that is what is causing the proreverb's vibrato from working?

thanks,

It could be the photoresistor ... they do fail now and then. www.tubesandmore.com would have them.

[muscmp]

great! antique electronics in phoenix.

thanks again.

[FormerOceanwaySlave]

Dear Myles,

 

Do you have any knowledge of the Bedrock 1000 Series 2x12 combo? I have the chance to buy one and it does sound quite nice but I know almost nothing about it. I've googled and read everything I could find about it but that is not much. Any thoughts you might have would, as always, be appreciated.

 

Thanks in advance,

 

Alan Tomlinson

[myles_rose]

Originally posted by FormerOceanwaySlave:

Dear Myles,

 

Do you have any knowledge of the Bedrock 1000 Series 2x12 combo? I have the chance to buy one and it does sound quite nice but I know almost nothing about it. I've googled and read everything I could find about it but that is not much. Any thoughts you might have would, as always, be appreciated.

 

Thanks in advance,

 

Alan Tomlinson

I have not been inside of these and have only played a used one a while back at Norm's Rare Guitars. I really could not say anything that would be of any value.

[Warthog]

What does "GAS" stand for? I've noticed lots of guys use it when talking about gear. Is it "Guitar (or Gear) Acquisition Syndrome"??

[FormerOceanwaySlave]

Many guitarists have a problem which is similar to extreme flatulence involving their almost total inability to play tastefully and at an appropriate volume: since this problem is nearly as embarassing as extraordinary flatulence, it has been called GAS. The cure is of course to put written music in front of the offending guitar player as this nearly always silences the guitarist.

 

GAS is indeed the acronym for , Guitar (or Gear) Acquisition Syndrome.

 

Cheers,

 

Alan Tomlinson

[dealwithit]

I have a question.

I have been playing for 23 years, and have only recently started making the kind of money that would allow me to buy a new amp. I play a wide variety of music, from Classic Rock (Aerosmith, Zeppelin, Bad Co.) to modern top-40 (Foo Fighters, Creed, Etc.). I have used a 120W solid-state amp (2x12") with distortion pedals since I was 15. I would like to step up to all-tube and get that sound that I envy.

 

My question is this: can you recommend an all-tube combo that has the distortion to cover my needs? I read and read about the Fender Blues Jr.'s tone, so I ordered one (I figured I could mike it onstage if I had to) and the thing just doesn't have the distortion I need, even when cranked up. I don't want to use pedals anymore, they don't give that sound! I have about $1000 to spend. I've heard about the Fender Twin as well, but the BJr scared me that it won't have enough distortion. I see all those Fenders in your avatar, so I assume you'll recommend a Fender. Can they cut it, from Zeppelin to modern rock?

 

Any advice appreciated.