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Hey peel.. (or anyone using tube amps w/ standby)


machinex

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ok i know that if you have a tube amp, the best way to turn it on is to turn on standby and let the tubes warm up, per se.. then after about a minute, hit the power. However ive noticed with my jubille that by turning on standby, it doesnt do a damn thing... regardless of how long i put it on standby, power doesnt get to the tubes till sometime after i turn on the power. do I have the process backwards?

 

In this situation, would I turn the power on, then wait to hit the standby switch? (they are two seperate switches)

 

Basic question, i know, but when i was borrowing a marshall dsl 2000, I would hit standby, wait, then power and the amp would be on. not the case with the 2555.

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uh.....really? I've never heard of the standby to power on sequence. Nor can I see any major benefit of doing so. If you know the mechanics of a tube, in ANY application. I work with huge TWT's, Klystrons, Magnetrons, as well as audio electronics....and standby was for one reason only....to prohibit instant radiation at power on. Prolong tube life possibly? There is an argument there in professional electronics circles, that actually keeping gear energized prolongs life of components. Not having an engineering explanation of this, I'm at a loss. I have two amps with standby switches, and two without. I'm guesstimating, but at standby, heater voltage is still applied, and plate voltage removed? I don't see an advantage at initial power on with this sequence, however I can see putting your gear in standby during breaks, so you can flip that switch and instantly have audio. Thats the only advantage I see. Myles???????
Down like a dollar comin up against a yen, doin pretty good for the shape I'm in
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Does the power light even go on? If nothing at all happens, you have it backwards. the tubes should light up (hence the warming up) then after 30 seconds, hit standby. If you strum a chord and then hit the standby switch, you should hear the sound right away, it it still takes a few seconds to come through, it wasn't warmed up.

by the way, what part of Delaware are you from??

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From my Mesa's manual:

"1.) Connect your favorite

guitar to the instrument INPUT jack. Now turn the power switch "ON" while leaving the standby switch set to "STANDBY." It is

always a good idea to practice this start up procedure as at least 30 seconds of warm-up time lessens the shock on cold power

tubes, thus prolonging their toneful life substantially."

I've always been taught to do this, tube amps always have standy, it must be there for a reason.

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Originally posted by jaccursi:

From my Mesa's manual:

"1.) Connect your favorite

guitar to the instrument INPUT jack. Now turn the power switch "ON" while leaving the standby switch set to "STANDBY."

 

I've always been taught to do this, tube amps always have standy, it must be there for a reason.

i've always been taught that too,but as far as "all amps have this" my doesnt have a standby,so i'm thinkin did peavey do this as a price point issue or does an amp really need one-that is if you give it a minute for the filaments to warm up,no damage?

s

AMPSSOUNDBETTERLOUDER
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I'm not sure how necesary it is, we need someone who's a bit more of an expert to chime in...
OK, I'm not the expert you're looking for, but maybe there are two kinds of standby switches. The one I have on my ADA Viper basically just turns off the speaker - the power switch needs to be on to warm up the tube. It's probably safe to say that if your standby switch only disables the speaker, then you should power on with standby on (speaker disabled), wait, and then turn standby off so you can hear yourself play.

aka riffing

 

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I notice that if i power on my amp for about 30 - 60 seconds then take it off standby, it plays so im guessing thats the right way.. i was just confused cause with the other marshall i was using, you take it off standby first to warm up the tubes then power on.. oh well

 

jaccusri.. as in jeff? im in newark and if you are who I think you are.. your in newark (or bear)

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Power on procedure is to have it in standby mode and then turn power on for the amp. Wait 1-5 minutes for the tubes to be fully warm before switching the standby off to play. This will help extend the life of the tubes. Also, before turning your amp off again, switch it to standby and WAIT AT LEAST 10 SECONDS OR SO before powering off to avoid a surge going to your speaker. Standby is not just a speaker on-off switch. It is there to protect the tubes as well as your speaker. I hope this clarifies everything okay. Boggs
Check out my Rock Beach Guitars page showing guitars I have built and repaired... http://www.rockbeachguitars.com
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