Guitar Amps and Their Problems
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.JPG "Dumble Clone #1")
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Most guitarists know there is nothing better than a quality vacuum tube amplifier.
You just can't get that tone with solid state electronics!
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Perhaps you recently acquired an older tube amp and something is wrong but you are not quite sure what it is.
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I can help.
Or do you have an older guitar tube amp that doesn't quite work as well as it once did?
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Does it make a loud humming noise or other strange noises?
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Do the control pots on the front of the amp make scratchy noises as you turn them?
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Weakening tubes and or other faults in the amp may be keeping it from sounding as good as it once did.
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Your amp may need a well deserved a tune up.
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The power supply filter capacitors used in tube amps tend to dry out after many years and as they do, they don't do their job very well anymore. Which is primarily filtering the DC voltage in your amp.
This usually results in a loud 60 cycle hum because they have lost their filtering ability.
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Older electrolytic capacitors have a life span of 10-15 years and will actually last the longest when you use the amp regularly.
Modern electrolytic capacitors can last 20 years or more easily and with daily use will last even longer.
ddIf your amp is over 30 years or older and it still has a two prong power cord, that is something that should be changed to a three pronged cord, for safety's sake.
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An amp that has had the filter caps replaced, bad or drifted components replaced and a new three prong power cord installed, can sound as good as new once again!
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I will go through the amplifier stage by stage and inspect and measure all components and values. Anything found to be out of spec or damaged will be replaced.
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Also, the socket pins can become dirty or corroded over time preventing the tube pins from making good contact.
These can be cleaned and re-tensioned.
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Another thing that can happen is arcing between the power tube sockets. This can happen with age when a tube socket has carbonized from high voltage arcing.