Life is short ! Use it while you can…. What are you saving it for ? The next owner ?
34 responses Add your response
Jweilers1 is not correct, old Fender amps are not like newer or modern tube amps. They are based on very old circuits that were licensed from companies like Western Electric etc. They were not Fender’s own circuit design. When you aren’t playing them for more than 10-15 mins put them in standby mode or in the case of a vintage Champ etc, turn it off! It doesn’t need an hour to stabilize, it needs 5 mins. A Champ, that many famous recordings were made with, is simple one half of a table radio in a box, it is not voodoo like many will make you believe. Families turned their radio on, listened to their shows then turned the radio off, they didn’t leave it on, nor did they warm the radio up for an hour. When you meet a great guitar amp tech you will learn the difference between the voodoo we read in our audio hobby versus what really makes a difference in a circuit. Also, ask a good guitar amp tech what kind of power cable you should use, he should have some $2,500 units on the shelf that sound better, LOL!!! |
Make sure you use your standby switch often when you aren’t playing, a vintage blackface should have this depending on the model. An old Fender will chew up your tubes faster sitting at idle in operating mode than being played. There are a couple of mods you can do that can be 100% reversed to protect your amp from bad tubes and filter caps blowing. One is a simple screen resistor where needed. I suggest you find a competent amp tech, it won’t hurt the value and it can be reversed easily as mentioned above. If it hums or buzzes get it checked out, something may be wrong. If it doesn’t, play on!! |
As Millercarbon said.. Ditto.. You Should Always Listen to your System, as Much as You want.. if your question was in reference to is it bad for the Amp? No, actually it's Better for it! Class A if that's the case? Saves time on warm up, better for the tubes life, (Which that would be the only bad thing, that you would have to replace them.. and in pairs.. more frequently..). Not sure of your Fender Exact type, yet if it generates a lot of heat, make sure it has ventilation and not a direct fan, just open air. I love my Tube amp, leaving on standby when not listening to, and I turn it off - only if more than a week or two I'm not planning on listening to it, unless it's Winter, then I do not need my furnace on in my home.. Actually due to that I would like to get rid of it and/or trade for something with less tubes; less heat.. I love the twinkling sound they make when it warms up, (the tubes) yet it has 10 tubes on each side; r/l channels, beautiful piece, JA200 or a Jadis unit, Yet if You Like/Love Tube Sound, you will never go back to SS or Other Class B, C and such.. So Stay with it.. Just my opinion from a Tube Listener.. Jon |
It's not a bad idea to have an extra set of tubes on hand. At various points you can insert the new tubes especially in the critical positions and see if you have been missing something. My brother has vintage fender and marshal amps and just recently discovered that his fender was getting a little tired with the current tubes after he did some swapping. Sometimes it happens so slowly that you don't really notice it. |
| Post removed |
Let me check the bible and other holy books that provide direction to peoples about good and bad....hold on......................................................................................................................................................................nope you are good to go! Nothing in there about too much tubes. Have at it and enjoy. Life is too short. Just keep a few spare tubes around maybe if/when needed. |
If it starts sounding dull, this is a good resource. https://www.thetubestore.com/shop-by-amp/guitar-amp-tube-packages/fender-amps/vintage-fender-tube-am... |
