to Newbee4
Thank you very much for this post. I changed tubes on the preamp side of my amplifiers and had exactly this problem. When I turned the amp on the new tube might or might not light up. I had to check every time and leaning the tube to one side seemed to help but it was never a permanent solution. I was considering bying another set of tubes and then I read your post. At your suggestion, I removed the tubes and observed the tube sockets. There were slits in the sockets that allowed for the bending that you mentioned. I unplugged the amplifiers to be safe and then adjusted the sockets as you instructed, using the smallest flat head screwdriver I could find. I inserted the tubes and noticed a snugger fit right away. I plugged in the amplifiers and then turned them on. Bingo! Problem solved, all tubes were getting power and glowing. The new tubes sound great and now power up every time. Many thanks again.
Thank you very much for this post. I changed tubes on the preamp side of my amplifiers and had exactly this problem. When I turned the amp on the new tube might or might not light up. I had to check every time and leaning the tube to one side seemed to help but it was never a permanent solution. I was considering bying another set of tubes and then I read your post. At your suggestion, I removed the tubes and observed the tube sockets. There were slits in the sockets that allowed for the bending that you mentioned. I unplugged the amplifiers to be safe and then adjusted the sockets as you instructed, using the smallest flat head screwdriver I could find. I inserted the tubes and noticed a snugger fit right away. I plugged in the amplifiers and then turned them on. Bingo! Problem solved, all tubes were getting power and glowing. The new tubes sound great and now power up every time. Many thanks again.