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What happens when a tube amp blows?

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ProfessorBB
Posted 2009-06-24 9:52 AM (#410306)
Subject: What happens when a tube amp blows?



Joined:
January 2006
Posts: 5881

Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains
First, there’s no sound. Second, it shorts out, the power-on jewel light extinguishes itself, and everything goes dead, in relatively quick succession. Then its all quiet as everybody stares. Next comes the smoke, just the hint of a slowly curling swirl at first, but quickly increasing to a noticeable charcoal-colored cloud exiting from the amp's open back. Then the disheartening odor of burning metallic, melted solder and fried wire insulation. Eventually comes a trip to the amp doctor and, finally, a wallet thinning repair bill. First amp I’ve ever blown up in over 50 years of playing. I wish it was because of the huge power chords I was pushing through it, or that I kicked it over in the middle of a great southern blues riff, or after using it as a launch platform for my mid-air windmills. Nope. This is what happens when you mix the pre-amp tubes with the output tubes. Somebody should tell Fender to post a warning on their tube charts that you have to read the damn things backwards. What an idiot. I should stick to cannon-sitting.
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Waskel
Posted 2009-06-24 10:14 AM (#410307 - in reply to #410306)
Subject: Re: What happens when a tube amp blows?



Joined:
February 2005
Posts: 11840

Location: closely held secret
Ouch. Sorry to hear that, Brad.
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FlySig
Posted 2009-06-24 10:49 AM (#410308 - in reply to #410306)
Subject: Re: What happens when a tube amp blows?



Joined:
October 2005
Posts: 4081

Location: Utah
Hopefully a fuse killed the power before the transformers burnt. A few resistors won't cost a whole lot, but those transformers aren't cheap.
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an4340
Posted 2009-06-24 10:59 AM (#410309 - in reply to #410306)
Subject: Re: What happens when a tube amp blows?


Joined:
May 2003
Posts: 4389

Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands
I've had that happen with a guitar pedal. You're in the middle of something, then silence, then the smoke, the smoke the smoke.
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MWoody
Posted 2009-06-24 11:03 AM (#410310 - in reply to #410306)
Subject: Re: What happens when a tube amp blows?



Joined:
December 2003
Posts: 13996

Location: Upper Left USA
Professor,

Your humble confession may save us a lot of grief. What Amp is/was it?
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numbfingers
Posted 2009-06-24 11:26 AM (#410311 - in reply to #410306)
Subject: Re: What happens when a tube amp blows?


Joined:
January 2006
Posts: 1132

Location: NW Washington State
Maybe a Pro Jr. where you could switch the 6BQ5s and 12AX7s?
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ProfessorBB
Posted 2009-06-24 11:37 AM (#410312 - in reply to #410306)
Subject: Re: What happens when a tube amp blows?



Joined:
January 2006
Posts: 5881

Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains
Originally posted by MWoody:
Professor, your humble confession may save us a lot of grief. What Amp is/was it?
It was a Two Tone, basically a Blues Junior chassis in a twin 10"/12" cab with some odd styling covered with two tone tolex out of the Custom Shop.
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FlicKreno aka Solid Top
Posted 2009-06-24 3:04 PM (#410313 - in reply to #410306)
Subject: Re: What happens when a tube amp blows?


Joined:
April 2006
Posts: 2491

Location: Copenhagen Denmark
A good reason to employ EL 34`s or KT 66 in the end stage .. sorry to hear those resistors did n`t stop the adversity .. :(

Vic

.. good thing ya went to a competent repair man ..
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ProfessorBB
Posted 2009-06-24 3:25 PM (#410314 - in reply to #410306)
Subject: Re: What happens when a tube amp blows?



Joined:
January 2006
Posts: 5881

Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains
Originally posted by numbfingers:
Maybe a Pro Jr. where you could switch the 6BQ5s and 12AX7s?
Slightly different chassis, but exactly the same outcome.
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