Tube Amp Rant

Hmm my amp also has a little humming problem! Valbee btw. I shall check it it's my preamp tube.
I didn't know tube amps can be dead quiet one. so something must be faulty.
Oh, you sure it's safe to run the amp without the preamp valve?
Out of curiousity, can play without the preamp tube? :P
 
A very common problem with humming/buzzing in full tube amps is sometimes if not often caused by the uninformed practice of replacing the tubes with the "highest gain" especially preamp tubes. There are reasons tecnical aplenty why you'll sometimes need to use 12AT7 or 12AU7 in specific preamp slots.

Also be cautious about the proximity of other magnetic devices near an amp eg. crt monitors, radios, hifi, digital clocks, pcs or even your pedal board transformers.

The last thing you can do is to disconnect the inputs and check if the buzzing decreases or goes away. If it's still there and you've practiced the caution tips above you very likely have a faulty amp that needs some tender loving care and maintenance. Hope this helps ya.
 
Reth: it's VERY safe to play w/o the preamp tube.. except you will not get ANY sound :wink: as for the valbee.. i'm not sure if it have sufficient power filtering to be very quiet.. if it's not, some bigger caps will help.

also, bias the preamp tubes so that more distortion come from the power tubes will make the amp sound BIGGER and NICER.. +1 to embryo's tube replacement.

18watts is a fantastic site. do check it out if you are into tube amp stuff.
 
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