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Post by Hohn on Dec 5, 2007 11:32:22 GMT -7
Ok, I think I'm hearing something but I'm not sure..
I've noticed lately that my Stang is sounding pretty "brittle" on the top end. Picking hard with a strat in positions 2 or 4 gives breaking glass, not quack. The attack to the note is very harsh-- very different than the tone I'm used to.
On the Tele, it's noticeable too, and picking hard on the low strings will give me a very unmusical distortion sound-- almost like a blown speaker.
Is it possible to blow a single Blue with a Stang even if the volume never gets past 9:00? I don't run a ton of front end boost, so I can't see how this would have happened.
The odd part is that when I crank up the volume, the harshness goes mostly away. But I can't play it that loud where I live, and I'm not trusting of my ears at loud levels.
I'm suspecting I might need a new output set, but I have no idea if that's the problem. What are the symptoms of a bad EF86? How does tube microphony sound? What are symptoms of a bad PI? (other than driving around Hawaii in a Ferrari with Brit named Higgins).
Any help is appreciated.
Justin
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Post by benttop (Steve) on Dec 5, 2007 11:51:47 GMT -7
You can tell very easily if you have a microphonic tube - use a pencil and tap your tubes with the eraser. You might hear a little "tink tink tink" but a microphonic tube will be VERY noticeable, ie., very loud noise when you tap it.
I'm on my second set of power tubes in my Stingray right now, and I'm going to change them before I play this weekend. When my first set wore out, it was very noticeable in that my tone just wasn't there any more. Sounded like cardboard or something. I had never heard it before, but when I replaced the power tubes, there was my Stingray again.
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Post by kruzty on Dec 5, 2007 12:16:48 GMT -7
I would think it would be easy to blow a single Blue with a Ray. It has been known to blow a 2 Blue setup, so it can probably put out more than the rated 30w. Do you have another amp you can try with that speaker?
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Post by Hohn on Dec 5, 2007 20:30:48 GMT -7
nope-- just my Z. I suppose I could fire up the Z 2x12 to see if it's the speaker or the amp.
I've left my amp on all night on more than one occasion (with standby on, too, unfortunately), so I think maybe my output set is getting a little tired. My amp is only 18mos old, though.
JH
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Post by benttop (Steve) on Dec 5, 2007 20:55:54 GMT -7
nope-- just my Z. I suppose I could fire up the Z 2x12 to see if it's the speaker or the amp. I've left my amp on all night on more than one occasion (with standby on, too, unfortunately), so I think maybe my output set is getting a little tired. My amp is only 18mos old, though. JH My first tube change on the Stingray came after about 11 months. I was gigging about two to five times a week for part of that time, but still, it is definitely worth trying since a new set isn't that much. I was in a bind when mine went bad - hadn't anticipated it, so I bought a nasty set of Mesa tubes very cheap and they sound fine.
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Post by Hohn on Dec 5, 2007 21:30:35 GMT -7
OK, I hooked up my 2x12 and played a couple different guitars.
Here's what I noticed:
1) Good Lord! A Blue and an EVM sound GRRRREAT Together! 2) Still had the "brittle" sound coming through 3) Still had the "distorted" sound on the low Tele strings with hard pick attack.
Honestly, I think I'm hearing the difference in strings. Sounds unlikely, but the change in tone corresponded to my going from a pure nickel string to a nickel plated steel string. Moreover, I changed the strings on all my guitars at once, and all went from a nickel Pure Blues string to either a TI nickel plated or a DR nickel plated (aka non-pure blues).
For now, there's simply no way to know what I'm hearing until I can go back to the DR pb strings, which I can't wait to do.
I never thought the difference in strings would matter much, but this amp reveals EVERY thing. Heck, the SR can tell when I'm in a different mood and changes tone accordingly:)
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Post by telejas on Dec 6, 2007 8:58:33 GMT -7
whats an ef86 do when it goes bad..... or do they jut go out? I heard those go out about as often as power tubes, could that be a factor?
bentop, can you tell if an ef86 is going bad by tapping on it? just curious.
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Post by benttop (Steve) on Dec 6, 2007 9:18:12 GMT -7
whats an ef86 do when it goes bad..... or do they jut go out? I heard those go out about as often as power tubes, could that be a factor? bentop, can you tell if an ef86 is going bad by tapping on it? just curious. Well if any tube is going microphonic, you'll know by tapping on it. I've never had an EF-86 go out, so I can not say authoritatively.
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Post by kruzty on Dec 6, 2007 9:54:45 GMT -7
When my EF86 went bad, it just went without warning. I was just playing along and the volume just dropped to nothing. When I was checking other things I would get a very faint sound every time I turned the amp back on, but it was basically nothing.
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Post by mitch8686 on Dec 7, 2007 5:37:13 GMT -7
I would definately try tapping on your tubes and check for microphonics. I had a 5751, nos one too :-( , go microphonic. I heard the same thing you described, broken glass or to me it sounded like jingling bells. So, I opened up the amp and did the tap test and sure enough, there was that sound..... It could also be power tubes but I suspect it could be the preamp tubes. It's worth a try before you go changing strings.
Mitch
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Post by mitch8686 on Dec 7, 2007 13:09:30 GMT -7
I would definately try tapping on your tubes and check for microphonics. I had a 5751, nos one too :-( , go microphonic. I heard the same thing you described, broken glass or to me it sounded like jingling bells. So, I opened up the amp and did the tap test and sure enough, there was that sound..... It could also be power tubes but I suspect it could be the preamp tubes. It's worth a try before you go changing strings.
Mitch
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Post by kledbet on Dec 9, 2007 10:00:51 GMT -7
I think your power tubes have lost their mojo. If you have another set toss them in and compare.
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