Post by booda on Jul 7, 2020 15:48:51 GMT -7
Hi all.
Long time listener, first time caller! :-)
So I bought a Therapy a couple years ago, absolutely love the thing! It' a total beast in the studio and has served be well for the couple years that I have had it. Never really pushed it while in the studio, it's got that nice warm tone without really having to push the tubes too far. I have pretty much been a helicopter parent to it. I have babied it every time I use it or have to transport it. It gets the front seat with a seatbelt through the handle (no joke).
Anyways, to the point. So I was using the head into the usual cab that I use with it, 2X12 Greenback 50W 8 ohm cab. Noticed that when I get the vol (not the master) up to just under half it starts distorting and I lose the headroom that I usually have. So I'm thinking to myself "Self, you might have a worn preamp tube issue here". So I check the amp out when it's running and I notice something a little different than I have seen in other amps when a tube starts to go or has blown completely. The preamp tube closest to the power tubes is dark, no glow at all. So I'm thinking that maybe there is some weird outside chance that maybe that the amp has this weird design to under power the preamp tube or something, but given the fact that I lost headroom with this, probably not so it leaves two likely scenarios. The tube is totally fried and somewhere inside the tube is a catastrophic failure that is not allowing the tube to do its tube things that tubes do. Personally I have never seen a tube blow like that, they usually just start to sound like crap but still light up. Or there is a failure inside the amp that is preventing power to the tube socket. I hope not!
Since I first started writing this post, I turned the amp on, took the cover off (not in that order) and let the tubes warm up. Yup, no light! Took a pic before I did all that to illustrate.
So the question is, have anyone ever seen a tube blow like that, completely go dark? Because I haven't, maybe I have been lucky in the 25+ years of owning tube amps. Has this problem been seen before on Therapy amps where the preamp tube socket closest to the power tubes loses power?
Now got to get a few things out before the suggestions. Just want to know if I'm running across a known problem within the amp or if I just got a rare tube that blew in an obscure way. If there's a quick answer to this before I move forward great! Now unlike most people in this situation, I don't have to option of throwing money at this problem at this time. This COVID thing has pretty much destroyed my livelihood and the gov where i am has taken a dislike to either me, my situation, or both, so no support there. So ordering a new preamp tube online only to find out it's something in the amp thats the problem would cause some serious burdens to me at this time. I'm not writing this for "oh no, its so hard" kind of boo hoo stuff. Life sucks, get on with it, right! I just want to line up my ducks, or tubes, before I start pulling any triggers is my point. Oh and I know the tube is a 12AX7W(Something, can't exactly remember at this time) and I really don't want to take another 12AX7 out of another amp and see if it powers up in that socket just in case I mess things up even further. It's been that kind of things happening the last year, so I'm not tempting anymore fate here. :-)
So thanks for reading, apologies for the long winded post. Looking forward to resolving this. Cheers!
Long time listener, first time caller! :-)
So I bought a Therapy a couple years ago, absolutely love the thing! It' a total beast in the studio and has served be well for the couple years that I have had it. Never really pushed it while in the studio, it's got that nice warm tone without really having to push the tubes too far. I have pretty much been a helicopter parent to it. I have babied it every time I use it or have to transport it. It gets the front seat with a seatbelt through the handle (no joke).
Anyways, to the point. So I was using the head into the usual cab that I use with it, 2X12 Greenback 50W 8 ohm cab. Noticed that when I get the vol (not the master) up to just under half it starts distorting and I lose the headroom that I usually have. So I'm thinking to myself "Self, you might have a worn preamp tube issue here". So I check the amp out when it's running and I notice something a little different than I have seen in other amps when a tube starts to go or has blown completely. The preamp tube closest to the power tubes is dark, no glow at all. So I'm thinking that maybe there is some weird outside chance that maybe that the amp has this weird design to under power the preamp tube or something, but given the fact that I lost headroom with this, probably not so it leaves two likely scenarios. The tube is totally fried and somewhere inside the tube is a catastrophic failure that is not allowing the tube to do its tube things that tubes do. Personally I have never seen a tube blow like that, they usually just start to sound like crap but still light up. Or there is a failure inside the amp that is preventing power to the tube socket. I hope not!
Since I first started writing this post, I turned the amp on, took the cover off (not in that order) and let the tubes warm up. Yup, no light! Took a pic before I did all that to illustrate.
So the question is, have anyone ever seen a tube blow like that, completely go dark? Because I haven't, maybe I have been lucky in the 25+ years of owning tube amps. Has this problem been seen before on Therapy amps where the preamp tube socket closest to the power tubes loses power?
Now got to get a few things out before the suggestions. Just want to know if I'm running across a known problem within the amp or if I just got a rare tube that blew in an obscure way. If there's a quick answer to this before I move forward great! Now unlike most people in this situation, I don't have to option of throwing money at this problem at this time. This COVID thing has pretty much destroyed my livelihood and the gov where i am has taken a dislike to either me, my situation, or both, so no support there. So ordering a new preamp tube online only to find out it's something in the amp thats the problem would cause some serious burdens to me at this time. I'm not writing this for "oh no, its so hard" kind of boo hoo stuff. Life sucks, get on with it, right! I just want to line up my ducks, or tubes, before I start pulling any triggers is my point. Oh and I know the tube is a 12AX7W(Something, can't exactly remember at this time) and I really don't want to take another 12AX7 out of another amp and see if it powers up in that socket just in case I mess things up even further. It's been that kind of things happening the last year, so I'm not tempting anymore fate here. :-)
So thanks for reading, apologies for the long winded post. Looking forward to resolving this. Cheers!