Grand Wazoo Posted July 10, 2011 Share Posted July 10, 2011 Say you are using your all tube bass head day in day out for practice and then you take to every gig, studio work etc, how long are your tubes supposed to last before serious wear sign appear and you need to replace them? My Ashdown LB 30 (Drophead) uses 2 x JJ ECC83S, 1 x JJ ECC82 in the preamp section and 4 x JJ EL34 in the power section, now I have been looking for prices and chubes ain't flipping cheap!! Best privce I've found for a set of 4 x matched JJ EL34 comes to £60, 2 x JJ ECC83S's are £34 and 1 x JJ ECC82 is £10 = total revalve cost £104! I've had this amp now for 13 months and it's been used a lot so far, does anyone know how long will the tubes last more or less? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
umph Posted July 10, 2011 Share Posted July 10, 2011 preamp valves last forever unless something goes wrong. power amp valves can also last forever but generally newer ones will tend to last 2 or 3 years of heavy abuse Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Foxen Posted July 10, 2011 Share Posted July 10, 2011 If that is 30w that would be EL84 not EL34, 4 of those gives around 100w. I got a set of 6 EL34 for £66 delivered. It is more of a case of a rebias after a year or so than actual tube death. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grand Wazoo Posted July 10, 2011 Author Share Posted July 10, 2011 Thank you both gentlemen, and yes it was a typo on my side the power tubes are 4 x EL84 and not EL34. Sorry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Foxen Posted July 10, 2011 Share Posted July 10, 2011 [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/SHUGUANG-EL84-6BQ5-6P14-NEW-PLATINUM-MATCH-QUAD-/110609080734?pt=Vintage_Electronics_R2&hash=item19c0d0a19e"]Here's a significantly cheaper quad of power valves for you.[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 Tubes will last as long as they last. They are usually guaranteed for about 6 months, but as umph says, preamp valves can last forever (in the last valve amp I owned that was over 10 years) and power valves should also last for years. If they sound bad change them, if they sound good don't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Foxen Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 If you amp sounds bad, have a rebias before changing tubes, it drifts with time as they wear in. I think too many good valves get replaced when they've actually just reached a stable point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grand Wazoo Posted July 11, 2011 Author Share Posted July 11, 2011 (edited) [quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='1300119' date='Jul 11 2011, 05:35 PM']If you amp sounds bad, have a rebias before changing tubes, it drifts with time as they wear in. I think too many good valves get replaced when they've actually just reached a stable point.[/quote] Thanks I will remember this... but so far this is what happened, I had my bass plugged in and while I was playing the phone went off and I turned the volume down on the bass and got on a long conversation that lasted about 2 hours. All the while the amp was on, the bass plugged in and just the volume on the bass was totally muted. As I was talking on the phone I could hear the mobile phone interference you get when a phone is too close to a speaker, a radio, or a stereo system. I had to ignore what I was hearing because the conversation I was having was taking most of my attention. When I finally put the phone down I heard the amp making static intermittent noise, I turned the phone completely off and the noise continued, I put the amp on stand by, unplugged the bass, tried a different cable /different bass and still the same. I thought the tubes had had it. So I turned the amp off, let it cool down for a good 15 minutes and with an antistatic cloth, I removed each valve and cleaned the outside with the cloth, never touched them with my fingers as I've heard that they are as delicate as halogen light and grease from your fingers can cause them to burn a heath spot, so again I fitted them all back, made sure they all fitted firmly in the socket. Wiped them again, turned the amp on, waited a minute for the valves to warm up again, plugged the same bass back in, turned the stand-by on, and as if by magic that static noise finally disappeared. The only thing I can imagine is that dust must have caused some static or something, but one thing is for sure, after I cleaned them and fitted them back firmly it's not made a single bit of noise since. So far, so good and it's been 2 days since I've done that and it's still fine. Finger crossed. Edited July 11, 2011 by Grand Wazoo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
escholl Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 [quote name='Grand Wazoo' post='1300204' date='Jul 11 2011, 07:28 PM']I thought the tubes had had it. So I turned the amp off, let it cool down for a good 15 minutes and with an antistatic cloth, I removed each valve and cleaned the outside with the cloth, never touched them with my fingers as I've heard that they are as delicate as halogen light and grease from your fingers can cause them to burn a heath spot, so again I fitted them all back, made sure they all fitted firmly in the socket. Wiped them again, turned the amp on, waited a minute for the valves to warm up again, plugged the same bass back in, turned the stand-by on, and as if by magic that static noise finally disappeared. The only thing I can imagine is that dust must have caused some static or something, but one thing is for sure, after I cleaned them and fitted them back firmly it's not made a single bit of noise since. So far, so good and it's been 2 days since I've done that and it's still fine. Finger crossed.[/quote] One of the connections in a valve socket had probably just oxidised a bit, it can happen with time and I think the particular timing of it was probably just coincidence. The act of removing the valves and re-seating them was likely enough to re-establish a good connection. I wouldn't expect it to happen again soon but if it does at least you know what you need to do. It's okay to touch valves with your fingers by the way, they're not like halogen lights -- but they can be hot if they've just been on of course, so do still be careful Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skankdelvar Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 (edited) [quote name='Grand Wazoo' post='1298728' date='Jul 10 2011, 03:14 AM']Best privce I've found for a set of 4 x matched JJ EL34 comes to £60, 2 x JJ ECC83S's are £34 and 1 x JJ ECC82 is £10 = total revalve cost £104![/quote] Although you won't need a set now, Hot Rox will do you: 4 x JJ el84 = £38.00 / 2x JJ ecc83s = £13.40 / 1 x JJ ecc82 = £9.50 / Shipping £4.95 / Total = £66.35 All standard factory JJ's - no need for any matching or 'cryogenic' voodoo. [url="http://www.hotroxuk.com"]http://www.hotroxuk.com[/url] Edited July 11, 2011 by skankdelvar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomBassmonkey Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 (edited) I got put off hotrox (despite them being my local shop for valves) after they flogged some crap valves to a mate. He went to them with his precious Mesa and they gave him the gubbins about some cheaper valves being made in the same factory so being identical. Of course they were made in the same factory, but far from identical. Edited July 11, 2011 by ThomBassmonkey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Foxen Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 Mesas are biased to take pretty crappy valves, so Mesa can sell you pretty crappy valves with Mesa branding. Mesa buy them wherever is cheapest so they aren't even consistent among themselves. Valves work fine with a layer of fog machine grease on them thick enough wiping leaves grooves. Smell funny though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skankdelvar Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 [quote name='ThomBassmonkey' post='1300406' date='Jul 11 2011, 10:42 PM']I got put off hotrox (despite them being my local shop for valves) after they flogged some crap valves to a mate.[/quote] Can't speak for Mesa valves, but I've not had any probs [i]so far [/i]with the stuff they've flogged me. That's the problem with all these places - if you know what you want, you're OK. The minute you ask anybody anywhere anything there's a 75% chance they'll steer you wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomBassmonkey Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 They weren't Mesa valves that he was sold from HotRox, they were apparently exactly the same though (in the same way Tokai make some Fenders, so they're exactly the same..). Once he got some proper branded Mesa valves in it again it sounded much better. He actually got in contact with Mesa to find out what the deal was. Apparently there's only about 5 factories in the world that make the valves, so they probably were from the same one. Mesa have quite high QC though on what passes as their valves, making the difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skankdelvar Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 [quote name='ThomBassmonkey' post='1303405' date='Jul 14 2011, 12:15 PM']They weren't Mesa valves that he was sold from HotRox[/quote] Quite right. I meant "replacement valves for Mesas but not branded as Mesas". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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