In the “old days” UK mains voltage was 240 volts AC and Ireland plus mainland Europe was 220 volts AC. With the tolerances back in those old days UK mains voltage could be as high as 264 volts AC, so running an amp that was set for 220 volts AC in the UK could mean that the amp was being run at 20% over voltage. That means your valves have a heater voltage that is
A Vox Ac30 CC2X arrived that was sounding mushy, crackling and popping and when you tapped the case made wonderful microphone ! On removing the back it was obvious that the EL84’s had been in the amp since new and I guess the amp to 5 or more years old. One of the ECC83’s had been changed for Groove Tubes at some point. On testing the EL84’s they were totally mis-matched to each other and
A really neat added value benefit of using Tung Sol valves in your amp is their low microphonics. During testing at the factory Tung Sol Valves are tested on a vibrating table to ensure they are not microphonic. Of course this extra testing adds a little bit to the cost. I first witnessed this benefit in my own original silverface Fender amp. Ever since it was new way back in 1970 the amp was always
Why did that valve suddenly stop working? I thought it might be useful to look at what the common failures in valves are as they age. I have had a number of folks ask me why their amp suddenly started blowing fuses. My first recommendation is to replace the fuse , unplug the valve rectifier and see if it still blowing fuses. More often than not, the amp stops blowing fuses when the rectifier is
~EL84 ( 6BQ5) This blog article is about how to get a clean sounding amp and excellent hifi performance. The ideal valve for the hifi amp is one that has low distortion, excellent power handling and a long life. The ideal output valve for the guitar player that likes the ultimate in clean sound also needs the same characteristics. If your amp uses the EL84 ( US number 6BQ5), then please read more……. Hi-Fi amps
Vox AC30 Overview The Vox AC30™ has been around since 1960. It is one of the classic most recognisable British amps to this day. It sounds absolutely gorgeous and I bitterly regret over and over again selling my 1960’s one. Here is a quick look at the different models and my recommendation on the two best versions to buy. The Vox AC30 users include , The Shadows, The Beatles, Rory Gallagher, Brian May ( Queen)
