running a tube amp (SA200) short lapse of time: bad idea?

[gillento]

I was having a nice GTG last night with a bassplaying (and gear collecting) friend of mine.

We discussed bass and amp use.
Up came the subject of tube amp use over short lapses of time.

Is it a bad isea to run a tube amp only short rehearsals?

I am running my Sadowsky SA200 about every 2 weeks for 2-3 hours?

Is this decreasing tube life, damaging the condensers or trafos?

[Nightlyraider]

Its best to leave electronics running all the time in an audiophile sense, but if you are only using it every other week that would be far too silly.

Longer, more frequent uses may give you a couple more hours on the tubes; but with your usage patterns what you have should last a long time already.

You don't own these tools to look at, use em!

[billfitzmaurice]

Originally Posted by gillento

Is it a bad isea to run a tube amp only short rehearsals?

No.

[rnilson]

I practice in short 20 min bursts 4 to 5 times a night. Does it hurt the tubes to turn them on and off each time or should I just leave it on all night?

[KramerBassFan]

No worries here.

Some Radio Station RF amps are left on for years or even decades.


Then again, the RF field isn't really making bass guitars loud....

[gillento]

Originally Posted by Nightlyraider

...

You don't own these tools to look at, use em!

That's exactly my concern: I feel I don't use the amp not enough!!

[tombowlus]

Personally, I would not be concerned with your usage pattern.

[JimmyM]

Originally Posted by rnilson

I practice in short 20 min bursts 4 to 5 times a night. Does it hurt the tubes to turn them on and off each time or should I just leave it on all night?

if you're doing 20 on 20 off, i would just leave it on since that way you don't have to put the tubes through the stress of warming up and cooling down 5x a night. but if you're doing 20 on and 2 hours off, i'd probably turn it on and off.

[nysbob]

Man, it amazes me how much people stress about tubes.

They aren't candles.

[BassmanPaul]

Originally Posted by nysbob

Man, it amazes me how much people stress about tubes.

They aren't candles.

+1 If someone hasn't got enough to worry about they'll make something up to obsess about! Sheeesh!

Paul

[gillento]

Originally Posted by nysbob

Man, it amazes me how much people stress about tubes.

They aren't candles.

Originally Posted by BassmanPaul

+1 If someone hasn't got enough to worry about they'll make something up to obsess about! Sheeesh!

Paul

Thanks for your encouraging words....

In fact, I just wanted to make sure not to damage my expensive amp.
If this would be the case, I would have sold it to a better home, and get something different....

[MAMMOTHvolume]

Originally Posted by nysbob

Man, it amazes me how much people stress about tubes.

They aren't candles.

they're light bulbs!

do you turn a light off everytime you go out a room or leave it on?

[gillento]

Originally Posted by MAMMOTHvolume

they're light bulbs!

do you turn a light off everytime you go out a room or leave it on?

That's a good question

[Jim Campbell]

Originally Posted by gillento

That's a good question

well not really....a light bulb costs 50 cents......your average output tube probably costs twice that....

[gillento]

Originally Posted by Jim Campbell

well not really....a light bulb costs 50 cents......your average output tube probably costs twice that....

+ the caps & trafos...

[JimmyM]

Originally Posted by Jim Campbell

well not really....a light bulb costs 50 cents......your average output tube probably costs twice that....

ya, your average output costs at least a dollar, i would say so.