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Ampeg SVT Classic - Tubes - Help!

#21
thanks for the thoughts.. I trust the tech with whom I work completely.. comically, he was the first to admit everyone has opinions.. bottom line.. for him to work on my amp and honor a 12 -month warranty on tube work.. he has to replace all 6 in the CL.. And $350 every 5-10 years is fine by me.. I know one guy with an Ampeg CL.. same tubes as 17 years ago.. approximately.. and his amp sounds great today.. as it did 17 years ago.. he plays live 5 times a month.. rarely turns up past 5 on the volume.. but takes care of the amp.. also allows it to warm up in standby for 5 minutes.. let's it cool down for 30 or more minutes.. and transports it in a Road King case of some kind.. he claims he's got the same/original set of tubes... who knows, though.. I don't.

I welcome thoughts and tips for preventative maintenance, transport.. my attitude is.. and has been... "don't do anything with this amp you'd not do with solid state heads..."+allow the amp to cool down, etc.. and I am hoping that suffices.

Do you guys ever play with the bias before shows? I plan on CHECKING it.. but not playing with the bias unless I see RED LED problems beforehand.. and I'll wait until the amp warms up a bit before I decide... with no instrument input active. sorry to hijack the thread here... but maybe we can all find value in this? (lol).

the tech, above, has worked on rigs from Geezer Butler and other pros around the country, with pictures to prove it.. so I trust him... but what I love about him is he does not claim to know everything nor have all the answers.. I just know he does amazing work.. (and is an authorized repair tech for Mesa, Ampeg, and others).
 
#25
JimmyM said:
svt's DO work in a push pull system. but 3 power tubes push and 3 tubes pull, unlike most tube amps where each power tube is paired with another for push pull. so you get 3 that match on each side, then you set the bias FOR EACH SET OF 3 SEPARATELY. so all you need to do is get two sets of 3 that match each other within their own sets. once the bias is set properly, each triplet set can be non-matching and it won't matter.

but if it makes you feel better to replace them all, have at it. not my money ;)
Click to expand...

Hey Jimmy.. Where do I look to see how the 2 sets of 3 are laid out in an 06 svt-cl.. having tube issues and put 1, 6550EH 1001 (32.00) in because of a blown 6550we and that's all anyone seems to have around Maryland, and now one of the green ledlights won't come on when biasing, even though the hum seems to go away when the red(s) go out at moderate test volumes
 

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