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Anyone with experience biasing a VB-2

Goodlawdy

Goodlawdy

Mar 27, 2008
344
12
#1
So I found a VB-2 in a local music store the other day. Loved the way it sounded. I noticed one of the power tubes was blown. It did not light up and was a gray color. The guy in the store said he would give me another tube "Just throw it in there....". So I put it on layaway.

After downloading and reading the manual etc., it seems like I should buy a matched pair of EL 34'S and have the amp biased. So that's adding $30 for tubes + tech charges unless I can bias it myself.

Can anyone shed some light on biasing the VB-2? Would you recommend biasing it yourself with no experience but a lot of great youtube videos?

I really want the amp, but maybe not for the extra $100 I may have to put into it.

Thanks
 
#2
Biasing, as you may know, is adjusting idle current in mA to the proper range for the power tubes. 'Matched' tubes for bass or guitar will draw similar mA at idle, regardless of brand.
It's odd that you loved the way it sounded with a dead power tube, -it's going to sound a lot different with a matched working set of tubes. Tube amps (like race cars) require quite a bit more maintenance, that's just the cost of owning tube amps. If you put some money into it, you'll know it's been serviced and will be reliable, otherwise it's going to be a bit of an unknown. In my experience, nearly ALL older tube amps need servicing after purchase. You can get some low cost tools to bias yourself, but capacitors are extremely important too, and those are much harder to deal with for the DIY guy.
 
#3
Thanks. Yeah, if I like the way it sounds with one tube missing, I should love it at full capacity lol! And it would be better to know it's been done right the first time.

But since my guitar amp is also tube, I also know it would be a good idea to learn to bias them.

Since the VB-2 came out in 2007, Everything else is probably ok with it. I've read about the fuse problem this model was known for. Maybe this is the cause of the bad tube.

I'll call Peavey customer support today.
 

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