Can vibration when lugging tube amps damage the tubes?

[mr_musica]

Basically the question in the title.
I have an Ampeg SVT3 PRO with a PF115HE cab with the stock casters. I usually put the head on top of the cab and push it around when moving it or put both things in one of those convertible "hand trucks".
I want to know if anyone has experienced any damage to the aps tubes due to the vibration when carrying amps around because sometimes I have to push it through not so even terrain. I could move it by hand but the cart is really convenient.

Thanks all, keep it low!

 

[agedhorse]

It depends, but generally preamp tubes are pretty rugged. There are no power tubes, so that’s not going to be an issue.

 

[jeff62]

Can it? Sure, anything is in the realm of possibility, especially if you are being cavalier with the amount of vibration. However, after many years of transporting tube amps I haven’t had an issue. I just take care to let the amps cool off a bit before moving them and I take care not to be cavalier. And, as @agedhorse advised, your amp only has preamp tubes and those are rather rugged.

 

[tubedude]

Basically the question in the title.
I have an Ampeg SVT3 PRO with a PF115HE cab with the stock casters. I usually put the head on top of the cab and push it around when moving it or put both things in one of those convertible "hand trucks".
I want to know if anyone has experienced any damage to the aps tubes due to the vibration when carrying amps around because sometimes I have to push it through not so even terrain. I could move it by hand but the cart is really convenient.

Thanks all, keep it low!

Likely not. For all tube amps I recommend letting them cool down a little after the gig before you load out so the tube elements are less likely to distort shape with impact or vibration. Just take ten minutes to pack the pedalboard and sign autographs/get numbers etc.

 

[joeLowB]

Likely not. For all tube amps I recommend letting them cool down a little after the gig before you load out so the tube elements are less likely to distort shape with impact or vibration. Just take ten minutes to pack the pedalboard and sign autographs/get numbers etc.

This

If the tubes are cool, you're ok. Ten minutes is a good rule of thumb for an adequate cooling time.

 

[Geogio]

IIRC it was a generally accpted practice to pack an extra set of tubes just in case...

 

[SpiderBass1965]

If you had power tubes I'd be more worried about it. I move my All Tube Amps all the time. Just let it cool after the show, pack it up near the end of tear down, and try to avoid any jarring bumps. I use a folding hand truck if I have a straight flat surface too roll on.

 

[logdrum]

The tubes are not screwed down and torqued with screws. Vibrational forces are most like damped. If you want extra pecaution, put a foam between the cab and the head. Old fighter jets had tubes in some of the electronic equipment and they did just fine. They were subjected to a lot of G forces and powered with a rumbling jet engine and slammed into aircraft carrier decks in foul weather- if you ever flewm on a small Cessna multiply that rumble 20 times.

That is why some tubes carried the designation JAN MilSpec Joint Army Navy Military specification - If you think your transporting routine rivals that of a Jet Fighter, you can get over priced JAN tubes from one of the overpriced New Old Stock (NOS) dealers or get a SOVTEK tube which are similarly spec.

In short ---> NO

 

[Stylee Mousse]

I think of out old tour vans as shaker tables only wheels. 4-20 hours of shaking per day pretty much weeds out failure-prone gear pretty quickly.

Sometimes you’ll even hear a reverb tank going ping ping ping all day long

 

[agedhorse]

This

If the tubes are cool, you're ok. Ten minutes is a good rule of thumb for an adequate cooling time.

With preamp tubes, a minute is plenty of cooling time. A few minutes for power tubes.

 

[micguy]

There is a reason that amps on tours travel in road cases - with plenty of padding. Vibration can indeed hurt them. That said, a semi trailer is a lot rougher ride than your car is, vibration wise. Do what you can to treat your amp well, in the end, even if you don't notice, it'll thank you by working more reliably.

When I used amps*, I always kept the amp head floating on foam blocks, so the cabinet vibrations would be lessened. I never had issues with vibration, but in one of my bands (where I was not the bass player), I fixed the bass player's combo a few times - big things in the power supply would vibrate themselves loose from time to time. With a combo, the speaker vibration is not something you can mitigate easily, so you're left with trying to bolt down components so they don't vibrate loose, which....doesn't always work.

*All my gigs are ampless, and have been for years

 

[Medicine Man]

I dropped the rack case my SVT 4pro was in down a flight of stairs back in the day and it's still kicking. Anecdotal, but you should be fine.

 

[logdrum]

I dropped the rack case my SVT 4pro was in down a flight of stairs back in the day and it's still kicking. Anecdotal, but you should be fine.

These preamp holders on 4Pro helped and probably the same thing with the OP's amp. And seriously preamp tubes are robust glass. I chucked one out yesterday by mistake . ,Missed the trash can and went across my hardwood floor. No damage - still works. The worry is mostly with Power tubes but so many guitar amps have those hanging upside down, with not even retainers . I have seen all tube heads with no retainers fall off tail gates and the tubes did not even move out their sockets a hair. By the time you packed your bass, the tubes have cooled. In Festivals, during a band change where the stage plot has changed , I have seen SVT's moved going over cables and while still powered up - the amp is still plugged in. Stupid yes -- but again not as fragile as most people think.

 

[JohnnyChatter]

I’ve had similar thoughts but I move my all tube heads around the country all the time. I probably should get some cases but… I don’t feel like it. They still use tubes in spaceships for radio frequency's or something because they are more reliable than solid state alternatives. That being said I don’t know enough to give you an answer but I’ve always been fine.

 

[Sparky Mark]

I’ve had similar thoughts but I move my all tube heads around the country all the time. I probably should get some cases but… I don’t feel like it. They still use tubes in spaceships for radio frequency's or something because they are more reliable than solid state alternatives. That being said I don’t know enough to give you an answer but I’ve always been fine.

Tubes aren't intrinsically more reliable than micro electronic transistors, but they are significantly more robust against electrostatic discharge and electromagnetic pulse events.
However, once micro circuit devices are fully integrated into a finished product they are extremely reliable and well protected (shielded) up to the point where investigations without proper equipment and/or training can expose them to immediate or latent electrostatic damage.
Other than wearing cotton gloves to avoid contact with finger oils, tubes are pretty safe out of circuit.

 

[Al Kraft]

I dropped the rack case my SVT 4pro was in down a flight of stairs back in the day and it's still kicking. Anecdotal, but you should be fine.

You were lucky on that day. There's not much I'm aware of in the way of consumer products that are built to do well after an event like that other than Samsonite luggage and Timex watches.

 

[mr_musica]

I dropped the rack case my SVT 4pro was in down a flight of stairs back in the day and it's still kicking. Anecdotal, but you should be fine.

"Like a rolling stone..."

 

[beans-on-toast]

Amps are generally pretty tough. Some are more roadworthy than others by design.

Some tubes come with a G-force rating. They are tough and can take being on a cart. Of more concern is other components, old solder joints, and connectors. Bouncing the amps around on a rough road or dropping them can lead to problems. Just use common sense. You don’t need to hand carry your amp.

 

[ole Jason]

You'd be way more likely to fall or twist your ankle when pushing your gear through rough terrain than somehow damaging the tubes from vibration.

 

[Major Seven]

The tubes are not screwed down and torqued with screws. Vibrational forces are most like damped. If you want extra pecaution, put a foam between the cab and the head. Old fighter jets had tubes in some of the electronic equipment and they did just fine. They were subjected to a lot of G forces and powered with a rumbling jet engine and slammed into aircraft carrier decks in foul weather- if you ever flewm on a small Cessna multiply that rumble 20 times.

That is why some tubes carried the designation JAN MilSpec Joint Army Navy Military specification - If you think your transporting routine rivals that of a Jet Fighter, you can get over priced JAN tubes from one of the overpriced New Old Stock (NOS) dealers or get a SOVTEK tube which are similarly spec.

In short ---> NO

I still have 2 of those aircraft radios from the 40s.