Ask The Amp Tech: Will I damage my tube amp by not using the standby switch? - Guitar.com | All Things Guitar
Folks who get tube amps for the first time usually have a whole lot of questions. Next to "How often should you change tubes," the most common question I see about tube amps is "How to use the standby switch." This article popped up on my news feed today, and I think it says it all.
It really doesn't matter. It's not brain surgery. Most audio devices with tubes have a relay installed that prevents you from being able to make sounds until the tubes are sufficiently warmed up, as playing through tubes that aren't warmed up sufficiently can damage them. However, occasionally you will run into one that doesn't. For example, I have an old Danelectro-made Airline guitar amp from 1962 that doesn't have a standby or a relay. So I have to remember to give it 30 seconds before it warms up before I play through it, and in most cases, that's enough time. They may not be warmed up fully, and you might notice an improvement in tone after 3 or 4 minutes, but it's enough to prevent damage.
After that, game on. I almost never use the standby, and if I do use it, it's for short durations when I'm plugging in or unplugging something in my signal chain. I also use it sometimes if I'm doing AB tests with another amp into the same cab. This prevents signal going through the output section of your amp while it's turned on without a cab, which we all know is a big no-no in the vast majority of tube amps as it can take out your output section in short order.
I've done shows where someone on the crew sees my amp with standby off when I'm not up there and they switch it on. Then I go onstage for the show and panic for 3 seconds till I realize someone turned the standby on. If you're on a crew, please just leave the amps alone so you don't give the musicians heart or panic attacks!
Anyway, read the article, feel free to comment or ask questions, but just know that there is no great mystery to the standby switch. You won't save tube life using it past the first 30 seconds of warmup, and while I think the risk of what they call "cathode poisoning" is greatly overstated if you leave standby on for hours at a time, it has been known to happen on occasion, so IMHO, you're just as well off to ignore it for the most part.
Folks who get tube amps for the first time usually have a whole lot of questions. Next to "How often should you change tubes," the most common question I see about tube amps is "How to use the standby switch." This article popped up on my news feed today, and I think it says it all.
It really doesn't matter. It's not brain surgery. Most audio devices with tubes have a relay installed that prevents you from being able to make sounds until the tubes are sufficiently warmed up, as playing through tubes that aren't warmed up sufficiently can damage them. However, occasionally you will run into one that doesn't. For example, I have an old Danelectro-made Airline guitar amp from 1962 that doesn't have a standby or a relay. So I have to remember to give it 30 seconds before it warms up before I play through it, and in most cases, that's enough time. They may not be warmed up fully, and you might notice an improvement in tone after 3 or 4 minutes, but it's enough to prevent damage.
After that, game on. I almost never use the standby, and if I do use it, it's for short durations when I'm plugging in or unplugging something in my signal chain. I also use it sometimes if I'm doing AB tests with another amp into the same cab. This prevents signal going through the output section of your amp while it's turned on without a cab, which we all know is a big no-no in the vast majority of tube amps as it can take out your output section in short order.
I've done shows where someone on the crew sees my amp with standby off when I'm not up there and they switch it on. Then I go onstage for the show and panic for 3 seconds till I realize someone turned the standby on. If you're on a crew, please just leave the amps alone so you don't give the musicians heart or panic attacks!
Anyway, read the article, feel free to comment or ask questions, but just know that there is no great mystery to the standby switch. You won't save tube life using it past the first 30 seconds of warmup, and while I think the risk of what they call "cathode poisoning" is greatly overstated if you leave standby on for hours at a time, it has been known to happen on occasion, so IMHO, you're just as well off to ignore it for the most part.
