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My Ampeg SVT Classic keeps going into emergency standby mode?

#21
Sounds like a show I attended ages ago. They had local bands opening for a big headliner. Guitarist for the opening band had just gotten a brand new Les Paul (not sure which one). He was dancing around onstage during a song, tripped over a monitor and fell off the front of the stage. Broke the neck in at least 2 places - he held it up by the body for everyone to see. Poor guy.....
 
#24
SirMjac28 said:
So you didn't plug it into the -15db input? well anyway good luck.
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Time is an issue for getting this fixed. If it is as simple as plugging into the -15db input jack, it will still go into emergency standby mode when I get it back. Either way, I will feel much better knowing everything is in working order as far as tubes go when I get it back. My amp guy told me it has been 11 years since my last visit. I had some switches replaced. He didn't replace the tubes either. That was done 3 years before. So, I have 14 year old tubes in my amp. We'll see.
 
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#25
Timpala said:
Time is an issue for getting this fixed. If it is as simple as plugging into the -15db input jack, it will still go into emergency standby mode when I get it back. Either way, I will feel much better knowing everything is in working order as far as tubes go when I get it back. My amp guy told me it has been 11 years since my last visit. I had some switches replaced. He didn't replace the tubes either. That was done 3 years before. So, I have 14 year old tubes in my amp. We'll see.
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Sounds good do you know what tubes you are going to put in there?
 
#27
Sounds good do you know what tubes you are going to put in there?[/QUOTE]

Well, the tubes I have had for 14 years have done a great job for that long. I think I would get the same ones. I'm pretty sure they are Svetlanas. I'll decide that when I hear from my tech though.
 
#28
Current Svetlana 6550's are not what you got 14 years ago. Due to a weird sale agreement, you got what came to be known as Winged C's, and they're no longer being made and cost like $50-60 now.
 
#29
JimmyM said:
Current Svetlana 6550's are not what you got 14 years ago. Due to a weird sale agreement, you got what came to be known as Winged C's, and they're no longer being made and cost like $50-60 now.
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Yep, I'm pretty sure that's what I have in there. What is closest equivalent in your opinion? I actually think they were $50 each 14 years ago too.? I'll see what my tech suggests. He is a bass player as well, so I trust his opinion more than I would trust a straight up guitar player. He is "The Guy" to get your stuff fixed the right way. Most of my friends have used him for many many years.
 
#30
No. They were $35-$45 14-15 years ago. I'm a dealer for New Sensor products (have been for awhile) and it's scary how tube prices have jumped. Preamp tubes have almost doubled in price. 15 years ago I could retube my amp for $300 retail. Now you're looking at close to $500 RETAIL (cost doubled) to retube your SVT.

And if you think that's bad, Switchcraft 1/4" male plugs are now around $5 apiece from Mouser (I used to get them for maybe $1 each). Hell, Switchcraft anything has gone up in price. Electronic parts I dont want to get Chinese unless I have to (it comes down to the quality of the metal they use in their product and in the jacks and plugs it really shows).

As for what brand? IMHO JJ (formerly Tesla) makes some really nice preamp tubes but I keep hearing about short life from their output tubes. The last I bought from Ruby and Groove, they were buying outside tubes and stamping their name along with the name of the company they bought them from - but that was the last time I bought them - maybe a year or so.

It's up to you what brand tubes you get or suggestions you get from friends or people in the know.....
 
#32
If you pay $500 for SVT tubes, you're getting ripped off. They aren't crazy cheap, but 6550's are an average of $35 each, so consider about $210 for a matched sextet, and you can find 12ax7's and au7's all day for $15, maybe $16 or $17 for them. Multiply that by 5 and that's another $75. So it's easy to do a full retube for $300, and you can do it for less if you shop around a little more than I did.
 
#33
BTW, I'm not unhappy with the JJ 6550's in my Heritage CL. They've lasted a year now, and although it's not hard usage, it's still been wrung out quite a few times over the year.
 
#35
As I said JimmyM. I was talking FULL RETAIL. My cost on a set would be close to $250, and that's with the output tubes matched.

And unless Ampeg changed things, an SVT has 14 tubes - 6 output 8 preamp.
 
#37
Bim1959 said:
As I said JimmyM. I was talking FULL RETAIL. My cost on a set would be close to $250, and that's with the output tubes matched.

And unless Ampeg changed things, an SVT has 14 tubes - 6 output 8 preamp.
Click to expand...

An svt CL doesn't, it only has two preamp and three drivers (single channel).

I've had decent luck with JJ in my svt this last round, but a guitarist I play with has gotten some bad sets of JJ el34 and kt88s from one particular vendor. A set with good burn in and matching from a reputable seller should be good. My amp hasn't seen the heaviest of use, it was down for repair for a little while and then I've been using my V4 more for rehearsals and the svt only for gigs, but it's been a good year and a half of so on the JJs thus far.
 
#38
Wouldn't you know it. My amp guy got a hernia (not from lifting my amp) and has to go in for surgery this week and will be out for a couple of weeks. :blackeye: He did open it up and check a few things out though. He actually said my tubes were still in good shape. He did say he fixed something on the biasing switches in the back.? But, he still hasn't had time to look at it in depth. So, it will be a couple of weeks before I know what the problem is. Don't ask me how my tubes are still in good shape. He said he sent a bunch of frequencies through them and some other stuff that I know nothing about. So, I guess I'll have to wait.
 
#39
It's very possible to have tubes in good shape after years of regular usage. It's not the most likely thing in the world, but stranger things have happened. If you're not pushing them hard, they just don't wear out at a high rate.
 
#40
My good friend who has the same exact set up as I do has never changed his tubes. He bought his SVT Classic new around 1997. Neither of our bands play too much anymore, so I figure that is the reason.?
 

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