Hey everybody, i have a EBS T90 tube head about a year old. lately ive noticed that while playing it starts to distort (which i do not like and drives me crazed). i replaced cords, batteries, etc.. but its still there. could it be the tubes or tube went bad? what would you do? im open to doing anything to fix this. thx talkbass
If the warrantee is out, try this first. Turn the amp up loud with no bass plugged in, and tap each and every tube lightly. If you hear anything through the speakers when tapping a tube, replace it. Do this because a tube that reacts to tapping by making a sound will do the same if the speakers vibrate it. It's called a microphonic tube, and leads to distortion and feedback. Also check to see if the power tubes all glow with similar brightness. Often a power tube will glow brightly before failing, and can distort easily. If the above doesn't find a problem, time to go to the tech.
90% of tube amp problems are caused by tubes. If you have spares, give them a try, if not take it to a tech to test them.
pretty sure the warranty is up, ill try the above suggestions. thank you guys. ill work on this later today.
One of my amps was displaying this behaviour and has just been repaired. Some components in the phase inverter circuit needed replacement but my amp is 40 years old.