Technical question about English Muff'n

[osciphex]

I've heard that the english muff'n's tubes take a little while to warm up after the unit is turned on. How long does this typically take? Also, are the tubes only "warmed up" when the effect is engaged? Or do they stay "warmed" even when the effect is plugged in but in bypass mode?

Is the "warm up" time slow enough that you're unable to quickly switch the effect on without several seconds of strange tone?

 

[EricF]

I've never noticed any "warm-up" time with my Muff'n.

 

[sonicvi]

A preamp tube in a pedal should only take a few seconds to warm up. They'll stay on as long as power is connected.

 

[asherthemachine]

ive never noticed it with mine either.

 

[niftydog]

If they glow, they're warm.

 

[JanusZarate]

If they glow, they're warm.

What about those infamous amber light bulbs behind some really cheap tube pedals?

 

[osciphex]

I thought of another question, is the EQ on the Muff'n active(boost or cut) or passive(cut only)?

 

[niftydog]

What about those infamous amber light bulbs behind some really cheap tube pedals?

Light bulbs get warm too!

Personally I prefer the sound of halogens, but all you get these days is tungsten filaments, what a rip!

 

[sonicvi]

What about those infamous amber light bulbs behind some really cheap tube pedals?

You mean like the English Muff'n? I think it's bulb is actually clear.
The EHX tube pedals run at high voltage. They should do some glowing on their own. It's usually the ones that run on 12V that have the lighting.

 

[Charm Bracelet]

Tube filaments only run at 6.3 or 12.6 volts and those are what cause the glowing regardless of what voltage the rest of the tube is running at.

 

[bongomania]

It's not only cheap pedals that have "enhanced lighting". The T-Rex Squeezer is what, $400, and it has a stupid orange LED in the base of the tube. The EHX Black Finger isn't so cheap either. I really think manufacturers who do that should quit faking the tube circuit and just put a regular appliance light bulb in there instead of a tube. It will get very warm! And that's what tubes do, right, they warm things up?

 

[EricF]

I believe the EBS tube pedal also uses an amber bulb below the tubes.

 

[osciphex]

Wow, I was not aware of the bulbs/LEDs... how tremendously cheesy of them... However, the sound of the pedal is what counts; if I need to have goofy looking light bulbs so be it.

 

[sonicvi]

Of course, the smart thing to do would be to repace the bulb with a blue bulb since we all know blue light makes pedals sound better

 

[98dvl]

Just to clarify... The English Muff'n doesn't use light bulbs behind the tubes...

If there's any glowing, it's coming from the tubes...

 

[assboglin]

It may take a couple seconds after initially powering up the pedal, but that's it. Other than that tube pedals function like other pedals, the tubes are only used for the clipping stage so they'll have a different, considered by many to be more musical, distortion character. It's not the same as having a distorted tube amp, which are run at much higher voltages, so to a lot of tube purists tube pedals won't do the trick, although I've had some great sounding tube driven pedals.

 

[sonicvi]

Just to clarify... The English Muff'n doesn't use light bulbs behind the tubes...

If there's any glowing, it's coming from the tubes...

What does the lamp next to the tubes in the schematic do then?

 

[sonicvi]

It's not the same as having a distorted tube amp, which are run at much higher voltages, so to a lot of tube purists tube pedals won't do the trick, although I've had some great sounding tube driven pedals.

The EH tube pedals do run at much higher voltage than the majority of tube pedals.

 

[assboglin]

Do they? Do you know offhand what voltage? I'm interested in the English Muff'n though I've just stayed away from it because it would be inconvenient to put on my pedalboard.

 

[Charm Bracelet]

They're running at up to 180 volts or so.