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Tube amp vibration absorber?

d180fuzz

d180fuzz

C21H30O2
Jul 10, 2008
712
191
South Bay, CA
#1
Greetings, all. I've tried searching for ideas here but I'm not finding anything.

Here's the question: does anyone have any suggestions for a material I can use to isolate my tube amp from the seismic vibrations my cabinet produces when I'm forced to put the amp on top of said cabinet? I'm thinking some sort of thick rubber material, but not sure how to find it.

It's my understanding that all that rumble isn't great for the life of the tubes and can even damage them. Normally, my amp is sitting on top of something else, but for those times when it's not....yeah.

Thanks for your time and assistance, fellow rumblers.
 
#3
I've had a bass 400. And now have a 400 plus,and i played out a lot with the 400, i'm no electronics wizard, but i've never noticed it shortening tube life...if so i think companies would have addressed the issue instead of making so many piggyback style amps... But if it bothers you maybe a piece of really dense foam underneath....
 
#4
Zootsuitbass said:
Auralex Gamma
Click to expand...

Thanks Zoot - interesting idea, kind-of the reverse of what I'm looking for, though - I don't need floor decoupling, but decoupling between the amp and the cabinet. It could work.


Thanks TomKat, but the expertise of my amp tech begs to differ with your experience - the number of combo amps he re-tubes, and the frequency with which he does so, says otherwise.
 
#5
Really your cabinet should not vibrate in the first place, however..... this is not an ideal world. :)

The Duralex would do the job as would a slab of 1" or so plastic foam for a lot less. That said, tube amps are not as fragile as folk tend to believe, they're not made of glass y'know.

The first 25 years of my playing career was done using only full tube amps. They sat happily on the top of my cabinet(s) and never failed me. It never even entered my head to be worried about cabinet vibrations.
 
#6
d180fuzz said:
Thanks Zoot - interesting idea, kind-of the reverse of what I'm looking for, though - I don't need floor decoupling, but decoupling between the amp and the cabinet. It could work.


Thanks TomKat, but the expertise of my amp tech begs to differ with your experience - the number of combo amps he re-tubes, and the frequency with which he does so, says otherwise.
Click to expand...

As i said i'm no tech, interesting with the combos, wonder if the tubes hanging upsidedown has anything to do with it, The majority of guys i've seen, put the head on top of the cab.. Good luck !
 
#8
BassmanPaul said:
Really your cabinet should not vibrate in the first place, however..... this is not an ideal world. :)

The Duralex would do the job as would a slab of 1" or so plastic foam for a lot less. That said, tube amps are not as fragile as folk tend to believe, they're not made of glass y'know.

The first 25 years of my playing career was done using only full tube amps. They sat happily on the top of my cabinet(s) and never failed me. It never even entered my head to be worried about cabinet vibrations.
Click to expand...

Uh huh. Where do I begin?

1) I'm not sure what volume you currently play your amp at, but I play mine quite loudly. At this volume, it vibrates. It's also an old flatback SVT, so....it vibrates.

2) "Duralex" is glass; "Auralex" is foam:

http://www.duralex.com/

Link Removed

3) I realize my tube amp isn't made out of glass - but the tubes providing that awesome tone I want are - and they're what I'm concerned about. A cursory search via google reveals multiple patent applications for devices to isolate cathode ray tubes from shock and vibration.

4) Just because something "never entered your head" doesn't mean it's invalid or untrue. In fact, quite often, the opposite is the case.

Thanks anyway, BMP.

p.s. The above flaming was prompted by other "know-it-all" replies I've seen from you in other threads. Sorry.
 
#10
Research how Ampeg solved this on the first generation SVT. Don't understand why they dropped this. ImageUploadedByTalkBass1371244424.060461.jpg
 
#12
This mirrors my experience!

Easy enough to scrounge packing boxes for a sheet of right sized foam rubber.
If you've bought speakers or guitars or amps recently, and saved the boxes, look there.
I got one about 3" thick this way. Used it once or twice and quit packing it along with me.......

BassmanPaul said:
Really your cabinet should not vibrate in the first place, however..... this is not an ideal world. :)

The Duralex would do the job as would a slab of 1" or so plastic foam for a lot less. That said, tube amps are not as fragile as folk tend to believe, they're not made of glass y'know.

The first 25 years of my playing career was done using only full tube amps. They sat happily on the top of my cabinet(s) and never failed me. It never even entered my head to be worried about cabinet vibrations.
Click to expand...
 
#14
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/GRAMMA

Works like a charm! I used one of these when I had my Marshall VBA400 on top of a Emperor 4x12 that had horrible internal bracing. Althought it did work very well, got rid of the cabinet because it vibrated way too much for my tastes.

Now I just use it underneath my Orange head just to reduce any vibrations for good measure and placed under tube amp combos during recording.
 

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#16
d180fuzz said:
4) Just because something "never entered your head" doesn't mean it's invalid or untrue. In fact, quite often, the opposite is the case.

Thanks anyway, BMP.

p.s. The above flaming was prompted by other "know-it-all" replies I've seen from you in other threads. Sorry.
Click to expand...

If you don't wish my advice coming from fifty years of experience playing bass or my forty odd years of engineering then please, by all means, add me to your ignore list.

I don't do "know-it-all" posts. That fact that you regard them as such puzzles and saddens me. I come here freely to help my fellow brothers and sisters of the bass. What I post is true fact as I know it.
 
#17
BassmanPaul said:
Really your cabinet should not vibrate in the first place, however..... this is not an ideal world. :)

The Duralex would do the job as would a slab of 1" or so plastic foam for a lot less. That said, tube amps are not as fragile as folk tend to believe, they're not made of glass y'know.

The first 25 years of my playing career was done using only full tube amps. They sat happily on the top of my cabinet(s) and never failed me. It never even entered my head to be worried about cabinet vibrations.
Click to expand...

+1 brace your cabs! it'll make them sound better to
 
#20
BassmanPaul said:
I don't do "know-it-all" posts. That fact that you regard them as such puzzles and saddens me. I come here freely to help my fellow brothers and sisters of the bass. What I post is true fact as I know it.
Click to expand...

BP: IMO, every post I have ever seen from you has been on point and very helpful. I consider you to be one of the "gurus" on TB. Keep those helpful posts coming, good sir!

D180: I think that Sorbothane stuff is the ticket. It comes in various, um, I don't know what to call it......"ranges of support" perhaps?? Different stiffness ratings for different weight categories. Pretty cool stuff!
 

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