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| NimrodsSon |
Posted - 12/19/2004 : 10:09:34
I own a Hammond organ that I bought about a year and a half ago, and when I got it, the salesperson said I would almost never have to change the tubes. Well, I'm a little suspicious of his claims after looking at the tubes this morning. They look to be in pretty bad shape, and I know on my guitar amp I change them about once a year. So, on a Hammond organ, do the tubes last a lot longer or are you supposed to change them as often as you change them on a guitar amp?
ˇViva los Católicos! |
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| tisasawath |
Posted - 12/20/2004 : 05:53:01
You'd be better off asking in a forum where they talk Hammonds or/and tubes.
Tube wear depends on:
- quality of tubes (i.e. new old stock=good, chinese=bad...)
- how hot they are biased (i.e. what wattage the plate/anode has to dissipate)
- how much you use them and how you use them (wait for the cathode to heat up (at least 30 sec.) before you apply full voltage on the plate/anode, no shaking of the amp when the tubes are hot, too frequent switching on/heating and off/cooling =not good...)
- anything else I forgot :)
I can't think of any relevant differences in tube wear from using them to play different instruments, apart from the above - how they are set/biased ~ the only thing I can think of is the guitar amp signal that the tube sees is more likely to be a more square wave (=distortion) than an organ amp.
More important factor is the design of the amp - is it single ended amplification (one tube amplifies the entire incoming signal) or push-pull (pairs of tubes amplify half or more of the signal curve)? The former draws current all the time, regardles of the incoming signal, the latter draws current only when you actually play the instrument and is more efficient and wear-friendly.
You can check how worn they are if you have the same type new tubes (broken-in of course) available to see if there's any change in amp's power when you switch them. |
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