Question:
i have heard people say things about like removing one or more tubes from their amp to make it quieter. can i do that on my blues jr? i know it sounds silly, but my mom will not let me turn it up loud AT ALL, which is really frustrating, cause i know that i could get better tone if i did. so could i pull out one or two of the tubes? what would be the downside of doing that?
Answer:
I'd imagine that it would be unhealthy for the amp.
Pick up an Attenuator, and simply allow the amp to sing as loud as it wants, and still put out a nice quiet volume.
There are some that just eat power, and some that simulate speaker loads. Generally the latter are way more expensive (for a good one) but can sound a lot better.
Answer:
If you have 4 power tubes, then then you can remove 2 of them and that will drop your power by 1/2, not your output. And you gotta make sure you correctly identify the correct 2 tubes to remove. But according to those very smart folks at Torres Engineering, it's probably not a good idea.....
http://www.torresengineering.com/mar20latving.html
Answer:
Cutting the power in half reduces its headroom more then its loudness. I would reccomend an attentuator, also.
Answer:
Originally Posted by ibanez_dude i know it sounds silly, but my mom will not let me turn it up loud AT ALL, which is really frustrating, cause i know that i could get better tone if i did. so could i pull out one or two of the tubes? what would be the downside of doing that?
No, it isn't silly. My wife won't let me play at live levels at home either. If Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy!
My solution was to buy a small practice amp, a Fender Champ 30 DSP, so I can plug in headphones. I don't know if the Blues Jr. has an earphone plug, but if it does, I'd use it. Otherwise, listen to your Mom and play softly - save your bullets for the battles you can win.
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go attenuator.
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Originally Posted by Hopeful Otherwise, listen to your Mom and play softly - save your bullets for the battles you can win.
Best advice ever!
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BTW, if all you want to do is practice in your bedroom softly, and you're living at home, you may or may not have much of a cash flow. My recommendation if you're a cash starved teenager is to buy a cheap zoom Zoom 505 or Digitech RP50 off ebay. These are not tone monsters, but they're servicable, AND you can plug your headphones in and practice to your heart's content and you didn't break the bank to do this. Another benefit is they're battery operated so you can find a nice shade tree in your backyard and practice there too!
Answer:
Originally Posted by Hopeful No, it isn't silly. My wife won't let me play at live levels at home either. If Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy!
My solution was to buy a small practice amp, a Fender Champ 30 DSP, so I can plug in headphones. I don't know if the Blues Jr. has an earphone plug, but if it does, I'd use it. Otherwise, listen to your Mom and play softly - save your bullets for the battles you can win. it's not just live levels (i could understand that) , it's almost that if it's not clean (so if there is od/distortion at all) it needs to pretty much not be audible outside of my room. it's wicked frustrating. and no, the blues jr doesn't have a headphone jack.
Originally Posted by dcunning30 BTW, if all you want to do is practice in your bedroom softly, and you're living at home, you may or may not have much of a cash flow. My recommendation if you're a cash starved teenager is to buy a cheap zoom Zoom 505 or Digitech RP50 off ebay. These are not tone monsters, but they're servicable, AND you can plug your headphones in and practice to your heart's content and you didn't break the bank to do this. Another benefit is they're battery operated so you can find a nice shade tree in your backyard and practice there too! i have a boss me-50, but i play it into my amp, not by itself, cause the tone is much better.
so i guess the general opinion is, don't do it, and either just put up with having to be quiet, or buy an attentuator.
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I just put up with playing quietly. Do NOT unplug your speaker. If you didn't know that before.
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Originally Posted by ibanez_dude so i guess the general opinion is, don't do it, and either just put up with having to be quiet, or buy an attentuator. or, buy something else...or use egg cartons and/or newspaper to soundproof your room as much as possible.
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Originally Posted by thesteve or, buy something else...or use egg cartons and/or newspaper to soundproof your room as much as possible. problem is, i don't even have a door right now, so that won't do any good. it's a good idea though.
Answer:
Originally Posted by ibanez_dude it's not just live levels (i could understand that) , it's almost that if it's not clean (so if there is od/distortion at all) it needs to pretty much not be audible outside of my room. it's wicked frustrating. and no, the blues jr doesn't have a headphone jack.
so i guess the general opinion is, don't do it, and either just put up with having to be quiet, or buy an attentuator.
The attenuator won't help you out then, because it will drive your amp and speaker to the point of overdrive, which you say is unacceptable to her. And my son has a door and I have to tell him to quiet down at times. As long as you're living at home and are supported by your parents, the 5th Commandment applies here. Just make the best of it and play through the Boss ME-50 through headphones and practice live elsewhere.
For me, my option is an expensive one. My wife wants me to build a music room so that I can play at any level. The headphones don't help me here - but it will make everyone, including me, happy.
Answer:
As far as removing tubes, the Blues Jr. is powered by 2 EL-84 power tubes. If you pull one of them, I think you'll just get an underpowered buzzing sound. It's not going to ruin anything to try it out and see, though. The only thing NOT to do (as has already been said) is to run your amp without the speaker hooked up.
btw, I'd also agree with what's been said about the 5th commandment. Maybe there will be some times, though, when all the "sensitive" ears are out of the house and you can let 'er rip. Those times are fun...
Nate
Answer:
Originally Posted by nate95366 As far as removing tubes, the Blues Jr. is powered by 2 EL-84 power tubes. If you pull one of them, I think you'll just get an underpowered buzzing sound. It's not going to ruin anything to try it out and see, though. The only thing NOT to do (as has already been said) is to run your amp without the speaker hooked up.
btw, I'd also agree with what's been said about the 5th commandment. Maybe there will be some times, though, when all the "sensitive" ears are out of the house and you can let 'er rip. Those times are fun...
Nate
Doesn't removing a tube change the load impredance? (I'm not sure which way it changes and which way you are allowed tolerance)