enuenu

How do you use the "standby" switch on a valve amp? Here is my guess;

1) Get to the gig, both the power switch and the standby switch are in the off position
2) Set up and flick the standby switch to the on position and wait at least 10 minutes, leaving the power switch in the off position.
3) When you are ready to play flick the power switch to the on position and start blasting straight away.
4) In the break flick the power switch to the off position, leaving the standby switch in the on position
5) When you are ready to resume playing flick the power switch back to the on position and start blasting straight away again.
6) When the gig is over flick the power switch to the off position, leaving the standby switch in the on position for a while.
7) After 10 minutes flick the standby switch to the off position and then wait another 15 minutes before you move the amp.

Is this all correct? I have never owned a valve amp and don't want to stuff it when I get one.

stryker59

from your description you are doing it backwards.
you should turn the power switch on first and leave the standby switch on standby. let the tubes warm up for a few minutes and then flip the standby switch on. when turning the amp off, reverse this, standby first then power switch off.

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stryker59

and also, when you are between sets, just flip the standby switch to standby and leave the power switch on.

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PaoloJM

+1.
With the stand-by off you can turn the power on and only the heating filaments will get power allowing the tubes to heat up. It's recommended to let them warm up for at least a minute to extend their life expectancy.
Turning the stand-by on then allows the full 400Vdc approx accross the valve plate and then you can play away.
Think of the stand-by and the foreplay mode - not much fun while you're doing it but she/the amp will love you for it!!

enuenu

Thanks a lot. So it seems you actually give full power to the amp using the standby switch, not the power switch.

I guess that when you say flip the standby switch to standby this means flip the standby switch off.

I'm glad I checked. Standby seems to work in the reverse with amps than say with TVs and other appliances. On your TV "standby" power is always on (the little red light you see at night when you stumble home in the dark) , when you want to watch the TV you flick the power switch on.

PaoloJM

TV's work the same as an amp. The red light means the power is on to the telly just like the pilot light in an amp. The remote control "power" button just activates/deactivates the stand-by mode. Think of the stand-by switch as the remote control and the power switch on the amp as the actual power button on the television if that makes it easier to understand.

enuenu

Cheers, got it sorted now.

stryker59

Think of the stand-by and the foreplay mode - not much fun while you're doing it but she/the amp will love you for it!!

i actually enjoy the "foreplay" mode as well!

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you've been weighed, measured, and found wanting!

stryker59

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you've been weighed, measured, and found wanting!

alerich

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PaoloJM

You will extend your tube life expectancy by flicking back to stand-by for about 30secs before cutting the power. This gives time for the tube to "settle down" before cutting the power completely. It wont make a massive difference but it does help.
It is also good practise to flick the stand-by back on between set's or on breaks as the valve plate's still draw current @ idle (therefore do work) even with no signal. This is the current you measure when biasing your valves. Remeber you bias to 70% of the max plate dissapation for class AB. A class A amp will work it's hardest @ idle (no signal)!!
Not doing it wont damage anything but you can squeeze an extra couple of hours play time out of a set of valves by doing it.
Keep rocking

enuenu

Beauty.