Tube amp maintenance book

Most guitarists are fairly fanatical about the tube amp. I find it difficult to learn from a book or dvd without handson experience and being able to ask questions and be warned of pitfalls by an experienced amp master. We specialize in the restoration and modification of the legendary fisher 500c. Nor, at 280lb in its flight case, is it likely to go walkin. Tips for buying amplifiers and speakers for your bass. Amp is a florida based 501 c3 notforprofit organization that delivers. The connections to the output tube sockets had been made with the wires holding themselves in place in anticipation of soldering.

This article contains a list of most archived copies of fender guitar amplifier owners manuals available. Tube maintenance for audio research sp16 pre amp i have had occasional issues with background noise with the arc sp16. Cindy moorhead written by don stick on behalf of bands for hire. More than you ever thought you wanted to know about the blackface and silverface fender deluxe reverb amp. If you talk to any guitarist you will undoubtably hear the world valve or tube thrown around. Both books are available online and both of these book are highly recommended for the guitarist. Design and construction of tube guitar amplifiers by robert c. My ears never rang after listening to that, no matter how loud. Our general maintenance package is recommended once every year or as is necessary to maintain the reliability of your amplifier, mixer, or other device. Department of transportation federal aviation administration 800 independence avenue, sw washington, dc 20591 866 tellfaa 866 8355322. I read many popular books about tube amplifier repair.

If you own a tube amp and know little or nothing about tube amps or amp electronics in general, then chapters fifteen and sixteen. The truth about vintage amps skip simmons amp repair. I have read how to service your own tube amp by tom mitchell it was helpfull but i dont feel that i have learned enough to venture out on my own. Z, fender, gibson, hiwatt, marshall, matchless, mesaboogie, orange, vox, watkins and many others. The design, modification and repair manual for vacuum tube guitar. Classic american vintage styling with modern performance. Diy audio books and manuals speakers, vacuum tubes, electronics.

Compares in performance to any modern highend audiophile amplifier. Manuals are listed alphabetically by model and have been taken from our archives and conv. They functioned for years that way, until finally vibrations caused them to lose connection. The design, modification and repair manual for vacuum tube guitar amplifiers kindle edition by torres, dan, torres, dan, strong, robert w download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Amp diy gear ask amp man diy amps howtos repair august 2009 tube combo fender. I own a fender blues junior, which is a great little amplifier. How to repair solid state guitar amps our pastimes. The chicago school of guitar making specimen products. How much would a tube amp cost me a year maintenancewise. If the amp sounds ok, play it tube amps are rugged gear.

Jul 30, 2018 more than you ever thought you wanted to know about the blackface and silverface fender deluxe reverb amp. A tube amp needs to have its tubes replaced every couple of years. Save tube amp repair book to get email alerts and updates on your ebay feed. I have a basic electronics understanding, as far as parts id and knowing what they do.

Many thanks to the writer aspen pittman can take a bow on a well written manual book. Tube maintenance for audio research sp16 preamp i have had occasional issues with background noise with the arc sp16. Here are a few general tips for care and feeding of tube amps. I do recommend this book to all who repair tube amps. A guide to basic tube amp maintenance guitar world. If your amp has a separate power and standby switch you should turn on the power at least two minutes before switching on the. Already known as the bible of tubes and tube amps, the tube amp book is now even better. Tube amps are transformer coupled, and by definition and my measurements have zero dc offset. Turn off the power and unplug the amplifier from the power supply. Another amp blew fuses when inside the cabinet, but not outside the cabinet. This deluxe revised edition contains 40% new material, with a comprehensive az section covering all the great tube amp manufacturers, with. Just click on the appropriate links, making the appropriate tests as needed. When a transistor amplifier has a shorted transistor or other problem, your speaker will blow unless their cables are fused.

Also includes pictures and industrial receiving tubes. Great book for a reasonably short introduction to tube amp design for the nonengineer. I retired at age 40 to play the stock market full time. At tube works a repair entails more than simply fixing an existing issue with your amp. A history of the fender champ amplifier fender guitars. In the case of the vacuum tube amp, we provide the invaluable service of cleaning and retensioning tube sockets and tube retainer clips, along with tube testing, retubing, and bias. Amp provides professional evaluation, repair, and maintenance for instrument amplifiers, studio equipment, sound reinforcement, and more.

The simplest vacuum tube, the diode, contains only two elements. Does anyone have any suggestions for books to read to expand my knowledge. Even with my background in engineering, calculus, physics, differential equations, system dynamics, circuits, ect i was unable to comprehend stuff directly from a book. What kind of maintenance do tube amps need, how often, how do. It will walk you through all stages of design so that you can create your own wonders. The truth about vintage amps skip simmons amp repair loma rica, ca, usa. I want to get a jet city jca2112rc tube amp combo for christmas, but was wondering how much all of the maintenance over a year would cost me e. I grew up listening to music played through my parents fisher 500c stereo receiver, a tube amp from the early 1960s that did wondrous things to albums like let it bleed by the rolling stones when played at very high volumes. Audio maintenance professionals, richardson, texas. This flow chart is the work of aspen pittman, the author of the tube amp book and reproduced from the complete guide to guitar and amp maintenance by ritchie fliegler.

This uk book is one of a series on the technique of sound reproduction. Amplifiers have a variety of speaker sizes, whether separate or part of a combo amp. Secrets of the fender deluxe reverb the best fender amp. Maybe hit noisy pots with electronics cleaner and replace if needed. A well organized and easytounderstand approach to guitar amplifier repair covering basic electronics, reading schematics, understanding tubes and transformers, tube biasing and use of test equipment. The sound of a valve amp cranked nice and loud is synonymous with rock and guitar heritage. Its a good practical guide to the design of amplifiers, with many example schematics using the gec and mullard valves of the time. Tubes were the first widespread method of controlling electrical signals without moving parts. I know you read a book that said otherwise, but the book is wrong. How to service your own tube amp, a complete guide. Tube maintenance for audio research sp16 preamp audiogon. The association of asset management professionals or as we like to call it amp formerly the association for maintenance professionals has a mission to create a new era for the practice of maintenance, reliability in the context of asset management for organizations to enhance the delivery for the triple bottom line of economic prosperity, environmental sustainability and. Valve technology was predominately found in televisions and radios from the mid to the late 20 th century, before transistor technology advanced and. When a tube amp has a problem, the output transformers saves the speaker from shorted output tubes.

Since opening in 2005, thousands of students have enrolled in csgm classes. I dont know much about harmonics, but i can vouch for the sound quality of tube amplifiers. The chicago school of guitar making is the only school in chicago teaching guitar design, making and repair from a professional luthier in his workshop. The valve amplifiers book is widely recognized as the most complete guide to valve amplifier design, modification, analysis, construction and maintenance written for over 30 years. Expert stereo tube amplifier repair and restoration.

How to service your own tube amp, a complete guide antique. This page is designed to lead you through debugging a problem with a tubetype guitar amp. The mission is to provide a path to a safe, sustainable, successful workplace and world through reliability and asset management. Books, tutorials, and technology for guitar amplifier circuit design. Also provides 10 troubleshooting flowcharts, voltage charts for. Over the years, the champ has gone through several other iterations, from tube to solid.

As with the rest of fenders amp lineup, the champ and vibro champ were outfitted with the silverface look in 1968, and that existed until 1982, a year thtat birthed the champ ii with 18 watts of power, a 10inch speaker and newly designed circuitry. A much better book with a more complete set of troubleshooting charts is how to service your own tube amp. Getting the pair moved into my listening room required. Exposure to dust, dirt, vibration, and handling plays havoc on the circuitry of an amp and can cause a variety of issues to arise. The association for asset management professionals amp is dedicated to making the world work for everyone, with no one left behind. If everything you know about tube amps came from the internet, you might want to prepare for a shock. During routine maintenance we address these issues by cleaning all the input and output jacks and control pots, and resolderingreflowing solder joints as needed. Amplifier maintenance and repair amphead maintains an extensive stock of the best quality amp parts to get repairs done right and turned around quickly. Jul 22, 2009 amp diy gear ask amp man diy amps howtos repair august 2009 tube combo fender. Get this book for the extensive collection of schematics and cool amp pictures, ignore the sales pitches and especially the tech info, as much of it is incorrect. I think the worst thing for a tube amp is lifting it up and. Its usually less expensive for comparable power and quality, and it requires less maintenance.

The only maintenance i consider necessary is to replace the electrolytic capacitors after 30 years or so. Final price will depend on amount of time and materials required. In this video, well do a complete general service and overview of a pristine example of. Solid state amp tune up solid state amplifiers are more stable than tube amps, but can still require maintenance.

Also, are tube amps particularly safe for a 14 year old. There is something about the glow of hot glass and the imposing sight of weighty iron through the grille that seems to sum up so much. I dont have much experience troubleshooting amps, as ive had very good luck with all of mine, until just recently. Discussion in amps and cabs bg started by bigej2, apr 29, 2015. The first computers were vacuum tube based and took up rooms while vacuum tubes are considered outdated by most of the world they are still used in several key areas. There just happens to be one close by where i live.

Bass speakers that are 10 or 15 inches in diameter are best. Im extremely interested in learning to service tube amps, and one day design and build them. A few months back, after bringing in the bel canto amps curently in my system, i noticed a faint but noticeable and irritating high frequency whine or tone when the system is on and no music playing. This is also the only school in chicago teaching tube amplifier electronics, tube amp building and amp repair. Remove the rear panel from the amplifier using a screwdriver. In electronics, a vacuum tube, electron tube in north america, tube, or thermionic valve or valve in british english is a device controlling electric current through a vacuum in a sealed container. What kind of maintenance do tube amps need, how often, how. Learn more about what makes an aea signature 500c, and order yours today. Some of them are long out of print, and can only be obtained from used book sellers, although they are occasionally seen for sale on the internet. If the controls are scratchy sounding or the sound cuts out, it may just need a tune up. This deluxe revised edition contains 40% new material, with a comprehensive az section covering all the great tube amp manufacturers, with histories, photos and information.

The book is jampacked with theory, circuit analysis and diy basics. The internet is filled with lots of information on amp repair, but it is sometimes difficult to discern those who. Reattach the part and then try the amplifier again. Either that or tube amps are designed to be fixed and solid stat one are designed to be tossed.

If your amp has a separate power and standby switch you should turn on the power at least two minutes before switching on the standby. This page fits older fender and marshall amplifiers best, especially in the sections relating to amplifier specific things like. Following is a list of must have books for the serious tube amplifier designer. If you have a tube amp, this might be a better book for you. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading inside tube amps. It is better written, better illustrated, better editted, and more practical. A high quality reprint of the 1973 rca receiving tube manual technical series rc30. Diy audio books and manuals speakers, vacuum tubes. So, i got a job working on amps at a local tube amp repair shop.

The internet is filled with lots of information on amp repair, but it is sometimes difficult to discern those who know from those who think they know. There is a reason this book comes highly recommended and seems to be on everyones bench. A bibliography of must have tube electronics books. It includes additional maintenance and checks, confirmation that everything is working properly and a final listening evaluation ensuring that your amp sounds as good as it was designed to sound, sometimes all your amp needs is some professional maintenance.

It includes additional maintenance and checks, confirmation that everything is working properly and a final listening evaluation ensuring that your amp sounds as good as it was designed to sound. I felt i was really getting to know how tube amplifiers worked and at a molecular level even. Backbeat books the tube amp book deluxe revised edition. How to service your own tube amp does exactly what is says it will do.