• From: York, PA
  • Registered: 2010-08-27
  • Posts: 1,749

Topic: Leaving your tube amp on, is it ok without standby mode?

I'll start this by saying that when I used to use my big Marshalls to play out, I always turned them on about 30-40 minutes before we started and left them on all night. It was to my understanding that doing this will not put any unwanted or at least very minimal, wear on the tubes since I was leaving the amp on standby when not in use before the gig and in between sets.

I've recently been using small amps to gig, mainly 2 Class 5 combos or heads. Obviously they sound better about half way through the first set once they're good and hot, so I've been turning them on a half hour or so before we start and leaving them on all night. In total they're switched on for a little over 3 hours. I just switch the signal to them off from my A/B/Y box when we're on break. However these amps do NOT have a standby mode. So am I causing more harm than good by doing this? I'm not an electronics guy so I don't understand the complex workings of amps so any explanation is welcomed but please put it in layman's terms! Thanks in advance. -Seth

  • From: Ridgeland, MS
  • Registered: 2009-08-12
  • Posts: 1,248

Re: Leaving your tube amp on, is it ok without standby mode?

You're fine with that arrangement. Keep your tubes hot.

  • From: York, PA
  • Registered: 2010-08-27
  • Posts: 1,749

Re: Leaving your tube amp on, is it ok without standby mode?

Thanks. I asked a couple people the other week and nobody knew for sure, but didn't think it would be a problem. A good 30 minutes of warm up really makes a difference in tone. Used to switch them on a couple minutes before we started and go from there.

  • Devan
  • Devan
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  • From: Darwin, Australia
  • Registered: 2010-04-13
  • Posts: 1,304

Re: Leaving your tube amp on, is it ok without standby mode?

I don't think leaving them on during multiple sets is a problem.  I once left my Mesa/Boogie DC-10 on Standby for THREE days without realising it.... WITH a cover over the top!, which is why I didn't realise it was on until I took it off to play it again later - Yikes!

Didn't seem to do any harm, but in talking to other gear heads, it wasn't a good thing to do, because apparently the tubes stay charged at a lower level, and that can cause contamination/degradation of the filaments over time?!?  I'm not sure of the technical terms - I'm a software guy, not hardware... lol

JBLP Gold Top #129 - redubbed "#1 in Oz"
  • From: York, PA
  • Registered: 2010-08-27
  • Posts: 1,749

Re: Leaving your tube amp on, is it ok without standby mode?

When you go see the pros play, their amps are always on for a long time even before the show, but those amps are also looked after extensively. I don't understand why some small tube amps don't have a standby switch, and because of that, I was worried I'd be burning the tubes up too quick or causing some type of internal damage.

  • From: Ridgeland, MS
  • Registered: 2009-08-12
  • Posts: 1,248

Re: Leaving your tube amp on, is it ok without standby mode?

If your amp is a class A (as many small amps are, i.e. Princeton Reverb, small Tweeds, etc.) it does not require a standby switch.

  • From: York, PA
  • Registered: 2010-08-27
  • Posts: 1,749

Re: Leaving your tube amp on, is it ok without standby mode?

Good enough for me! Thanks Wharris. -S

  • DougH
  • DougH
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  • From: Toronto, Canada
  • Registered: 2011-04-01
  • Posts: 1,700

Re: Leaving your tube amp on, is it ok without standby mode?

helrazr84 wrote:

I don't understand why some small tube amps don't have a standby switch,

from what I understand that the power supplies come in quite slowly they don't hit the tubes with full charge like some bigger amp's do.

it's not hard to add a standby switch.

I would think that putting the amp into standby would keep the tubes hot enough between sets.

just remember at the end of the night to let the tubes cool down before moving the amp otherwise the filaments in the tubes might break easier since they're hot.

---------------

(If only I had 1% of Joe's guitar talent)
  • From: York, PA
  • Registered: 2010-08-27
  • Posts: 1,749

Re: Leaving your tube amp on, is it ok without standby mode?

Letting the tubes cool is my excuse to take a break at the end of the night! It takes me about 30 minutes to leisurely get my stuff packed back up. The amps don't budge until I take them to my car. But I've seen my share of guitarists who don't adhere to any such protocol following their set..