Electar tube amp help

[erikhajnal]

I've got a 10-watt Electar tube amp and I think I may've done something to the tube. One day while playing it, I put it on standby for about 5-10 minutes; when I came back and started playing it, the volume had dropped off significantly. I swear I remember reading somewhere that this is a sign your tube(s) are going out. Am I correct in this assumption?

Also, if anyone has this amp and has any suggestions for replacement tubes, I'd really appreciate it.

Thanks!

[sumgai]

erik,

Hi, and welcome to the NutzHouse! ;D

Yes, it does sometimes happen that tubes go bad, and they show it by reducing their power (the volume level) instead of blowing up or otherwise dying outright. But the best way to tell what's up is to simply substitute with a known good tube (power tube first, then the preamp tube if needed), and see what happens.

If two fresh tubes (that are known to be good) don't fix the problem, then you need to find a service technician, one that won't burn your wallet for a $100 practice amp. If your chosen tech doesn't have a schematic for it, there's one to be found at: Electar 10 watt schematic.

Good luck.



sumgai

[erikhajnal]

Thanks for the help! I'll grab a new tube and see what's up. Any tubes you recommend for a small amp like this? I am completely in the dark when it comes to tubes....

Thanks again!

[sumgai]

erik,

For your purposes, a $12 to $15 6L6 will do the job just fine, no matter what label is on the thing. The 12AX7 pre-amp tube might cost that much, but really, you can find them for under $10 with little effort. You can buy better tubes, for a lot more money, but for test purposes, that would be overkill.

The best idea is to simply borrow one or two tubes from a friend with a tube amp. The 6L6 and 12AX7 are extremely common, 99.99% of all tube amp use one or both of them.

Failing that, you might try your local tube outlet, be it the guitar store or a TV service joint. Be aware that most places don't allow returns on tubes, but it's a good idea for a tube amp owner to always have some spares anyway. Stick 'em where you can find them in a hurry, so that you aren't making an emergency run to the store..... which is closed anyway, because your tubes chose to blow up at 11:30pm.

HTH



sumgai

p.s. Tube names often have suffixes. For the 12AX7, you might see WA, or just A, or other variations, they're all the same. Ditto for the 6L6: a G, GC or GT at the end are all the same. A 7025 is the same as a 12AX7, and a 5881 is the same as a 6L6.

[ux4484]

sumgai said:

Failing that, you might try your local tube outlet, be it the guitar store or a TV service joint. Be aware that most places don't allow returns on tubes,

If you do go to a TV service joint (neighborhood shop), most of the places that still sell tubes have a tube tester in back.