Pulling tubes on a Triple Rectifier

[MrLee]

Hello! This is my first thread so I just want to say hello before I start bugging you with all my noob questions: Hello!
Great forum by the way! Ive been checking in here serval times a day for awhile now, guess Im starting to become an addict!

Well, I have done some research, but didnt find the answer to what Im wondering about. Therefore I turn to you, great masters of wisdom!

Here's my question:
Im going to buy a Triple Rectifier (yes yes i know, i dont play at large stadiums etc. but I can get this one really cheap and with brand new tubes!) but if I find out that 150w was a bit much, then I want to pull some tubes! I have read that if you pull out 2 of the 4 6l6 tubes (not one pair, but one from each side) from a Dual, the power is reduced by ca. 40%, ca. 3dB in volum and the Bias is fine (since its push\pull). I guess you can pull out 2 of the 6 6l6 tubes in the Triple without releasing hell? Would I notis much of a differense? If not, can I pull out 4 of the 6 tubes (OMG, thats many!) without f**ing up something?! And how do I deal with the impedance issue?

Thank you for all answers!

 

[JBroll]

Are those numbers correct? I'm not much for audio measurement, but a 40% power drop doesn't seem like it would only leave a 3db dent. Honestly, I'm bloody clueless (solid state! fuck yeah! ... *crickets chirping*) but maybe you can find something out from http://www.londonpower.com/faq.htm or http://people.cornell.edu/pages/mt24/Amp/mm/mm_main.html .

Jeff

 

[MrLee]

Are those numbers correct? I'm not much for audio measurement, but a 40% power drop doesn't seem like it would only leave a 3db dent. Honestly, I'm bloody clueless (solid state! fuck yeah! ... *crickets chirping*) but maybe you can find something out from http://www.londonpower.com/faq.htm or http://people.cornell.edu/pages/mt24/Amp/mm/mm_main.html .

Jeff

I read those numbers from a guy at Budda amps, but who knows? He could be wrong! But I have also heard that the difference between a Dual and a Triple is only ca. 3dB in volum! To get a 50% increase in volum, as you think you would get from the extra 50w, you actually would need 400w (or something) extra, I think.
But thanks for the links, Im a little bit vicer now!

 

[Jackal_Strain]

Sindre?

 

[MrLee]

Sindre?

Det er meg! Kommer til Trondheim i helga forresten! Du har ikke noen tips på lager angående det jeg lurer på?

 

[Andy Sneap]

you'll be fine with a triple, it's got this great invention called a volume knob on the front.

 

[s34nsm411]

im assuming since youre at this forum you play metal or some sort of hard tight distortion style of music, so i wouldnt worry about too much wattage at all. Metal distortion tone comes from the preamp, poweramp saturation results in a flabbier tone that is more suited for classic rockish tones. the 150watts of headroom is a good thing

 

[sparkyness]

you'll be fine with a triple, it's got this great invention called a volume knob on the front.

Did someone patent that one yet? Coz I sure as hell don't see many people use it.

 

[JBroll]

S34n... whatever the fuck your name is, the power section removes a lot of high-end fizz from the tone. If you were to take the pre out signal, as I'm sure you know, you'd have a fizzy ball of fucked-up, and the power amp and speakers round that off. Power section distortion is in a lot of ways the 'balls' or 'chunk' of the sound - and yes, while I'd get all the gain I needed out of a preamp, the power amp shapes the sound into a much more usable sound. It's not easy to get straight fuzz out of an amp whose power section gets neglected, but it happens - first time I tried the Krank Revolution at Sam Ash I tried to keep it low (so they'd let me back in later) and it sounded like fizz, then with a hair's width turn the thing really kicked in and sounded like an amp... at a volume that drowned out every conversation on that side of the store. Yes, while the volume knob will alleviate a number of problems, including that of amps being too loud, those of us who live in a fucking rich blue-hair retirement neighborhood and will have the cops called on us by every neighbor on the block if our amps stay on a minute after ordinance kicks in are pretty much stuck with (1) fizzy ballsless junk or (2) seven citations a week. That said, you can go with a voltage drop or Hot Plate.

As for sound, I like the Peavey sound better, I like the quality of the Peavey stuff I've used before, and I'd feel a lot less violated with the Peavey price tag. If you can just put them side to side, or where that's not possible carry around a recorder and mic, comparison will be worth a lot more than what you'd find here for pretty much anything that you can't evaluate at the store (like reliability, build quality, et cetera).

Jeff

 

[Andy Sneap]

actually you are right, with a rectifier you do have to wind em up a bit to get the mids rockin, but isn't there a low power setting on the back also?

 

[MrLee]

you'll be fine with a triple, it's got this great invention called a volume knob on the front.

Haha! Thanks for the tip, I sure will try it!

 

[JBroll]

What's different between the low power setting and yanking tubes? Does that option just disable a pair of tubes?

Jeff

 

[Sweetnothing]

What's different between the low power setting and yanking tubes? Does that option just disable a pair of tubes?

Jeff

Basically yes

 

[MrLee]

Well, I guess setting the amp to "low power" is the way to go then? But thats if Andys volum-knob-trick doesnt work!

Thanks for your help guys!

 

[JBroll]

Any of you guys know what would be the quickest and easiest way to bypass a speaker in a combo 212? I'd be able to be louder (and figure out which speaker I like better) if I could use just one at a time, but if I start gigging I'll need to have both of them going.

Jeff

 

[MrLee]

Actually, I just read that you cant pull out anything in the Triple like you can in the Dual. There is no half power switch and the spongy\bold switch just changes the sound.. Well, guess I have to buy a Hotplate if I find out that I need one. I really should have read this before I posted this thread..

source: http://www.epinions.com/content_113446915716

 

[guitarguru777]

you'll be fine with a triple, it's got this great invention called a volume knob on the front.

Andys best answer to any question yet !!!!

 

[Jackal_Strain]

I'd go for a hotplate or a weber negadump. That way you can get a decent sound at moderate volumes. Or you can just use impulses

 

[MrLee]

I'd go for a hotplate or a weber negadump. That way you can get a decent sound at moderate volumes. Or you can just use impulses

I think I will go for the Weber MASS 150™, ok price, 150w and no shitty eq and noise reductions like the Hotplate. Im noob when it comes to impulses. Actually, Im noob in every aspect of sound engineering! But damn its fun anyway! Thanks for the tips Løberg!

 

[JBroll]

Actually, I just read that you cant pull out anything in the Triple like you can in the Dual. There is no half power switch and the spongy\bold switch just changes the sound.. Well, guess I have to buy a Hotplate if I find out that I need one. I really should have read this before I posted this thread..

source: http://www.epinions.com/content_113446915716

First time I've heard that about any big-name tube head. Yeah, you could still negadump, which is good if you know how to not toast it. Impulses can also work out well, there's tons of info about that stuff (someone did a pretty clear info piece and as far as sounds go Shane/Kazrog's BACKMASK stuff has a much better tone than anything I previously expected out of anything but an amp) so you shouldn't have too much trouble.

Jeff