If you want a long musical life with your amplifier you should take good care of it. As with all things, amps can break down, however If you follow some simple instructions you will enjoy many years of playing with it at peak performance. There are bound to be things you don’t know about caring for your amp, but there are things that are obvious that you just might not be thinking of. For example, something that you might roll your eyes at, don’t drop your amp! Don’t laugh because it happens and when it does wiring connections come loose, hold your amp close and steady, it can get hurt too.

Other obvious tips to take care of your amp.

Not letting your guitar amp get wet is always a good habit as with all electrical equipment, water and moisture is not your amplifiers’ friend, it is strongly suggested you don’t let the two combine and keep your amplifier covered where wet weather or other liquids found in the area of the band may threaten its safety. You may be tempted to use your amp as a chair should there be limited seating.  At times a large group can call for some imagination on the seating arrangements but take another guess and don’t sit on your amp.

Electrical and technical do’s and don’ts.

As you may well know, electrical equipment can generate a bit of heat when in use and in amplifiers this can cause it to stop working due to high temperature, always make sure it is well ventilated and don’t set it up in an area where another heat source is present.You can purchase an amp that has a switch where you can select to play with half power, where possible, purchase one with this switch.  Play at less than full power wherever possible and to protect against unreliable power sources that can ruin electrical components plug your amp into a surge protector. Switch controls to zero before turning on your amp to protect against power surges and if your amp has a standby option installed use this when turning it on as it will enable any tubes the time to warm up prior to cranking complete power to the circuits. Always follow product recommendations and model specifics for your equipment, if a tube needs replacing, replace it with the same model and always make sure your amp matches your speakers.

You should only use a bass amp when using a bass guitar as a bass should not be played via a guitar amp.  Although the speakers may generally be heavy duty, they might no be able to take the force of the bass.  It all really comes down to using you common sense, although it may sound like alot of stuff to remember.  You must need to protect your amp and it will survive.

Tube Amp Survival Guide #1

 Mail this post