It's class A right?

Mickey242 wrote: Sat Jan 08, 2022 10:08 pm It's class A right?

Highly doubtful. Also i'm not terribly sure why people care what operating class their tube amp is in. Many people think that cathode-biased is the same as class A, but it's not, and the Blues Jr isnt that either.

Dr Tony Balls wrote: Sun Jan 09, 2022 7:53 am Also i'm not terribly sure why people care what operating class their tube amp is in.

Maybe because to the uneducated Class A means the best kind?

losthighway wrote: Sun Jan 09, 2022 9:16 am

Dr Tony Balls wrote: Sun Jan 09, 2022 7:53 am Also i'm not terribly sure why people care what operating class their tube amp is in.

Maybe because to the uneducated Class A means the best kind?

Yeah most likely. It's something that started bubbling up like 15-20 years ago or so that the world suddenly seemed to care what operating class their amp was, and the misinformation train got rolling. It was probably based on misinformation to begin with, tbh.

Dr Balls: what’s your feeling on power tube bias? Do you find that - within the acceptable range - going “hot” or “cold” makes a meaningful difference in tone?

numberthirty wrote: Thu Jan 06, 2022 4:39 pm

c jury wrote: Wed Jan 05, 2022 4:21 pm I had a tweed Blues Jr for years- recorded the last IG and the first 2 Bismarck records with it- and practiced w/ both very loud bands with no issue. At some point I swapped the speaker to a Greenback, which made a huge difference. It became a maintenance nightmare after about a decade.

I'm just trying to wrap my brain around the idea that someone actually kept a Blues Jr. up and running for around a decade.

Yeah- it was super reliable for about 5 years...then it was just a slow-motion breakdown- lots of little things, that added up. I swapped it out for this oddball tweed deluxe that I kept until moving to a quilter.

twelvepoint wrote: Sun Jan 09, 2022 10:40 am Dr Balls: what’s your feeling on power tube bias? Do you find that - within the acceptable range - going “hot” or “cold” makes a meaningful difference in tone?

No, not really, imo. I think it gets a lot of attention because 1) its usually one other thing you can adjust in an amp without actually swapping components. Like a secret knob. And 2) words like "hot" or "cold" sound like if you just bias it hotter your sound is gonna be Randy Rhoads level hot.

There are much more meaningful ways to impact the sound of an amp.

Dr Tony Balls wrote: Mon Jan 10, 2022 9:36 am

twelvepoint wrote: Sun Jan 09, 2022 10:40 am Dr Balls: what’s your feeling on power tube bias? Do you find that - within the acceptable range - going “hot” or “cold” makes a meaningful difference in tone?

No, not really, imo. I think it gets a lot of attention because 1) its usually one other thing you can adjust in an amp without actually swapping components. Like a secret knob. And 2) words like "hot" or "cold" sound like if you just bias it hotter your sound is gonna be Randy Rhoads level hot.

There are much more meaningful ways to impact the sound of an amp.

Thank you, Dr!

Dr Tony Balls wrote: Sun Jan 09, 2022 10:24 am

losthighway wrote: Sun Jan 09, 2022 9:16 am

Dr Tony Balls wrote: Sun Jan 09, 2022 7:53 am Also i'm not terribly sure why people care what operating class their tube amp is in.

Maybe because to the uneducated Class A means the best kind?

Yeah most likely. It's something that started bubbling up like 15-20 years ago or so that the world suddenly seemed to care what operating class their amp was, and the misinformation train got rolling. It was probably based on misinformation to begin with, tbh.

I can tell you from first hand observation, that people who don't have a lot of amp knowledge, and are in sales or in charge of national marketing campaigns, love talking about things like amp Class. Amps are magical sound boxes and seems like a parity product compared to the competition because the specifics are dweebs-ville nerd talk. So you 'amp up' (waka waka) the talk about Class like it's the only thing that matters. Class A is Jimi Hendrix. Class A will get your wife to sleep with you again, in the same bed, because you groove.

Dr Tony Balls wrote: Mon Jan 10, 2022 9:36 am

twelvepoint wrote: Sun Jan 09, 2022 10:40 am Dr Balls: what’s your feeling on power tube bias? Do you find that - within the acceptable range - going “hot” or “cold” makes a meaningful difference in tone?

No, not really, imo. I think it gets a lot of attention because 1) its usually one other thing you can adjust in an amp without actually swapping components. Like a secret knob. And 2) words like "hot" or "cold" sound like if you just bias it hotter your sound is gonna be Randy Rhoads level hot.

There are much more meaningful ways to impact the sound of an amp.

Like putting a peavey logo on it - vrooooom!!