transformers headaches in disguise?

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MatchBookNotes

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Do old transformers in tube amps add to the white noise?
I read in some reviews that swaping out 'crappy' transformers for better ones made the amp sound a whole lot "better" Also does the brand of power tube account for the sound aswell? like groove tubes compared to phillips or GE for example?
 
MatchBookNotes said:
Do old transformers in tube amps add to the white noise?
I read in some reviews that swaping out 'crappy' transformers for better ones made the amp sound a whole lot "better" Also does the brand of power tube account for the sound aswell? like groove tubes compared to phillips or GE for example?
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Power tubes have a life cycle and will loose mojo over time. I do not notice as much difference between power tube brands as I do the preamp tube brands out of the box. Though two of the same brand can have different test ratings with and of coarse you should buy matched pairs.

In older amps you probably have a better quality transformer if it is operating correctly. I know in the newer amps like Marshall JCM 2000 they put the better Drake transformer in the first run, then later on they got sneaky and started putting in a piece of crap but charged the same price.

What amp do you have?
 
I've got an old traynor guitarmate, I replaced the caps late last year.
I think the pre-amp tubes are 12au7's.
 
More often than not noise is caused by tubes, filter caps, and sockets...tranys tend to go out rather than noise-out...generally transformers die (sometimes spectacularly) when loads aren't matched (like running and amp with no speakers)...transformer replacements can change the way an amp sounds, but its a rather drastic change and not usually worth the dough and trouble involved...if your noise is trany based, its going to be obvious...

Its my feeling that those who advocate changing out tranys for tone reasons are often nit-pickers and snobs...

Look at your tubes (you already know this) and try cleaning the pins on each...see if that helps first...there are alot of tube options and, yes, different tubes sound different (esp power tubes)...NOS and vintage tubes often sound better because they generally were made to higher engineering specs (like higher vacuum tolerances) but tube life is just as important, and many NOS tubes sold online have had a fair amount of use before being listed, so buyer beware...as noted above, matched sets usually work better together...
 
MatchBookNotes said:
I've got an old traynor guitarmate, I replaced the caps late last year.
I think the pre-amp tubes are 12au7's.
Click to expand...

Yeah, with a Traynor you aren't going to have to worry about the transformers, unless something has blown - in which case they probably won't work at all and/or will smell funny. Take your amp to a good tech, and have them look it over.



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"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
 
MatchBookNotes said:
Do old transformers in tube amps add to the white noise?
I read in some reviews that swaping out 'crappy' transformers for better ones made the amp sound a whole lot "better" Also does the brand of power tube account for the sound aswell? like groove tubes compared to phillips or GE for example?
Click to expand...

If you are getting a lot of white noise from your amp it is almost certainly not a transformer problem. If you change out the power tubes, even if they are the same brand, your amp may need a bias adjustment.
 
Agreed. Transformers can do funny stuff to the sound if they're of poor quality---ringing, high frequency loss, hum (mostly a placement or shielding problem), etc.---but but white noise.
 
After the suggestion of looking at tubes and pins and such, I pulled out my powertubes and I actually have a pair of fairly good looking(condition) and clean Groove Tube 6BQ5'S, the preamp's are a pair of old ass Dutch "Rogers" tubes that don't have any more paint on them telling me what they are aside from the numbers 3025 and the one that is a little further away is a EH 12AU7A/EC82 made in russia... and it kinda looks slanted, as if the glass was melted improperly in construction, but it looks brand spankin' new. the rogers are thinner.

so its my pre-amp that's giving me the headache?
I want to get that warm-fat yet crunchy tone out of my amp... that lies in switching out the preamp tubes?
 
MatchBookNotes said:
so its my pre-amp that's giving me the headache?
I want to get that warm-fat yet crunchy tone out of my amp... that lies in switching out the preamp tubes?
Click to expand...

We don't know. We aren't going to know. We haven't looked inside the amp, and we haven't heard what it is doing. You need to take it to a good tech if you want it made right.


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"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
 
MatchBookNotes said:
How do I tell what makes a good amp tech then?
Click to expand...

Ask other local guitar players. Ask your local music store. Go watch a really good local band, and ask them. Word of mouth is the best thing in the world to find a good repair shop.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
 
Is there a good site where I can read up on good tubes and tranny's etc.

I've got a pile of tube (pre) amps from charity shops etc. which I want to do some work on and see if there's anything useable there. Old Dynacord, Deuteron, Pas O))), Philips stuff.

My friend will help me and he's a true technical wizard. He easily repairs anything, makes his own Theramins and midi controllers, you name it. But he sees music as just a hobby, and doesn't mind a bit of hum and boxy sound, so some quality controll is in order.
 
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