Rectifier

[gitrguy87]

Pardon my ignorance, but what is the purpose of a rectifier to a tube amp?

 

[espskully]

A worker who blends or dilutes whiskey or other alcoholic beverages. Fuckers!

 

[metalhead28]

Simply converts AC to DC if I am not mistaken.

 

[gitrguy87]

I knew that thats what it does to electrical circuits, I just wasn't sure if it had any other special purpose in an amp.

 

[metalhead28]

I knew that thats what it does to electrical circuits, I just wasn't sure if it had any other special purpose in an amp.

Well if you're talking about an actual tube rectifier, then it supposedly does have some effect on the tone. Like a smoother sustain or something along those lines. I am simply mirroring information here, because I've never witnessed this myself.

 

[ballroot]

stick it up your rectum!

 

[ggunn]

Pardon my ignorance, but what is the purpose of a rectifier to a tube amp?

Tubes operate on high voltage DC. At the power input of an amp, there is a transformer that steps up 60 Hz 110 VAC to several hundred VAC @ 60 Hz. That is followed by a rectifier circuit which converts the several hundred VAC to DC. This DC high voltage is then distributed to the tubes which modulate the DC back to AC, but at the frequencies of the input signal.

 

[cephus]

Dude. You have 666 posts.

Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Austin, TX, USA
Posts: 666
Rep Power: 25

 

[metalhead28]

Dude. You have 666 posts.

Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Austin, TX, USA
Posts: 666
Rep Power: 25

Yeah dude that's bitchin. You can only post in the cave from now on cause those don't count.

 

[ggunn]

Dude. You have 666 posts.

Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Austin, TX, USA
Posts: 666
Rep Power: 25

Wow, if I'd realized I was hitting that milestone, I'd have spun my head around or puked blood or sumpthin'!

 

[metalhead28]

DAMMIT, you blew it!!!

 

[punkin]

Believe it or not, a couple good bits of info in there.

To add, the tube rectifier is supposed to impart a tonal quality when the audio tubes are driven hard. As the audio tubes are driven harder, the power supply (Rectifiers) can keep up with the instantaneous demand...the power supply voltages sag just bit which well softens the audio output.

Solid state rectifiers don't exhibit this nearly as much. Switch the amp to solid state mode and the sound should be a bit tighter.

These were some broad generalizations but reasonably accurate when we talk about tube guitar amps with tube rectifiers. Tube rectifiers can be built to over come this sagging sound characteristic but then it wouldn't be as cool to listen to would it?

BTW...when I hit my 666th post, all I got was constipated