ringing tubes?

[pinchegordo]

hey guys i have a heartbreaker that i was gonna try to sell but i just plugged it in and was playing it and noticed this ringing(vibration when i hit the bass notes on big E especially) coming from my tubes,are the tubes bad?not just from the power tubes but the pre's also,there are no retainers on any of the tubes and nothing seems to be loose(i.e. sockets or board mounts for the pre's).its not the reverb tank its ringing from the tubes for sure.not through the speakers only but when i tap them they make the ringing noise also(when the amp is on).im just trying to be as descriptive as possible my apologies if this post is a bit redundant.thanks for any help pete

 

[pinchegordo]

wow,22 views and not any ideas huh?

 

[mrd]

Microphonic tubes. If it only occurs when you tap them then maybe it's not so bad, but likely it will get worse.

 

[Platypus]

If it happens with lots of bass and you've got a combo, you're most likely rattling the parts inside the tubes. There is most likely not anything wrong with your tubes, kind of the nature of the beast with combo amps sometimes. A few vendors have rings you can install on the tubes to stop it if it really bothers you.

Rectifier tubes are notorious for this in my experience.

 

[espresso]

hey guys i have a heartbreaker that i was gonna try to sell but i just plugged it in and was playing it and noticed this ringing(vibration when i hit the bass notes on big E especially) coming from my tubes,are the tubes bad?not just from the power tubes but the pre's also,there are no retainers on any of the tubes and nothing seems to be loose(i.e. sockets or board mounts for the pre's).its not the reverb tank its ringing from the tubes for sure.not through the speakers only but when i tap them they make the ringing noise also(when the amp is on).im just trying to be as descriptive as possible my apologies if this post is a bit redundant.thanks for any help pete

Hi Pete,

I had the exact same problem with my brand new Express 5:25. It turned out to be bad preamp tubes. I took it back to the store...didn't ask which ones were bad but they put in all brand new ones since the amp was a floor model.

Dan

 

[AJ_Newkirk]

Sounds like it needs a retube to me.

 

[212Mavguy]

Hi Pinchegordo,

often the ringing noise is a microphonic preamp tube, usually the first one for a given channel. The Mesa owners manual for your amp should have a troubleshooting guide for solving your situation. I have noticed more of a ringing sound more frequently from the pre's, more of a rattling or sound like vibrating drum snares coming from the power tubes, have heard ringing and/or rattling from rectifier tubes, but there is no set thang on this. Not all preamp tubes are created equal. I had a look at my friend's heartbreaker and it had EI tubes with mesa labels as original equipment, they have a higher rate of going to microphonic condition than the Chinese triple mica equipped Mesa tubes. The EI look like Telefunken smooth plate tubes because they are produced on the old telefunken equipment, but the mica spacers EI uses in modern production are flimsy in comparison, that leads to them going microphonic before they wear out from actual use. When I sold him a vintage "Japanese Mullard" out of my collection the problem was solved and there was an improvement in his tone. Best of luck to you!