weird sound out of my triple recto

[zombiekiller]

So i went home over the weekend, plugged into my triple recto, and it started making this weird sound when i played. Its hard to describe but it kind of sounds like a metallic, dry sound when i play. Its easier to hear if i play a bunch of tremolo stuff. Also the pinch harmonics and distortion have been sounding very dry. I don't think that any of my tubes are broken. It happens on all channels and all volumes. What should i do?!

 

[domct203]

Welcome to The Board.

So, you say your amp is making strange noises but you think your tubes are OK?

Strange noises in a tube amp are almost always tube related. If it is a metallic ringing type of noise, you most likely have a microphonic preamp tube.

Fastest way to check is the tap test. Remove all the metal covers from the preamp tubes. With just your speaker hooked up, turn the amp on and out of standby and lightly tap each preamp tube with a pencil. When you find the tube that makes the metallic ringing sound when tapped, you have found the bad tube. Change it with a new one.

BTW- you should always have spare preamp & power tubes, and fuses as well when you own a tube amp.

Good luck,
Dom

 

[zombiekiller]

I tapped all the pre-amp tubes, and the one thats second closest to the input was the only one that made any noise when i tapped it. so i should replace this one?

 

[MesaENGR412]

That would probably be a good start. If it doesn't cure the problem, the work you way down the line replacing each used tube with the new one and see if another tube is the culprit. The tap test is the faster troubleshoot, this is a little lengthier one without just buying a whole new set of preamp tubes and swapping them all out. Let us know what the result is. Hope this fixes it man.

-AJH