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peacock1987 · 11-11-2008, 09:15 PM

Hi guys, I have been amp shopping for a long time now and am possibly going to get a Laney lc50 for a gigging amp. Problem is im not gigging yet. Might be months. I would also like a practice amp but if it was possible to use the laney to prqactice i would. Question is, do I buy two amps with one for practice or just stick with the bigger amp? 50 watts of valve beef could be too much and never be cranked up. I don;t want to end up not turning it up for months as i imagine this is not great for the valves.

guitarcookie1 · 11-11-2008, 09:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by peacock1987

Hi guys, I have been amp shopping for a long time now and am possibly going to get a Laney lc50 for a gigging amp. Problem is im not gigging yet. Might be months. I would also like a practice amp but if it was possible to use the laney to prqactice i would. Question is, do I buy two amps with one for practice or just stick with the bigger amp? 50 watts of valve beef could be too much and never be cranked up. I don;t want to end up not turning it up for months as i imagine this is not great for the valves.

Get a Hotplate to go with the Laney...

peacock1987 · 11-11-2008, 09:55 PM

What is this hotplate you speak of

peacock1987 · 11-11-2008, 09:57 PM

Just had a quick look, its pretty pricy I could perhaps get a spider 111 amp for like 70 or 80 pound on top of the laney. This might sound daft but would it be greatly detrimental if the Laney was not used often for a while???

fastboy · 11-12-2008, 03:27 PM

There's no detriment to not using it for a while.

Just take the usual precautions - try and cover it if possible when stored and store in a cool dry place and when you use it, make sure you warm the valves up properly.

I personally very, very rarely use my Orange Rockerverb (my gigging amp) in the house unless I am desperate to try a new pedal / guitar through it....

A gigging amp for me is exactly that and although this sounds stupid, remember, valves wear out over time and anything is subject to wear and tear over time. As I always want my amp to be in the best condition for rehearsals and gigs, I deliberately don't use it for anything apart from the intended use.

When i plug in at home, I'll use either my Tiny Terror (my gig backup amp), my Marshall JTM60 combo or even sometimes, I plug into my home studio rig (various rackmounts) through a mixer and powered monitors to avoid using my Rockerverb.

As before, the Rockerverb and extenstion cab are safely tucked up for proper band usage.

smokingbeagle · 11-12-2008, 04:11 PM

I must have a cheese and pickle sandwich for lunch now. You sod.

peacock1987 · 11-12-2008, 07:57 PM

Cool, so what is the best way to preserve the valves with regards to warming it up. (This will be my first valve amp).

mattbanshee · 11-12-2008, 10:27 PM

Go for the 50W, every time. Sure, you won't get the cranked thing going on when at home, but you should be alright.

With regard to warming up/cooling down a valve amp, just use the standby sensibly. Ideal conditions would be, Switch power on but leave on standby for 2 mins or so before you start playing, and leave the amp on standby without moving it for as long as reasonable once you're done... in an ideal world, 10-15 mins. This is to give the valves chance to cool before you vibrate them all about by picking up, putting down etc, as the heat makes them more delicate (or something). Obviously, if you're gigging then this is not always possible, but every little helps...

fastboy · 11-13-2008, 10:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mattbanshee

Go for the 50W, every time. Sure, you won't get the cranked thing going on when at home, but you should be alright.

With regard to warming up/cooling down a valve amp, just use the standby sensibly. Ideal conditions would be, Switch power on but leave on standby for 2 mins or so before you start playing, and leave the amp on standby without moving it for as long as reasonable once you're done... in an ideal world, 10-15 mins. This is to give the valves chance to cool before you vibrate them all about by picking up, putting down etc, as the heat makes them more delicate (or something). Obviously, if you're gigging then this is not always possible, but every little helps...

You don't need to leave an amp on standby when you turn it OFF you can literally turn it straight off when you are done. The standby switch is just for warming up the plates before you use it and not hitting it with a massive amount of voltage and heat from cold, not afterwards! Whilst you can put it back into standby, there's no benefit and you're wasting your time.

Read any amp manual and it will tell you the same, to just turn it off, however, Matt is completely spot on about not moving the amp when you turn it off. You need to allow around 10 minutes for the valves to cool down before you move it. It's not a problem in a gigging situation as you normally have so much stuff to pack up, I just use the cool down time to pack up everything else (leads, guitars, pedalboard etc etc) or go and have a quick post gig drink or ciggie. Either way, 10 minutes passes quickly after you finish a gig or rehearsal.

As for warm up, just give it a very minimum of 2 minutes before you turn the power on from standby when cold, however, the longer you leave it, the warmer the valves get so whilst 2 is a minimum, the longer the better really (when I am setting up for any rehearsal / gig, the first thing I do is place the amp and then stick it on in standby to really warm things up). Whilst the whole standby / warm up piece in theory is not essential (look at hi fi valve amps or old valve radios - very few have standby switches), it's all about tube preservation. Valves and valve amps are very sensitive things but will be rugged it used correctly..

Just don't go overboard and leave it in standby for days on the other spectrum

ecc83 · 11-13-2008, 11:00 AM

Re standby.

Not so sure about the valve vibration thing, in a combo they are subject to enormous accelerations! Still, it can do no harm to let them cool.

2 mins is plenty, the heaters will have stabilsed by then.

If you have an amp with a valve rectifier, turn everything on together.That way the HT runs up slowly as the rec' warms up. Having the heaters running and then banging HT on can, rarely, but can blow a fuse and even less rarely a GZ34.

Solid state rec's, warm the bottles to take the stress off the electrolytics.

All this is "good practice" but I would not get paranoid about it!

Dave.

11-11-2008, 09:15 PM	#1
peacock1987 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 271	Pickle Hi guys, I have been amp shopping for a long time now and am possibly going to get a Laney lc50 for a gigging amp. Problem is im not gigging yet. Might be months. I would also like a practice amp but if it was possible to use the laney to prqactice i would. Question is, do I buy two amps with one for practice or just stick with the bigger amp? 50 watts of valve beef could be too much and never be cranked up. I don;t want to end up not turning it up for months as i imagine this is not great for the valves.

11-12-2008, 04:11 PM	#6
smokingbeagle Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Heartattack and Vine Posts: 9,999	I must have a cheese and pickle sandwich for lunch now. You sod. __________________ www.societycrisis.com F*ck your politics Stuff for sale: Danelectro PB&J delay/reverb, £25 Apple G5 iMac (1.8GHZ, 1.5 GB RAM, 17"), offers Dean PsychoBilly hollowbody with Bigsby-alike, £150 Wanted: Cheap(ish) double bass. I've NO idea why. Peavey Delta Blues. Ibanez Iceman.

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11-11-2008, 09:55 PM	#3
peacock1987 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 271	What is this hotplate you speak of

11-11-2008, 09:57 PM	#4
peacock1987 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 271	Just had a quick look, its pretty pricy I could perhaps get a spider 111 amp for like 70 or 80 pound on top of the laney. This might sound daft but would it be greatly detrimental if the Laney was not used often for a while???

11-12-2008, 07:57 PM	#7
peacock1987 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 271	Cool, so what is the best way to preserve the valves with regards to warming it up. (This will be my first valve amp).

11-12-2008, 10:27 PM	#8
mattbanshee Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: London Posts: 1,878	Go for the 50W, every time. Sure, you won't get the cranked thing going on when at home, but you should be alright. With regard to warming up/cooling down a valve amp, just use the standby sensibly. Ideal conditions would be, Switch power on but leave on standby for 2 mins or so before you start playing, and leave the amp on standby without moving it for as long as reasonable once you're done... in an ideal world, 10-15 mins. This is to give the valves chance to cool before you vibrate them all about by picking up, putting down etc, as the heat makes them more delicate (or something). Obviously, if you're gigging then this is not always possible, but every little helps...

11-13-2008, 11:00 AM	#10
ecc83 Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: northampton uk Posts: 2,612	Re standby. Not so sure about the valve vibration thing, in a combo they are subject to enormous accelerations! Still, it can do no harm to let them cool. 2 mins is plenty, the heaters will have stabilsed by then. If you have an amp with a valve rectifier, turn everything on together.That way the HT runs up slowly as the rec' warms up. Having the heaters running and then banging HT on can, rarely, but can blow a fuse and even less rarely a GZ34. Solid state rec's, warm the bottles to take the stress off the electrolytics. All this is "good practice" but I would not get paranoid about it! Dave.