Suggestions for removing broken preamp tube?

phillybhatesme

Well-known member




Super excited for my new amp but I wasn’t getting any sound when plugged in. Opened up the back, noticed one preamp tube was white on top, went to pull it out and the glass just came apart. How the hell am I supposed to pull the rest of this thing out?
Pliers?
 
kid-with-knife-at-outlet.jpg


Put a rag over it and pull.
Another quality JJ toob.
Its a good thing we had internet in da 60's & 70's to tell us these things.
 
kid-with-knife-at-outlet.jpg


Put a rag over it and pull.
Another quality JJ toob.
Its a good thing we had internet in da 60's & 70's to tell us these things.

Yep!

Wrap it in rag or towel around it nice and snug, wiggling around as you pull.
This will put equal pressure on the parts, vs using plyers which might just rip parts off, leaving the pins still in socket.

Good call, Dan.👍
 
Mine just got here. Doesn't sound like anything rattling in the box. Weird that the glass didn't shatter. Did this happen when you tried to remove it?
If not, having dealt with proaudiostar returns before, expect no more than 10% or they would rather spend more money on a return shipping label.

I've done the potato trick on a light bulb before :ROFLMAO:
If the other tips don't work, maybe a piece of wood laid out on the chassis to use as a fulcrum with some needle nose as the lever or something like that? Worst case I'll give you what you paid for for it 😹
 
Do you have a pair of long, thin needle nose pliers? If so, you may be able to spread them just wide enough to get around the base and use your fingertips to pull up on the end of the pliers while you're other hand pulls up on the handle part?

If not, just buy a new amp and deal with that tube later :cool:
 
Flip it upside down and hit the bottom of the headshell with a sledge hammer... Beat on it until it falls out.

Seriously... Pull the chassis out first, (if you haven't already). That'll give you better/full access. Put a glove on or a rag, as mentioned. Should come out pretty easy. If you're trying by reaching in there, that's really less effective. I'd also suggest removing the rubber grommet. That could hinder things a bit as well. That could be why it feels so tight in there.
 
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unless it's not stuck and just broke ......... then I would just put a pair of gloves on ( something where you can't get cut )

and just pull it out like you normally would by the metal you see .... all that metal is connected to the pins .... the glass wasn't

I would also make sure there isn't any voltage present before I grab the insides of a tube ...
 
I found the best way to do this is, first, plug it in and power on the amp. Next, remove the amp from stand-by, lick your fingers and grab the preamp tube and hold on! Baby should fly right out of there. Then we you regain consciousness, pick yourself up from the floor, replace with a new preamp of your choosing.
 
I wouldn’t do anything previously said in this thread.

You need to take the amp out of the chassis to asses the situation. Wear some protection as the chemicals inside tubes aren’t good for you. 🤣 I’m assuming the sockets are in a PCB mount, but shouldn’t matter. Figure out the tube orientation and between pins 1 and 9 should be a small gap where there are no pins. This is where you will slide a small flat head screw driver under the bottom of the tube to pry it up GENTLY!!! The tube should slowly work its way out. Please be careful if the PCB and tube socket. The bottom of the tube should be robust enough to take the prying pressure.

If this doesn’t work…

Cut away the top part of the tube. You can probably twist it and the thin metal contacts will likely pull away from the pins use your discretion. Once the to part is removed you should see several thicker metal pins remaining. This is where you will use a pair of good pliers, preferably two pairs, (one each side) and firmly, but with finesse, pull the tube pins out of the socket. Keep in mind if you pull side to side you may bend the pins and weaken them. A few good tugs should pop the tube out.

Feel free to take pics and ask us if you need more help.
 
New tubes just plain suck. And, you’re trusting the builder/assembly line to test them! 😂
Seriously though, if you buy a new amp I’d unbox, pull all the tubes and put in a good set that you already have vs trusting that they tested them. Or, get a cheap tester like I did and at the very least it’ll tell you if they are good enough to even go in the amp in the first place.
 
I wouldn’t do anything previously said in this thread.

You need to take the amp out of the chassis to asses the situation. Wear some protection as the chemicals inside tubes aren’t good for you. 🤣 I’m assuming the sockets are in a PCB mount, but shouldn’t matter. Figure out the tube orientation and between pins 1 and 9 should be a small gap where there are no pins. This is where you will slide a small flat head screw driver under the bottom of the tube to pry it up GENTLY!!! The tube should slowly work its way out. Please be careful if the PCB and tube socket. The bottom of the tube should be robust enough to take the prying pressure.

If this doesn’t work…

Cut away the top part of the tube. You can probably twist it and the thin metal contacts will likely pull away from the pins use your discretion. Once the to part is removed you should see several thicker metal pins remaining. This is where you will use a pair of good pliers, preferably two pairs, (one each side) and firmly, but with finesse, pull the tube pins out of the socket. Keep in mind if you pull side to side you may bend the pins and weaken them. A few good tugs should pop the tube out.

Feel free to take pics and ask us if you need more help.
These are probably the best solutions. Or just go down on it toothy-style and pull that thing out. Only hurts once.


:ROFLMAO: Don’t do that but if you do make a video!
 
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