Problems (?) with my Einstein 50!

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Fishfinger

Fishfinger

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Hi, firstly I want to apologize that I come into this forum just when I have problems and not before when all went great.. :D I have really enjoyed playing with my einie, and it has sounded awesome!

But today as I was playing I recognized a strange sound from it. Something that's not easily to be explained, kinda humming that changed when I rolled for example prescense and deep pots.. I recorded a short clip of it, I'm not sure if it's helpful but It's better than nothing. Been busy lately, so will add some extra info later when I get to test it better.

https://www.soundclick.com/bands/page_so ... ID=8141111

About the clip, the weird noises are most recognizable in the end, when I first turn stand-by off and then mains. When I turn the mains off, the sound comes back for a few seconds and goes away kind of swaying.. Sorry for my english at times, and thank you for your time!

Kalle, hoping to get that little beast rocking again! :)
 
First of all, welcome to the forum!! and of course, you are in the right place :thumbsup:

It could be a tubes problem, but let's wait to the experts opinion ;)

Kind regards!
 
Thanks for the reply!

Heh, the next time I plugged my guitar into my dear Einstein, there weren't any problems! :D I even managed to record some lousy stuff: https://www.soundclick.com/bands/page_so ... ID=8169006

But, today problems began again and this time im pretty sure of the cause. I started playing and the sound was very quiet, and I checked the tubes and the other power tube was glowing purple. Also the the "replace tubes and fuse -Inner" led was glowing. So RaulTx, your presumption was pretty accurate! :) So it seems pretty obvious that it's time for new power tubes. Any suggestions? I'm fairly new in the world of tubeamps, but have read lots of good about those winged C 6550 tubes which are those as well and I haven't had reason to complain.
 
Tube choices will be determined by the tone you are seeking.
6L6 has a different tone then an EL-34, 6550's, etc.
My personal preference is for an EL-34 type tone with a defined high and tight low end, so I use JJ KT77's, which is a high end EL-34 type power tube.

Additionally, changing out pre amp tubes to different company types and slightly weaker types will also change the tone of the amp.

I don't need all of the gain in an Einstein 50, so I use NOS Mullard 12AT7's and 12AU7's in V-1, V-2, and V-3.

Go on line to see which tones come from different power tubes and pre amp tubes by definition, and that may help you decide on which tubes to try.

You can start here with a three page list of tubes and descriptions. Good luck and enjoy. :thumbsup:
http://www.watfordvalves.com/products.a ... an=&page=1

Also here: http://www.boiaudioworks.com/6L6
 
Welcome to the forum ..... :)

Enjoyed your clip. ..... good luck with the problem.
 
Thanks for the advice! :) I shall check your links rightaway and hopefully found the right one for me. I already start having withdrawals of not getting to play with it, so must order those tubes soon as possibly! :D

Welcome to the forum ..... :)

Enjoyed your clip. ..... good luck with the problem.
Click to expand...

Thank you, twice! :) Or should I say thrice? :D Hopefully I will post something more serious when I get the amp functioning again.
 
I always keep a few spares around ..... of just about everything. Going without is no fun. :)
 
I always keep a few spares around ..... of just about everything. Going without is no fun. :)
Click to expand...

That's pretty wise. Though a poor student like me can't offer to have spares about everything.. :D

One more dumb question about those tubes, then I'll shut up (for a while at least) :D I did read about matched pairs and need of those, and that made me think about the other, unbroken tube.. Do I need to replace that aswell, or is it enough that I replace only the broken one? Here in Finland I can find only SED 6550C power tubes, not the winged ones that are in the amp atm. So is there going to be problems if I'm miserly bastard and run the amp with winged one and one that's not? :confused:
 
I will try to answer to your question, but be careful, my technical knowledge is not too high :D

- The matched pairs (or quartets, ...) concept means that you should use always tubes with the same "operation point"; if they are not matched, one of the tubes will "drain" the power to the other ones, and that could cause a faster aging and worse overall sound.

- The theory says that if one of your tubes has gone (because of the aging, not because of any deffect), the other matched one(s) (that have got the same age) could go soon. So, in your case, it's better to replace both if they haven't been replaced them for a while (1 year?). If they are new, you could always buy only one, but a matched one: with the same bias point (that usually appears in a sticker on the below part of the tube).

Good luck! and if you have more questions, please let us know!! :thumbsup:
 
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