What damage if 6L6/EL34 switch was on wrong setting?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Ventura
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Ventura

Ventura

Well-known member
I found out after having some "issues" with my recently purchased VH4 (used in mint condition) that the amp, loaded with EL34's was running with the switch on 6L6. Does this do any damage to the amp? I was running the amp extremely low volume - and the other day it just went quiet. So... Please tell me, is this something that has caused and serious damage to my VH4??

Switch is now back to EL34 with new SED Winged 'C's loaded into it.

THANKS!
V.
 
I think you just fried your EL34s, I don't think it would cause any damage to the amp, unless you've been screwing with faulty tubes in it for a long time.

Do you ever bias your amp?
 
No, it will not harm the amp in any way. It just lowers the plate voltage from the power transformer to put your biased set of 34 tubes into the 6L6 bias range. If anything, it made your 34's run colder than normal. It damn sure wouldn't hurt the 34's.

Steve
 
Thank you, Comrades...

[Do you ever bias your amp?]
Haven't had it long enough to do this, but seeing as the previous "issues" I was having led me to believe something was amiss, I figured I'd get on with learning how to do a re-bias. Now, even though my amp is seemingly running fine with the new EL34's, I am still going to re-bias it tomorrow to make sure it's all smooth going.

[It damn sure wouldn't hurt the EL34s]
This makes me feel good, especially considering they weren't cheap, I had to wait over a week to get them, and hell, I JUST GOT THIS AMP and I just couldn't cope with the thought of having screwed it up already!!

ANYWAY - after too many noobie posts here on the forum, facts are the VH4 has fresh 12AX7's (Tung Sols) in it. It has a brand new matched quad of SED Winged C's in it. The toggle is where it ought to be on EL34. And I've got a fresh set of matched Tung Sol EL34's for future use just in case.

THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR HELP and SUPPORT thus far... TIME to PLAY!!!
V.
 
Re-bias was 100% successful... Biased the new Winged C's (EL34's) at 66.5mA (0.3mA+/-) per pair. Sounds dandy.

Reason the amp was not running was complete noobie problem - the switch was on 6L6 and apparently this meant tubes were running ice cold (so, in the interim, no damage to them or the amp - yay).

That was ultra easy... My VH4 and I are now a definite couple. Thanks for all your help and posts!!

V.
 
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