Visit http://www.ampeg.com/rebates for a $100 rebate on the Ampeg Micro-VR stack.

Recently I helped a friend of mine buy his first tube amp. Not a “hybrid” amp, with just a preamp tube, mind you, but an actual tube amp. I thought a nice series of blogs on the topic was in order. We’ll tackle a few different aspects of tube amps, and my goal by the end of this series is that you would have all the info you need on tube amps to make an informed choice if you are shopping for a new amp.

What is a tube amp?
“Tube amp” is just a way to describe an amplifier that uses vacuum tubes to amplify the source signal. Sometimes they are also called “valve amplifiers.” A vacuum tube is a glass “tube” that amplifies the signal, versus a circuit which is what amplifies the sound in a “solid state” amplifier.

The typical guitarist’s amp setup in all kinds of heavier rock music (like punk, emo, and hardcore) is the “half stack,” which refers to a “head,” which is the actual amp, and a “cab,” which is the speaker cabinet, in the case of a half stack, it is generally a speaker cabinet with four 12″ speakers.

An EL34 power tube

The “head” or the actual amplifier, if a tube amp, is usually 100W, though there are many other wattages available. 100W is fairly standard among touring punk, emo, and hardcore bands. All tube amps have two stages of amplification, the “preamp” section and the “power amp” section. The preamp section uses small glass tubes called (of course) “preamp tubes” which are about 2.5″ long. The power amp section uses “power tubes” which are about 4″ long and fatter.

Generally a 100W tube amp has 4-5 power tubes and 4-6 preamp tubes, while a 50W tube amp, by comparison, will have 2 power tubes and maybe 3-4 preamp tubes. As you can see, the more power, the more tubes required.

In the next installment of “tube amps in a nutshell” we will look at historically popular tube amps and why.

In case you missed these posts, let me mention them again. I am working on making an indexed page where they can reside. Oddly enough the post on the Maxon tube screamer is the most visited of all our posts.

• Maxon OD808 = Ibanez Tube Screamer 808
  A post on how these pedals are the same, but you will save a chunk of change going with the Maxon.
• How to add a header image to your myspace
  It’s easier than it seems, though you could spend days looking for the myspace code for it.
• Downloadable tab files
• Sell your CD at your local record shop
  How to distribute an album yourself!
• The right way to grow your friends list on Myspace
  A downloadable PDF we put together that details some methods for (legally) adding tons of friends and keeping them up to date on all your shows.

Your ears are the most important instrument you have. Before you go to practice and rawk, be smart about how to preserve your hearing. We encourage you to read the awesome Are You At Risk? article over at H.E.A.R’s website. Better safe than deaf!

One great thing the article notes is that conventional earplugs will cut highs but let too much bass through, making things sound muddy. The best solution is to get custom-molded earplugs. Many struggling musicians can’t afford the cost, though, and if that’s you, check out these great earplugs over at zZounds. Both of these earplugs will provide an even cut of sound over all frequencies, meaning you can practice safely while still hearing everything.

Hearos High Fidelity Ear Plugs

Vater Safe and Sound Ear Plugs

Practice is a series of blogs devoted to helping you get the most out of your practice times, either individually or as a band.