dumb question

Updated
iheartsquires
do you really need to crank tube amps to make them sound good? cant you just use a hotplate???? thinking bout a 6505 or a powerball
Joe_Bradburry

the reason for cranking tube amps is to distort the power tubes. the hot plate would accomplish the same thing and save your ears, so basically with the hot plate it will sound like it is fully cranked, but the hot plate absorbes the power, so it's at a lower volume. a lot of people say that half of the cranked tone comes from the speakers being pushed as well, so there might not be the full sound you would get from just cranking it, but it should be good enough.

BrazilianBootyLover

If your parents are cool like mine then you can crank any tube amp as loud as you want. Usually I crank it to the point were its loud enough for the tubes to naturally distort and I don't need ear plugs.

iheartsquires

ya, but i live in a neighnborhood with lots of old people and babies. my next door neighbor has 2 infants.
i mean, i can crank out my little solidstate fender amp, but i dont know how many watts it is

chevy Z 302

i've got a powerball using at home too, probably selling soon to fund other things.

my fam is pretty cool about the noise and i've never had any complaints from anyone. *knock on wood*

it sounds great at lower volumes and i would highly recommend it to anyone looking at them, especially for the bedroom play.

I also think its better to have a higher wattage amp that you dig through a hotplate than getting something else just 'because' someone told you 'its not teh win unlesz itz teh kranked'

PB doesnt need a hotplate IME, other amps that seem to have a massave jump in volume i definitly see the use for and probably will one day.

esp_gaijin

do you really need to crank tube amps to make them sound good?

IMO no not for most amps, but you may for some amps, and some amps like my splawn promod just aren't able to be played at a super-low volume, the vol knob just doesn't make it happen - it jumps up fairly loud right off the bat. a number of amps i've owned have been like this,
but some that don't do this and sound great at even very low volumes are:
engl powerball
engl fireball
laney tony iommi
bogner uberschall
bogner shiva

cant you just use a hotplate????

using a hotplate IS cranking the tubes;
i dig hotplates and use one with my splawn.

thinking bout a 6505 or a powerball

both good choices! also consider a fireball.

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