"WAIRS MY STENDBY SWITSH?! WELL MY AMP BREEK?!"

@coleemmersonhallman5329

7 жыл бұрын

+Ndlanding oh stick your own head up an arse. It made me laugh and it's obvious he was doing it for comedic effect.

@TheFissnoc

7 жыл бұрын

Why don't the lot of you all stick your heads up ten dog's arses and see where that'll take you.

@FretFriendGWaL

7 жыл бұрын

I thought this was very funny!

@FretFriendGWaL

7 жыл бұрын

My wife agree's, the original comment is hilarious! And she is a clansman (a Cameron by birth)...

@arando4359

7 жыл бұрын

TheFissnoc your head seems to be stuck up an arse. Not a dog, maybe more like your own arse. P.S. I just felt like being edgy.........

First the cake was a lie and then you drop this on!!!

@ijOkErStAr

7 жыл бұрын

you need to read between the lies --- SLAYERRRRR!!!!! \m/

@GearingUpShow

7 жыл бұрын

Portal. Yes. You just referenced Portal. My nerd is coming out hardcore at the moment and the Portal tattoo on my leg is tingling. Seriously though. Portal. Yes.

@Luciffrit

6 жыл бұрын

My Name is Fred Fredburger... Yes!

@Mgooy

5 жыл бұрын

The cake wasn't even a lie

@rogerowens5669

3 жыл бұрын

Check out our PM article on this?it's a lot more in-depth I don't know this dude

Using a standby switch instead of the volume control can be more useful when recording in a studio though because it means you maintain the same volume before and after muting the amp.

@djabthrash

Жыл бұрын

Also works for live and band practice and home studio rehearsal ;)

@oliviergide9221

Жыл бұрын

Yep also a convienent mute when you unplugging or pluging another guitar. Turn down the volume pot is not a god solution for me; my fender amp is very sensitive, some times with just less than a milimeter of movement on the pot, it goes from not enough lowd to "Dude i can't hear the drums any more 😁" Géneraly when i finished a balance i put Duck Tape on it so it wont move any more.

@boatingforbeginners7949

9 ай бұрын

I just pull out the jack plug out a little, dis-engaging the connection! Keeps the valves cookin and saves settings - I also stomp on the Boss tuner which mutes it too !

I'm extra safe. I have 2 standby switches. One of them is labeled "Standby To Standby"

I see this one replacing the tonewood argument

@BlurpGooDiJabba

7 жыл бұрын

All the components in your guitar Will affect the tone of it :)

@spekenbonen72

7 жыл бұрын

It's like toanwoodz is about toanz..... if you use the correct toanwoodz, you can achieve Sl00shtoanz (Sl00sh, the guy with the tophat)) (in fact it's a grade of wood, which has nothing to do with creating a certain tone, but everything with stability, easy of fabrication and looks)

@adrianamorphous

6 жыл бұрын

Seriously. Tried explaining this to some one the other day. Got pretty heated.

@pjn2432

6 жыл бұрын

BlurpGooDiJabba Thats true

@Dmyra

5 жыл бұрын

omaigahh lol sht is crazy.

I build my own amps, from my own schematics, that I created from scratch. The info in this video is 99.9% true. But it didn't go into how standby switches came into existence in the first place. The problem is that when you switch on an amp, the voltage will be applied to the circuit before it can start drawing current. Which means the voltage spikes sky high at turn on and then settles down over the course of 11-20 seconds. For most circuits in an amp, this is just fine, but when Leo Fender first made the Fender Bassman he used a cathode follower to drive the EQ controls. What's a cathode follower? Well, without getting too technical, Leo Fender decided to use a CF because it had a more ideal output impendence to drive EQ controls. However, the down side is that the output of the CF circuit means that the pre-amp tube's cathode is sitting at a high voltage. Pre-amp tube cathodes typically only sit at 2-6 volts, while on a CF circuit, the cathode can sit at HUNDREDS of volts! Unlike the plate of the preamp tube, the cathodes weren't really designed to handle this much abuse, and Leo Fender found that at start up those cathodes saw even higher voltages, which could cause them to ark, which could cause damage to the amp. The kind of damage you need a repairman to fix. So, Leo Fender's solution was to add a standby switch to the Fender Bassman. And of course, Marshall copied the Bassman when they made the JTM45, and Marshall didn't make too many more chances to their designs for many years, and now we're all stuck with standby switches. Which isn't really all that bad because like the Bassman, almost all Marshalls have cathode follower circuits. At this point, the CF is a big ingredient to what makes the Marshall sound. The good news is that even with a CF circuit, a standby switch isn't really necessary, because any decent amp engineer can create a CF circuit that built in ark protection. If all this sounds too confusing and has you worried, then there's a few simple rules you can use that shouldn't fail you. 1) If it's an old hand wired amp that dates before the 1980's, then that stand by switch is pretty important. 2) CF circuits are almost always the pre-amp tube closest to the phase inverter and the phase inverter is almost always closest to the power tubes. So the 2nd pre-amp tube closest to the power tubes is typically your cathode follower. NEVER use an old NOS tube for a CF and don't use new production Tung-Sols. Ideally, you should use beefy short plate pre-amp tubes here like a Chinese 12ax7 or perhaps a JJ. Note that even under ideal situations, some cathode stripping will happen to all CF circuits, and you should replace them regularly (say once a year if you play 12 hours a week). I sometimes use CFs in my own circuits, but by and large I don't use them. I prefer to drive tone controls from the output of the pre-amp tube's plate, which is how Fender Blackface amps do it. I find I prefer EQ response more. Ironically, the one Marshall amp that did drive it's EQ from a pre-amp tube's plate was the venerable Silver Jubilee.

@milkosek

5 жыл бұрын

Alva Goldbook hey, why shouldnt you use old NOS and new Tung Sols? Also, thanks for knowledge!

@LiamsGotThis

5 жыл бұрын

The easiest way to prevent DC coupled cathode followers from creating internal arcs is to connect a diode from the what would be grid leak resistor of the cathode follower to the cathode of the cathode follower. This will ensure that on start up (diode engaged) the cathode will stay within a few 10s of volts of the grid and then when the cathode is heated and biased, the diode switches off and doesn't affect anything. I would also highly recommend using a DC coupled cathode follower somewhere in their circuit as they add in their own distortion that can't be obtained by regular overdrive and turns a real fuzzy/harsh preamp overdrive into a more creamy sounding overdrive. Reference: www.valvewizard.co.uk/dccf.html

@rafaels.5503

5 жыл бұрын

+1 on driving the EQ from the plate. When I do want a buffer before the EQ I go for a IRF820 MOSFET. Horror, horror! I'm not a purist or a silicon-o-phobe ;)

@DefconMaster

5 жыл бұрын

That's one of the reasons. The other is that Fender cheaped out on the HV filter caps and used a voltage rating that was sufficient for the steady-state voltage when all the valves were warm and drawing current, but were a bit underrated for the higher voltage at startup when the valves were still cold. Thus, the standby switch was a cheap insurance policy to keep the stress off the filter caps.

@LiamsGotThis

5 жыл бұрын

@@DefconMaster The standby switch is wired after the HV filter caps in usual Fender and Marshall builds. It has to be wired after the first one at least in a tube rectifier build because if not, the tube rectifier can blow up... which was a problem for some old Vox amps.

2:05 that is probably one of my favorite Collin moments of all time.

@calebknott8021

7 жыл бұрын

The Mad Ginger did you see 3:56 ?

@broderick.8054

7 жыл бұрын

That was pretty great too.

@launder0

7 жыл бұрын

He kinda sounds like the Monthy Python guys when they are playing women

@Mr.Goldbar

6 жыл бұрын

The Mad Ginger will my amp brikk?

And in just a single video, everything I thought I knew is in the bin. Knowledge is power as they say, and you don't need a standby switch on that either ha ha! Great video Colin! :)

@matthew_thefallen

6 жыл бұрын

Pete Cottrell knowledge is power if you know the facts! Like he did

@brianjones8432

6 жыл бұрын

No.... It can't..... Not unless you purchased it from AliExpress......smh.....Stop with the misinformation. Somehow, tube amplifiers got along just fine for decades without a standby switch. Go educate yourself on the subject please.

All of you seem to have a real problem with getting your knobs in the right place. Can't say I've ever had that issue.

@therideneverends1697

7 жыл бұрын

Du dun tiss. Frankly i just use the switch when changeing guitars so i dont get that BRRRRRR noise

@lobster-music

7 жыл бұрын

I think this only happens in fender, and only in the models that have messed up volume knob (hot rod deluxe is the only one I'm sure has this problem). Many owners replace the volume pot with non-linear one: "The volume pot is a linear taper (B) pot, i dont remember the value, but it does say what it is on the pot inside your amp. Get the same value pot from your local electronics store, except make sure it is an Audio taper (A) pot. Replace. Easy." Basically, I think Fender messed up - I have played a lot of gigs with that amp and have never found any benefits of linear volume pot when playing loud.

@crazysandwich

7 жыл бұрын

Try an old traynor. The master volumes on these amps are so sensitive. My YGL3-3A is at least. At 1 the amp is too quiet to play with a band, and at 2 your eardrums starts to bleed... (With the preamp on 10 to have a nice crunch) So yeah i use the standby to mute the amp :P

@celticfury7328

7 жыл бұрын

human lobster project, I had the same issue with my 1998 Fender Hot Rod Deville 410, when it was on "2" it was so absurdly LOUD, it was completely unusable! I solved the issue the same way you did, had an audio taper pot installed...it's much more controllable and had absolutely NO negative effect on the amp's tone. Fender finally figured this out (or actually listened to their customers), the Hot Rod III series now has a usable master volume taper!

@Hue_Nery

7 жыл бұрын

They seem to ignore the problem on all their other amps though. This is a Fender "feature".

It's great for taking a break in the studio. You cant mess with the volume once you're tracking. It's also good to use if your amp has a speaker pop when you turn it on. If you are using an amp in the studio it's preferred to have a standby. That's why most high end amps include them.

When taking a break I like to use the standby switch to make it quiet. It's just easier than the volume knob. I would propably forget the exact position of the knob and it would mess up my in-ear mix. Even though the switch doesn't protect the valves in any way it's a nifty little thing to have.

@Nomad_za

7 жыл бұрын

Jukka Pesonen I think you hit the nail on the head. I mean this is the only valid reason I can think of using a standby switch so as to not affect the whole mix while playing a show not just the inner ear volume or monitor volume.

@videlmain

7 жыл бұрын

Yeah, but he does point out that switches die faster than pots, so there's that.

@VintageSG

7 жыл бұрын

Boss Tu-3 or similar tuner pedal achieves the same effect plus, unlike a standby switch, actually serves a purpose.

@jukkapesonen8511

7 жыл бұрын

Lance Toth I'm never in that much hurry :D

@jukkapesonen8511

7 жыл бұрын

VintageSG I've actually noticed with my Marshall that even if I switch on the tuner the od channel still makes that hiss. And the amp already has it so I'll just use it.

I kinda like the standby. What if I want my amp to be quiet while taking a break from recording and I don't want to mess with any of the settings for the sake of continuity? Edit July 2022: I have a solid state now, it's no longer an issue. 😂

@galleryofrogues

7 жыл бұрын

Totally agree.

@jordanpowers6766

6 жыл бұрын

Then just turn it off

@jordanpowers6766

6 жыл бұрын

Ooh ooh what if you turned the volume down on your guitar

@JohannesWiberg

6 жыл бұрын

Or have a volume pedal on your pedalboard/multi-fx. I couldn't see myself playing without one.

@xXEmbracetheMetalXx

5 жыл бұрын

Jordan Powers Ooh ooh what if the amp still hums, because the guitar is not a part of the amp

Standby switches were designed long before guitar stands. Whenever I finished playing, my bass would either be left leaning against the cab or laying on top of the amp. The standby switch disables any mad feedback howl that would inevitably happen 5 seconds after walking away from it. Very useful in live pub jam sessions.

@ScienceofLoud

3 жыл бұрын

You do realise rolling down the volume control on the instrument will achieve that too, right?

@zibbezabba2491

3 жыл бұрын

@@ScienceofLoud Try telling that to drunken musicians getting up and using your gear.

@ScienceofLoud

3 жыл бұрын

​@@zibbezabba2491 That sounds like you just can't secure your own equipment correctly...

@zibbezabba2491

3 жыл бұрын

@@ScienceofLoud Yes I can, I use the standby switch.

@snakeeyes3733

8 ай бұрын

Why not have just turned the volume off on the bass?

I've been making amps for 30 years and... You're totally right! But if I make an amp without sdby they get mad at me. So I keep putting it. Sad bu true...

To save myself a whole bunch of time answering things individually, I'm going to post links as replies to this thread so you can do your own research.

@ScienceofLoud

7 жыл бұрын

www.wamplerpedals.com/news/blog/talking-about-gear/should-i-put-my-amp-on-standby

@ScienceofLoud

7 жыл бұрын

www.valvewizard.co.uk/standby.html

@ScienceofLoud

7 жыл бұрын

debontamps.com/standby-switches/

@ScienceofLoud

7 жыл бұрын

www.londonpower.com/standby-switch

@numberneinlarge9965

7 жыл бұрын

CSGuitars What bass(es) do you have?

I just treat it as a mute like you mentioned.

@HaloMaster-dn8sd

7 жыл бұрын

Mike G don't,please don't believe an idiot on youtube,find a professional about electronics before you blow your tubes.

@MikeGgeetar

7 жыл бұрын

Jude Diaz Thanks Jude, it's a good point but if you go through Colin's stuff you'll see he's not an idiot. There's an amp builder who looks after my stuff too. :-)

@Nopp3

7 жыл бұрын

read this article, written by a man who has written several books on tube amp design. www.valvewizard.co.uk/standby.html standbys are still bullshit.

@utterdisaster603

4 жыл бұрын

HaloMaster10093 you realize he’s also a licensed engineer right

That's some useful information, I'll definitely use it in 10-20 years when I buy my first tube amp...

@johngregory2926

7 жыл бұрын

Zachary Volt you can get a nice tube amp without spending a ton. Why would it take 20 years

@ZachKyew

7 жыл бұрын

Because I have no money. And no way to get money. Also, I prefer to spend more money on the guitars than the amps.

@williammiller7799

7 жыл бұрын

I'd switch that up. I spent about $1200 for a USED Mesa Boogie Triple Rectifier and a Marshall 4x12 cab and spent only about $300 for my guitar and upgraded the pickups to EMG 81 in the bridge and 60 in the neck, which was about $220 or 230. So there is a huge difference there. But, I wouldnt have done it any other way. The amp sounds great, plus I have a Line 6 Pod HD500x with a whole bunch of effects and pedals. But I put a colordrive overdrive simulator on it and boom sounds great. Now, I'm not saying spend $1200 for an amp but put a little bit more money in the amp then worry about a guitar. Or go half and half, spend the money for an ok guitar and an ok tube amp.

@ZachKyew

7 жыл бұрын

I see it this way: You can get an okay guitar for $120 and an expensive amp and cab for $1000 to $2000, or get a great guitar for upwards of $300, and a great amp (Marshall CODE, Orange Micro, etc.) for around $200 - $500 (maybe even free if you use an amp sim.) Its difficult to get a good sound out of a cheap guitar, but there are great inexpensive amps out there, so in my opinion, you should spend more on the guitar. On a side note, cheaper guitars tend to be harder to play, because they can sometimes have small, yet important, tasks left undone, like some fretwork and specific nut trimming and fitting.

@TIMExBANDIT

7 жыл бұрын

you can get into a tube amp/cab for much cheaper than that TBH, don't think all of them are that outrageous.

It's like pressing B + Up when I'm catching a Pokémon. I've been doing it for over fifteen years, and know it does absolutely nothing, but it FEELS like it helps. I don't play guitar.

@TheOnlyBootlegger

7 жыл бұрын

Gordj Scott it's B + down

@ScienceofLoud

7 жыл бұрын

+Xavier Tech and Music B + up increases catching likelihood, B + down decreases it.

@erinjoyce5531

7 жыл бұрын

UP+B is ingrained in to my muscle memory, I couldn't stop doing it if I wanted to

@gorbrushthreepwood

7 жыл бұрын

Xavier Tech and Music It doesn't particularly matter which variation of buttons I'm supposed to press, as it's never going to work anyway.

@100truckyou

6 жыл бұрын

Gordj Scott lmfao this is the best comment ever!

After doing some research it seems like amps with older solid state rectifiers need to be turned on before the standby switch is flipped on to prevent high voltage from surging into tubes that aren't ready for it, or amps that have indirectly heated tubes and a directly heated rectifier. However, most modern tube amps have inrush current limiters to prevent this from happening and thus eliminating the need for a Standby switch, for older amps though it's still necessary to flip the standby on after the tubes warm up. I found some pretty reliable articles from manufacturers like Peavey and Fender that explain that it is not as black and white as you mention.

When Collin's pissed you know shit's real 😂

You're absolutely correct! Since I stopped using my standby switches (over a decade ago), I rarely have problems with amps or tubes. My tubes remain quiet and eventually wear down gracefully. I just turn the amps on with volume, gain and reverb turned down completely. I turn volume and gain down before turning amps off. On set breaks, I simply turn the volume down. The amp builder who made several of my amps quit installing standby's on his amps a number of years back.

@milesaboveu

Жыл бұрын

You could avoid messing with your settings by just switching the standby switch...

Far too many people now are obsessed with equipment and technicalities yet the music they make is utterly pedestrian mulch...

I just turned on the power switch and standby switch at the same time on my mesa boogie amp sim vst and blew the simulated power tubes. :D

@SirHeadly84

4 жыл бұрын

Im surprised he hasnt told you that you are full of shit . Because thats what the dick said to me . I mean.. i have a triple rec. A 1999. Thats 21 YEARS old. Mesa said it "shouldn't " do that. However it did. Yet this fuckwit couldn't get it through his head rhat despite his opinion... it happened.

@horuslupercal5437

4 жыл бұрын

Andrew Jack probably because you are full of shit.

Hello Colin...I've been watching your videos for nye on two years and I can tell you that they are the best music/gear related vids on youtube...I've been a musician for far more years than I care to remember but I always learn something from the vids you put out. Good job mate. Cheers, Mike.

Honestly, a mute function (no matter if its called "standby" or else) is great, because you don't mess with the volume control, which might have been a chore to get right.Plus obviously you don't get any noises when actually shutting down the amp (though that could be solved otherwise as well).

@WalmartTom

4 жыл бұрын

I agree. I have the PRS MT15 which has an incredibly sensitive volume knob for the lead channel. A slight change of the knob will make the amp very loud or dead quiet. That's why I like the standby switch as mute switch

@silasfatchett7380

3 жыл бұрын

I built my homebrew amp with adequately rated filter caps, with heater elevation and arc protection components on the cathode follower. A standby switch is totally unnecessary, but I did include one. It's a switch which grounds the wiper of the volume control and is labelled 'mute'.

@redderm

Жыл бұрын

It's also really nice for switching guitars, unplugging or plugging in pedals I think I've used it to change my speaker configuration before? I'm not sure if that's actually safe though

@trevor4533

Жыл бұрын

@@redderm Yes, that is one of the real benefits of a standby switch. Being able to switch amps or cabs, without damaging the transformer. Although, I think you can do the same by rolling down the volume on the amp. But its just so much easier just to flick the standby switch lol.

Now I can't even believe in my standby switch. Life sucks.

Well, every Mesa Boogie manual: "The STANDBY switch turns off the high voltages inside the amplifier while allowing the tube filaments to stay warm and ready for immediate use. It’s a good practice to turn on the A.C. power with this switch in the STANDBY position, allowing the tubes 30 seconds or so to warm up. This procedure prevents tube problems and increases their toneful life substantially." Marshall Plexi manual: "The Standby Switch is used in conjunction with the Power Switch (item 1) to ‘warm up’ the amplifier before use and to prolong the life of the output valves. When powering up the amplifier always engage the Power Switch (item 1) first. This allows the application of the voltage required to heat the valves to their correct operating temperature. After about 2 minutes, when the valves are up to the correct temperature, the Standby Switch can be engaged. Upon doing this the H.T. (High Tension) which is the high voltage required by the output valves to pass signal (and hence produce sound) is applied. Your amp should be completely powered down before the selector is turned. To prolong valve life, the Standby Switch alone should be used to turn the amplifier on and off during breaks in a performance. Also, upon full power down, always disengage the Standby Switch prior to the main Power Switch (item 1)" EVH 5150 amps manual: ". STANDBY-Place this switch in the OFF position to put the amp in STANDBY mode. This should be done when taking a break from playing or before turning the amp POWER to OFF as outlined above in the POWER section. Using the STANDBY mode prolongs the life of the tubes in the amp." Ampeg V4B: ". STANDBY-Place this switch in the OFF position to put the amp in STANDBY mode. This should be done when taking a break from playing or before turning the amp POWER to OFF as outlined above in the POWER section. Using the STANDBY mode prolongs the life of the tubes in the amp." So, I assume all these tube amp manufacturers have no idea about the sacred truth of no need for a Standby switch, right?

I had heard the myth on several videos and when I bought my first valve amp (a Fender Super Champ X2), I was a little worried that it didn't have a standby switch. Good to know that I've got nothing to worry about. Thanks a lot, Colin!

obviously everyone knows you're supposed to only use your standby switch as a clean boost.

I personally use standby switch when I'm switching my guitars in live situations... also when I want to mess around with different pedals and put them in or out of the loop. In general, standby switch comes in handy when you want to mute your amp in a recording situation, cause you don't want to touch the volume knob on your amplifier or else you would be shoot dead by the recording engineer.

Love the way you explain things so plainly. I never heard all the valve stuff, I just assumed that was a mute, because it always got flicked accidently....killing my sound!

Thanks. So nice to hear straight talk about such stuff. Keep up the good work!

the tubes can handle it very well. on the other hand some guys here cannot...

I actually use my standby switch as a mute switch. 😛

@StanwoodSpartans

5 жыл бұрын

Same here

It's a good addition for if you're using the amp in the studio. If you're taking a break and already have the right volume set being able to mute the amp while the tubes are still hot is much more convenient than dialing in the volume again

Agreed. Good bit of information. Standby makes a good mute switch. I have had many vintage tube amps and tube radios from the 40's and 50's. No standby switches. They are all original tubes except for some updated power chords, and they still work perfectly. I turn them on, and they start to put out sound when they are good and ready. Rock on C!

Musicians are so gullible when it comes to the technical specifications of their gear... I am an electronics engineer (more specifically I will be one within a year) and am often ashamed about these things. Also pricing of things like effect pedals. Only musicians and apple users accept such ridiculous prices.

@ScienceofLoud

7 жыл бұрын

I simply refuse to buy a Fuzz Face for that reason. There is no justification for a price tag of over £100 for what amounts to pennies worth of components. More complex effects I can see the merit of paying for, especially if they are from small manufacturers who aren't benefiting from bulk component pricing and assembly line construction. Products are only worth what people are willing to pay for them. That promise of 'better tone' is one juicy carrot to dangle.

@amorte666

7 жыл бұрын

Any other examples of overpriced gear? I would love that in a video.

@ledemduso5827

7 жыл бұрын

amorte666 I'm not entirely sure, but I guess no amplifier has to cost more than 1k. Haven't built one though, so I can't say that for sure.

@ScienceofLoud

7 жыл бұрын

A lot of it comes down to human involvement. After a certain point amps and guitars aren't made by machines, but by people. And the time of a skilled engineer is a costly thing. The price stops being about the physical item, and starts being about the human care and attention that went into producing it.

@CraigFlowersMusic

5 жыл бұрын

Tone City Pedals, boutique hardware in an epiphone, and a rebuilt peavey classic 100, run in at just under a grand total, and sounds fantastic. Sure I'd love a Gibson, a Marshall, and a Klon, but that's ten thousand compared to one thousand, and if you've heard the Tone City pedals you'll know this rig sounds phenomenal.

Hey, when will 'will it shred' finally be concluded?

@ScienceofLoud

7 жыл бұрын

When the clear coat cures enough that I can work on it again.

@xXBantamCatXx

7 жыл бұрын

CSGuitars Finally! we've been waiting more then 2 years for this!

@jamesoconnor1368

7 жыл бұрын

+CSGuitars How many more episodes you think it'll take? Coming on great

This has to be one of your best videos yet!

Well that was some insight I wasn't expecting today. Now I know I don't have to unnecessarily stress about waiting before playing my amp. Awesome.

I like it for convenience's sake, I dont have to remember what volume I was at :')

Well ma amp breek? Freakin' hilarious!!!

@FretFriendGWaL

5 жыл бұрын

I still laugh at this :D

I never knew any of that before. Keep up the good work. Love your videos man!

Cool video Colin! Thanks for the lesson!

Neither of my tube combos even have standby switches. My Vox AC30 head had it and I never used it because it would shorten the life of the tube rectifier.

@ScienceofLoud

7 жыл бұрын

You may be interested to know that the original AC30s didn't have a standby switch, it was only later models and reissues that got them after the standby craze fully caught on and people started to question why it wasn't there.

@silasfatchett5693

7 жыл бұрын

And when they did fit one, they put it between the tube rectifier and the reservoir (first filter) cap. This meant that when switching out of standby the poor rectifier saw the discharged filter caps, almost a dead short, resulting in quite a few dead rectifier tubes. So they fitted a resistor in parallel with the switch so that the filter caps could charge during standby, thus making the standby switch pointless.

Actually there are various scenarios where a standby switch is beneficiary. For instance, amps that feature cathode follower gain stages, can short out a preamp tube if not warmed up enough. There are also designs where bias voltage comes in (and out) rather slowly. You don't want to put plate voltage on a tube without negative bias.

@LiamsGotThis

5 жыл бұрын

It is not unknown for DC coupled cathode followers to still flash over even when a standby switch is utilised "properly" Reference: www.valvewizard.co.uk/dccf.html

On the Marshall JVM series, the standby switch also engages Silent Recording mode via the emulated output socket. You can operate your amp without a cab in this condition. The emulated output sounds great, by the way.

What great info! Thank you for doing this!

valves have a different tone when they're nice and hot. so when I'm getting ready to play I turn it on while it's on standby to get the tone while I'll getting my other gear. when I'm done playing I switch it to standby first so that the speaker doesn't pop when I cut the power. is all that reasonable?

@TheMyndsurfer

3 жыл бұрын

100% reasonable and correct.

@michaelwoods9005

Жыл бұрын

The tubes don't get "hot" with the amp on standby- the tubes aren't conducting and there's no plate voltage. The only thing that's happening is the filaments are glowing.

@aikensource

Жыл бұрын

@@michaelwoods9005 why do you think the filaments are glowing, michael

BARRY

great stuff man, I'm so glad you made this video!

great video colin! very helpful thankyou

BUT MUH STANDBY

My amp tech who does tons of work for touring Pros, of whom I've been using since 1980, said the ONLY amp he said the standby is not needed is the Vox AC30. He said all other amps, if you dont use it, you ram the tubes w electricity. Decrease your tubes' life drastically. I back about everything you have done, but on this one, I believe my Tech. Might be a bunch of fried tubes coming...

@ScienceofLoud

7 жыл бұрын

+B. Scott Farthingsworth yet every other non guitar amp doesn't feature one and they don't blow valves. Also, have you ever wondered what makes the AC30 different? I'll tell you, it was produced before standby switches on guitar amps became common place, it was designed by people who knew it didn't need one. The reissues have a standby switch because people started getting panicky about it not having one. The technology in an AC30 is no different than in any other amp, if it doesn't need one then none of them do. I'm afraid all the evidence is against your tech friend.

@MetallenVikingr

7 жыл бұрын

That is incorrect, your tubes get electricity as soon as the amp is switched on. Standby merely stops the signal from the output of the amp to the cabinet. Otherwise you couldnt warm your tubes up in standby mode because they wouldnt get electricity by your techs logic. For someone who works with touring pros he is remarkably ignorant of signal chain which i find suspect and questionable. I own tube amps and have years of sound engineering and musical experience and I trust Collin of CSGuitars enough to believe his video. That being said tubes should warm up a little but honestly 30 seconds to a minute is plenty.

@HaloMaster-dn8sd

7 жыл бұрын

CSGuitars your an idiot,please people,don't believe a guy on KZread,go find a professional and ask him about this stuff before you blow your tubes.

@MetallenVikingr

7 жыл бұрын

Right because its impossible for youtubers to also be professionals in the field. Speaking as a sound engineer, and someone who understands how amplifiers work the ONLY thing a standby does is prevent your signal from being sent to the speaker cones it literally does NOTHING ELSE. Otherwise you cant "let your tubes warm up". How would a tube warm up unless it gets electricity? Once an amp is on the tubes get juice. How is this so hard to comprehend? All a standby switch does is prevent the output of the amplifier to the speakers this is the reason an amp can have its tubes warmed up in standby mode -___- Tube amps sound BETTER when pushed to their limits and after they have warmed up but there is nothing to say you need to keep it in standby for 5 or 10 minutes first. why dont YOU go ask a professional and stop criticizing real professionals unless you know what you are talking about.

@HaloMaster-dn8sd

7 жыл бұрын

MetallenVikingr what ever,just don't cry when your tubes blow and you have to by new ones every so often.

Thanks for the informative video. The comments thread was interesting, too, which is not something I would normally say. From my perspective, you gave some intelligent, thoughtful answers. I'm a novice to tube amp function, so I never really knew if there was a proper way to go about turning the amp on and off, and I never knew if there was a way to do it that might harm the amp, or speaker. I've inferred a lot of vague, mythical advice on tube amp operation over the years lacking in any sort of explanation that made sense to me. I'm guessing that outside of outright abuse, that the occurrences to be expected in normal operation of an amp used by a musician are thresholds that would be over engineered to ensure proper function in any decently built tube amp. That is my perspective as a user, the technical aspect is quite a bit over my head.

This was an awesome video, thanks so much for the info

Bro.. probably the point of the standby is to stop the sound whilst you don't change the EQ that you programmed with the band! A lot of pedals make the volume knob so sensitive that is hard to set it! so there comes the standby!!

@xneurianx

7 жыл бұрын

This would only make sense if the switch was on solid state amps too. It isn't. Plus most tube amp manuals specifically state you have the standby switch to protect your valves.

@AlmaGuitars

7 жыл бұрын

Yep!! I know that!! I believe that this is 1 more point hehehe

@stephenowen3383

7 жыл бұрын

my Boss Katana which is solid state has a standby switch.

@MetallenVikingr

7 жыл бұрын

That makes sense especially when dealing with amps over 100 watts in a live setting. Messing with a volume pot that is exponentially sensitive is far more irritating than just switching a switch.

@cracgor

7 жыл бұрын

I don't see what is so hard about remembering to turn the volume pot to 11 when you are ready to engage. Really Colin needs to answer why the volume is a pot and not a switch.

Jesus Christ... The Nazis who disagree can be painfully annoying sometimes. Why does it seem to physically HURT some people to be wrong?!

@JimKiralfy

7 жыл бұрын

Bru741iX I'm afraid he's right, and no amount of personal insults you throw his way will stop him from being right. CSGuitars has actually provided a whole bunch of links to technical articles in the comments, so you don't have to rely on the advertising copy provided by the amp companies you mention, but can in fact educate yourself on why standby switches serve no function on guitar amps. Regarding your claims on valve life, I have a hot cathode biased EL84 amp (a configuration known to be hard on output valves) that is loaded with expensive Mullard, Dario and Tesla NOS valves, and I have never had premature valve failure (or indeed any valve failure) despite ignoring the standby switch for years. Indeed, as my amp has a hot-switched standby, it's actually far better for the rectifier valve to not have the stress of a standby switch placed on it. But hey, hurling insults is easier than trying to learn something, so I suppose you could just keep doing that...

@JDODify

7 жыл бұрын

Scottish accent... fancy.... LOL. Colin, my Blackstar HT20 doesn't even have a standby switch... although apparently you can put it in standby by pulling the lead out.

You know, I wondered about this. Since I'm not really a musician, I used to spot what kind of amp was valve or solid state by the presence of lack of Standby. However, I am trained electronic tech and could never wrap my head around the concept. When I bought a 15W Marshall valve amp and there was no Standby, I shrugged it off, because clearly Marshall wouldn't have eliminated the switch if it was going to mean the amps were busting tubes constantly. But every time I look at the panel, I wondered what happened with Standby. Now I know! Love your work Colin; you're a great help to us hobby players.

Why didn't the guy who's considered a guru, that makes Victory Amps write a whole paragraph in the manual on why to use the Standby switch opposed to power? Not only that but specifically instructs the owner to turn the volume down before entering standby or powering off. Seems like a lot of trouble to explain how to use a switch that you've made a video about how useless it is. Not disputing your knowledge but you also didn't wire me $1500 CAD to pay for amp, nor did I to you and thus why I don't care what you do with your amplifiers.

@ScienceofLoud

7 жыл бұрын

I'd be very interested in reading the instructions outlined. Most boutique amp manufacturers refuse to include the switch, so I'd be interested to learn if Victory are doing something different with their design that adds merit to the switch, or whether they, as many other companies do, include the information people are used to hearing in order to keep people happy.

@PANICBLADE

7 жыл бұрын

Stephen H. Leo Fender was a guitar crafting guru but he still called a screw on neck a bolt on neck and a vibrato bar a tremolo bar. Just cause someone important said it, doesn't mean it's right.

@stephen9944

7 жыл бұрын

CSGuitars from the Victory V40 user guide at www.victoryamps.com/uploads/2/3/7/0/23703557/victory_v40_manual_issue_1.pdf HIGH - STANDBY - LOW Switch The V40 should always be switched on, (mains switch on rear of amplifier), with this front panel toggle switch in its centre position. The amplifier is now in ‘STANDBY’ mode with just the valve heaters and low voltages on. This allows the valves to heat up before they get 100s of volts up them, (it’s less of a shock). After around 60 seconds, the amp can be switch to either HIGH, (around 42watts rms) or LOW, (around 9 Watts rms)

@amorte666

7 жыл бұрын

And many other guru amps says otherwise www.wamplerpedals.com/news/blog/talking-about-gear/should-i-put-my-amp-on-standby Fortin, hamstead, trace davis etc etc

@PANICBLADE

7 жыл бұрын

Stephen H. Well, I always like to check for myself, but I have my butchers I trust too, and your butcher doesn't really say anything different than what this video is responding to so...

NOoooooooo!!!!!

@alexandert696

7 жыл бұрын

mine stops current hitting the power tubes though,so in standby mode they get no power whatsoever and thus they claim they prolong their life

@uzmeyer1752

7 жыл бұрын

It does stop current (as it disconnects high voltage from the tubes) but then fully hits them with a spike once you turn it on while they are heated up. An unheated tube is essentially a few metal plates in vacuum and with the relatively low voltages (compared to thousands of volts in something like transmission tubes as collin mentioned) in amp tubes, nothing really will happen and the current gradually increases during heatup, wich is always better than a spike for all components in the HV path.

@alexandert696

7 жыл бұрын

Uzmeyer If you have the master vol turned to 0 there is no current hitting the heated tubes though.

@uzmeyer1752

7 жыл бұрын

Not really. There will be no signal on the grid of the tube, but in a regular push pull class AB amp your tubes idle at arround 70% of their rated max dissipation (aka 70% of the max current that the tube can handle at the voltage its running at), sometimes more or less depending on how you bias. The input on the grid just causes the tubes to conduct more or less, driving AC through the output transformer wich then drives the speaker. If you are really interested, i suggest reading valvewizard's website, especially the section about power amps and standby switching.

@alexandert696

7 жыл бұрын

Uzmeyer I will thanks.

Thank You! Finally someone made sense of this for me. I've been using Line 6 gear forever but was given a great deal on a Fender Twin '65 Re-Issue.When I put a tube driver and delay on it I was knocked out at the God like noise that came from it, it changed my life and approach to playing, but I was concerned about the standby and my lack of knowledge on it as I didn't want to damage my "lost arc".Every video I watched left me more confused than the last, I admit I'm not the most tech savvy guy and I know about guitars more than amps so thanks again for the no b.s. breakdown, new sub.

Great video, don't know if you know this but a standby switch can actually damage tubes by causing cathode poisoning ( oxidation of the cathode of a tube) which happens when the cathode is heated but no current flows through the anode causing a high-resistance chemical layer to be formed between the cathode tube and the barium layer of the cathode. It is called interface resistance growth and it can shorten the life of a tube.

@ScienceofLoud

7 жыл бұрын

I do know about it, but decided to not include it as the jury is still out on whether or not cathode poisoning is actually a threat or not. There is little evidence to be conclusive either way, but I did hear that old valve jukeboxes would sit on standby until a coin was put in. Those things would sit in the corner of pubs switched on for hours without music playing through them, and the valves would run for years without needing replaced. Whether that holds any water or not is a different story, and who can tell if poisoning was hindering the performance of the jukebox and people were just too drunk to notice?

@BenState

8 ай бұрын

not on guitar amps.

Dude, you just dont understand the genereal purpose of that standby. Turning down a volume knob does not affect the current flowing inside the valves and standby feature does. It turns on and off the positive anode voltage gently from zero to hundreds of volts, depends of an amps model. You should go and read at least how valve amplifiers work in depths before posting such bullshit, seriously.

@NeZversSounds

7 жыл бұрын

Then maybe share some links to real electronic engineer explain it in depth?

@ScienceofLoud

7 жыл бұрын

+Enlightened One I understand perfectly how a standby switch works. The point is it doesn't actually benefit your amp in any way, it's there to make servicing safer for the repairer. Shutting down voltage to the valve does nothing for the user. You seem to have mistaken this for me saying the standby switch is the same as a volume control. What I was saying is that for the user, the only effect the standby has is a mute button. You should take time to watch and understand the video before telling me what I don't know.

@xneurianx

7 жыл бұрын

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

@Hzuuuu

7 жыл бұрын

Enlightened One Not so enlightened after all huh?

@urbanshaman666

7 жыл бұрын

At first, when theres no positive voltage on the plate, valve will work just as lightbulb, all amplification function will remain off exactly like if you turn off your amp. So when you practice and going to make a short break, answer the phone or take a shit etc, the standby feature will be useful save of valves life cycle. And then, you failed with reading my thoughts. What i heard from the vid was "turning down the volume control is actually BETTER than standby switch". So, if you understand that there is two absolutely different purposes for that things, why u even try to complain it?

Just saw a video of another amp tech talking about it. He mentioned that actually those standby switches, creates an inrush current that may damage even more the amp. Thanks for that great and concise video!

Thanks for the knowledge bomb bro... I always wondered why my local amp tech would unabashedly jerk the power cord out my amp when he was done showing me how he fixed it without paying any attention to the standby function

I modify, repair, and build amplifiers and I say you are 1/2 way correct on this issue. The standby switch is very useful when A- repairing an amp B - on a fresh build. On a fresh build if you have an issue many times during the initial "warm up" you can identify a problem before you blast it with hundreds of volts. Amplifiers with tube rectifiers, the standby is 100% not needed, It takes a minute or so for rectifier tube to generate the current needed for the amp to have enough power to amplify. However, with solid state the high voltages are developed much faster and can shorten the life of your tubes. By how much depends on the quality of the tubes and how often you turn the amp on & off. You NEVER need to flip off the standby and then wait a minute or so to turn off the power, switch turn them off together and no harm will come to your amp. Bottom line is, if your amp has a standby switch use it, if not don't worry about it. On another note, you mentioned standby switches wearing out faster than your volume pot, it would take years to wear out a quality switch in a good quality amp.

@michaelwoods9005

Жыл бұрын

The only reason i can see why a standby switch would be beneficial for solid state rectified amps is if the filter caps are only rated for 450-475V. If you switch on HV before the tubes are fully heated and conducting then they aren't yet presenting a load to the power supply, and the B+ voltage in the amp can exceed the voltage rating of the caps.

Colin's best video ever! The manufacturers would rather install a redundant switch that hire someone to run a switchboard to field "where's my standby switch" questions.

Cheers Colin, this was actually really helpful🤘🏼

Good bit of info, cheers Colin!

Thank you so much for that information. I’ve been messing with that damn fender standby switch since 1974. I’m going to try it your way for a change. That’s what I get for trusting instrument salesman as a kid. Again thank you. Postscript watching your KZread videos are better than taking a pull from the mason jar and watching Rob Roy. You are informative and entertaining.

Yes! I’ve been saying this since the 80’s but got shouted down for decades. I don’t use mine. Never have and never will! My standby switch is permanently on and I power up with the main switch. Amp stays on for the whole gig or rehearsals until I’m done! In 40 years of playing and 1000’s of gigs I’ve had two amp failures and nowt to do with a bloody standby switch! 👍👍

Mr Colin: I’ve been doing everything correctly for decades but no clue about the standby story, so thanks for that. Question about leaving amp on (with volume down, of course). I’ve always turned my amp off if I’m not going to be playing longer than a half hour or so. But, some players claim you can literally leave an amp on indefinitely as #1, it doesn’t use much power and #2, it’s actually better for the valves, the less they are powered on and off. One gent said his wife gets angry because he prefers to leave his amp on, most of the time. Thank you, sir!

I visited an old valve radio shop a few days ago. Those old radios look awesome! Anyway, he turned them on and played music and I instantly noticed there was no standby switch either. And those radios really work forever!

My favorite yt channel!!!! Praise be to Colin for leading us out of the light that drives us to sin

@bluesyjazzcat31

5 жыл бұрын

Into the light*

Mind blown! I have religiously used the standby on my Mesa Dual Rectifier since the day I bought it. Now I don't have to wait those few annoying minutes to start playing or to turn off my amp. Thanks Colin!

Makes sense. I've got an early 60's Silvertone 1481 tube amp that hasn't got a standby switch. It simply has a power switch & takes roughly a minute to warm up & produce sound. That little booger is a beast of an amp, too. Beautiful cleans & nice breakup above mid level volume.

I agree with you about the standby switch. There was a guy who made tube guitar amps years back and did not want to put standby switches in them but only after players/customers kept requesting it he added the standby switch. His name was Leo Fender.

You Sir just changed my life!!

Bravo!....Love you're videos!

Thanks for the information, very helpful! One question tho, I didn't really understand the reason why it's better to turn down the volume than to use the standby switch? Thanks in advance!

This was an epic video!!! Thank you!!!

My Laney Ironheart doesn't have a standby switch and I have to admit I was nervous about the lack of it but after a while I realised turning down the volume to switch guitars was fine. This video has killed off the last of my reluctance so thank you 👍🍺

Thanks for more useful information. Feeling a bit sheepish now as I recently got a superb Friedman Runt 20W head and was concerned that I was wrecking the tubes turning it off and on between practice sessions.

I purchased my first amp with a standby-switch lately and I love it. Yes, sure, you can turn down the volume but the switch is just more convenient.

You know what? I DID find that information useful, and so I subscribed. Thanks man!

I read the links you posted the following is from Mesa Boogie on how the switch works: The STANDBY shuts down part of the high voltage to the power tubes so that they can rest at idle without wear. It provides a start-up procedure (follow the Cold Start procedure… wait at least 30 seconds after powering up with the POWER switch before turning the STANDBY to ON). This reduces the shock on cold power tubes and increases their life. The STANDBY is also great for muting the sound during speaker changes and should also be used to cool the amp down during set breaks or when swapping tubes.

Cool rant dude! Like my father used to tell me, if you're going to do something then do it right, and If it's worth doing then do it right! Rant on my brother. Happy New year 2020!

@PeterDad60

11 ай бұрын

If you use the standby switch that does allow the amp to warm up, right? So, warm up your amp for a few minutes. The tubes, the chasses, everything warms up a little bit compared to the ambient air temperature in the room. I think this is a good thing. Also on startup by all means have every knob turned all the way down when turning on your amp. So after the amp has warmed up above the room ambient temperature and then you turn on the standby switch the full voltage is now applied to the tubes. Since they are indeed a little warmer than the ambient room temperature I can only thing this is a good thing. There is always a voltage spike when you turn on the power and also when you turn on the standby switch. The standby switch in the off position prevents the voltage spike at the moment the power switch is turned on from hitting the power tubes. However, when you turn on the standby switch that is now the moment when the amp is hit with the voltage spike. However at least now the amp is a little warm meaning the voltage spike is not hitting a completely cold tube. Also using a variac to limit the inrush of current to 105 vac or less instead of the 120 vac from an U.S.A. wall outlet shall also soften the voltage spike. Then after a short time you can ramp up the variac to the normal 120vac output, or you can set it to something like 110 vac to conserve the tubes a little. - Peter age 73

Great info indeed! Praise Be To Barry!!

Is that the new studio classic behind you? Do a video! I love that thing! It's going to take me six months of saving, but I LOVE that thing!

Lives have been shattered. Thanks Colin.

That’s mate fantastic review Simple! 👍

Standby switches are easier to get to if a cable shorts. Muting the amp for rig changes and warming the tubes. I always use the power switch to shut down the amp, drains the caps, and don't touch the standby until I want to power up again. Great video on an overlooked item.

Great to hear your comment on the SB switch. It was indeed copy'd from early Fender amps. Although the first amp from uncle Leo had no SB switch either. L Fender was in his early days a radio service man an he worked on receivers and transmitters. Transmitters work on a very high voltage to get the high power for transmitting. As you said there was the standby switch useful. In my naval radio time I always used the SB switch from transmitters. But on my own build guitar amps never. absolute rubbish

the only use that i can now think of for a standby switch would be for recording purposes if you want to shut the amp up without adjusting the volume level on the amp, great video :D

I've had a the same fender tube amp since 1980 and I've never used the standby switch. It hasn't ever affected the tubes period. I've replaced power tubes on it two or three times since I got it. Preamp tubes I switch every now and then when some new trend like jj or groove tubes or whatever is the new thing comes along. This video is correct.

Merlin Blencowe and Kevin O'Conner are writing about the standby switch from the perspective of new amp designs. Techs and amp designers are their target audience. The Standby switch protects the power supply capacitors. Switching on both "Power" and "standby" puts the full, unsagged B+ voltage to all the power supply capcitors. WHen there is no current draw (cold heaters) , there is no voltage drop. The whole amp is hit with full B+. Preamp capacitors that would see less than 300V when an amp is warmed up, may see 500V or more when the amp is cold. The common peavey 5150 is an example of an amp that has a B+ when in standby that can be as high as 510V. '69 plexis have B+ in excess of 520V when in standby. Problem is, you won't find any power supply capacitors rated at over 500V in either of these amps. Once a tube amp warms up, the current draw will "sag" the power supply and bring voltages below the rating of power supply capacitors. Any 50 watt or 100 watt amplifier will be running close to 500V B+, don't be tempted to think yours is an exception. Using standby is not only convenient, it will save your power supply caps.

@MatthewWhitworth

7 жыл бұрын

This is all true, and I think it's probably the real reason Fender added the original standby switches to their big amps -- to protect under-rated caps. But most capacitors have a surge rating that allows them to handle more voltage for a short period of time, usually about +10% for up to a minute. Tubes rarely take more than about 20 seconds to fully warm up. And all of this goes out the window on any amp with a GZ34 rectifier (like an AC30 or a 5F6A Bassman), which takes as long to warm up and pass high voltage DC as the power tubes take to start conducting, resulting in no surge at all.

@persephonecarden5751

7 жыл бұрын

Capacitor lifespan is a function of percentage of maximum rated voltage. Why abuse your investment? Plus, you are still ignoring the possibility of Grid to Cathode arc in cathode follower circuits. I don't see a compelling reason to promote this idea.

This video is hilarious because I literally have the exact same setup to your left except my Bugera is a Trirec. I have a micro dark sitting on top of it however.

Great video. It is such an example of a lie that just perpetuates amongst those that do not know anything about electronics. The switch is entirely unnecessary but yet everyone still thinks they are for when you take a beer break or have to take a piss. As you note in the video, just leave it on and don't touch it any more so you don't wear it out.