This was asked a while back in an unrelated thread, but I didn't see it ever get answered. At that point, I didn't care, but now I have a vested interest in knowing!
What is the proper way to power up a tube amp with no standby setting?
My Classic 30 has no standby mode of any sort... does that mean that as soon as I turn on the amp I'm applying full voltage to the tubes? Will leaving it on for a minute with the volume down help? Please advise...
Do something you love and you'll never work a day in your life...
No, I don't think it will make a lot of difference. When you apply power to the amp, it runs through two separate circuits. One is the rectified circuit, which is the one that amplifies the sound and the other is unrectified and is used to heat the plates in the tubes. It is this circuit that a standby switches on, to allow the tube plates to be heated, prior to you turning on the amplifying circuit.
Without a standby switch, the power will flow to both the heater circuit and the amplifying circuit, with or without volume. Although I would have thought that there would be less stress on the tubes with no volume and, therefore, nothing to amplify.
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Your best bet would be to turn the volume down, and Greybeard is right. There are two diff circuts in a tube amp (Well at least 2) one for the sound and one to heat the tubes. The one thats heats the tubes is the circut that powers the filiments (Just like a lightbulb but it doesnt need to be bright since they are going for the heat not the light) and those warm up the tubes so that they can amplify the sound correctly and effectivley. (If you want to know how thats done I can explain but i wont unless anyone askes lol it can get long but I would be glad to if anyone wants me to). I answered another post that had almost the same question, you should check it out too. its one the same board.
Good luck
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