Guitar Amp Standby Switch

It s that switch that silences your guitar amp without actually turning it off which comes in handy when break time rolls around at rehearsal or at a gig.

Guitar amp standby switch.

Let me say that a standby switch is a convenience supplied to guitar amps. Right next to the on off switch on many tube amps is a second switch labeled standby. A refresher and reminder to use that standby switch. Three reasons that guitar amps should not require standby switches.

A standby switch does not extend the life of the valves in fact it is more likely to reduce their useful life. This is meant to let the heaters warm up before the high voltage is switched on. When a tube amp is switched on it should be run in standby for at least 30 seconds preferably a minute the longer the better before applying the dc rail voltage to the power amp tubes. Guitar amps operate at 500v or less most at under 100w.

Now not all guitar amps have standby switches. Old books called it preheating. So essential in fact that all of carvin audio s 50 watt or more all tube guitar amp models such as the v3 x100b and belair come loaded with one. Guitar amp power tubes are inexpensive compared to the cost of say a transmitting tube for a radio station.

Fortunately the standby switch is very straightforward yet absolutely essential. The use and need of a standby switch is an issue that comes up from time to time. For example the carmen ghia and its directly heated 5y3 rectifier does not need a standby switch. For short breaks simply turn down the volume control or mute switch if you have one and don t use the standby switch so there is not that nasty pop in the house sound system that could damage speaker drivers.

Don t use it as a beer break switch. On marshall s fenders and most other tube amps this is achieved by switching on the power at the main switch leaving it for the necessary time then. Only use the standby switch when warming up of the amp. What you might not know however is that while that is a conveniently useful function of the standby switch that s not the main reason it s.

Standby switch in tube guitar amplifiers. When you first turn your amp on you want the switch to be in the standby position in which no sound will be produced while the tubes warm up. Then anywhere from 15 seconds to a few minutes after powering up flip the standby switch to the on position and you re ready to goat whatever volume you like. But let s get one thing straight.

Low cost low voltage and low power.