Can a dying tube take out a fuse? - Harmony Central Musician Community Forums

squealie · 01-21-2008, 08:27 AM

My Mesa Single blew a fuse at a gig the other night...

I replaced it, and powered it on, and it's apparent (by looking at it on standby) that one tube is failing.

This is common, right?

ENdtime · 01-21-2008, 08:35 AM

Yeah a bad tube will take out a fuse if your amp is working correctly.. Personally I have never had a tube fail too long before taking out the fuse. Happened to me the other day. As soon as I noticed the sound was different I went and saw the tube glowing bright Orange then red and then pop went the fuse.... In my experience if a tube is bad and blowing fuses its pretty much done..

squealie · 01-21-2008, 08:37 AM

Cool, thanks for the info.

Just making sure I didn't need to be concerned about the health of the amp.

Sex Panther · 01-21-2008, 08:55 AM

Yeah, my Single did that about a month ago. It was a brand new defective tube that wasn't working and POP.

TU BE · 01-21-2008, 08:58 AM

Sure as hell can. Anyone who has played tubes amps for a length of time can concur.

I'd say that 8 times out of 10 the reason for a blown fuse is a bad power tube.

B Money · 01-21-2008, 10:45 AM

happened to me a few weeks ago. a JJ El34 gave up the ghost and took out a fuse on his way to the promised land.

I retubed with a quad of Ruby BSTR tubes from Voodoo and now my amp sounds better than ever ;-)

Weathered · 01-21-2008, 10:47 AM

As mentioned, yes, a bad tube can cause a blown fuse.

Just looking at the tubes, though, is not a reliable indication that a tube is bad. The orange glow is simply the heater, as B+ doesn't get applied until the amp is taken off of standby.

squealie · 01-21-2008, 12:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Weathered

As mentioned, yes, a bad tube can cause a blown fuse.

Just looking at the tubes, though, is not a reliable indication that a tube is bad. The orange glow is simply the heater, as B+ doesn't get applied until the amp is taken off of standby.

Hmm, thanks. I also took it off standby, and the tube quit glowing at all...so...

But I didn't know that. Thanks again.

01-21-2008, 08:27 AM	#1
squealie Hall of Fame Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Posts: 6,456	Can a dying tube take out a fuse? My Mesa Single blew a fuse at a gig the other night... I replaced it, and powered it on, and it's apparent (by looking at it on standby) that one tube is failing. This is common, right?

01-21-2008, 08:35 AM	#2
ENdtime Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Chicago, IL Mofo Posts: 4,391	Yeah a bad tube will take out a fuse if your amp is working correctly.. Personally I have never had a tube fail too long before taking out the fuse. Happened to me the other day. As soon as I noticed the sound was different I went and saw the tube glowing bright Orange then red and then pop went the fuse.... In my experience if a tube is bad and blowing fuses its pretty much done.. __________________ www.myspace.com/worldofshit1 or my other band www.myspace.com/morguesupplier SPAM -Black Super Distortion F-Space $50 shipped(like new) -Dimarzio Blaze Custom Black-$45 shipped (great condition) -Schecter A-7 Elite 7 string= $250 (PM me for pics) Good transactions with- Shegobblescock, Jase2677, Bankboy, lostgoonie, Overdrive

01-21-2008, 10:45 AM	#6
B Money Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Auburn, NY Posts: 2,136	happened to me a few weeks ago. a JJ El34 gave up the ghost and took out a fuse on his way to the promised land. I retubed with a quad of Ruby BSTR tubes from Voodoo and now my amp sounds better than ever ;-) __________________ GuitarsWolfgang Standard, Edwards E-LP-85CD, Wolf 540TM Amps Bogner XTC 101B, Blackstar HT5-H, Marshall 1960A, Marshall 1960B 'custom' EffectsG Major, Bad Horsie, DMC Ground Control Web Site http://www.baconlips.com

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01-21-2008, 08:37 AM	#3
squealie Hall of Fame Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Posts: 6,456	Cool, thanks for the info. Just making sure I didn't need to be concerned about the health of the amp.