| Author | Message | ||
     John Drexler |
I own a 210-65 (SS inverter) and a 112-65 (w/12AX7 PI), and was having some trouble several months ago with "tube rattle". I discovered that the sockets, being old and the tubes mounted upside down, were loose and the vibration of the speaker at higher volumes caused the tubes to vibrate in sympathy. So...a little hardware store engineering and I came up with what works for me and I thought I'd pass it along: Buy a pair of spring loaded tube clips off the internet...most any tube supplier carries them. A pair with shipping will run about $16.00 US. Then, before installing them, get some FAUCET WASHERS that have the fine metal screen filter in the middle of them. Super Glue the washers to the inside of the clip bottom, and then mount. The plastic compound of the washer won't melt with high heat, but "cushions" the tube on its top while it "pushes" them down and deadens vibration. The screen in the middle of the washer allows for heat dissapation and rapid cooling. Also make sure the springs of the clip DO NOT touch the sides of the tubes themselves, or you will get harmonic rattle of the metal through the glass and it WILL pick up in the amp! Simple fix, and it works great...been using both amps with this mod for a month on gigs and at home with no melting or hot plastic smell whatsoever. And NO rattle from tubes loose in their sockets anymore. Just FYI if you can benefit from it... | ||
| Steve Kennedy (admin) |
Thanks for the great ideas! That would work great alright. For a related idea about damping tube microphonics and resonances (different than your vibration problem), check out this link: 3M Tube Dampers Steve | ||
| John Drexler |
Thanks Steve...yes, that is an ingenious idea alright..."rubber" donuts that halt the glass from vibrating. I'll definitely keep this in mind for future use if the problem arises. |