BIAS GUITAR AMP TUBES BIAS JUMPS HOW TO

Many EL-84 amps like the Vox AC-30 or Orange AD-30 are cathode biased.not to be confused with Class A, that's a whole other story! So how do you tell if your amp is cathode biased? The cathode of any octal based amp (EL-34's, 6L6's, 6550's, 6V6's, KT-88's, 7027's.) is on PIN 8. They use a resistor connecting the cathode of the power tube to ground, which controls the idle current through the tube. Type 1- Cathode biased amps: These amps are also called 'self-biasing' amps. One of those types can be broken into 2 subdivisions. There are 2 main types of amps, as far as bias is concerned. The tubes need to be running in a certain part of their operating range in order to amplify audio signal, they also need to be set in a more specific part of their operating range to perform this task well and do it reliably. 'Biasing' an amp is the act of setting the idle current that flows through the power tubes. IT'S NOT WORTH THE $30 TO GET KILLED AND/OR RUIN YOUR AMP.

BIAS GUITAR AMP TUBES BIAS JUMPS HOW TO

IF YOU ARE UNSURE ABOUT ANY PART OF THE PROCESS, IF YOU DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHAT YOU'RE DOING, WHY, HOW, AND HOW TO DO IT SAFELY, YOU HAVE NO BUISINESS INSIDE AN AMP.

THIS ARTICLE IS MEANT TO EDUCATE YOU ABOUT THE PROCESS OF BIASING, SO THAT YOU (A COMPETANT INDIVIDUAL) CAN LEARN ENOUGH TO PERFORM IT. I wrote this a long time ago (15 years or so), but it may help:ĭISCLAIMER: YOU'VE READ IT A HUNDRED TIMES, READ IT AGAIN.TUBE AMPS CONTAIN LETHAL VOLTAGES, EVEN AFTER THEY'RE UNPLUGGED.

Bias guitar amp tubes bias jumps