Category Archives: Technical articles

12AT7 tube shootout for guitar amp phase inverters

Posted on March 20, 2013 by

Very little attention has been paid to the important role that a certain tube plays in most guitar amps.  I’m talking about the phase inverter or PI tube.  The PI is the tube that creates the push-pull waveform and it’s the … Continue reading →

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When should I replace my tubes? How long do they last? What happens when they go bad?

Posted on September 4, 2012 by

There are three basic types of tubes used in guitar amps, rectifier tubes, preamp tubes, and output tubes.  Rectifier tubes are used in the power supply.  Their function is to turn AC (alternating current) into DC (direct current).  The DC is … Continue reading →

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Gain, Headroom, Volume and Power

Posted on November 15, 2011 by

Gain, Headroom, Volume and Power Let’s start with GAIN. There are several ways to measure gain but in guitar amplifiers, when gain is discussed, we usually mean voltage gain. In this case, gain is the ratio of input voltage to … Continue reading →

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Comparing different types of effects loops

Posted on November 14, 2011 by

I’ve come to realize that there is a lot of confusion and misinformation floating around regarding effects loops.  First, what is an effects loop?  Generally speaking, an effects loop (aka FX loop) is a set of connections on an amp … Continue reading →

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