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bias...a question for the tech-guys

evenflowrocksevenflowrocks Posts: 96
edited July 2005 in Musicians and Gearheads
So I was wondering if there is a difinitive "tell all" book on how to bias an amp. what with the 3-4 week turn around at most shops around here it seems like it'd be a much less pain in the ass to just learn how to do it myself. I have access to meters and and what-not so that wont be a problem. I'm just wondering if there's a "bias your amp: for dummies" type of book ar manual out there. peace, SCott



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Comments

  • gimmesometruth27gimmesometruth27 Posts: 23,135
    dude personally i would not mess with it. if you do it wrong it will eat your tubes. most music places ship the amp out to have someone repair/maintain it and that takes at least 2-3 days just yo get it there one way. there has to be someone around town there that has someone in house that will do it in a day or so. my band plays out alot and in that time i have come to know people who know people, you know what i mean? if you take it somewhere and say "yeah i need this for a show in 3 days" i am sure they can prioritize it for you. i dropped mine off on a tuesday and picked it up on a wednesday evening, that is with a bunch of things that were in front of mine. but the key is that the amp repair guy was in-house. it does not take long for someone to do, it is just those amp guys get tied up with repairs and modding so the easier stuff like retubing and biasing has to wait.
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  • All Those YesterdaysAll Those Yesterdays Posts: 2,723
    "Inside Tube Amps" & "How To Service Your Own Tube Amp" are great books. I always liked the first one a lot. Incredible amount of information in that book. Also includes Bias charts for any tube in any class.

    I understand why lots of people warn people "not to mess with tube amps", but just like a head gasket on a car, or upgrading the service to your house, there is a way to do anything yourself, and this way you get it done on your time and its greatly cheaper.

    I'll be getting slammed probably for telling you this soon, but if you are comfortable, then go for it.
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  • Pacomc79Pacomc79 Posts: 9,404
    http://www.thetubestore.com/


    look around at this site and http://www.webervst.com

    you'll need a bias meter you'll need to take your time, read all you can first and pay careful attention to what's going on with the tubes you can burn up stuff with improper bias. search the name "trentino" and read his amp tips.

    The above book is great it's available at thetubestore as well as probably amazon.

    http://www.thetubestore.com/insidetubeamps.html
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  • JofZJofZ Posts: 1,276
    Biasing tubes is easy and something you should learn to do to really enjoy your amp. Plus it will save you tons of cash down the road.
    There are some great books, but to be honest they are very technical and a waste of money.
    There are some great articals on the Aiken Amp site ans KCA tube site that will get you started.
    Essentially you need a couple tools and some time and most important paitence.
    I can help if you tell me the type of amp, tube type etc.
    You need a grid chart, I have most of them so I can tell you the bias current for you tube type. You'll need a voltage meter of some sort, I use a cheapo model.
    The hardest part of biasing is getting the tubes out without damaging the clips and pins. Once that is done, you line up the tube, slide it in and measure the bias current.
    Beleive it or not, you can bias an amp with your eyes and ears, you don't even need a meter. Getting matched tubes from a good reputable store is the first start, it will save you a ton of time.
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  • evenflowrocksevenflowrocks Posts: 96
    right on fellas! I'll do some homework and check this shit out. There's three guitarists in my band so right there I become the "in-house guy" plus I know lots of other playas in need of assistance. I realize that the best way to get good at being an "amp guru" or whatever it helps to apprentice with someone who really knows their shit but some people had to start from scratch right? who knows, maybe I'll have a knack for it and telesonic and i can start our own amp company...the all new "teleflow" 2x12 with built in phaser. rawk on



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  • sustainediasustainedia Posts: 112
    i am lucky enough to have "a guy" who works out of his garage. last time he did it in 10 minutes AND showed me how to do it. i'm not going to because i'd rather just pay him 20 bucks for his time. my point: it isn't hard. the steps were as follows.

    measure the plate voltage.
    connect tube to bias thingy and plug in. test current. adjust. there was a chart on the bias thingy. it was easy to learn.
  • pearljam7pearljam7 Posts: 447
    what exactly does biasing an amp do?
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