With the trend for using lower power amplifiers for guitar these days, we are often asked about ways of taming big valve (tube) amps.
At Essex Amp Repairs, we offer a number of options for those wishing to reduce the output power of large valve (tube) amps.
Using a typical 100W amp as an example, here are some popular power reduction:
Fit a triode mode switch – This leaves all four output valves (tubes) in place, and reduces the power to around 50W. The user can select between 100W & 50W output at the flick of a switch.
Reconfigure the amp to 50W specification – This modification removes two output valves (tubes) and replaces the output transformer to convert the amp to true 50W specification. Adding the triode mode switch allows the user to switch between 50W & 25W power outputs.
Fit a variable power control – This modification adds a rotary control allowing output power adjustment from around 10W to the full 100W.
These are just some examples of what can be done, and of course, the modifiactions can be applied to most types of valve (tube) amps that use push-pull output stages.