Kustom tube 12a

[mwaym]

I have a Kustom Tube 12A amp. It has 1 12ax7 tube in the pre-amp. I switched the tube to a tung-sol, as recommended by others. The question I have is............. If I turn it on and wait 5-15 minutes to play... it sounds all muddy and just aweful !!! If I turn it on when I get home from work, then take a shower and eat supper... the watch some TV with the wife... then play about 1-3 hours later, it sounds absolutely fantastic !!!!!!! WHY ????? It's just a pre-amp tube.. you wouldn't think that it would make that much difference !!!! I love the sound after it is on for quite a while, but until then, it is crap !!!!!!! Just wondering. I'm usually in no hurry anyway, but it has me thinkin. I have heard, to let your tubes warm up a few minutes... but...... 1-3 hours ??????? After it is on for that long, the little amp is a tone monster... a true little $99 beast !!!!! haha It seems like the longer it is on, the better is sounds !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[mwaym]

NOBODY knows ??!!!???!! I know it's just a pre-amp tube and alot of folks on here are " TUBE PURISTS " ..... so I guess nobody has ANY clue about a hybrid amp. I can't afford an all tube amp, and need headphones for late-nite playing !!... but this little amp kicks freakin butt after you let it go for about an hour !!!!!!!!!! WHY ??@!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Nobody wants to take a stab ????? I really don't care, but it's just weird to me to let an amp "warm-up" for an hour !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Once it does......... it is tone-heaven !!!!!!!!

Also, it has been posted that a tube pre-amp is no different than a ss pre- amp..........................WRONG !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This amp changes with relation to how long it has been on !!!!! Does ss ??????
I would LOVE to have an all tube amp that I could control... with headphones, but this is what I have............ and.... I might add that I am happy with this little $99 amp !!!!!!!!!!! but..... just have some ??????????????s ............

Seems to be alot ot tube "experts" , but kinda weird that nobody responed to this !!!!!!!!! why ????????????? Nobody got a clue once they leave "all-tube world" ???????????????????????????

[mwaym]

Also,,,,,,, this is not the first ???? that hasn't recieved answers... sooooo.......maybe its just me.............. maybe I have been blackballed, and don't know it ?? Sooo, you guys tell me... is it me ?????? I'm kinda stupid, so nothing would suprise me !!!!!!!! I just have alot of ?????'s !!!!!!!

[ThermionicScott]

No, you haven't been blackballed, it's just a little tiring to read all that punctuation.

Does the amp still do the volume fade thing when you put the old preamp tube back in? It's possible that the new tube's pins aren't very clean, so the connection gets better when everything has warmed up. Try cleaning the pins with some Caig DeOxit.

Good luck!

- Scott

[aunchaki]

Indeed, please take a deep breath. I have a Tube 12a and have never needed to let it run for an hour before sounding good. Mine sounds good as soon as the tube warms up (i.e. when sound starts coming out). I'm not a very highgain guy, so I swapped the stock tube for a 5751. It still breaks up when I dig in, but it's not over the top.

I gigged mine this Sunday (church band) and it sounded great. I started doing what I read about here on TDPRI: dime the amp and control the volume from the guitar. This might not be smart or feasible with a 100W Twin, but a small 10-12W amp does great.

I also run a single BOSS pedal with my rig, an FDR-1 Fender Deluxe Reverb pedal. I like the tone, but I really like reverb AND tremolo in a single pedal.

[jericho60]

My Tube 12A has been cutting out from time to time on the gain channel (at low settings). Don't know what's up with that.

I think they are real underrated little amps. I've thought about getting a second one and having someone make a cabinet with a 12" to drop it into.

[rangercaster]

i'm no tube guru, but the if the tube is not bad, it must be getting an intermittent power supply...

[mwaym]

I haven't put the old tube back in to notice a volume drop. Actually, the new tube sounds great whe she's warmed up.... I just want that sound sooner. The amps sounds fantastic when it's good and warm.
Scott, what is that stuff you said to treat the pins of my new tube?? Where do I get it??
I'm sorry for all the punuctuations.... I just got carried away, I guess.
I love the sound of the new tube, but have issues with the time it takes to "warm" up.
Also, I'm sorry if I offended anyone. I just would like an answer to my problem. It's not really a problem, but it's kinda wierd !!
Thank you for the responses...I really appreciate them. MIKE