tube clinking noise

[youDEVILyou]

i had just put my model t (new fendermodel) on stand by after about 2 hours of recording at home, when i heard a faint clinking or clanking noise i listened and found that it was comming from my tubes. i waited a while and then switched the power off and hear it agian. teh filaments in teh tubes went form red to black in about 5 seconds alot faster than they normaly do.

should i be worried??!

[youDEVILyou]

p.s the tubes are about 3 months old and have only been used for the past 2 months.

[youDEVILyou]

anyone?

[hipfan]

Was the sound quality affected at all? Have you checked the tubes for microphonics, i.e. tap testing?

[youDEVILyou]

the tone and volume have been consistant. i am afraid to "tap" my tubes i dont knwo how hard to hit them i dont knwo aout pressure inside of them enough to have the confidence in my tapping abilities.


what would make them microphone?
 is it safe to continue using it?

[hipfan]

I can't speak on whether your amp is safe to keep using or not - I suspect that it is, but I'm not a tech. The sounds you describe don't seem to be way out of the ordinary, however. Tubes sometimes make funny noises and smells when they get hot or cool down - especially new ones. Did you reset the bias and balance when you installed your new power tubes? What kind of power tubes are they? Are the little lights on the back of the amp glowing green or red?

To test the pre-amp tubes for microphonics, just take the metal tube protectors off and tap the the tubes lightly with a chopstick or a drumstick with the amp volume very low. If you hear a heavy "thunk" sound or a ringing sound, chances are you have a bad tube. Same thing goes for power tubes.

[youDEVILyou]

thanks dude. i mean man..uhh
thanks

yea it got re biased.



ill try the tube tapping

[hipfan]

I answer to both "dude" and "man", so either one is fine. Just please don't call me Shirley.  

Let us know how the diagnosis goes.