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jnoel64

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Feb 27, 2013
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Location
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Took my TC-50 to practice last night. I was in a bit of a hurry when I hooked everything up. When I flipped the standby switch to on, I got no sound. I immediately went straight from the guitar to the amp and still had no sound. I looked on the back of the head and noticed I plugged the speaker into the headphone output and quickly turned the amp off. I corrected my mistake, powered the amp back up, and everything worked perfectly. I thought for sure I cooked the head. The TC-50 is one rugged beast!
 
Sounds like you caught it right in time. Glad to hear you didn't have a fatality with the TC-50!
 
I doubt there is any bit of a major concern when you power up the amp without a load, sure it may have some impact on the OT and power supply. The real deal damage will result if you unplug a speaker when you are running the amp. That usually results in some interesting transients due to sudden loss of current flow to the speakers. For some reason I believe the concern has been elevated beyond reason more so than it should be. I accidentally plugged the speaker into the SEND jack and was wondering why there was little to no sound. I even raised the volume louder before I realized I used the wrong jack. Those sit so close together it is easy to make a mistake. Generally I check before turning on, that time I did not. Rule to remember never unplug a speaker from the output jack if the amp is not in standby.
 
I was certainly relieved. I'm still in the honeymoon phase and would cry myself to sleep if I damaged the head. It clearly states in the manual that particular kind of damage is not covered in the warranty.

Since I am playing an outdoor gig on Sunday, I went ahead and swapped out my 6V6 tubes for a pair of EH6CA7s. I'll leave a review on those after the gig.
 
Those were some that I have been wanting to give a go in the RA. I did like the JJ6CA7 in the Mark V but they only lasted 2 weeks as I lost one due to internal connection loss in the tube. I will be waiting for the EH6CA review with anticipation.
 
You'll have to wait one more week, Bandit. The weather was sketchy and there was no way I was going to chance a single rain drop on my TC-50. Even though next week's gig is indoors, I will leave the 6CA7s in place. Keep in mind I will only be using the clean channel, too.

I've used EH 6CA7s with a great deal of success for years in my Carvin Vai Legacy, another EL34 designed amp. To my ears, it was like those tubes were made for that amp. I thought about trying the JJs, but I read too many reviews that made me change my mind. Your story of a tube failure is not uncommon with the JJs, unless they've improved them lately. The EHs are solid, and I can attest to that. Even though they don't have the JAN moniker, they are of military reliability. I did have 2 fail on me once, and that was because I ran the amp on 50 watt mode for too many months, which was essentially turning 2 tubes off. When I switched back to 100 watt mode, smoke. That's also why I ALWAYS use my Dyne in 90-watt mode.

I also tried the EHs in my Dyne for a test run and liked them quite well in that amp, too. But I preferred the Tung-Sol EL34Bs more. Both the Dyne and the Legacy are darker amps, but I think the Dyne is darker than the Legacy.

Some day soon, I still need to run my TC and Dyne in stereo together and see if I can still walk afterward.
 
I may just buy a quad just for fun. I have two RA100 to tube up so may as well start there. If they do not work as expected in the RA, perhaps there will be something to gain with the TC. My tube issue with the JJ 6CA7 more than likely due to internal issue. Yeah I was running them on the Mark V at full power until I got an intermittent issue with one tube (was glowing blue, then not, then it is). If it was not for the electron bombardment on the glass I would not have figured it out. The flicker followed the tube. It was not until installing into the Mark IV when I blew out the pair upon hitting the standby after a cool down period. They were working just before, took a break, and then the back of the amp became a photo lamp with the sustained arching dancing around inside the tubes. Cool but not. More than just a momentary laps of performance. They did sound awesome though for the two weeks they were functional.

EH, or NOS would work. I really miss those RCA's when I had my Mark III. Integrated quad is how the amp shipped from factory. Sweet. My trouble started in the mid 90's when you could not get them anymore.
 
I wound up pulling the 6CA7s and replaced them with a pair of Mesa 6L6s. I thought that would be a better bet since I would be on the clean channel for the whole gig. I can't say I was overly thrilled with the 6L6s. I much preferred the tone from the 6V6s. The amp just didn't feel as "lively" as it did with the 6V6s. Maybe it was because I was outdoors, can't say for sure. But, I now have the 6CA7s back installed. When the next gig comes around in early July, that's what I will run with. I should have left them in from the start.
 
Mesa 6L6 tubes were not very favorable in the RA100 either. =C= did sound really good though, almost like the EL34 or the 6V6. I have not tried the =C= 6L6 in the TC-50 yet. I went back to the EL34 as that was just blowing my mind, 6V6 are back in box but will come out soon enough.

I do not always play heavy, if you heard me you would say I should not play anything... Any how, the clean channel on the TC-50 with the EL34 (no drive) with a fishman Aura preamp and a guitar with piezo pickups is the WOW factor for me at the moment. I recently bought a used Kiesel with the Ghost Floyd bridge. :shock: I would rather play this all day than pick up my acoustic. Although the 12 String is hard to beat though.
 
I saw your post with you recent Kiesel purchase! Always wanted to try a Carvin/Kiesel guitar, but have never had the chance.

For what I currently do, the 6V6 option has been the most enjoyable, but I still have more experimentation with speakers and tubes. This time of year, though, I am way too busy with other projects outside of music to venture down those roads.

My most active music endeavor currently is a 50s and 60s band. I have slowed my efforts with more modern music for a short while, but plan to move forward with that again after the summer season. The tone I get with 6V6 is perfect for this genre. Couple those tubes with an EVM12L, and it is tonal bliss for me. The clean channel is a real gem!

With all the gear you have, Bandit, I doubt your playing is as sub-par as you suggest. I have heard enough of your samples to validate that statement to myself. We are all our own worst critics. I am not and never will be a shredder. I prefer more tasteful, soulful riffs instead of seeing how many notes I can cram into a measure. I am impressed by those who can do that, but it is not and never will be my style.
 
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