What volume does power valve saturation occur at?

[geetarmikey]

Say on a typical Marshall 800, SLO, Boogie etc....

Does it have to be near top volume with most amps? I remember an interview with Slash saying he used to crank the vol on his Jubilees to get it happening and mentioned they were pretty much dimed.

Can you get this sort of thing using a TC Hotplate as well?

Thanks!

 

[marvcus]

 

[Vrad]

Just about the time, you start passing out from the sonic boom of the cranked amp...

 

[benduncan]

irreverent post, wrong type of amp. But my Engl Invader 150 starts to change at about 11 o'clock. My favorite setting is 12-1 o'clock, beyond that is too much, for the sound that I'm after.

It doesn't go to 11

 

[rlord1974]

Right about the point where your bowels give out and explode in your underpants.

 

[Ventura]

To the OP...

Hard to answer as every amp is different. A lot of amps today are equipped with Master Volumes, thereby allowing the preamp curcuit to do the tone shaping. Older amps relied on the powertubes to kick into blur to add to their sound, classics like the JMP and HiWatt, etc.

You can get a lot of amps there today - but whether or not you'll want to is another question. With most of the current top grade amps I've played on recently (last few years), the MV starts to get into powertube bliss around 1 o'clock. From 1 or 2 o'clock onwards, the amps don't necessarily get "louder", the parts just all start working in harmony and really start getting hot and cohesive.

Then again, KT88s are a tubeset you'd likely never wanna hear crumble. So it does depend on the tube type and the amps' manufacturers thoughts of recmmended use too.

 

[rupe]

The amps you mention all need to be extremely loud before you start to get any significant power tube clipping. If that's a particular sound and feel that you want and can't deal with the volume, there are some cool old low wattage and single-ended amps like tweed Champs as well as some more recent offerings that give up the goods at reasonable volumes. Attenuation or a load box can get you there as well, but you may or may not care for the feel and/or tone depending on the amount of attenuation and the particular amp being used.

 

[steve_k]

Just before the cops show up.

 

[Heritage Softail]

Just before the cops show up.

What...?

 

[V2a]

You can get power-tube saturation at any volume, if you have the right amp.

 

[supersonic]

Say on a typical Marshall 800, SLO, Boogie etc....

Does it have to be near top volume with most amps? I remember an interview with Slash saying he used to crank the vol on his Jubilees to get it happening and mentioned they were pretty much dimed.

Can you get this sort of thing using a TC Hotplate as well?

Thanks!

After about 10:00 or 11:00 valve drive becomes over compressed, especially when using a MV amp. There's no need for running high volumes these days to get saturation.

 

[rupe]

Say on a typical Marshall 800, SLO, Boogie etc....

Does it have to be near top volume with most amps? I remember an interview with Slash saying he used to crank the vol on his Jubilees to get it happening and mentioned they were pretty much dimed.

Can you get this sort of thing using a TC Hotplate as well?

Thanks!

After about 10:00 or 11:00 valve drive becomes over compressed, especially when using a MV amp. There's no need for running high volumes these days to get saturation.

It completely depends on the amp, but none of those mentioned by the OP will be overly compressed with the masters set beyond 11:00

 

[ZachMN]

I made that my FB profile pic as soon as I saw it!

The 'when the cops show up was hilarious too!

 

[mdc1mdc11]

the look on the face of average people that know nothing about guitar amps and stuff is priceless when you turn up the volume to at least 80% maybe more on a Marshall plexi. A WTF moment. I have fairly large home and it is funny when I turn that bitch up and daughter and wife move to another part of the house.

Fun every now and then, but the Alex Attenuator works great.

Still trying to figure out how to cop that sound Hendrix got at Monterey and Winterland. I guess a JTM and germanium fuzz face.

 

[FourT6and2]

Right when they hit 88mph

 

[Schaf]

Right when they hit 88mph

Doesn't so called "power tube distortion" occur at the phase inverter anyway. There is always a lot of debate over this. Either way, very loud.

 

[TrueTone500]

Right when they hit 88mph

Doesn't so called "power tube distortion" occur at the phase inverter anyway. There is always a lot of debate over this. Either way, very loud.

 

[rocknrolla]

Too loud without ear protection for sure. At least in any 100 watt amp. This is why we are seeing an influx of lunchbox amps with 25 or less watts lately.

 

[petejt]

Right when they hit 88mph

Doesn't so called "power tube distortion" occur at the phase inverter anyway. There is always a lot of debate over this. Either way, very loud.

That's great, good quick demo. I love the cat at the end!