Simon Says
Cathode Follower
This is something that stuck in my head, and not letting go. I have played the guitar since the early 90s, and since then, I have come across many guitar-related myths.
Fast forward to 2020, I have bought my first brand new tube amp. I had a lot of second-hand tube amps, but this one was fresh from the factory. It took me a long time to narrow down my needs; I kept coming back to Andertons at least twice, testing the Fillmore 50 before I went ahead. At this time, they sold the one they had in stock, so I ordered a head + 2x12 and had it shipped directly from the Mesa factory to my doorstep.
I plugged it in, and it was nothing like the amp I had played at the store. It was a bit buzzy; I couldn't EQ it out, and it was thinner sounding than the 1x12 combo they had at the store. I instantly blamed the speakers; they never moved the air, and I decided to break them in. I was leaving the amp on, blasting some EVH through the guitar input, and leaving the cab face down on a sofa pillow. It took me a couple of weeks before the amp started talking how I liked it; the EQ was usable in every setting, and I could finally add some treble without the ear-bleed. I was happy; I have moved on.
A year later, I decided to build a tower with an additional 2x12 Fillmore cab. There was only one in stock in the whole of England. Word on the street was that the Boogie wouldn't be shipping more gear to the UK for at least a year, and I wasted no time to buy that 2x12. It was the floor model; they couldn't find the box or the cover, but I had a nice discount, and it was shipped to me the next working day. I was expecting the same thing - breaking the speakers in to match the other cab I already had, but no. It sounded exactly the same as the old cab. I thought it was because it was used in the shop, served as a demo cab, and had a lot of mileage on it. I was happy and moved on again.
Fast forward three months ago, I decided I needed to change the power valves in my amp. I got lazy with it; I was way overdue with the service, and I started being paranoid it would take the fuse along with the power transformer in case of a PA valve failure. I have a small stock of Mesa STR-440; I bought ten sets from everywhere I could locate them when I learned the Chinese factory making them went down in flames. The procedure is straightforward: pull the valves out, put a new set in, and you're done. Boogies don't need to be rebiased.
I was shocked! The shrill was back; I can't EQ the things out, exactly the same tone as when I got the amp back in 2020. At first, I thought I could move the settings accidentally, but they are marked on the panel, still in exactly the same spot as they used to be. My tone was back when I put the old valves back in. They are still there to this day.
I'm not claiming to have ultra hearing, but I know my amp well. Could the famous speaker's break-in period be simply mistaken for the valve's ageing?
It's not a question; in my case, the valve break-in period influenced the tone more than the speaker's break-in. I'm not trying to say the speakers sound the same since day one, but the valve swap literally took me back three years to the place where I was fighting the amp instead of simply enjoying it.
What other guitar myths do you believe in or were able to debunk?
Fast forward to 2020, I have bought my first brand new tube amp. I had a lot of second-hand tube amps, but this one was fresh from the factory. It took me a long time to narrow down my needs; I kept coming back to Andertons at least twice, testing the Fillmore 50 before I went ahead. At this time, they sold the one they had in stock, so I ordered a head + 2x12 and had it shipped directly from the Mesa factory to my doorstep.
I plugged it in, and it was nothing like the amp I had played at the store. It was a bit buzzy; I couldn't EQ it out, and it was thinner sounding than the 1x12 combo they had at the store. I instantly blamed the speakers; they never moved the air, and I decided to break them in. I was leaving the amp on, blasting some EVH through the guitar input, and leaving the cab face down on a sofa pillow. It took me a couple of weeks before the amp started talking how I liked it; the EQ was usable in every setting, and I could finally add some treble without the ear-bleed. I was happy; I have moved on.
A year later, I decided to build a tower with an additional 2x12 Fillmore cab. There was only one in stock in the whole of England. Word on the street was that the Boogie wouldn't be shipping more gear to the UK for at least a year, and I wasted no time to buy that 2x12. It was the floor model; they couldn't find the box or the cover, but I had a nice discount, and it was shipped to me the next working day. I was expecting the same thing - breaking the speakers in to match the other cab I already had, but no. It sounded exactly the same as the old cab. I thought it was because it was used in the shop, served as a demo cab, and had a lot of mileage on it. I was happy and moved on again.
Fast forward three months ago, I decided I needed to change the power valves in my amp. I got lazy with it; I was way overdue with the service, and I started being paranoid it would take the fuse along with the power transformer in case of a PA valve failure. I have a small stock of Mesa STR-440; I bought ten sets from everywhere I could locate them when I learned the Chinese factory making them went down in flames. The procedure is straightforward: pull the valves out, put a new set in, and you're done. Boogies don't need to be rebiased.
I was shocked! The shrill was back; I can't EQ the things out, exactly the same tone as when I got the amp back in 2020. At first, I thought I could move the settings accidentally, but they are marked on the panel, still in exactly the same spot as they used to be. My tone was back when I put the old valves back in. They are still there to this day.
I'm not claiming to have ultra hearing, but I know my amp well. Could the famous speaker's break-in period be simply mistaken for the valve's ageing?
It's not a question; in my case, the valve break-in period influenced the tone more than the speaker's break-in. I'm not trying to say the speakers sound the same since day one, but the valve swap literally took me back three years to the place where I was fighting the amp instead of simply enjoying it.
What other guitar myths do you believe in or were able to debunk?