The Smell of Tube Amps

Gear & Tools Talk 🔊 Amplification & Effects
1

Lately I’ve been practicing without an amp, just using guitar into Boss GT-1000CORE into an audio interface and listening on 8" studio monitors. It’s very convenient and sounds good.

But today I got out my Marshall SL5, again, put it in 1W mode, and cranked the hell out of it. Glorious! After playing for about 30 mins I caught a whiff of the hot valves, and that smelled like coming home. :sunglasses:

9 Likes
2

So you love the smell of tube amps in the morning (or evening)? :wink:

2 Likes
3

Cool you need to bottle that stuff it might not be around us much longer the way Tech moves these days, you could sell it at concerts :+1:

1 Like
4

Maybe just keep it out?
That 1w mode seems like it’s pretty useful. :wink:

5

I would’ve said it “smells like victory,” but it’s not a Victory, it’s a Marshall. :slight_smile:

2 Likes
6

Definitely. In 1W mode you can max out the volume at home and actually get power tube distortion. If you do that on the clean channel you get a great AC/DC kind of break-up without using a single pedal. Wide open (5W) is even better, but starts getting pretty loud at home.

1 Like
7

I love that smell! Burning dust with a little ozone. And the gentle 120 Hz hum from the failing caps in the power supply. And the way the tubes strobe blue when the volume and tremelo is turned up.

2 Likes