DSL question

[Iron1]

So, I've owned my fair share of tube amps over the last 25 years, but never had one without a standby switch of some sort... until I got this DSL1.

How does it not shorten the lifespan of the tubes to just turn it off/on without warm up/cool down? Is there some internal circuitry black magic that handles this or does Marshall figure no one cares cause the amp is so economically priced?

Or have I just been wasting my time letting the tubes warm up/cool down?

 

[Micky]

It doesn't have large finals that could benefit from a standby switch.

 

[paul-e-mann]

So, I've owned my fair share of tube amps over the last 25 years, but never had one without a standby switch of some sort... until I got this DSL1.

How does it not shorten the lifespan of the tubes to just turn it off/on without warm up/cool down? Is there some internal circuitry black magic that handles this or does Marshall figure no one cares cause the amp is so economically priced?

Or have I just been wasting my time letting the tubes warm up/cool down?

You got the DSL1 after all, I didnt know! So what do you think? Is it everything you dreamed it would be?

 

[anitoli]

Somewhere in RCA tube manuals is states that cathode stripping ( the supposed side effect of not using the standby switch) does not affect receiving tubes. Every tube used in a guitar amp is classed as a receiving tube. Whether you use it or not it ain't gonna do shit because the voltages are not high enough.

 

[Iron1]

You got the DSL1 after all, I didnt know! So what do you think? Is it everything you dreamed it would be?

Yep, love it. Great tone at low volumes, just like I wanted.

Somewhere in RCA tube manuals is states that cathode stripping ( the supposed side effect of not using the standby switch) does not affect receiving tubes. Every tube used in a guitar amp is classed as a receiving tube. Whether you use it or not it ain't gonna do shit because the voltages are not high enough.

Interesting. My grandfather held 150+ vacuum tube patents when he died (he worked for RCA & Westinghouse) but he passed when I was 15 years old. He and I discussed making amps at one point (I was just getting into guitars back then) but he got sick soon after and never recovered. Wish I could have learned some of what he knew before he left this world.

 

[scozz]

It's interesting, the two biggest names in modern Amplification History, (Leo Fender and Jim Marshall), didn't know very much about amplifiers, ....and neither one of them played guitar!

Here's a link to the Sweetwater Knowledge Base, The Great Standby Switch Myth. It explains it all,....

https://www.sweetwater.com/sweetcare/articles/great-standby-switch-myth/

 

[Iron1]

It's interesting, the two biggest names in modern Amplification History, (Leo Fender and Jim Marshall), didn't know very much about amplifiers, ....and neither one of them played guitar!

Here's a link to the Sweetwater Knowledge Base, The Great Standby Switch Myth. It explains it all,....

https://www.sweetwater.com/sweetcare/articles/great-standby-switch-myth/

Oh cool. Thanks!

 

[Mitchell Pearrow]

Oh cool. Thanks!

My Origin 50H’s have no standby I just turn the volume off before shutdown.
Cheers to your new amp.
Mitch

 

[Iron1]

My Origin 50H’s have no standby I just turn the volume off before shutdown.
Cheers to your new amp.
Mitch

Thanks Mitch!

 

[Mitchell Pearrow]

Thanks Mitch!

 

[Seventh Son]

My Origin 50H’s have no standby I just turn the volume off before shutdown.
Cheers to your new amp.
Mitch

Same here with my DSL15C. The switch is nice to have in certain situations, but it does not seem necessary to preserve tube life, as long as you turn volume down to 0 before starting it up and powering it down.

 

[Chris-in-LA]

It's interesting, the two biggest names in modern Amplification History, (Leo Fender and Jim Marshall), didn't know very much about amplifiers, ....and neither one of them played guitar!

Here's a link to the Sweetwater Knowledge Base, The Great Standby Switch Myth. It explains it all,....

https://www.sweetwater.com/sweetcare/articles/great-standby-switch-myth/

Leo started out as a radio builder/repair guy I thought. I think he most certainly knew more about amplifiers than Jim.

 

[anitoli]

Leo most likely adopted the standby switch idea from radio transmitters and or designs which are more inclined to have one due to the much higher voltages used in these devices.

 

[CraigP]

If it doesn't have a switch, then rock on and "fret not" about it. If it has a standby switch use it. That's what I've done since @ 1980 without any issues.

Of course I am still considered a newb in this crowd, and the herb was stellar back then, soooo............

LOL Cheers

 

[Mitchell Pearrow]

Same here with my DSL15C. The switch is nice to have in certain situations, but it does not seem necessary to preserve tube life, as long as you turn volume down to 0 before starting it up and powering it down.

I agree

 

[scozz]

Leo started out as a radio builder/repair guy I thought. I think he most certainly knew more about amplifiers than Jim.

Yes that is true, I probably should've mentioned that. What I meant was he never had any formal electronics training, he was completely self-taught.

 

[axe arsenal]

It's interesting, the two biggest names in modern Amplification History, (Leo Fender and Jim Marshall), didn't know very much about amplifiers, ....and neither one of them played guitar!

Here's a link to the Sweetwater Knowledge Base, The Great Standby Switch Myth. It explains it all,....

https://www.sweetwater.com/sweetcare/articles/great-standby-switch-myth/

I'm gonna ask Dave Friedman why he keeps misinforming us. I'll tell him he'd better listen to the Sweetwater expert.

 

[Sg-ocaster]

I made a thread on the amp rating of a standby switch to install on my dsl15. The great standby debate started in that thread. While many believe the voltages are not high enough to worry about cathode stripping I still feel it is a safe bet for as cheap as a switch costs......its kinda like the old car battery left on concrete debate .....the old timers believed leaving a wetcell car battery on bare concrete would kill the cells....some don't believe.....but for as easy as it is to put it on a block or something why take the chance.

 

[Micky]

I made a thread on the amp rating of a standby switch to install on my dsl15. The great standby debate started in that thread. While many believe the voltages are not high enough to worry about cathode stripping I still feel it is a safe bet for as cheap as a switch costs......its kinda like the old car battery left on concrete debate .....the old timers believed leaving a wetcell car battery on bare concrete would kill the cells....some don't believe.....but for as easy as it is to put it on a block or something why take the chance.

Yours was only one of many great standby switch debates.
It was debated before I got here a while ago, and will be debated for many years to come.

Boils down to if you have a standby switch, use it. If you don't then you can't use it. If you are handy, add one. If you are lazy, then don't.

 

[anitoli]

I made a thread on the amp rating of a standby switch to install on my dsl15. The great standby debate started in that thread. While many believe the voltages are not high enough to worry about cathode stripping I still feel it is a safe bet for as cheap as a switch costs......its kinda like the old car battery left on concrete debate .....the old timers believed leaving a wetcell car battery on bare concrete would kill the cells....some don't believe.....but for as easy as it is to put it on a block or something why take the chance.

Because the voltages are not high enough, RCA makes this engineering point crystal clear. In order to damage the cathode coating the voltage has to be in the upper kilo-volt range. 460 VDC nope.

If the amp has the switch use it, if not just use the power switch. Easy Peasy.