theNARDdog9
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It seems to me that the whole use of the standby switch is rather confusing to some people. From research across the internet I have found various people asking about how to properly use standby. I thought this thread might serve to help as a resource for those who have questions about standby and how it should properly be used.
How does one use Standby?
The standby switch can be found on your amp generally next to the power switch. When, both switches are in the "off" position, there will be no power to the tubes and no sound. In order to start warming up your amp, you will want to turn the power of the amp "on", and leave the standby switch in the "off" position. As a general rule of thumb for tube amps, leave it in this position for an equal number of seconds as the wattage of your amp (i.e. a 30 watt head=30 seconds in standby). After this time goes off, you can flick the standby switch into the "on" position, meaning that your amp is no longer on standby and by switching into this position, sound will now come out of the amp. To turn off, essentially do the reverse; turn the amp first into standby, strum a few times to make sure there is no sound coming out, and then turn off the power.
Power (off) + standby (off)=no sound
Power (on) + standby (off)=no sound, tubes warming up-->don't leave too long to prevent cathode "poisoning"
Power (on) + standby (on)=sound; time to rock out!!
***to avoid confusion in this, since different standby switches may say on or off and refer to different things, I refer to "on" as the position in which sound will be coming out of the amp, and "off" as the position in which no sounds of coming out***
Why is this important?
The standby switch is used so that you can let the tubes warm up before you start playing. It was also created to prevent a process called cathode stripping. The cathode inside the tubes must be heated and must accumulate a "cloud" of electrons, before being used. If you go straight into playing without warming the amp up, the electrons will not accumulate, and the electrons won't be taken from the cloud, but instead directly from the cathode thereby stripping it. Pretty much, long story short, you will lower your tube's life expectancy.
Some amps don't have standby. Why?
A lot of amps these days have solved the reason that standby was actually created, and so it isn't really necessary. If it isn't there, you don't need to worry about. Some companies continue to add the standby switch merely as a conformance to old standards, and because people know how to use them and expect them to be there.
What if I want to stop playing for a few minutes? Can I just use the Standby?
No. If you are going to take a break from playing and don't want to turn your amp off, you should NOT just leave it in standby. Instead, leave the amp on and running and just turn your guitar's volume control off. Leaving your amp on standby for too long can be detrimental to the tubes in your amp, leading to a process called "cathode poisoning". Here is a quick little quote from an article on standby and it's proper uses as well as the dangers of it:
"While the above is fairly simple and basic explanation,
one should also be aware that EXCESSIVE USE of a
standby switch can cause another destructive process
within the tube. If the tubes in the amp are allowed
to operate for considerable lengths of time with the
standby switch off (no B+/high voltage) the cathode
material itself tends to build up a destructive process
within itself, and this is referred to as “cathode poisoning.” The “old timers” used to call this phenomenon
“SLEEPING SICKNESS!” When a tube is at full operating temperature and no current is being drawn (as is
the case with no B+/high voltage) a high resistance
layer is gradually formed at the “interface” between the
oxide coating and the nickel cathode structure. This
layer of barium orthosilicate causes tube performance
to degrade significantly. It is important that the standby
switch NOT be left in the “off position” (no B+) for more
than 15 to 20 minutes at a time to avoid “poisoning” the
tube’s cathodes. "
If you want to read the whole article, which I recommend here's the linky.
http://www.peavey.com/support/technotes/hartley/chapter_6.pdf
and a video also explaining the idea
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfUHzPL0jHI]How to use a Standby switch on guitar amplifiers and how they work - YouTube[/ame]
I hope this helps and if you have other info to contribute please feel free!!
How does one use Standby?
The standby switch can be found on your amp generally next to the power switch. When, both switches are in the "off" position, there will be no power to the tubes and no sound. In order to start warming up your amp, you will want to turn the power of the amp "on", and leave the standby switch in the "off" position. As a general rule of thumb for tube amps, leave it in this position for an equal number of seconds as the wattage of your amp (i.e. a 30 watt head=30 seconds in standby). After this time goes off, you can flick the standby switch into the "on" position, meaning that your amp is no longer on standby and by switching into this position, sound will now come out of the amp. To turn off, essentially do the reverse; turn the amp first into standby, strum a few times to make sure there is no sound coming out, and then turn off the power.
Power (off) + standby (off)=no sound
Power (on) + standby (off)=no sound, tubes warming up-->don't leave too long to prevent cathode "poisoning"
Power (on) + standby (on)=sound; time to rock out!!
***to avoid confusion in this, since different standby switches may say on or off and refer to different things, I refer to "on" as the position in which sound will be coming out of the amp, and "off" as the position in which no sounds of coming out***
Why is this important?
The standby switch is used so that you can let the tubes warm up before you start playing. It was also created to prevent a process called cathode stripping. The cathode inside the tubes must be heated and must accumulate a "cloud" of electrons, before being used. If you go straight into playing without warming the amp up, the electrons will not accumulate, and the electrons won't be taken from the cloud, but instead directly from the cathode thereby stripping it. Pretty much, long story short, you will lower your tube's life expectancy.
Some amps don't have standby. Why?
A lot of amps these days have solved the reason that standby was actually created, and so it isn't really necessary. If it isn't there, you don't need to worry about. Some companies continue to add the standby switch merely as a conformance to old standards, and because people know how to use them and expect them to be there.
What if I want to stop playing for a few minutes? Can I just use the Standby?
No. If you are going to take a break from playing and don't want to turn your amp off, you should NOT just leave it in standby. Instead, leave the amp on and running and just turn your guitar's volume control off. Leaving your amp on standby for too long can be detrimental to the tubes in your amp, leading to a process called "cathode poisoning". Here is a quick little quote from an article on standby and it's proper uses as well as the dangers of it:
"While the above is fairly simple and basic explanation,
one should also be aware that EXCESSIVE USE of a
standby switch can cause another destructive process
within the tube. If the tubes in the amp are allowed
to operate for considerable lengths of time with the
standby switch off (no B+/high voltage) the cathode
material itself tends to build up a destructive process
within itself, and this is referred to as “cathode poisoning.” The “old timers” used to call this phenomenon
“SLEEPING SICKNESS!” When a tube is at full operating temperature and no current is being drawn (as is
the case with no B+/high voltage) a high resistance
layer is gradually formed at the “interface” between the
oxide coating and the nickel cathode structure. This
layer of barium orthosilicate causes tube performance
to degrade significantly. It is important that the standby
switch NOT be left in the “off position” (no B+) for more
than 15 to 20 minutes at a time to avoid “poisoning” the
tube’s cathodes. "
If you want to read the whole article, which I recommend here's the linky.
http://www.peavey.com/support/technotes/hartley/chapter_6.pdf
and a video also explaining the idea
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfUHzPL0jHI]How to use a Standby switch on guitar amplifiers and how they work - YouTube[/ame]
I hope this helps and if you have other info to contribute please feel free!!
