Guitar Amp Vacuum Tubes Part 1: Triodes and Tetrodes
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 27 พ.ย. 2014
- In this 2-part video presentation, I discuss the characteristics and evolution of the vacuum tubes used in vintage and modern guitar amplifiers. Beginning with Triodes, the general design, strengths, and weaknesses of each type of tube will be discussed, and terms like secondary emission, parasitic oscillation, negative resistance, and inter-electrode capacitance will be discussed and (hopefully) clarified.
If you enjoy videos featuring classic vintage tube amplifiers, jukeboxes, assorted homemade electromechanical marvels, and clear, basic discussions of technical topics, then please subscribe to my channel. You will gain access to well over 100 videos and will be notified each time a new one is released. Thanks for watching !!! - เพลง
Every time I re-watch Doug’s videos, a bit more sinks in.
That's good to hear, Will. Keep on watching :)
Dear Uncle Doug. May I thank you for the time and effort you and Rusty have put in to make these you tube videos. It's a pity that in 1974 when I was a College student studying Telecommunications we didn't have such superb AV lessons !. Kind regarde from England UK
10:50 I'm sure everyone will be astonished to hear Unc invented the triod back in 1906. Well done uncle Doug and congratulations on your century and then some. If you were in my country you'd have at least two telegrams from the queen by now, as well as a gong.
Thanks for the long-overdue recognition, R.D. In reality, however, it was my former assistant, Rusty, who actually invented the triode while working with his protegee, Nikki Tesla.
Hi Uncle Doug. I am a 20 year old portuguese electrical engineering student. I am also a guitar player for 10 years now. I already built my own transistor amps and effects pedals. I am digging into tube right now. Just want to say thanks for ALL of your videos. Such a nice gentleman. Hope you are doing good on this horrible lookdown. Cheers
Thanks so much, BB. Yes, we are all doing fine....but are more than ready for life to return to normal :)
@@UncleDoug We all are! Cheers
I live for the Rusty inserts….Thank Doug! Learning much from you!
Glad you enjoy them, DMT. That's good :)
Wow, thanks to these video's, it took me 45 minutes to understand the basics of a tube amp. Perfect teaching! Thank you sir!
That's great to hear, Koen :)
I'll keep them coming then. I'm a guitar player of 26 years. Spent a large portion of my 20's & 30's bouncing from wiring houses, building them, and escaping all that land based stuff and working on a commercial fishing vessel.
With the limited electrical knowledge that I have your videos are a huge help bringing me up to speed on the things I need to know to build my own tube amps.
I have always been curious about tube amps and recently bought my first, a Mesa Boogie Roadster, and I am hooked. I spent months researching different amp types before I finally decided on the Mesa Boogie.
It was during my research that I came across your videos and it has sparked a NEED (funny what you can get addicted to) build my own amps. I have begun collecting tools and a few books that should help me in that quest. I have about a billion questions and your videos are answering a lot of them.
Thanks a million for all the work you and Rusty do. Can't wait to learn more. .........og.
+Ogre Badogre It's good to know that the videos are helpful and appreciated, OB. Best of luck with your amp-building project :)
Congrats again Uncle Doug. A very nice explanation on the triodes and tetrodes. Nothing better on TH-camland.
Thanks so much. Glad you enjoyed it :)
Well, I can’t say I “get it” yet, but I am getting closer.
I understand what you’re describing, just not the whole picture.
But, you are one of the best teachers I’ve ever come across.
Thank you for your efforts!
That's good to hear, DM. Keep up the good work.
Give Rusty a growl & 3 barks for me. Thank you for teaching us about electrical, electronic, electronics. The world is a ocean of electrons. Getting them to flow like water where we want them to & controlling them allows us to do all kinds of things.
You're welcome, Greg. Rusty passed away several years ago, but I'm sure he appreciates your courtesy.
man, when I learnt this in the school (ages ago) it took us few months to learn what you showed in few minutes today - txh ;-)
power of YT nowadays
I'm glad the videos are helpful, ZH.
@@UncleDoug yeap, I am "back to school" as I am looking for nice headphone tube amplifier diagram that is my next project - if you happen to have one please share ;-)
Thank you so much for these. I have learned so much, and the level of your lectures is just right. Your style, and even your handwriting, remind me so much of my Dad, who was an electrical engineer and taught me a lot. He passed away in 2001, and listening to you is almost like getting to sit next to him again.
I am quite flattered by the comparison, Jon. Thank you so much :)
These videos are just such fantastic learning resources. I learn so much and demystify so many things.
Glad to hear it, LG :)
Man these videos are excellent. I'm a service engineer working on Mass spectrometers and a keen guitarist and always wondering in detail how tubes worked and how the design of them changed the input signal.
A bit like our Ion optics elements and quadrupole mass filters in our mass specs except for elections rather than charged ions. And instead of tubes we use electron multiplier horns for signal amplification. I can feel myself going down a deep rabbit hole here and I love it.
It sounds like tube electronics should seem rather elementary after dealing with the equipment you described, D. Welcome aboard :)
Going back and watching the classics again has made my holidays happier. Thank you for all you do, and Happy Hollidays UD! Cheers!
Thanks for the nice holiday note, FWR. Likewise to you all.
Uncle Doug! Thank you again for all your great videos - you're greatest tube guru on the internet. You help us all learn more and build better amplifiers.
RIP Rusty. All love.
You're quite welcome, ID. Thanks so much :)
This is the 3rd video I've watched (of yours), and I have to say, you've done a magnificent job of explaining tube amplifiers!!!!
Thanks, Richard. I'm glad you enjoy our videos.
Thank you for another very clear explanation of valve tube technology.
You're welcome. Glad it was helpful.
I would just like to thank you very much for your explanations of the guitar tube amplifier, In watching your videos for a couple of hours has done more for my understanding of these circuits then years of trying to research them on my own again thank you for your time and consideration
You're welcome, Terry. We're glad to hear that the videos are informative :)
Great explanation of how a tube operates. Love that you include the pets! I've been a ham radio operator for 25+ years and still learn from these videos. Now if I could only get my Shih Tzu to solder.
Glad it was helpful, Ryan. Best of luck with your pup assistant ;)
Thanks a lot for this explanations, im too young for vacuum tubes, never got such a clear explanation.
You're welcome, Bruno. I think most of us were fairly young (or not yet born) during the heyday of vacuum tubes. To be honest, if it weren't for the current resurgence of interest in tube electronics, it would probably all be just a dusty relic of minor historical interest. Rusty and I are glad you enjoyed our video :)
On to part two... Thank you!!
I hope you enjoy it, K.
May I just say, you are a legend sir! Perfectly explained in the most soothing and radiophonic voice. Thank you!
Wow, thanks, Jon :)
Uncle Doug! Great explanation! I'm learning at my age of 54 all about signal paths, volts, amps on electrical guitar amps. Thank you!
You're welcome, Jose. Thanks !!!
Brilliant video Doug.Really clear and concise explanation of how the various tubes operate.
Thanks, Stephen. Glad it was helpful!
The way I was taught how Triodes worked, (a long time ago, (sigh)).
You're in a room facing a white wall with your back to the window on a sunny day, the blinds are closed. As you open the blinds more light gets through. The Sun is the Cathode, the blinds are the Grid and the wall is the Anode.The less light that comes in, the lower the voltage on the grid. Just thought I'd share.
Oh and the most precious book I own is the Telefunken 1966 book of valves. 613 pages of tech info for (almost) every single valve made. Audio/Radio/CRT/Transmitter and rectifier.With some even having example circuit diagrams. It's always been close at hand ever since I got it in 82.
Thanks for sharing this with us, Franko.
I remember studying tubes many years ago, so a refresher course is way over due. Thank you for the lessons.
+Gene Hudson You're welcome, Gene. I hope the videos were helpful.
Your lessons are phenomenal Doug...and alot of fun. Love the dogs. Many thanks.
You're welcome, Christopher :)
the guitar signal's "jumping on the merry-go-round" which is spinning already, and being flung off butterfingers to the next ride... - I grab it... wow.
You're the far most amazing instructor of mine ever! Thank you Uncle Doug, just because of you I'm in the tube amplifier world and feeling super happy!
Thanks !!! We're glad to hear it, K.
Very tasty info- enjoying the gray matter stimulation!
Glad you liked it, Michael :)
It amazing that when somebody draws the right picture, it clarifies everything. After watching a few of your videos on tubes, I could predict what you were going to say next.
Great video as always! Another brick in my "wall of knowledge" :D
Greetings, Nusior....always good to hear from you. Thanks for your kind words. Rusty and I are glad you enjoyed it :)
As always Doug, this is great stuff. Look forward to part two.
Thanks
Carl
You're welcome, Carl. Thanks for watching :)
Superb and detailed description.
First class.
Thanks, Ian :)
Thank you for explaining vacuum tubes
You're welcome, Lee.
Waiting impatiently for part 2!
Thanks for the great videos!
Wow, finally someone who was able to simplify this highly technical info. into something I could understand ! tank you Uncle Doug for being so patient & methodical. Forever thankful !
You're welcome, Jerry. I'm glad the video was informative.
I very much appreciate you sharing your knowledge with us...I look forward always to your videos..they are great...Eddie
Thanks so much, Ed :)
Great video as always.
Spectacular, thank you Uncle Doug.
As usual, I learned a tremendous amount of useful information, this time about those not-so-mysterious tubes. Just the topic for dinner table conversations, and with a new pair of paws on the camera, the video is steadier than ever. The exposition is as engaging and informative as ever. Amplifier design appears to be about balancing trade-offs in every part of the circuit, so it can only be understood by grasping the intricacies of each component in the whole.
Uncle Doug,
I've watched many, certainly not all, of your videos and I feel it necessary share my appreciation of the amazingly understandable way that you present and share so much very complicated material and concepts. Thank you so much!
Gene
You are quite welcome, Gene. We really appreciate your nice comments.
Your videos really help take out the mystery of these amps we love to play through. Looks like Rusty has to step it up, Ben is taking Rusty's spot light.
Greetings, Gman. Thanks for your kind assessment of the videos :) We "babysat" Ben for a week, and during that time, Rusty passed on many of his better traits.....such as sleeping, eating, chasing tennis balls, and sleeping :)
Really enjoying your videos. I've tinkered for years without really understanding how it all worked. Thanks.
You're welcome, Michael :)
Thanks Uncle Doug for another well-researched and interesting video. You are a natural teacher! I'm looking forward to the next installment.
Thanks so much, Robert. Rusty and I appreciate your kind words, and promise even more "thrills and chills" in Part 2 :)))
Great theory and instruction, just what I needed. Looking forward to Part II so I can understand how to bias a happy functioning pentode.
Again, fantastic teaching. I've watched many vids and yours are by far the best. Now I understand all.
Wow, thanks, Ravi.
Nice little basic toppic, well and very *nice* explained, Thanx Doug!! Looking forward to see Part 2 soon:)
Thanks so much, TC. I always appreciate your input. Part 2 should be posted soon.
This was great,
Thanks, Mr. Mac....glad you like it :)
I hope you will go over every type of tube with us, you have a good way,that makes it easier to understand the concepts.. Thanks..Cheers.
In Part 2, and I don't want to "give too much away", but we will discuss the development of tubes like the 6BQ5, 6L6, and KT88, which are near and dear to the hearts of all guitar amp enthusiasts.
Good Stuff! Looking forward to the Part 2! Rusty Rocks! LOL!
Thanks, Tim. Rusty and I are currently working on Part 2.....so stay tuned. Meanwhile, I can see from your Crosley WLW pic that you must be a radio enthusiast. Please check out a photo on my FB page: Uncle Doug's Vintage Amps, of a near-mint, completely original (and working) Zenith Stratosphere 1000Z I bought from the office of a local custodial supply company many years ago. It just proves that you should never give up looking for old treasures.....and that they are often found in unlikely places.
Lee De Forest was heck of a guy. It took him about 10 years or so to get his pattent. I heard a radio program from 1942 or so, where his lab assistant was interviewed. the program was called "Behind the Mic"; I'm into old time radio programs. He told how Mr De Forest was actually brought before a congressional committee on charges of fraud for what "they" considered attempting to pattent what ammounted to a light bulb and defreauding his investors. Poor guy, never even gained the respect he deserved much less the financial success.
I guess congressional committees wasting taxpayer money and making fools of themselves is not a recent phenomenon ;) DeForest, Tesla, and their ilk never did get the recognition they deserved during their lifetimes.
Guess that's sitll the way it is, otherwise, you'd be the star of all PBS stations.
Thanks, Remley. Better that than being grilled by Nancy Pelosi about my illicit use of current limiters :)
I didn't know that! It makes a lot of sense.
I appreciate all the time you've taken to make these videos. You are very clear and make it easy to learn. Keep on rockin!
Jay Stern Thanks so much, Jay. Rusty and I are glad you enjoy our videos. Thanks for watching :)
great video uncle Doug, extremely helpful!
That's good to hear, Paul. Thanks for watching :)
I found this very helpful and informative. Thanks !
You're welcome, RA. We're glad to hear it :)
Rusty has more knowledge about tubes in his left paw than most people will know in their entire lives.
He would have been the first to agree, Ezra :)
I have been studying vacuum tubes for radio both AM/FM and shortwave. I have an extensive collection of vintage tube radios and simply have relished your easy and thoughtful presentations! I look forward to part 2!
hey joe. do you have any circuit schematics for am/fm radio. if you have can you share it with me ? I have VT-173 1T4 tung sol lamps. I would like to make a radio.
You have a making these concepts relatable. Thank you so much for your efforts!
You're welcome, Ben :)
Really intresting! Was nice to watch and I'm going to see part 2 :)
Klaus Sonnleitner Thanks, Klaus.....glad you liked it.
Another great teaching video Uncle Doug thank you! I love the little big puppy dupps! - Rusty is obviously a good teacher! - or rather was, very sad to hear.
Thanks so much, Neville :)
Thanks Uncle Doug for all the videos explaining the parts of these magical 'black boxes' we call amplifiers! These videos you put together are great and REALLY helpful to guys like me. Cant wait till ya come up with some more!
Tyler Pesta You're welcome, Tyler. Glad you're enjoying the videos :) Hopefully, I can get Rusty to help me with some more in the near future.
Another excellent clip, thanks
David Quayle You're welcome, David. Glad you liked it :)
This is fantastic. Thanks UD & Rusty & Ben. Looking forward to Part 2!
You're welcome, Greg....glad you enjoyed it. The big surprises are in Part 2 :)
Thankyou, tremendously helpful,revisiting my old days back in the early 60s when I worked at a TV shop,and had allot of contact with tubes.
You're welcome, Daniel. I'm glad we helped you reminisce.
I just want to thank you for these awesome videos. I feel like they are the best explanations on the topics that I have found so far. Thank you!
You're welcome, KF :) Thanks for your nice comments.
Thanks for the video Doug all the best to you both. Take care. Colin
Great to hear from you, Colin. You're quite welcome. Rusty and I send you our best regards.
Thank you so much for this Doug. We need more great teachers like you!
Glad it was helpful, Erik. Thanks !!
Once again, thanks for breaking it down. Super helpful!
You're welcome, Keven.
Thank You for the excellent tutorial on triodes and tetrodes!
It was a pleasure, G430 :)
I had almost forgot about how great Your channel is!
Thank You wery much for uploading this serie about the AMP basics!
(And thank You Rusty for great guitarr play! :D )
You're welcome, SE, and Rusty appreciates your positive review of his guitar skills :)
Excellent and interest gripping. Thank you.
Wow, high praise indeed. You're welcome :)
Uncle Doug, you are truly an Inspiration! I've learnt so much from your videos...thank you so much for sharing your awesome knowledge and ability to make complicated things simple and fun things even more fun! Please never stop!
Thanks so much, Perry. It's great to hear that the videos have been helpful. As long as Rusty and I keep getting nice comments like your, we'll keep making videos :) ^. .^
Again, I enjoyed your straight forward and thorough discription of the different tube types. I have never seen many tetrodes, but they were used in the NARCO VHF radios, and I often wondered why.
Thanks, SJ. You're right, those of us who work primarily on amplifiers rarely (if ever) encounter any true tetrodes. I didn't know why until I did the research preparing for this video. I guess they just got passed by during the rapid evolution of amplifier tubes.
Thank you sooo much Uncle Doug for the brilliant explaination! you filled a big knowledge gap I carried for so long!
Respect
Hadi
+hadireg You're quite welcome. I'm glad the video was informative :)
Recently stumbled across your channel, and you have become my new guru!🙏
Thank you for these instructive and educational videos
You're quite welcome, Gaz. Thanks for joining us :)
"Parasitic oscillation" -that was one of the problems I had in high school.
It must have come from that toilet seat in the rear stall ;)
Another great technical theory lesson. Thanks Uncle Doug!
You're welcome, Vinny.
Great videos! Thank you for putting these out. Super information.
Waniel NingNong You're welcome, Wan, glad you like the videos :)
Great video UD! I was just going to send you a question about wave forms from a triode! But you answered my question. Thanks! Can't wait for part 2!
Thanks so much, Dan....glad we answered your question (in advance). You better get a good supply of beer and snacks for Part 2 :)
Another great vid, thanks so much. I've built a good handful of pedals but was always intimidated by tubes and their required voltages. After subscribing and watching your videos for the last 6 months or so I'm starting to feel more confident and looking forward to building a champ or 5e3 sometime soon. Thanks for lifting the veil of black magic off of these little glowing bottles!
You're quite welcome, Matt. It's great to know that the videos are helpful. Please let us know how your amp project turns out :)
Thank you very much for this. I'm building my first tube amp and your videos have provided me with invaluable information !
Dave Becker You're welcome, Dave. We're glad our videos have been helpful :)
Great video, awesome explanations ! thank you !
You're welcome, John. Glad you liked it :)
Hey There Uncle Doug & Good Ole Rusty, just wanted to catch up no muster and wish yous and urs a ''Merry Christmas & Holiday'' you've been a great mentor to us all plus an inspiration to commitment with the joy of helping ourselves to a better way of knowing more... Thanks so much!!!
You are quite welcome, Nelson. Rusty and I sincerely appreciate your kind wishes and say likewise to you and yours. We're always glad to hear that our videos have been helpful. See you in the New Year :)
My daily lesson. Fascinating. Wish I had time to binge-watch your whole channel! Many thanks for the info!
A viewer tried it a year or so ago, PC, and it took him about a week.....but he was so tired and overwhelmed when he got through that he had to go back and watch them again, slowly :) You're welcome.
@@UncleDoug "Breaking Doug"
My students used to insist that I was Walter White......in witness protection :)
@@UncleDoug Well, the parallels are all there... And we never see you AND Walter White at the same time... Like Superman and Clark Kent. =)
I'm always excited by another video from Uncle Doug! You nailed it with this video! Warm hugs from your brazilian apprentice!
Thanks so much, Andre.....glad you liked it :)
fantastic as always.
Thanks so much, Heinrich. Glad you enjoyed it :)
Great lesson,doc
Thanks, Chris :)
Thank you Uncle Doug and Rusty. I've enjoyed your videos for a while and learn quite a bit from these more instructional videos. They really help me visualize the operations and limitations of the various tube designs/types.
You're welcome, Gregg. Rusty and I are glad the videos are helpful and informative. Thanks for watching and commenting :) ^. .^
Very interesting and helpful ! Thanks !
You're welcome, K.....glad you liked it :)
great video's....i have never seen a series of video's like yours, you explain things in such a easy to understand way, and relaxing way, at a pace my old brain can absorb the information...i have learned so much, thank you. bob in the uk.
Hi, Bob, and thanks for your kind assessment of my videos. I try to present information in a way that I personally could best comprehend it. Effective teaching requires a significant amount of empathy....which is (sadly) often lacking in most venues.
Great video! Many thanks!
+SiliconSet You're welcome, SS.
Good lesson ,sir thx
Very clear explanation. Good work uncle !
Thanks, Roland :)
Uncle Doug, I love these videos as when I was getting my EE in the late 80s, vacuum tubes were not covered at all. I am getting into old radios and high-end audio equipment just a little bit and your videos are far less sterile than many on the topic.
Glad you like them, TD :) Thanks !!
Tetrode - Hiroshi Ando. " In 1914 Schottky discovered an irregularity in the emission of thermions in a vacuum tube, now known as the Schottky effect. He invented the screen-grid tube in 1915, and in 1919 he invented the tetrode. " Just found, " In Japan, Hiroshi Ando patented improvements to the construction of the screen grid in 1919. " and " The first true tetrode, with a screen grid designed to reduce grid -plate capacitance, was patented by Hiroshi Ando in 1919. "
Thanks for sharing this with us, P.
Excellent, well done vid. Thx.
Glad you liked it, James.
Very good job
Thanks :)
Fabulous! Thank you very much indeed!
You're welcome, Andy.
Holy smokes UD! I knew if I watched this ten times I would start to understand. Something like inverted reverse osmosis... Thanks for all you do!
It's our pleasure, FWR.
It might be useful to mention that the grid is never driven into the positive realm by the incoming signal. (from the guitar). It's only driven to a less negative state. Great videos.
Good point, Alex. Thanks !!!