Speaker / tube break-in time

[Nelskie]

I know that this might be an entirely subjective topic, but I had to ask. The reason is this: About a month or so ago, I re-tubed, and dropped a new speaker in my Epiphone Valve Junior. Now at the outset, I was happy with the tone I was getting, especially the cleans. Initially, the distortion didn't excite me, but now, after awhile, it seems to have gotten a little better sounding. Tubes too. This same kind of thing happened with my Classic 30 last year - about a month or so after I'd done the change-outs, it just started sounding better and better.

My friend says tubes need time to "burn-in", and even though I am not entirely familiar with that from a technical standpoint, it does seem to make sense. However, the speaker thing is still a total mystery to me. Can a speaker start sounding better as it's used? The one I put in my Epi Valve Jr. is a Weber Alnico 8S, which I like a lot. I might also mention that I've been playing the amp at louder volume levels, too, and for longer periods of time.

I have a Digitech Tone Driver pedal that I like to use with that amp. It's very effective in giving me that raw, tube distortion sound I like. Again, running this pedal through the amp, the Alnico speaker seems to respond more to my liking than the distortion I get by just increasing the volume on the than the amp (no pedal).

Thoughts and insights are appreciated!

 

[6STRINGS 9LIVES]

Nelskie speakers indeed do have a breakin period , 20 hours of playing "maybe i'm a leo" should do it nicely, some subscribe to the idea of running music throug it similar to what you'll be playing , but no doubt they sound sweeter as they get loosend up ...as for tubes i sorta think they burn in pretty fast , that weber speaker is the best 8" i've ever heard , the deal for fender champs and apparently vj"s... mine went from a little muddy to crisp and punchy after about 20 hours of playing at moderate volumes ...6S9L

 

[Robert]

I know of some musicians that have their new cabs being pumped with music continously for a day or so, just to get them broken in. Speakers do sound better after 20 hours of playing as 6s9l says, definitely. As for broken in tubes, nah, I don't think so. They want to be new and fresh!

 

[Nelskie]

Thanks for responding guys - I figured one you would have the answer on that one. The distorted tone of that Weber is also starting to grow on me, too, little-by-little.

And how about 69SL - pulling that Deep Purple card off the bottom of the deck. "Machine Head" is most definitely an album that resides on my short list of core rock n' roll listening. My other big fave of DP's is "Mandrake Root"!! Man, Ritchie had that dark, ominous Strat tone absolutely dialed in, didn't he??

 

[Robert]

Yeah, Machine Head rocks! I am a big fan of Deep Purple from that era. Blackmore's sound was amazing!

 

[6STRINGS 9LIVES]

Yeah DP and Blackmore conjure up images of big stadium shows and a whole backline made up of marshall stacks ( check out the album cover for MADE IN JAPAN) , it was like ..oh so thats what a marshall and a strat are supposed to sound like ...haven't heard much from Blackmore thes days too bad ...i bet his celestions were broken in by the bridge in highway star...6S9L

 

[Nelskie]

69SL - You seem to be getting a lot of mileage out of my speaker "break-in" query!!! Not that they aren't funnny, tho' . . . ! And since we're working Deep Purple into the conversation mix, I might even have to plug in, and get back to my own "roots" with a little "Smoke on the Water". First song I ever learned to play . . . *sigh* (insert quiet, but fond moment of personal reflection here.)

 

[6STRINGS 9LIVES]

I'M smilin ...ahhhh remember , blacklight posters , cherry insense ,maui wowi, adidas roms in tobacco of course , a friend who had the coolest basement with a killer stereo, high school dances , discovering T REX, BOWIE, and amazing your friends with your rendetion of smoke on the water , circus magazine , and visiting your local music store and looking at that holy grail guitar with a far away look in your eye..the fender catalog trimmed perfectly to fit in the middle of your grade 9 history book ...alice cooper , elp , and girls that smelt like berries.....6S9L

 

[Nelskie]

Oh man . . . you just opened up the memory flood-gates. Lemme' see if I can hang with you on this . . . big bell Levis with pipe neck / sleeve t-shirt, adorned with an expressive iron-on (remember the mouse giving the big ol' hawk the "bird" - ah yes, "The Last Great Act of Defiance"), girls had Bonne Bell lip-smackers (berry, of course!) hanging on a lanyard around their necks; low-plunge, French-cut, sequined baby-doll tops with HASH jeans and clogs; the bodacious Farrah Fawcett swimsuit poster on my closet door, right next to the KISS' "Spirit of '76" Tour poster; making paraphrenelia on the turning lathe in shop class; The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers in all of their stoner glory; ELO's "Face The Music" and Cheap Trick's "In Color" on 8-track; Trans-Ams and Z-28 Camaros; seeing the movies "The Song Remains The Same", "The Rocky Horror Picture Show", and "Heavy Metal" as first-runs at the theater; Pop Rocks and Marathon bars; Dr. J with a huge 'fro; digital pinball machines with (5) plays for a Susan B. Anthony dollar; and Friday and Saturday nights playing foosball and chasing girls at the roller rink! *whew* - there it is, my friend.

 

[6STRINGS 9LIVES]

WOW Nelskie thats almost a stream of conscious thing ..or regarding the 70's for me a river of unconsciousness..lol... paraphenalia on the lathe , lovin that., high times and the freak bros...frampton comes alive and later boston , those first 90 mile road trips with the boys in my 71 chevell ss ( had that car till 92) and chasin girls ...and chassin girlz...the obligatory farrah fawcett poster, and then girls smellin like farrah fawcette shampoo..your slayin me here bro ...i was 12 in 1970 so the 70's to me were the golden age ahhhh as billy joel said "my sweet romantic nights " i'd pay a lot of money for another week in 1977, just cant remember whicjh one i'd pick..i bet ND was a great pace to grow up ...did you ever see the movie "dazed and confused " that about summs it up ...girls smellin like berries ...they gotta lotta nize girlzz..6S9L

 

[Spudman]

Oh my Gawd! You guys are killing me!!! I thought I was the only one living my life, but it appears both of you have lived my life too. It was the "blacklight posters, maui wowie, Adidas, Deep Purple" that triped my trigger. It was spending the night at my friends house in town (I lived in the country on a ranch) and walking into his house while "Who Do We Think We Are" was playing over and over on the 8 track stereo. "Our Lady, Super Trooper, Mary Long, Place In The Line, Woman From Tokyo", I had been reborn in to a new mystical experience. It was almost too much for my naieve country boy little mind. Phew! I'm flashin'. The junk food (snowballs, pixie sticks), the clothes (bell bottoms, Angle Flights, rayon shirts). Who is Farah Fawcet? The real hottie for me was Lita Ford and of course Olivia Neutron Bomb. Yes I know who Farah is, but there were much hotter girls back in the age of consent and free love before aids. Which girls? Why the ones next door and the ones that came to the gigs. Such sweet, sweet memories. And yes North Dakota was open grazing land ;-) .

Oh, the topic...I've never noticed a difference between NEW and BROKEN IN speakers myself. However, fresh tubes are the way to go providing you can afford them.

 

[Nelskie]

Welcome to our 70's flashback, Spud! I'm having so much fun with this thread, I may have to start a 70's thread under "Open Mic", and maybe even another under "Have You Heard". Any takers . . . ?

 

[6STRINGS 9LIVES]

Thats cool Spud..i guess we have all shared the same culture and alot of the same things that make us feel warm and fuzzy ...fuzzy anyways ...and yeah Nelskie kick out the jams on that new thread ..... its also funny how certain songs or items of pop culture act as touchstones for so many of us , i'm sure the 80's have tons for those who grew up in their midst ....aw well the wheel in the sky keeps on turning ..6S9L

 

[Robert]

I'm reading you guys's posts with a big smile! Did I say big smile? Fond memories start coming back now!

 

[Spudman]

Maybe we should hold hands and sing a song together.

 

[SuperSwede]

"we shall overcome"... or perhaps "we are the world" ?

 

[Tone2TheBone]

I'M smilin ...ahhhh remember , blacklight posters , cherry insense ,maui wowi, adidas roms in tobacco of course , a friend who had the coolest basement with a killer stereo, high school dances , discovering T REX, BOWIE, and amazing your friends with your rendetion of smoke on the water , circus magazine , and visiting your local music store and looking at that holy grail guitar with a far away look in your eye..the fender catalog trimmed perfectly to fit in the middle of your grade 9 history book ...alice cooper , elp , and girls that smelt like berries.....6S9L

Girls that smelled like berries........LMAO. We must have went to the same high school.

 

[6STRINGS 9LIVES]

Hey Tone i think we ALL went to the same high school .."OUR LADY OF THE 70'S"...The same fun vibe was continent wide back then ,Like Nelskie says ""LIVIN LARGE MY FRIEND".. those were simpler times , not so many channels to try to live up to and all you needed was a pair of levis and good friends and you were there ..er and a ride home after the party on the outskirts of town..things have shure changed , Tone , i cant imagine a kid walkin down mainstreet in my town in 1975 wearin a stocking cap in july , he would definitely have had a limp by the time he got to the end..lol .. the worm has definitely turned....6S9L

 

[Tim]

Can you image back then, what would of happen to the guy(s) who wear their pants below the a**es?

I don’t think time changed. We just got older. All change is based upon how you want to classify rebellion, or making a statement, or doing my own thing. Back in my day rock and roll and the “DA” was taboo.

Although berry lipstick was after my time, we each have our own fond memories of our younger lives. Keep them fresh in your minds. 30 to 40 years from now that maybe all we have left.

Now you know why all those old men go around with smiles on their faces. They are remembering their younger years. Hep by Golly, she was a fine filly way back then.

 

[frankencat]

Believe me, times have changed but man, those were good times yes indeed. I grew up in NY at that time and it was a very intense and incredible place and time. Anyway, I don't know about y'all but I still have a few good jams left in me

And yes, speakers need to ne broken in for anywhere from 10 - 100 hours

 

[Slowhand]

hi this is what Celestion have to say on breaking in speakers
http://professional.celestion.com/guitar/features/drdecibel/index.asp
on the FAQ box select breaking in etc, the rest is worth checking out as well

hope this helps
Graham

 

[Nelskie]

Graham - Thanks for the great link. There's really a lot of good information on that Celestion website, and I've bookmarked it for future reference. Amd also, I welcome you to our forum. Just out of curiosity, on your avatar, is that you in front of those rather ominous-looking stacks of Marshalls? If it is, you're livin' the dream in that shot - two full stacks and and Les Paul. It would be about at that time that I'd be waking up . . .

 

[Slowhand]

Nelskie Yes it's me! The Les Paul is mine.... the Amps are the Photo Shop edition. Just the right volume for playing at home.
Although I did get the chance to play a Marshall stack once Awsome but you really do need a big space those things are loud. Came away with a smile that lasted a week
Graham

 

[Tim]

Graham - Welcome to our growing forum. We are becoming international acclaimed, but we claim to be just an international family.

Tot – Welcome to you also. Glad to see another Vox VTxxAD owner. There are several of us here. We discuss new things on these amp whenever they are discovered.

 

[Nelskie]

Aaahhh, the Photoshop Edition Marshall Stack. What kind of specs do those cabs / heads have? And let me guess - they have a really transparent tone to them, too, right? Ha ha ha ha. You get a "10" for creativity, though!

 

[duhvoodooman]

....the Amps are the Photo Shop edition.

Wow, maybe there's a "Paint Shop Pro" edition of the Marshall stack! I'll have to open up that program and check!

Welcome, Graham! Have seen a lot of your patches & posts over at Valvetronix.net. Looking forward to your contributions here.

 

[Slowhand]

Thanks guys cool site this !!!! Next I think I'll get me a Dumble OD 100 from same source........Oh it's already in my amp
Graham

 

[r_a_smith3530]

Yeah, Machine Head rocks! I am a big fan of Deep Purple from that era. Blackmore's sound was amazing!

I'm still to this day torn between "Machine Head" and Blackmore's "Rainbow On Stage" as my favorite. I mean, asking a man to choose between "Highway Star" and "Man On The Silver Mountain" is just too much!

I don't like Blackmore's later stuff anywhere near as well.

 

[r_a_smith3530]

Hey Slowhand, great site! Welcome to the forum. Pardon me if I chimed in late here, but I've been playing with my new toy all afternoon and into the evening. I only stopped because blood began hemorrhaging from my finger tips. No, I'm only joking, but they are a little tender. You six-stringers might find doing full step bends on a flatwound Rotosound .085 A string to be a minor chore!