psarkissian

radatats is right,... "... while they MAY be compatible, they may also be different. apparently original 6CA7's were identical to EL-3s but today's 6CA7 version is a beam tetrode whereas the EL-34 is a pentode"---- The power tubes that come stock with these are "pentodes", that's how the circuitry is designed. Don't mod these amps, use the specified tubes, you will have less problems.

Melted glass is usually a result of 'red plating'. It can get so hot, that the glass will melt and pucker until it cracks and loses vacuum. Seen that more times than I would like to. Depending on how much gigging you do, tubes ought to be changed out every 12-18 months. If you're a recreational player and don't gig or record much, you can get away with 2 to 2-1/2 years. But, yes,... I've seen tubes in amps in general (at other places I've worked) last two weeks in one amp and 5-years in another. Partly the amp, partly the tube. "What precautions can we take to ensure that our amps don't wind up on your bench?"--- Don't try to modify it, use specified tubes, change out tubes on a regular basis. It's your friend, your tools, take care of your tools. And used Line 6 authorized service centers, as they will have access to proper service info,... at least while your warranty is good. And by all means,.... please DON"T go inside these amps yourself, the shock hazard is too great. Don't want read about how someone got zapped messing with a tube amp. This is dangerous,... I'm a tube geek, I was trained to do this, been dealing with tube amps and solid state amps since the 1970's. And been zapped enough to know better.

Yes. Red plating isn't the only way to damage the unit. To explain that further gets into aspects of the circuit that I can't get into. It all goes to the characteristic curves of the tubes. JJ's have a tendency to damage certain parts of the processor board, Mesa's tend to "red plate", and Groove tubes tend to do a host of other things. Part of it is that it's a Bogner hot rod, part of it is that there are multiple gain topologies that are on this amp that can be engaged, and so messing with it is not a good thing to do.

There's a bias voltage specified by Bogner and our engineering dept. Can't get into Plate voltage on a DT-50,... sorry. It's a lot, so don't mess with it. It hurts when you get zapped.

-Red Plating, for one. Too much current going through the plate element. -Biasing other brand tubes to the same spec as the EH's would not be a good idea. -Circuit is designed to operate in the linear region of the "characteristic curves" of the tube. Other brand's linear regions don't always match curve-to-curve. If you go non-linear too soon, distortions and other related problems occur,... stuff starts to get damaged or blown. Bias and gain stages play into this. -And with a hybrid amp like this, one of the things that typically goes, are a couple components on the processor board. -There are multiple gain structures on the amp board, using tubes with afore mentioned aspects also play a part in what can get damaged. Other aspects I won't go into because it's a tube engineering thing that most people won't get (except tube geeks like me),... and because there are also aspects I can't get into because it's proprietary. Pushing a hot rod to the edge is not a good idea here. It's already a hot rod, and a hybrid one at that.

"It was like a crackle pop sound"--- electronic,... a few different possibilities. An authorized service center could narrow it down, nip it in the bud, and check the set-up,... all at once. JTV's are all set-up and checked out before they leave the distribution center. Cross country travel, climate change from region-to-region can have an affect on the set-up. The set-up may need to be dialed-in a smidgeon.

Sounds like a set-up issue, maybe a result of fret buzz getting processed with the rest of the audio. High-E slip on a 69 was with an earlier run, the fret dress specs were adjusted and no problem since. That newer fret dress spec was applied to the 69S later on, so High-E slip hasn't been an issue on the 69S. Set-up may be an issue here as well, may need to be dialed-in a smidgeon.

clay-man, What's the serial number of the JTV-69? Or is it a 69S?

Don't mess with it yourself, have an authorized Line 6 service center do it. They will have access to service info and the know-how to use it. This is not our grandfather's Marshal stack, it's a hybrid. If you don't know where the trim pots go, then don't go there. Leave to the experienced tech who's worked on these. I see too many failed attempts come across my bench. And using info from a Spider Valve link won't apply to the DT series. Different beast, different gain structure,... not to be taken lightly. Nor is its supply voltage. There are high voltage supply lines that should not be tampered with. Leave it to the service center with the knowledge and the service info access. Besides, if you get zapped, it hurts.

"jandrio" is right,... "restringing from the stock d'addario 10s requires setup". Because, changing string gauges changes the tension on the neck, and when you change the tension on the neck, the whole set-up changes (action, pick-up height and intonation). Whenever you change gauge, get a new set-up done on it. Factory strings are D'Addario XL-110's.

"You almost make it sound as though the EH EL34 pair I ordered from MF would not meet the same requirements that the OEM tubes meet"--- I guess the operative word is "almost". EH matched pairs should have a spec marked on it (Plate Current and Transconductance). If it's EH and they're matched they would fine. From MF or whoever has them is fine.

DT series likes EH's, never seen any China tubes in them from the factory. Spider Valve uses 12AX7B (China) for preamps and Sovtek 5881WXT,... should use the WXT versions especially a must if the tube retainers are the "bear trap" type. Alchemist amps are another story altogether and specified tubes are even more crucial and specific. These are hybrid amps with some complex gain loops, so using specified tubes is a must.

Flavors never mattered to me. some people are into that. What we get from EH (matched pairs) has been extra tested saying that they passed our requirements. They also have the crucial Plate Current and Transconductance marked on them. What flavor they are, I don't recall, they are what they are, fitted spec'ed for this group of amps. They all meet the spec. Mike Matthews of EH is an old school circuit geek (like me), so we always have much to talk about when I see him at trade shows. As well as my trade show chats with Aspen Pittman of Groove Tubes. Tony, boo boo? Not really. Sovtek, EH,... same factory, and the factory is owned by EH. EH marked tubes go through extra scrutiny.

BTW,... EH owns the factory in Russia.

Because of the way Bogner designs the tube portions of these amps, and that this is a hybrid and not the usual bill-of-fare tube amp, you should re-tube using the specified EH from Electro-Harmonix tubes. You can't use the EH bias spec on other tubes. The spec is dialed in for the EH's. All too often these come across our bench for no other reason than having non-specified tube inside (JJ's, Mesa, Groove Tube), using the DT amp specified bias. That does not work. They (JJ's, Mesa, Groove Tube) would have to be bias slightly different, because the characteristic curves from one to the other are not exact. That little of difference, makes all the difference. I've seen too many blown amps come across my bench just because of that. It's a hybrid and a hot rod,... best don't mess with it. Stick with the specified EH's.

pda041376--- your account info is still there.

Have you checked the Line 6 Knowledge Base? I gave a couple documents to be put up there last year, regarding JTV's, forgot what it was. The set-up isn't always as routine as you might think, given the interactions in Model mode. The processor will try to deal with fret buzz or warbling, as if it were part of the signal. And there's probably something in our set-up doc that's not meant for public consumption, that might factor into it. Though I don't know what that would be off-hand.

Clay, et al- ... and remember, piezos are sensitive to impact shocks that can damage them, so be careful when dealing with them. Pluncking? Probably fret buzz or the nut slots need to be cleaned and de-burred. fr0sty- set-up on a JTV can be tricky because of the Model processing. this isn't your everyday kitty-cat, it's a tiger and has to be cuddled under the chin a little differently. It's not our father's archtop hollow body with passive electronics. The fact that pick-up height can affect Modeling (ie- warbling) is a perfect example of that. I get a few back from those who attempt and fail at an adequate set-up. stevekc- thank you for the kind words. Quality time indeed, I didn't want to part with it. Nice 59.

Ghost Notes (aka- hollowing or whistling) is typically a result of set-up, either neck relief or intonation, or both. Most often it's intonation. Warbling is typically a result of the set-up, usually relates to pick-up height (most often, set too close to the strings). The magnet pulls on the string causing a warbling effect. http://line6.com/find/service_center/ for looking for a service center.

Make sure it's the VDI cable and not everyday CAT5. VDI has the XLR casing. You need that so that the connector doesn't wiggle and cause intermittent contacts. Seen a number of connectors in the past with both old Variax and JTV, where someone used the cheaper standard CAT5 Ethernet without the XLR casing. It resulted in bent pins, intermittent contacts and Volt transients that damaged the electronics. Always use the VDI version of the cable, and not the everyday CAT5 Ethernet stuff,... please.

Low-E's and A's typically need more dialing-in on intonation than other strings. Just the physics of strings. Sometimes it's just a matter of playing the thing. I'll play it, leave it, come back a couple days later and do it again, until I find that one that grabs me. And sometimes it's just dialing-in the one you've got until it's right where you want it. Rock on!!!

Knob, hmm,... I'll get on someone about that. Thanks for the heads up.

"I don't buy that a Variax is so special that you have to send it to Line6 for a setup"--- No, you don't need to send it to Line 6 for a set-up. But an authorized tech who can check and spec it out, and dial it in. Local climate will affect things like neck relief and such. I get musicians who travel, I set it up for the "general" climate of their location. "... the dreaded "set-up" is not nearly as supernatural as many seem to think"--- correct, though it's not magic, it has to be done correctly by someone with experience. I get too many back for a host of reasons, when all it really needed was to have the set-up dialed in a little tighter. Also, changing string gauges changes the the tension, which in turn changes the set-up, which then requires the set-up be re-adjusted for the different string gauge. It's not magic, it's a balancing act of balancing tensions and adjustments, and dialing it all in.

The guy at Line 6 replying to you is consulting me,... we work in the same building. I heard the audio file, there's a very slight warble. Usually that's a result of the pick-up's magnetic field being too close and pulling on the string while in Model mode, and the piezos brings in that entire result to the processor. The pick-up height adjustment is a starting point. Very slight adjust,... by a guitar tech.

If it's on those fret positions and strings, then sounds like the set-up needs a little adjusting to remove fret buzz. I would recommend an authorized Line 6 service center guitar technician check it out.