Changing Tubes in my Tube Amp?

Well i got a Peavy Valve King 100 VK and i'm told it has a fixed bias so, would it be safe for myself to change them?



And also how would i know when to change them? I've had the amp for well over a year, (Nearly Two) practice probably once a week with my band for the past year, and gig all of 2 shows so far... I don't wanna shell out the $$ if i don't have to if you know what i mean!



ThanksChanging Tubes in my Tube Amp?
Contrary to what Some Guy says, ';Fixed Bias'; means exactly that - the bias is fixed. i.e. it can't be changed. Therefore you need to use the same type of tube. The Valve King 100VK uses 6L6 GC tubes which are pretty easy to come by so that shouldn't be a problem. Note that not all 6L6 tubes are the same - there are 6L6's, 6L6 G's, 6L6 GC's and etc. So long as you get the right tubes, in theory you don't have to worry about it.



Changing tubes is easy. You don't need to pay a tech to do it (although it's should be cheap and it's always nice to have some sort of warranty rather than worrying about screwing up your gear by working on it yourself - then again, at least if you do it yourself, you don't have to be without gear for a week or however long it takes them to get to it). However, if you've never done it before (which I guess is obviously the case), it couldn't hurt to have a tech do it and then show you what he's doing.



Once a year is good, but I agree that you're probably not playing enough to have to do it that often.



(incidentally, since you're talking about biasing, I'm assuming you're talking about your power tubes. People often change their pre-amp tubes more often. And with pre-amp tubes, there's a little more room for play - i.e. your amp comes stock with 12AX7's, but people often experiment with 12AT7's in some sockets for a different tone - but you still want to check your manual and stuff for currents and etc.)Changing Tubes in my Tube Amp?
If you are told you have a fixed bias refers to any other tube of a different make than your stock tubes and therefore your bias must be reset. If you are using the same tubes, then you won't have to reset the bias. When changing any tubes, it is recommened to allow an authorized technician change it for you.



As far as when changing out tubes, there are certain factors which you have kinda answered yourself. Typically you should change out your tubes once every year, but as long as you are still getting the same signal I wouldn't worry about it, especially if you're only jamming on your amp once every week. Expect to pay around $40 for a two-pack set of tubes.