Brad Sarno posted this on Facebook, very interesting. Of course Healy's talking about Twins played at GD stage volume.
"I had a chat with Dan Healy years ago when he said that by the late 60's they had figured out that the Twin combo amp (amp head and speakers in same cabinet) ate tubes real fast. He would clean up and tweak and re-tube and bias Jerry's Twins for a tour. Jerry would love the sound for about 2 gigs and then said something went away, got dull, lost sparkle or presence or something. Dan found that the speaker vibrations shook a certain aspect of refinement of tone out of the tubes very quickly. Then they moved to where some of the Twins were amp heads only and others were speakers only. From there on out their general practice was to keep the tubes separated from the speakers. There were exceptions where Jerry would bring out a pair of JBL'd Twins for JGB shows, but pretty much they practiced keeping the tubes isolated from speaker vibration.
We should all consider this for ourselves and not only just for tube-life and tone preservation, but man, that's a heavy combo. Nobody should be lifting a JBL'd Twin, ever ever. Split 'em up. Your spine is great and strong until you blow it, and then you pay for it forever. I know."
"I had a chat with Dan Healy years ago when he said that by the late 60's they had figured out that the Twin combo amp (amp head and speakers in same cabinet) ate tubes real fast. He would clean up and tweak and re-tube and bias Jerry's Twins for a tour. Jerry would love the sound for about 2 gigs and then said something went away, got dull, lost sparkle or presence or something. Dan found that the speaker vibrations shook a certain aspect of refinement of tone out of the tubes very quickly. Then they moved to where some of the Twins were amp heads only and others were speakers only. From there on out their general practice was to keep the tubes separated from the speakers. There were exceptions where Jerry would bring out a pair of JBL'd Twins for JGB shows, but pretty much they practiced keeping the tubes isolated from speaker vibration.
We should all consider this for ourselves and not only just for tube-life and tone preservation, but man, that's a heavy combo. Nobody should be lifting a JBL'd Twin, ever ever. Split 'em up. Your spine is great and strong until you blow it, and then you pay for it forever. I know."
"Do not write so that you can be understood, write so that you cannot be misunderstood." -Epictetus
First show: 8/16/69 (Woodstock)
Last show: 3/19/95 (Unbroken Chain breakout)
Member of the Four-Decade Club
Charter Member, President & CEO of OAD (Order of the Ancient Deadheads)
First show: 8/16/69 (Woodstock)
Last show: 3/19/95 (Unbroken Chain breakout)
Member of the Four-Decade Club
Charter Member, President & CEO of OAD (Order of the Ancient Deadheads)