That is an excellent question, Justin. It’s not so much that they run EL84s so hot, it's more that the majority of (almost) Class A amps use EL84s. The optimal bias for True Class A is 100% dissipation at idle. This will give them the maximum swing of output. When we say EL84s are a 12W tube, it does not mean exactly 12.00W. There will be manufacturing differences between tubes. For me, an acceptable variation is 95%-110%. The Elephant in the room is the Blues Junior. It’s Class AB, but still they bias it at ridiculous levels. My cynical opinion is that the mass manufacturers (I won’t speak for Friedman) intentionally bias amps too hot these days. It's about sales. Can the owner hear some luscious tube clipping on Volume 2 in the store? Of course, at gigging levels, the amp sounds like loose sh*t. I find amps sound their best between 50% and 65%, but I nearly always confirm what I hear by watching my oscilloscope, and then check the dissipation. I always ask the owner what guitar he plays and set my signal generator accordingly.

My Korg AC30 runs ridiculously hot. I think part of this is because although the ventilators are bigger than the originals, they are still too small. I use a small battery fan at the back of the amp which unfortunately cools it too much. I say that because there must be an optimum heat for the tubes to produce their best tone. I am also loathe to keep switching the amp on and off between sessions to let it cool because i don't want to shorten tube life

Thank you Ed. Can you please email me on Amptech@teammania.com.au ? I’d like your recommendation on a couple of things

Thanks Les. The Gretsch did sound fabulous. Hopefully that Vox chime came through. I was swamped with repairs. Sorry. about that delay

Thank you Pete. You should have been in my little workshop...it sounded awesome. 🙂

I can't call you Jesus, but I can say, "Thank you Luke"

Great tip Curtis. I have a great respect for the skills of a Naval Tech. My first job out of Uni was with the Royal Australian Navy. I learned SO much from the "greenies" (nickname for electronics technicians). Say HI and thanks to your Dad from me. Aussie currency is very plasticky and doesn't have the fibre content of US notes. I had smoothed down the teeth of the nail file to a gentle "grit" and the width fits nicely under the contacts. I like it because its stiff enough to not bend like the 1000-grit wet'n'dry I would fold over and use. For the Switchcraft sockets, I use the commercially available contact file.

Thanks mate! I really appreciate that. It was a pleasure working on your AC30, the star of this video.

Nah. I can't afford to retire. Exactly as the Government would prefer, I will be found dead with a soldering iron in my hand one day. 😂

That's the best thing you could say to me, Steve! Thank you

Thank you Nigel. You have expressed my goals much better than I could have. It’s easy to get an amp to distort. Much harder to get it sounding fantastic when it’s clean while still retaining its character.