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DIY: Grounding Tube Amplifiers

Tube amplifiers, also known as valve or vacuum tube amplifiers, were the primary source of amplification for radios until the transistor took over in the 1960s. Many musicians continue to use tube amplification because they prefer the sound produced by vacuum tubes over the sound of other pre-amps, such as solid-state gear that commonly is used. However, tube amps come with their own set of issues, including a buzzing sound that comes through the speakers, which often is due to poor grounding.

Things You'll Need

  • 1 roll of speaker wire
  • Plastic wire strippers
  • Box cutter
  • Soldering iron
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Instructions

    • 1

      Lay the amplifier down on its face, or set it down on a table or workbench so that the back is easily accessible. Two wires, the negative black one and the positive red one, stretch out from the speaker.

    • 2

      Detach the wires by hand from the back of the speaker cone.

    • 3

      Cut a nine-inch piece of speaker wire with scissors, and pull apart the wire on each end. Slide off about 3/4 inch of the protective plastic coating from each end of the wire with the wire strippers. This is used as the grounding wire.

    • 4

      Attach the stripped wire to the metal terminal in the back of the speaker, and then re-attach the speaker wires to the terminal on top of the grounding wire.

    • 5

      Solder the unattached end of the grounding wire to a piece of metal inside the amplifier with a soldering iron.

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