This old girl is a LANEY TF300 (Tube Fusion 300), manufactured in 1981 this amplifier uses a tube pre amp along with a solid state output power amp. This amplifier has a brilliant clean tone, a drive channel and a distortion channel.
I have owned this amp for about 12 years now and realized that the the tone has been having issues. On the clean channel you can hear static or interference in the foreground when playing a clean note, the overall tone also sounds a little flat. I decided to investigate so I opened it up and found vintage dust and other mummified critters. I popped out the unmarked tube to find spots of what looks like corrosion on the plated inside (see picture 3). This was interesting because the vacuum has not been compromised. Upon inspecting the tube further there was hot glue strands from the factory on the cap of the tube, this indicates that the tube quite possibly is the original one still pumping from 1981! So I ordered a new 12AX7 pre amp tube from Electro-Harmonix (you can see the before and after cleaning pics on the left). On startup with the new tube there is a noticeable character difference with no noise and a clean channel with body. The distortion channel also benefited with a new sound that was 'heavier' than I remembered it to be. Now back in service she will be running as Transcend Guitar Schools primary guitar amplifier. I wonder if this tube will last as long?
Dane-
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