Tube question on Classic 30

[axeman1]

Getting a lot of static on my C30.  Going to check the tubes when I get home.

 If prob does turn out to tube(s), any suggestions? I know virtually nothing about this so I have a lot of questions. Which tubes should be replaced in pairs and which is it okay to do individually? 

Do you recommend upgrading from the stock tubes?
If so, what are the best ones for a warm jazzy sound?

What is the purpose of individual tubes and what is drawback of mixing brands of certain tubes?

Thanks for the advice.

[funkStrat_97]

Peavey Classic 30 mods!

[gtrdave]

With the amp on you can tap lightly on the tubes with a plastic pen. If the static reacts to the tapping, that tube is probably the cause. It could be a bad tube BUT it could be a loose tube socket.
C30 tubes, pre and power, are cheap enough, so replacing them is inexpensive.
I use the stock Sovteks in my Delta Blues (same as C30), but I've had brand new ones go bad instantly, so save your receipt if you need to return/exchange them.
If it's the socket, a trained electronics person should correct the problem for you.
Other tube brands may deliver slightly better/different tone results: Ruby, Groove Tubes, JJ, Tesla, etc...but like everything tone is subjective.

*note: You need to be VERY CAREFUL when messing with a tube amp if you ever remove the chassis from the enclosure because the capacitors in the circuit store a lot of voltage that can lay you out and cause you to meet Jesus sooner than you might expect if you accidentally touch the circuit.*

[axeman1]

With the amp on you can tap lightly on the tubes with a plastic pen. If the static reacts to the tapping, that tube is probably the cause. It could be a bad tube BUT it could be a loose tube socket.
C30 tubes, pre and power, are cheap enough, so replacing them is inexpensive.
I use the stock Sovteks in my Delta Blues (same as C30), but I've had brand new ones go bad instantly, so save your receipt if you need to return/exchange them.
If it's the socket, a trained electronics person should correct the problem for you.
Other tube brands may deliver slightly better/different tone results: Ruby, Groove Tubes, JJ, Tesla, etc...but like everything tone is subjective.

*note: You need to be VERY CAREFUL when messing with a tube amp if you ever remove the chassis from the enclosure because the capacitors in the circuit store a lot of voltage that can lay
you out and cause you to meet Jesus sooner than you might expect if you accidentally touch the

I did the tapping on the tubes thing a few times but got equal static from each. In fact it didnt matter where I tapped on the entire amp, I got some ugly feedback. Decided as a last ditch effort to take it apart from the chassis to look for broken solder joints or something simple before spending money. Turns out that the culprit appears to have been a screw supporting a fuse holder came loose causing stating with any slight vibration.

Sounds great again!  Thanks for the advice though.  BTW, I was aware to be careful with capacitors. I work in field of home medical equipment so I learned that years ago from working with oxygen concentrators. Thanks for your usual great advice.

[axeman1]

I did the tapping on the tubes thing a few times but got equal static from each. In fact it didnt matter where I tapped on the entire amp, I got some ugly feedback. Decided as a last ditch effort to take it apart from the chassis to look for broken solder joints or something simple before spending money. Turns out that the culprit appears to have been a screw supporting a fuse holder came loose causing stating with any slight vibration.

Sounds great again!  Thanks for the advice though.  BTW, I was aware to be careful with capacitors. I work in field of home medical equipment so I learned that years ago from working with oxygen concentrators. Thanks for your usual great advice.

Well,  after posting this I played with it at a friends house with a bunch of other musicians.  The buzzing and static was worse than ever.  Put it in shop and had 4 tubes and the reverb knob replaced.  Tubes were replaced with same stock Sovtek EL84/6BQ5 's.   It sounds better than ever now.