What is the correct method to turn the amp ON?
The rule-of-thumb is to flip the power switch ON, but leave the left-hand switch on STANDBY. This will allow the tubes to warm up. It takes no longer than 30 seconds to do so, but wait at least 10 to 15 seconds. I’ve heard some people say, “wait a few minutes” or “wait about five minutes”—this is unnecessary. The worst is, “the longer you leave the amp on standby the better it will sound.” Totally false. The standby switch essentially allows the tubes to heat up before applying your guitar’s signal to them. This prevents the tube from being “shocked” with high voltage before it’s ready to go. This is why amps without standby switches sort of fade in when you turn them on—the tube isn’t hot enough to amplify yet. The popular opinion is that using the standby correctly will increase the longevity of the tubes. This is true for some amps, but not so for others. Whether it truly makes a difference in the Deluxe and Deville is rather questionable. I’ll unravel this later in the Intermediate
