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For guitar tube amps: what do the terms “clip” or “Sag” mean?
November 21, 2009 | 1 Comment
Leslie P asked:
Just curious and want to understand more about tube amplifiers.
Comments
1 Comment so far
November 21, 2009 | 1 Comment
Just curious and want to understand more about tube amplifiers.
1 Comment so far
Clipping is when an amplifier is pushed to it’s limits and starts to distort. It gets its name from the way amps are tested. They put a sine wave signal through the amp. (A sine wave is a nice curved wave). When distortion starts, the signal is ‘clipped’ from the top and bottom of the wave, making a square wave. (A sine wave sounds pure, like a flute. A square wave sounds rough, like a sax.)
Sagging is when the power supply drops (sags). It shouldn’t happen in a good amp.