New tubes nirvana!

[stephen]

Got me some slightly used NOS tubes for my Pignose G40V. WOW! I mean WOW! I mean WOW!

I have the absolute sweetest sound/tones comin outta my lil amp, its almost unbelievable!

All I gotta say is, if you get the chance to put some NOS tubes in your amp, DO IT!

:mrgreen:

[Will be done]

Amen brother !! I just retubed my HRD with a matched set of JJ's, wow I

don't sound as wretched as I thought :wink: A little maintainance now

and then really does make a difference.

[Crunchyriff]

Nothing in current production comes close to NOS (new old stock) tubes- and I mean NOTHING.

This is not to say that certain new-production tubes aren't better than others- they DO vary, and there are some great deals on solid tubes.

The Preamp section tubes are the biggest factor, with the power section close in second place.

Just off the cuff: Current production tubes (12AX7's) and how I'd rate them:

1. EH12X7LPS (nice, punchy, hot tube with great harmonics- Cool Marshall tube)
2. Tesla/JJ 12AX7S (much flatter sounding, but real solid, and consistent)
3. Sovtek 12AX7 (basic utility-grade; unexciting, and consistent as such)
4. GT 12AX7 "Mullard Clone" (don't waste yer $: high failure rate, @20% less gain than a real Mullard)

These are just my opinions. YMMV.

[kewlpack]

I played around swapping a few different 12ax7 tubes into my new VOX AD50VT. I didn't know if it would make that much difference. It did - go figure. ;) Of course this was not a great test, just "by ear" - and not controlled very much.

Results:
--JJ Tesla 12ax7: Seemed flabby too often. Cleans would break up too early. I wasn't thrilled at all. :?
--Fender Groove Tube 12ax7: Pretty smooth. In this case, the break up was pretty beefy (almost like "Big Muff Pi Fuzz" on some settings) but I am not positive the gain was "getting there" (it was still quite good). :)
--ElectroHarmonix 12ax7 (came in the amp): Best overall harmonics, clean range, and great crunch. So the stock tube stays in - for now! 8)

I am not so sure I should leave the back off the cabinet (close-backed) to allow more bottom end and sound dispersal...hmmm.

I still should A/B with the exact same settings Line In and Mic'd. It would be interesting to see just how different they actually are.

[Pearly Gator]

My favorite current production tubes are JJ/Tesla for all output tubes of any ilk and Ei/Yugo 12AX7/ECC83. The Ei tubes can be microphonic, so they must be hand selected for high gain input stages. But their tone is very full & full of chime.

These are my choices if no old stock American and European tubes are available.

PG

[Crunchyriff]

Yeah, the Ei tubes are good, but you gotta go thru them to find good ones for your guitar amps due to microphonics. (so I didn't list them). Nothing is worse than buying a preamp-worth full of new tubes to find out you have a few that won't cut it. Kinda puts a damper on the thing (!). If you're lucky, you'll just get one microphonic tube that you can put in the PI socket.

As far as the Tesla/JJ's, well, I suppose it's all in the ear of the beholder. They are probably one of the most reliable new-prod tube brands out there; but, as in their preamp tubes, I find them rather flat sounding...and this is not a slam, just a personal opinion- sorta like how original "made-in West Germany" Telefunkens are 'flat' sounding in guitar amps, but really shine in home audio. (this does not include Mullard-made Telefunkens...which I do have some of these re-brands; and, of course, they sound like Mullards, not Telefunkens)

I do wish the Tesla/JJ factory would/could capture the sound and vibe of the older Czechoslovakian Tesla EL34's (non-JJ) brown-based units.

SED or "winged-C", (the original Svetlana manufacturer before New Sensor bought the rights to use the Svet name in the US) make a great tube, and they last a long time- in short, a good sounding, rock-solid tube.

Another thing to watch is the Chinese power tubes. Whereas 5 or 10 years ago they made complete garbage (imo); their quality, and even the gain factor (in 12AX7's for instance) is now even better than the Russian tubes in many cases. Shuguang is one plant that is making some great tubes, and I believe GT, Valve Arts, RUBY TUBES, and EH are among those sourcing their tubes of Asian origin, certain models, anyway, from the Shuguang plant.

The bottom line is: whatever works for you, and whatever inspires you. I have also found that sometimes, certain amps "like" certain tubes, if you will. You might get 5 brand/model X amps that all sound great with, say Teslas, and another that sounds better with RUBY TUBES, or whatever. This is where some of the magic, mystery, and fun of tube amps lies.
This doesn't include intrinsic variables in the consistency (or lack of it) of the tubes themselves.

I would recommend that if anyone is looking to delve into NOS tubes (and yes, they are worth every penny, IMHO), you are better off spending those bigger $$ in the preamp FIRST; as opposed to using new-prod preamp tubes, and NOS/old-production power tubes.

[Crunchyriff]

Kewlpack- I won't run a TeslaJJ in the V1 stage of any preamp in the amps I have. For me, the EH in V1, and Tesla/JJ in V2 was a better combination; two EH's were even better.

I'll put the TeslaJJ's in either V2 or the PI socket, but never V1.

That being said, I own both brands; but both are relegated to 'backups' in my gig toolbox. I use all NOS tubes in my Marshalls, but won't bring NOS spares out with me because I don't want them getting swiped out of my box...

Yeah, the EH is a pretty strong contender for new-prod 12AX7's, but if you have a few bucks to spend, grab a handful of Ei's (or buy them from a supplier that screens/tests them for you- Lord Valve comes to mind) and you'll find another good tube that you'll like.

[kewlpack]

The VOX Valvetronix series only uses a single 12ax7 in the power stage instead of the preamp stage.

However, that's handy to note for my Blonde Blues Junior...until it finds a buyer.

By the way - good online store for tubes:
http://thetubestore.com/

...and their reviews of the 12ax7 variants:
http://thetubestore.com/12ax7review.html#eh12ax7


Thanks,
~A~

[Crunchyriff]

The VOX Valvetronix series only uses a single 12ax7 in the power stage instead of the preamp stage.

Yeah, I know. Amazing lil amp, innit? I've got a friend in NC that has recently got one, and he's floored by it; all things considered for what it is.

I've been thinking of snapping up a few of the VOX VT series 30watt combos for church duty. One for crunch & clean, one for leads. I don't want the top of the line VOX VT model because I'm too cheap, and can accomplish all I need with this setup instead. :lol:

Anyway, From what my bro tells me they sound much 'bigger' than they are; and some of the models are REAL good. This is coming from someone who used to have a good working relationship with Ken Bran at Marshall during the 80's, mind you; and he has a great set of ears for guitar. (I trust his ears)

[kewlpack]

I've been thinking of snapping up a few of the VOX VT series 30watt combos for church duty. One for crunch & clean, one for leads. I don't want the top of the line VOX VT model because I'm too cheap, and can accomplish all I need with this setup instead. :lol:
Ya - the sound is authentic tube as far as I can tell (not that I'm an expert - but I have some friends who have all tube stuff and this amp sounds about as good IMHO).

You know, you could get away with a single 50w AD50VT combo (much better tone than the smaller cousins) for church. You can have 2 settings saved in the 2 channels and then also have a Manual setting... so "3" channels ready to go. It also has a variable wattage dial on the back from .1w to 50.0w - setup your tones and then just dial in the wattage for the venue. KEWL.

Anyway - I am liking the new amp a LOT.
~A~

[Pearly Gator]

However, that's handy to note for my Blonde Blues Junior...until it finds a buyer. ~A~

:shock: PM me! 8)

[Crunchyriff]

KP- thanks for the tip, but that won't work for me. I need three dedicated channels or settings, or two amps. A manual channel that I have to select by hand on the fly will not do it for me. It's gotta somehow be footswitchable- either by the amp's capabilities, or with my switching system.

Imagine having my crunch and clean settings controllable via footswitch, but having to reach over to my amp in the middle of a song for a solo....

homey don't DO that!

it's an ugly thing! :mrgreen:

[kewlpack]

Oh - righto...ya that would be funny - I can see it now...

"oh hang on folks...<click>okay, here we go!" :lol: :lol:

There is a 2 channel & effect bypass footswitch for these - VFS2 ($30). I have a tube screamer and eq up front for the extra boost over the "standard" crunch for leads...even though I have not reached "lead domain". Sigh, someday I'll be able to do that.

<apology for hijacking the thread... shutting up now>
~A~

[Crunchyriff]

<apology for hijacking the thread... shutting up now>


+1!