I'm sure there are a few of you that are crazy about certain types or combinations of tubes and was just curious to what you all were using for your current amps? I'm experimenting with my JSX and just purchased a quad of JJ ecc83s pre's and a quad of JJ 6L6GC's.
TUBE FANATICS
- Thread starter Carcass29
- Start date
Carrier Flux
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- Jun 14, 2005
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Tubes are highly* subjective. all I can say from my experience is that different brand tubes DO sound different...but no single make is right for everyone. if you don't like the JJ's, try something else, and you have plenty of backup tubes handy for the futureCarcass29 said:
In my 6505+, I run 9th Gen Chinese (Shuguang) 12AX7's and it rips. I've heard that the 9th gen. chinese pre's are good for most Peavey high gainers. As far as power tubes go, that's where I hear JJ's sound nice. To be honest, I've never heard much about JJ preamp tubes. What limited I have heard is that the user preferred the 9th gen. Chinese pre's over the JJ pre's.
I'm running Ruby 6L6GC's at the moment, but I'll be ordering some JJ 6l6gc's tomorrow or Friday.
I'm running Ruby 6L6GC's at the moment, but I'll be ordering some JJ 6l6gc's tomorrow or Friday.
I've had great luck with JJ tubes. They've been the most consistent sounding and pretty affordable.
awsome ! I know middletown well, Alto Music is a great place ! its like the home depot for Musicians! haha
Chinese Pre, JJ 6L6 Power. For EL34s, go with the Ruby EL34STRs. And if you fork out for a NOS RFTs, you'll be glad you did.
Glenn Fricker
Very Metal &Very Bad News
nwright said:
Where did you get your preamp tubes from? Did they come in a matched set, with a balanced one for the phase inverter?
BTW, I've been monkeying around with preamp tubes in my 5150 this last week. Tried an Electro Harmonix & an EI elite.... and after much trial & error, I really didn't like them. Too fuzzy. Back to the originals, which are looking like 8th Gen Chinese tubes, as this amp is an original MK1.
-0z-
Liam Thompson
Lord of the Strings
I recently changed the pair of power valves in one side of my Marshall 9005 power amp with a matched pair of JJ EL34's. Definetly smoothed the tone up, improved the low end tone and tightened the low end up.
Then again when I took the originals out they were unbranded so.....
Then again when I took the originals out they were unbranded so.....
OzNimbus said:
Well, I bought them all at once, but I don't think they are a matched set. I don't even know if preamp tubes even come that way to be honest. I hear "matched sets" more in reference to power tubes. The matched sets I hear about online for preamp tubes aren't really what I'd call true matched sets, more like "groups of tubes that sound pretty good together" and are sold as package deals, a la Eurotubes full retube sets and whatnot.
My 6505+ came with EH 12AX7's for all 6 tube positions. I only changed the V1, V2 and V3 for the lead channel. I left the stock EH's in the PI and effects loop spots, and I left it for the V2 rhythm channel spot. FOr me, those tube positions have the least effect on the tones (I don't use the rhythm channel at all - yet).
I actually bought them from an ebay tube vendor for 5 bucks a piece. Cheaper than chain stores by a longshot (15 bucks or so), but even cheaper than Doug's Tubes or Eurotubes. I think they were going for 9 bucks a piece on those sites. The vendor had good feedback, shipped securely and quickly.
Carcass29 said:
awsome ! So your a guitarist? pretty cool... what kinda stuff you listen to and or like to play?
I listen to all kinds of music...deathmetal, hardcore. I play mostly metal and was big into old school hardcore (Killing Time, Uppercut, Breakdown, Cromags) many years ago. Scene has changed now so been into alot of deathmetal...Vader, Carcass etc...
cobrahead1030
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- Nov 16, 2005
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my 5150 is running mesa 6l6gc tubes that a friend reccomended to me; not sure i'm really digging the sound so they're coming outta there for a set of JJ's in the near future...i've got a mesa low noise SPAX7 in v1 and v2, sovtek 12ax7 (can't recall which) in v3, and EH 12ax7's in v4 & v5
my cobra is running a set of jj e34l's that i've had for about a year, and been fairly satisfied with...it's about due for a retube tho, and i plan to try a set of ruby el34bstr's this time around...i've got a mesa spax7 in v1, got an old rca 12ax7a going in v2, and the stock EH preamps in the other slot
my valveking combo has an OLD set of relabeled sylvania 6l6's that came stock in my old block letter 5150, for their age they sound pretty decent! still have the original EH 12ax7's in all 3 preamp spots
my cobra is running a set of jj e34l's that i've had for about a year, and been fairly satisfied with...it's about due for a retube tho, and i plan to try a set of ruby el34bstr's this time around...i've got a mesa spax7 in v1, got an old rca 12ax7a going in v2, and the stock EH preamps in the other slot
my valveking combo has an OLD set of relabeled sylvania 6l6's that came stock in my old block letter 5150, for their age they sound pretty decent! still have the original EH 12ax7's in all 3 preamp spots
EdguyRocks
Metal God
Cool....glad you dig them. a lot of people don't care for the JJ preamp tubes, but I be in the JSX they sound good. In my old 5150(modded) i had JJ power and Ruby, for preamp I had Chinese 9ths and EHs. I tried a bunch of combos. Now I have a stock 6505+ and have just left it stock....
Radd
Self Portrait
What were the stock tubes in the 5150 sig heads?
Does it have to be biased each time they are changed?
If so, is it easy to do?
Does it have to be biased each time they are changed?
If so, is it easy to do?
EdguyRocks
Metal God
Radd said:
The stock tubes in a 5150 are Sovteks...The 5150 has a fixed bias which means you can just pop them in and go. If you get it modded to have an adjustable bias then yes you must bias it everytime a tube change is in order. If you don't know what you are doing don't do it. Take it to a tech.
