Tube reccommendations for a 5150 combo...

006

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Jan 10, 2005
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K, 5150 combo, two 6L6GC's and 5 12ax7's. Will be used for very techincal and fast detuned death metal. Whats gonna sound fucking brutal? I like JJ matched pairs for power tubes, but I've not tried much else in this amp, so I'm open to what you guys know better. Also, preamp tubes, I have always used JJ matched quad, and then a 12at7 in slot #1 to clean it up a bit, kinda takes away a little gain and cleans it up a bit.

Anyone care to throw a set of tube names my way for me to try out? I'm down for diverting from the same 'ol stuff, and if you haven't guessed, this setup just isn't cutting it for this music. So I need a set that will rip for this music. Any suggestions?

~006
 
Golden Dragon
Ei Elite Gold
Sovtek LPS
And maybe a NOS Mullard.
Switch them until you find the right combination.
It's better to have some choices instead of one brand/model.
All very different flavours, all great.
Power tubes,you can't go wrong with EH or Sed/Svetlana.
 
here's another vote for 9th Gen. Chinese 12AX7's...The single biggest difference was popping these in my V1, V2 and V3 slots on the lead channel. V1 also is V1 for the rhythm channel, so it helped it out as well. I kept the stock EH 12AX7's in the PI, effects loop and rhythm channel V2 slot.
 
So really the matched pair of JJ's I've always used are great for this? I should just get a set of those again then huh. So where i really need to experiment is in the preamp section.

So, which slots are for what channel(s), V1 is for the rhythm, correct? what about V2-V5? This way I know what I want to look for. Thanks guys.

~006
 
I don't know much about the 5150 combos, but if they are based off the regular 5150 heads (not II's), then the 3 preamp tube slots to the right (if they are aligned like the heads) are the 3 main preamp tube slots...V1 is the farthest to the right, then V2, then V3, then effects loop and phase inverter. on the regular 5150's, V1, V2 and V3 affect both channels, so V1 would be for both rhythm and lead channels. Drop a 9th gen. chinese tube in there for sure...I'd even put them in V2 and V3 as well.
 
What do you mean "9th Gen Chinese", what brand is that? I mean, I understand it's the 9th generation of that tube/design, but Chinese being the brand, or just the country that it's manufactured in...in that case, what is the brand?

~006
 
TubeDepot.com Chinese tubes

Is that what you mean? If so, then the 12ax7's, but which testing? High-Gain, Matching, Balanced Triodes, Matched+Balanced Triodes, or Low Noise and Microphonics? What does that mean anyway? TubeDepot reviewed the Eloctro-Harmonix 12ax7EH to be "perfect for modern high-gain". Gah, I hate tubes, just like guitars, there are way too many to choose from and want.

~006
 
Not to hijack the thread, but I didn't want to create a new thread for a similar question.

I have a Dual Rectifier I got from GuitarCenter about a year ago and am ready to retube it. I'm not really familar with tubes and what is best, but would like any recommendations you can make. I don't nessicarily need to get more gain out of the amp, but would like to tighten up that "muddy" sound that seems to plauge these amps.
 
006 said:
What do you mean "9th Gen Chinese", what brand is that? I mean, I understand it's the 9th generation of that tube/design, but Chinese being the brand, or just the country that it's manufactured in...in that case, what is the brand?

~006

Well, there is only one factory in China making them I believe, and that's the Shuguang factory, so by default, the 9th gen chinese tubes are Shuguang's. So, it'd be those. I buy my tubes from dougstubes.com or from an ebay seller in CA, so I don't know what those would be relabeled as for companies like Groove Tubes or whatnot. I just know them as 9th gen Chinese tubes, haha. But, they are Shuguang's I guess.

That link you had to tubedepot has them listed as Sino's, but I've never even heard of them. The ones I get are straight from the factory, not relabeled, so they have no writing on them at all.
 
nwright said:
Well, there is only one factory in China making them I believe, and that's the Shuguang factory, so by default, the 9th gen chinese tubes are Shuguang's. So, it'd be those. I buy my tubes from dougstubes.com or from an ebay seller in CA, so I don't know what those would be relabeled as for companies like Groove Tubes or whatnot. I just know them as 9th gen Chinese tubes, haha. But, they are Shuguang's I guess.

That link you had to tubedepot has them listed as Sino's, but I've never even heard of them. The ones I get are straight from the factory, not relabeled, so they have no writing on them at all.


China is a communist country, so theoretically the tube factory is owned by the "people." Hence, the tubes are just. . . Chinese.
 
Well if you want massive gain Chinese 12AX7 are tops. Electrically they put out the most gain, i think it's 10 more than Russian 12AX7. To tone it down a 12AT7 will do it. I like old skool 7025's Philips JAN's, Westinghouse to bring down the gain too. For the 6L6 Old skool I like vintage GE, but new production would have to be Svetlana Winged C 6L6's.