What preamp tubes for the Mesa?

[ken361]

Re: What preamp tubes for the Mesa?

some tubes will sound better in different spots then others prob cause the gain factor and type of tube.

[FuseG4]

Re: What preamp tubes for the Mesa?

some tubes will sound better in different spots then others prob cause the gain factor and type of tube.

yeah every amp is different, and so are people's ears. The trick for me so far is to just talk to people, find out what they like, try it, and experiment. Worse case is you hock your tube on ebay and maybe you'll take a small loss. Worth if to discover what tubes you like, IMO

[King IzzO)))]

Re: What preamp tubes for the Mesa?

I haven't noticed a lack of gain from any Tung-Sols, but they're still made by new sensor, so maybe you got a bad one, same with the EH. TS are usually in chinese territory with their gain.

Tungsrams are basically cheaper Mullards, FWIW.

[Metalman_666]

Re: What preamp tubes for the Mesa?

I haven't noticed a lack of gain from any Tung-Sols, but they're still made by new sensor, so maybe you got a bad one, same with the EH. TS are usually in chinese territory with their gain.

Yeah, I suppose that's a possibility. I was a little surprised that it wasn't what I expected it to be. It was still nice and thick, but swapping it for a JJ made a world of metal difference.

[King IzzO)))]

Re: What preamp tubes for the Mesa?

They definitely are brighter than JJ's. Like anything else, it's all in the ear of the player, maybe it just wasn't what you wanted to hear.

[ACH91332]

Re: What preamp tubes for the Mesa?

The EH 12AX7 is an awesome tube. I totally overlooked them. I had them laying around for the longest time and gave them a shot in place of my JJs and wow they are a good tube. They are warm but not really dark to where its muddy like the JJ. They have a very good balance of warmth and definition. If I were you I would not get the gold plated ones though. If they even make a difference in tone its not really audible honestly. It's just more money spent on nothing really.

The Mullard reissue I heard of having a flat response and being boring. Honestly I would give the Tung-Sol reissue a shot first if you're looking for that sort of tone. People say they are similar to the Mullard but with more character. I found them to have a cool presence to them. Gave my Marshall JVM sort of a JCM 2555 Jubilee vibe. They are a little brighter than the EH in my opinion.

Most Mesas come stock with the Sovtek LPS. Sovteks usually have a bad rap but the LPS isnt a bad tube at all. It is a very warm tube also. If you found yourself not having an edge to your tone and maybe lacking definition stay away from the JJ and give an EH a shot. A Tung-Sol would be another step up in definition. I run all EH in my JVM now where as I used to run JJ's. I tried the Tung-Sol but my amp is a Marshall, it has enough high end and presence I can just turn a knob or two.

As for the power section JJ's seem to be unreliable to most people. I've only had one issue where one tube shorted out but they replaced my matched quad and they were fine until I ran them into the ground (I use my amp a lot). I don't know who Wino is but if you like his tone then check out the SEDs but if you don't have the same rig as him I'd focus on what you want from the power section. Like if you want more highs or more thump or something. Getting his tubes won't get you his tone if you have a different amp. Another tube might be the ticket. If you are only planning on shifting your tone and you dont need a power section retube right now I suggested giving the preamp tubes a shot first and then deciding whether or not you might want to change up your power section.

[slightly_rude]

Re: What preamp tubes for the Mesa?

I have had issues (weak output, microphonics and outright failure) with all of the New Sensor tubes. To me,the Tungsols sound the most detailed and rich but don't last long. The EH's seem to be more durable but don't sound as good. The Sovtek LPS works well for the PI and I too, use the Sovtek 12AX7WB in V2 for my JMP 2203. I have also used them in V1 but the Tungsol works better for me. The Mullard reissue is also made by New Sensor and I have to question New Sensor's quality control. They are real good at acquiring naming rights (now their at it with Gold Lion) of tube manufacturer's from the golden days but none of their tubes are even close to their originals namesakes.
JJ's will tame a bright amp and are fairly durable but they sound flat/dull to me.

According to Mesa, Russian sourced tubes are not stout enough to handle any preamp spot utilizing a cathode follower (Rectifiers, Stiletto's, etc.) They use the Shuguang Chinese tubes in those positions. I crapped out a JJ and an EH on both my previous Mesa amps and in my Mark IV I use an NOS Tungsol in V1 and an LPS in the PI. The rest are Chinese. YMMV.

[Sludgenutz]

Re: What preamp tubes for the Mesa?

I have .50 Cal + head, and I ended up liking the Russian Tung Sol in V1 and V4, with the EH in the V2 and V3. I tried all manner of four Tung Sol and four EH each of the various positions.

The Russian Tung Sols are pretty even in tone, from top to bottom...and the EH's are "toppy" (lots of thrust in the top to the point of smearing "heavy metal" detail). The single JJ ECC83 I bought, was a muddy diaper in all the positions of this aggressively designed preamp section.

[crguti]

Re: What preamp tubes for the Mesa?

Have you noticed that everyone has a different opinion about tubes?
Tubes behaves different depending on the amp you use and the gain you use (among other variables). My opionion is, take a couple of tubes of different brands and test them in your amp. Experiment with different positions.

[slightly_rude]

Re: What preamp tubes for the Mesa?

Interesting input, here.
What's a cathode follower and what positions are using it?

Check this out.
http://forum.thestompbox.net/showthread.php?t=7525

First post contains a service bulletin from Mesa showing which models are affected.