So I just got a new set of preamp tubes from Doug's Tubes, and one of them was a Tung-Sol 12AX7 high gain. Another was a JJ ECC803S, which went straight into V2. That helped a little bit, made the amp a little bit darker and smoother, with less harshness that the Mullard in there before may have been contributing to. Then I got the Tung-Sol into V1.
Holy cow. I had read about people saying, "This is the tube to put into V1" or "This is hands down the best current production preamp tube." I had a Tung-Sol in there before that I had gotten from Tube Depot, but it has harsh highs and no better voice than any other of the half a dozen or so other preamp tubes I tried. Somehow this one is bigger, rounder, quieter, and higher gain all at the same time.
The next time you go preamp shopping, do yourself a favor and pick one of these up. It's well worth the $15, especially when someone is doing proper screening for you. I swear my amp is starting to sound like the tones I hear on recordings. My playing's not, but tubes aren't going to solve any of those problems.
Holy cow. I had read about people saying, "This is the tube to put into V1" or "This is hands down the best current production preamp tube." I had a Tung-Sol in there before that I had gotten from Tube Depot, but it has harsh highs and no better voice than any other of the half a dozen or so other preamp tubes I tried. Somehow this one is bigger, rounder, quieter, and higher gain all at the same time.
The next time you go preamp shopping, do yourself a favor and pick one of these up. It's well worth the $15, especially when someone is doing proper screening for you. I swear my amp is starting to sound like the tones I hear on recordings. My playing's not, but tubes aren't going to solve any of those problems.
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