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changing tubes in my amp, but which ones?

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  • changing tubes in my amp, but which ones?

    i am going to retube my soldano, i want to use jj's for both the pre and power amp sections. what i need to know is what tubes i could get to put a little more clean headroom into my amp. the 12ax7, the 12at7 or the 12au7? I have sovteks in the amp right now and they are a little thinner than i would like, i have heard the jj's tend to darken up the tones and that is something i would like in this amp. I do want some clean headroom as it really starts to break up at about 3 (out of 11) on the preamp volume. I can get a great bluesy overdrive with the preamp at 3 and the master at 8 or 9 but i would like to push some of the preamp distortion back just a little. should i put a 12au7 or 12at7 in positions 1 or 2? and use12ax7s for the rest of the preamp? hopefully i am making sense. Thanks for all the help guys.

    Scott
    Cleveland Guitars

  • #2
    Re: changing tubes in my amp, but which ones?

    I think on that amp, I'd install Svetlana 6L6's and Tesla JJ ECC83's. In addition, you may want to buy an extra 12AT7, just to see if it backs the gain down by installing it in the first position. Since that amp is designed for hi gain and also designed around 12AX7's, the 12AT7 may or may not give you the desired result. Just try it. Since your amp has a low input, I'm wondering why you don't plug into that, since it's purpose is to eliminate gain? Just a thought.
    Originally posted by Boogie Bill
    I've got 60 guitars...but 49 trumpets is just...INSANITY! WTF!

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    • #3
      Re: changing tubes in my amp, but which ones?

      i only have one input, it is a 20 watt soldano astroverb. It is not geared for as much gain as the bigger soldanos but i want to back it off just a little, like maybe having it break up at 4 or 5 instead of 3 on the volume knob. Oh yeah and i can only use el84's in the power amp. I would asume the rest is right about being designed around 12ax7's but as long as the at7 can tame it just a bit i will try it. Should i just get a set of 12ax7's (my amp uses 4 preamp tubes) and get two 12at7's and just add the at7's in position 1 and maybe 2 and see what it sounds like? If they don't work i can always use them in my reverb.
      Cleveland Guitars

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      • #4
        Re: changing tubes in my amp, but which ones?

        Support Communism! Buy Sovtek!

        and if you don't want to support communism, support the Poor Russian, you know their economy needs it!
        "Even though I get so high,
        and think that I can fly,
        when I fall out of the sky,
        who'll be standing by?"

        -Dream Theater

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        • #5
          Re: changing tubes in my amp, but which ones?

          i have sovteks in there now and i want a little better sound. ; )
          Cleveland Guitars

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          • #6
            Re: changing tubes in my amp, but which ones?

            what matters more, your sound or some poor russian girl (with a wickedly cool accent) getting fed?
            "Even though I get so high,
            and think that I can fly,
            when I fall out of the sky,
            who'll be standing by?"

            -Dream Theater

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            • #7
              Re: changing tubes in my amp, but which ones?

              my tone
              Cleveland Guitars

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              • #8
                Re: changing tubes in my amp, but which ones?

                actually, I think you can get what you're looking for by adjusting your bias, and running your power tubes a little cooler

                you can try a 12AT7 in V1, but anything more than that is not likely to satisfy you

                kca nos has some good info on preamp tubes, and the various gain factors, btw
                "music heals"
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                • #9
                  Re: changing tubes in my amp, but which ones?

                  Contact Bob at eurotubes for some advice, but beware he will probably recommend nothing but JJ's
                  My Soundclick page.

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                  • #10
                    Re: changing tubes in my amp, but which ones?

                    thanks guys. I do have a question for curly, how can i tell if the power tubes are running too hot and that is really my problem? If i have the preamp pretty clean and i crank the master volume i can get a nice rich power tube overdive sound with the master at about 9, but for that to really kick in on any preamp setting i have to crank that master volume almost wide open. I thought this was the way it should be. I do not know much about the inner workings of an amp, i haven't been brave enough to take one apart yet. I just know how to insert tubes
                    Cleveland Guitars

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