CSB: tube swapping my Carmen Ghia

[PVFan]

noticed I didn't have quite as much crunch as I did with the other Ghia I had, even after new output tubes. (I replaced the 1st Carmen Ghia, which was a combo, with a head version. And I got a matching Dr. Z convertible 112 cab with the same speaker the combo had: a Celestion Blue).

So I took a peek and found an ordinary JJ in V1. Yanked that. Put something called an RCA Long Plate in there.

Was startled to find the Z people had placed something other than a 5751 in the V2. It was a NOS 12aT7. Yanked thattun and replaced it with a 5751 packaged when I was a year old, in 1969.

Smoooth. Crunchy. Mmm.

 

[PVFan]

Re: CSB: tube swapping my Carmen Ghia

so I got that going for me

 

[misterwhizzy]

Re: CSB: tube swapping my Carmen Ghia

Which is nice.

 

[PVFan]

Re: CSB: tube swapping my Carmen Ghia

a "cool story" even, eh bro'?

 

[Agileguy_101]

Re: CSB: tube swapping my Carmen Ghia

Bro story cool

 

[PVFan]

Re: CSB: tube swapping my Carmen Ghia

my thanks to Yoda

 

[eggman]

Re: CSB: tube swapping my Carmen Ghia

Howdy,

Well done, PVFan! My amp rig's identical to yours, but mine has a Weber AlNiCo Silver Bell. BTW, the 'Blue is the greatest. Like you, I use NOS preamp tubes in my Ghia head.
As for output tubes, I opt for current production JJs or Sovtek. The Ghia is Cathode biased and chews up EL84s pretty fast; hence the cheapo output tubes. Good luck!

 

[PVFan]

Re: CSB: tube swapping my Carmen Ghia

hope one of em isn't going microphonic; got some pinging under the hood

maybe it's just sticky lifters

 

[PVFan]

Re: CSB: tube swapping my Carmen Ghia

nah things are cool -- but I must have been mistaken; it's not reeeeeaaaallly *that* much crunchier now, but it is a lot LOUDER, holy fudge. It's so loud.

I'm thinking of replacing the V2 5751 with a 12ax7 to get more distortion ....

 

[Chickenwings]

Re: CSB: tube swapping my Carmen Ghia

its a fact. we are all nerds. ONe because you posted this, and two because i was interested enough to read it.

 

[PVFan]

Re: CSB: tube swapping my Carmen Ghia

nah, tube swaps in a Ghia are enormous sonic changes to make .... seriously wondering what an x7 in v2 will do

 

[Chickenwings]

Re: CSB: tube swapping my Carmen Ghia

im always messing with preamp tubes in my fender amps...and they are supposed to just stay clean! im quite proudly a nerd.