Mother Russia Would Be Proud (Tube Order Day)

[mwalluk]

Back in late October, I decided it was about time to get rid of the "stock" tubes the amp came with when I bought it a year or so ago. It came with Rubys in the Pre and Sovteks KT88s for the power. The Sovteks were decent, nothing special though. I really wanted to get something more out of my amp, so I ordered this....

JJ KT88s (pair)

V1: Tungsol 12AX7
V2: EH 12AX7
V3: EH 12AX7
V4-PI: Sovtek LPS 12AX7

Things sounded great. JJ really added more to the amp. However on off the KT88s died a day later, it literally just said "eff it, I'm not lighting up." Which sucks. There goes $45 down the drain. I replaced the JJ's with the Sovteks and been using them since. They have some life, but are in desperate need of changing. Since my bands not gigging yet and they still work, I decided to hold off till now.

So I ordered a matched pair of Genalex Gold Lion RI KT88s to replace the Sovteks and a JJ ECC83 12AX7 and a Tungsol 12AX7 to mess around with.

I figured for V1-V4 I could do any of the following...

V1-2: Tungsol
V3-4: EH
or viceversa

Tungsols on the ends, EH in the middle or vice versa

or do a mix and match like I have with Tungsol, JJ, EH, Sovtek.

Possibilities are endless. Any good suggestions for positioning.

I plan on tossing the RUby preamps cuz they're crap. I'll keep the Sovteks for backup, the good JJ to match up with another JJ down the line (I wanted to try something new, so I went with EH) and I should have 2-3 pres for backup as well.

 

[CTN]

Re: Mother Russia Would Be Proud (Tube Order Day)

I'm running all Russian tubes in my amp

V1, V2: Tung Sol
V3, V4: EHX
V5/PI: Sovtek 12ax7wb

and Sovtek 6L6WXT+ power tubes.

sounds faaaaaaaaantastic.

Also, just because I couldn't possibly leave this thread without saying so..

In mother russia, TUBE SWAPS YOU!!!

 

[mwalluk]

Re: Mother Russia Would Be Proud (Tube Order Day)

I'm running all Russian tubes in my amp

V1, V2: Tung Sol
V3, V4: EHX
V5/PI: Sovtek 12ax7wb

and Sovtek 6L6WXT+ power tubes.

sounds faaaaaaaaantastic.

Also, just because I couldn't possibly leave this thread without saying so..

In mother russia, TUBE SWAPS YOU!!!

Well played sir. I completely forgot to make a quote like that.

You ever try placing an EH in PI? If so, how does it sound? I'm thinking about doing that. Otherwise, Mine will be very sim to yours with 2 Tungsols, 1 Eh and 1 Sovtek.

I know Persian rugs make one sound bad@$$ but what about Russian rugs, would they make one sound even more BAD@$$!

 

[CTN]

Re: Mother Russia Would Be Proud (Tube Order Day)

I did have an EHX in the PI at one point. If I remember right, it sounded good, but honestly, the sonic differences from one type of 12ax7 to another are so small in the PI spot. I remember it sounding clear in all registers, no obvious push anywhere.

I ended up with the sovtek wb in the PI spot because it seemed to add a bit of nice sounding fizz/sizzle in the high end while still keeping everything clear sounding, compared to the EHX, JJ, Tungsol and Shuguangs that I tried.

also, there is no substitute for a finely crafted persian rug. Don't ask me what it is about them, but they just have massive amounts of mojo compared to rugs from any other country.

 

[JOLLY]

Re: Mother Russia Would Be Proud (Tube Order Day)

In Soviet Russia, tubes order you. You just don't know it yet.

 

[Soulcrusher_X]

Re: Mother Russia Would Be Proud (Tube Order Day)

I did have an EHX in the PI at one point. If I remember right, it sounded good, but honestly, the sonic differences from one type of 12ax7 to another are so small in the PI spot. I remember it sounding clear in all registers, no obvious push anywhere.

I ended up with the sovtek wb in the PI spot because it seemed to add a bit of nice sounding fizz/sizzle in the high end while still keeping everything clear sounding, compared to the EHX, JJ, Tungsol and Shuguangs that I tried.

also, there is no substitute for a finely crafted persian rug. Don't ask me what it is about them, but they just have massive amounts of mojo compared to rugs from any other country.

This is all true. Especially the comments about the rug. My drummer had a rug from Ikea under his set and he kept messing up a lot. He changed to a nice persian piece and he has never sounded better. True story.

As far as EHX tubes: I think they are a pretty even sounding tube in all spots. Maybe a bit on the bright side, but not too much. They have a nice grind to them as well.

 

[mwalluk]

Re: Mother Russia Would Be Proud (Tube Order Day)

Looks like I'm rolling with Genalex Gold Lion KT88s instead of the EH 6550 tubes. I ordered the Genalex first from GC, then tried to cancel the order and switch them with the EH but GC is being a lil $%^&, so looks like I'm rolling with the Genalex which are still Russian made.

 

[Andrew Lamprecht]

Re: Mother Russia Would Be Proud (Tube Order Day)

I buy all my tubes from Russia. I like what that factory is putting out these days.....

 

[Soulcrusher_X]

Re: Mother Russia Would Be Proud (Tube Order Day)

Looks like I'm rolling with Genalex Gold Lion KT88s instead of the EH 6550 tubes. I ordered the Genalex first from GC, then tried to cancel the order and switch them with the EH but GC is being a lil $%^&, so looks like I'm rolling with the Genalex which are still Russian made.

You ever order from dougstubes.com? Try him next time if you never have. Good dude to deal with. I usually get my stuff from him.

 

[mwalluk]

Re: Mother Russia Would Be Proud (Tube Order Day)

You ever order from dougstubes.com? Try him next time if you never have. Good dude to deal with. I usually get my stuff from him.

I actually may order a single tube off him since they sell a single JJ KT88 (so I can match it with my other JJ KT88) for spare purposes.

 

[Soulcrusher_X]

Re: Mother Russia Would Be Proud (Tube Order Day)

Yeah, spares are nice. If those Gold Lions are anything like the TungSol 6550s I have, they will be nothing short of stellar.

 

[mwalluk]

Re: Mother Russia Would Be Proud (Tube Order Day)

Yeah, spares are nice. If those Gold Lions are anything like the TungSol 6550s I have, they will be nothing short of stellar.

That's what I'm hoping. If they're not, I can always throw in the JJs.

 

[misterwhizzy]

Re: Mother Russia Would Be Proud (Tube Order Day)

I may be wrong, but my experience with the PI slot had a lot to do with the type of tube that I put in there. It really changed the response of the power section. In my Jet City, I don't think I'll ever put a 12AX7 in the PI slot again. A 12AU7 opened the amp up a ton, and made it really crunchy and a lot cleaner in the power section.

My experience has been that Tung-Sols are really good in V1 and sometimes V2, but not beyond that. They tend to get noisy and start sounding bad. I prefer a Chinese or long-plate JJ in those spots. I'm honestly surprised you're switching out the Sovtek LPS from the PI. They seem to be very balanced and even to me and extremely articulate. They hold up well when pushed, and I think they're perfect as a 12AX7 in the PI. What did you not like about it?

Also, I would recommend you don't let the bad experience with the Rubys turn you off to them altogether. Since I'm an American, I constantly hear about bad quality coming out of China, but the Ruby 12AX7AC5 HG+ is one of the best current production tubes I've played. Maybe I got lucky, but I'd buy another one for sure. I wish there were a shorter name for it, though.

Good luck.

 

[Warheart]

Re: Mother Russia Would Be Proud (Tube Order Day)

Are the JJ tubes returnable for replacements?

 

[Animal]

Re: Mother Russia Would Be Proud (Tube Order Day)

I actually may order a single tube off him since they sell a single JJ KT88 (so I can match it with my other JJ KT88) for spare purposes.

You ever order from dougstubes.com? Try him next time if you never have. Good dude to deal with. I usually get my stuff from him.

Heads up for those that don't know, dougstubes.com currently has a 10% off sale on all orders over $75 until 30th of March.

I just ordered a full re-tube set for my friends Mesa Mark IV combo. He hasn't replaced his tubes in a LONG time and his 30th birthday is coming up. Since he's bought so many free drinks for me in the past year, I thought I would give him a full tube kit as a gift.

 

[Soulcrusher_X]

Re: Mother Russia Would Be Proud (Tube Order Day)

Heads up for those that don't know, dougstubes.com currently has a 10% off sale on all orders over $75 until 30th of March.

I just ordered a full re-tube set for my friends Mesa Mark IV combo. He hasn't replaced his tubes in a LONG time and his 30th birthday is coming up. Since he's bought so many free drinks for me in the past year, I thought I would give him a full tube kit as a gift.

That is the gift that keeps on giving!

 

[Soulcrusher_X]

Re: Mother Russia Would Be Proud (Tube Order Day)

I may be wrong, but my experience with the PI slot had a lot to do with the type of tube that I put in there. It really changed the response of the power section. In my Jet City, I don't think I'll ever put a 12AX7 in the PI slot again. A 12AU7 opened the amp up a ton, and made it really crunchy and a lot cleaner in the power section.

My experience has been that Tung-Sols are really good in V1 and sometimes V2, but not beyond that. They tend to get noisy and start sounding bad. I prefer a Chinese or long-plate JJ in those spots. I'm honestly surprised you're switching out the Sovtek LPS from the PI. They seem to be very balanced and even to me and extremely articulate. They hold up well when pushed, and I think they're perfect as a 12AX7 in the PI. What did you not like about it?

Also, I would recommend you don't let the bad experience with the Rubys turn you off to them altogether. Since I'm an American, I constantly hear about bad quality coming out of China, but the Ruby 12AX7AC5 HG+ is one of the best current production tubes I've played. Maybe I got lucky, but I'd buy another one for sure. I wish there were a shorter name for it, though.

Good luck.

I agree with the type of tube you use in the PI. In my old PV XXX, it benefitted from using a 12AT7 in the PI. Those amps are so compressed, that it REALLY opened up the tones. Thats why I love the JJ 803s long plate in the PI. Its slightly less gain that most 12AX7s and its got more shimmer and sizzle in the highs. It just makes things clearer without dulling the tone or grind. The LPS is good, but sometimes a bit blah. Its very average, but it performs very well.

I think if you go for Chinese tubes, get good branded versions. They sound good, but suffer from QC. The Pentas sound great.

 

[xntrick]

Re: Mother Russia Would Be Proud (Tube Order Day)

I agree with the type of tube you use in the PI. In my old PV XXX, it benefitted from using a 12AT7 in the PI. Those amps are so compressed, that it REALLY opened up the tones. Thats why I love the JJ 803s long plate in the PI. Its slightly less gain that most 12AX7s and its got more shimmer and sizzle in the highs. It just makes things clearer without dulling the tone or grind. The LPS is good, but sometimes a bit blah. Its very average, but it performs very well.

I think if you go for Chinese tubes, get good branded versions. They sound good, but suffer from QC. The Pentas sound great.

+1 for the 12AT7. I use that in V1 & the PI in my 3120, opens the amp up while still keeping the high gain nature. Would be curious to try the 803 you mention but i see it has the same amount of gain as the ECC83 which is what i pulled out from those 2 slots.

 

[misterwhizzy]

Re: Mother Russia Would Be Proud (Tube Order Day)

I tried a 12AT7 in the PI also, but a 12AU7 sounded much better. There was something much more musical about that tube than the 12AT7.

 

[dahelunover]

Re: Mother Russia Would Be Proud (Tube Order Day)

Give the Mullard RI a try for the PI slot or the Sovtek LPS. I did not like EHX or tungsol in that spot of my amp.
I've tried all of these in the pic below for pre's in my amp. It's comes down to each amp but in general my thoughts on them were:

Tungsol: Bright(very bright when using more than one in the preamp), wonderful highs, emphasis on lows, high mids & highs. The highs keep ringing(sustaining) the most out of the notes. The gain structure is best suited for clean to mid gain apps. Add some fizz. Low noise too

EHX: Less bright than a Tungsol but also lot less lively than the Tungsol. A lot fizzy than the Tungsol too. I'd rather directly go for Tungsols than these when given a choice.

Mullard RI: Very different from the Tungsol/EHX. Sounds flat, emphasis mostly on lower mids otherwise balanced throughout. Very articulate & does not get muddy in V1/V2 for me. I prefer using this one in the PI slot, it works best for me in that slot of my amp.

JJ ECC83S: Strong midrange emphasis, tight low end & smooth highs. Avoid in PI, dulls the amp when used in that spot. I'll be getting the ECC803S next time to try in the PI spot. Very low noise/hiss & fizz from these & still have incredible amount of gain. The most gainy tubes in my collection are these.

TAD/Shugang/Ruby[Rebranded Chinese stuff]: Fizzy! and balanced in a way but bright. High gain tubes. Stock ones did not last the first quarter of the waranty period of the amp. Their 7025 sound a little different from their ecc83. Haven't tried the Ruby rebrands or regular chinese ones. I don't much care about these at all anymore since JJ work the best in my amp & the price point is also around the same or less.