NAD - Frankly I am impressed

[Securb]

What switch? Looks like its missing.

It is below the panel. You would need to use a small screwdriver to toggle it. This is by design to prevent someone from toggling it by accident.

 

[Mincer]

It is below the panel. You would need to use a small screwdriver to toggle it. This is by design to prevent someone from toggling it by accident.

That's a cool feature. I'd love to know what the differences of the 2 tube types are.

 

[Obsessive Compulsive]

I wonder what it sounds like after tube change without proper biasing, only flipping the switch.

Gesendet von meinem ASUS_X00RD mit Tapatalk

 

[Securb]

That's a cool feature. I'd love to know what the differences of the 2 tube types are.

This is what I found on Carvin's website. It is fairly straightforward and obvious, just basic information on tubes in general. I would be more interested in finding out how the tubes affects the feel of the amp. Like I said the touch sensitivity is amazing on this amp. I finally have some time today to play with the amp more but I think it will be a while before I play around with the tubes, if ever.

X100B 100W HEAD

EL34: A classic choice for rock and gritty blues, the EL34 is characterized by its pronounced, aggressive midrange and tight lows. Four EL34s are used in the power sections of Carvin Audio’s X100B and Steve Vai Legacy heads to help give them their signature crunch, bite, and definition.


EL84: This is the lower power little brother to the EL34 and breaks up more noticeably, producing a warmer tone at lower volumes. It also has a more prominent, punchy high end with more clarity and shimmer in the treble frequencies. The Carvin Audio Belair 2X12 is equipped with four EL84s for its thick, rich sound.

6L6GC and close brother the 5881: These are known for their higher perceived headroom and their ability to stay cleaner longer. Not nearly as gritty as the EL34 or EL84, these are great for a squeaky-clean sound that’s fairly neutral across the frequency spectrum. The speaker used may make a more significant tone difference. The “GC”, sometimes dropped or shortened when referring to this tube, indicates the glass container or top. The original 6L6 had an all metal top instead of glass, like many original tubes had. The 5881 was the 25 watt version of the 30 watt 6L6GC, but this difference has been blurred in modern manufacturing with some companies labeling these two interchangeably. A side note: the speakers used in the classic amps noted for using 6L6s are very different, so don’t get caught thinking your British rock tone will change to American tone with just a power tube change.

6550: The 6550 is a different kind of beast and much higher wattage. This one doesn’t see much use in guitar amps today, but its warm, full, and powerful output places it right at home in bass amplifiers with over 100 watts.

 

[Securb]

Does it keep its tone at the different wattage settings?

It sounds "good" in all settings.

• 25-watt setting seems a bit thinner and grainier. The bottom and mids do not seem as full.
• 50-watts the mids start to get more pronounced, some compression kicks in, the amp seems to have more bottom
• 100-watts the touch sensitivity gets much better and the sound is very full. It has a tight bottom and much more pronounced mids. The leads are very "violin-like" the amp really sings.

With all of this amp's flexibility with EQ, I am very positive I can dial in a great tone with any power setting. I am going to look at the schematic later today. I am curious if 100 watts = 4 tubes, 50-watts = 2 tubes and 25-watts = 1 tube. I also want to research that DRIVE switch a bit more.

 

[beaubrummels]

I would guess 100w is 4 Pentode, 50w is either 4 in Triode or 2 Pentode, 25w is 2 in Triode. I don't think it would be wise to have a circuit that can wear down one tube individually.

 

[NegativeEase]

Here's that Carvin amp doing some of the greatest doom metal ever made.

 

[beaubrummels]

That's heavy. Almost sounds like it was recorded at 30ips and played back at 7.5ips

 

[Ewizard]

The X100B is a neat amp. I had one years ago, but it didn't fit my fancy. The clean channel was great, spanky, clean, and fantastic overall. The gain channel just wasn't my cup-o-tea. It is a unique design for sure.

The preamp does use a SS ( either a FET or a transistor chip ) component in the earlier stages. There is, of course, a chip for the EQ section as well. I would totally dig getting another one sometime, and a Peavey Ultra 120 too! The Peavey Ultra 120 also had a really neat clean channel and the gain channel was also awesome. I got rid of the Peavey Ultra because it smelled so bad of cigarettes, I couldn't stand to be near it. I replaced it with a Peavey XXX ( the direct descendant of the Ultra ). The XXX is a great amp, but not quite what the Ultra was. I regret selling the X100B, mainly because I know I would probably be more smitten with it now than I was then.

 

[Demanic]

I used to have an old XV212 combo until a resistor let the smoke out. I pulled the amp out and continue to use the cabinet. Mine was old enough to not have the bias switch. And it took 6L6's. Still have a couple of the original 6L6 Telefunken tubes from it. And they're still functional.

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[dave74]

I used to have an old XV212 combo until a resistor let the smoke out. I pulled the amp out and continue to use the cabinet. Mine was old enough to not have the bias switch. And it took 6L6's. Still have a couple of the original 6L6 Telefunken tubes from it. And they're still functional.

Sent from my SM-A115A using Tapatalk

Now would be a great time to sell those teleFunkers.

Ya know it might not help manufacturers at all, but I bet us amp users could get by for a good while just by swapping/selling all our spare tubes we have collecting dust. (hopefully they're put away in a box or somewhere safe not collecting dust) There really must be at least a million good tubes just hiding away in boxes and drawers.

 

[Securb]

I would guess 100w is 4 Pentode, 50w is either 4 in Triode or 2 Pentode, 25w is 2 in Triode. I don't think it would be wise to have a circuit that can wear down one tube individually.

Thanks for the explanation man that makes a lot more sense. I am quickly falling in love with this amp. My only regret is I didn't buy one in the 80's. I am going to start playing around with foot switches today.

 

[Demanic]

Now would be a great time to sell those teleFunkers.

Ya know it might not help manufacturers at all, but I bet us amp users could get by for a good while just by swapping/selling all our spare tubes we have collecting dust. (hopefully they're put away in a box or somewhere safe not collecting dust) There really must be at least a million good tubes just hiding away in boxes and drawers.

Sell? Nah. But I am thinking about putting one into my Picovalve in the near future, just to enjoy how it sounds.

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[Top-L]

My first channel switcher was a x100b circa 1994. The Fozzy Bear series I called it for the fabric covering. Ran 34's as I recall. The 25 watt setting always seemed to lack the ooomph in the low end compared to the 50 or 100 so I ran it at 50 most of the time. Years later I found an older model like yours for like 75 bucks so I nabbed it without really giving it a good look. Turns out somebody had put 6V6's in it. It worked but gave up after a year or so. Lord knows what the thing actually lived through before I got it. But Fozzy served me well for years in my first band and survived 100 or so gigs. It's long gone but the 4x12 cab is still good as new save the right side which has been great fun for every cat I've had. And Ace is wrong. You can go full Carvin. I rocked a DC127 neck-through that I picked up for two hundred bucks through Fozzy for two years before my first PRS. Mostly rednecks and bikers and nobody every chucked a full beer at me as I was rocking the F outta Sin City or Simple Man.

So enjoy the nostalgia and rock it proud!

The carpet covering was so you could smell the show, even after the show.

 

[Securb]

The carpet covering was so you could smell the show, even after the show.

O so true. A forum bro knew I was looking for a Carvin and offered to sell me one at a great price. I appreciate the offer but it was the carpeted Carvin. I already went that route with my Fender M80 and ended up having it rehoused in a new head cabinet. I am never going the carpeted route again.

 

[Mincer]

For a good 10-15 years, it seemed everything had that muppet covering- cabs, amps, PA speakers. What a terrible idea.

 

[Securb]

For a good 10-15 years, it seemed everything had that muppet covering- cabs, amps, PA speakers. What a terrible idea.

We have seen worse but yes that era was bad

 

[LesStrat]

What was the point of the padded covering?

 

[Securb]

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[beaubrummels]

What was the point of the padded covering?

That was so you could roadie them around and set them down harder without damaging anything. It was the alternative to metal corner reinforcement.