New Tubes For Blues Junior,jj's Goldpins

[liono9]

Hi guys,

got the bj a little while back and before ya know started fiddling with it,i've changed the speaker and lovin the way it sounds.Now i was thinking of changing the tubes,not they,ve gone bad but just to get the best out of the amp, 2 questions
1.is it really gonna make a great difference in tone by switching from stock to jj's?i mean should i go for it?

2.At euro tubes they have retube kits,they are many but according to them the Goldpins are the best,any suggestions on these???

I mostly play classic rock/grunge

Thanx guys

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: New Tubes For Blues Junior,jj's Goldpins

Yeah, just buy one of the suggested upgrade kits. Then put your tubes in the boxes, and keep them nearby, just in case of a tube failure....it'll be nice to have instant spares.

 

[Bezmotivnik]

Re: New Tubes For Blues Junior,jj's Goldpins

1.is it really gonna make a great difference in tone by switching from stock to jj's?i mean should i go for it?

No, it won't make a great difference. It may make some, depending on how you play.

The previous owner of my mint blonde Blues Junior went with JJs throughout, but I can't tell any difference that I could probably pick out in a blind test between it and the stock tubes except in the V1 spot, and nothing earthshaking even there. I think I went with a vintage Mullard or Amperex in V1, I can't remember, and I probably wouldn't have bothered if I hadn't had some lying around. Bill Machrone (the Blues Junior guru) doesn't find a great deal of sonic difference between EL84 power tubes in this amp, and that's good enough for me.

The Placebo Effect is rampant with these kind of "upgrades" and there's always someone trying to sell you on something to increase your awesomeness. Money is usually better spent on something else.

The stock tubes are very rugged and they work. Those are overlooked virtues.

 

[wahwah]

Re: New Tubes For Blues Junior,jj's Goldpins

If I were going to change one tube in that amp it would be the V1 preamp tube, but I wouldn't be bothering with current production tubes, I would go straight for a late 1950's RCA blackplate (17mm) 12AX7. You probably won't find any NOS, but you will find "good-used" with about 90% life left, which equates to about 8 - 10 years of the best Fender style preamp tone ever. These were the original preamp tubes in tweed and the very earliest black face Fenders, and nothing like them will ever be made again. They are the RCA's with white lettering and were only produced up until 1960, when RCA changed to the shorter (14mm) greyplates, which aren't as good. There isn't a current production tube which comes even close to these beauties from the Golden Era. Unfortunately, the audiophile guys love 'em too, but if you search eBay for RCA 12AX7 blackplate, you might be lucky. Once you've heard the tone and the difference they make to the amp's soundstage and dimension, you will never want to use a current production tube in V1 ever again.

Edit: Check item number 220110331102 on eBay to see what they look like....


Cheers...................wahwah

 

[d1dsj]

Re: New Tubes For Blues Junior,jj's Goldpins

I've just learnt a valuable lesson with all the hype regarding valves, and that is.. if it sounds good don't change them! I spent £100 on a full set of tubes thinking one of my amps would benefit from G.T's .. it didn't sound better to me... just different, so new valves out sitting there waiting until I have to use them. From now on I won't change them until something sounds really off. One thing though, I have heard that EL84's can have a short life relatively speaking, and amps that have no standby switch can shorten the valve life due to no warm up and cool down. I'm no amp tech but that's what a couple of techs over here have told me but I can't back that claim up personally.

All the best in your quest for better tone, but remember.... if it ain't broke, don't fix it!

 

[Baltar]

Re: New Tubes For Blues Junior,jj's Goldpins

one thing to gold pins:
do use gold pins only if you have gold connectors as well.
otherwise it's a waste of money.
i don't know lot of amps which tubesockets have builtin gold connectors

 

[Hoss]

Re: New Tubes For Blues Junior,jj's Goldpins

i will attest to the JJ's in the Jr!!!

i can't say anything about how they'd compare to some NOS tubes, but as far as stock tubes, i'll go JJ everytime!

 

[liono9]

Re: New Tubes For Blues Junior,jj's Goldpins

thanx guys i think i'll save my $40.00 + for something else, like d1dsj said "if it aint broke dont fix it" great advice

 

[Curly]

Re: New Tubes For Blues Junior,jj's Goldpins

I think most people say the JJ power tubes are an improvement, and I agree.

I think their EC83s are worth trying, since they're quite affordable.

I'm not sure I'd spring for the gold pins ... I thought those were actually more for audiophile use.

 

[Dave]

Re: New Tubes For Blues Junior,jj's Goldpins

I put reg JJ's across the board, and I noticed a bit more clarity and chime at lower vol, and a smoother driven sound when cranked-but only a small improvement.

The best cash spent on a Blues Jr. is a speaker, followed by a nice OD pedal, then tubes.

The one thing I've notced about tube swaps is that there's a small difference that I get excited about, but that excitement doesn't sustain too long-not like a new set of pups or a speaker.

You should always have a backup set, though.

What speaker did you get?