Question for the tube amp gurus

[tonedeaf1]

Does switching from high-gain preamp tubes to low-gain preamp tubes cause a loss in overall volume? If so, does it also cause a reduction in power tube saturation? Or are these things totally unrelated? Thanks!

 

[Robert S.]

Re: Question for the tube amp gurus

Gain is volume so a lower gain preamp tube will decrease volume.

You dont get power tube saturation except at extreme volumes so unless you normally run your amp nearly full out you aren't hearing power tube clipping in the first place. If you run at moderate levels with a pedal you are hearing the pedal and the preamp tubes.

 

[ES350]

Re: Question for the tube amp gurus

in anything based on a 5F6A circuit (which includes a lot of Marshall designs and their clones) the onset of distortion is in the PI circuit...

 

[tonedeaf1]

Re: Question for the tube amp gurus

I can run my Valve Junior at full volume and reduce the volume to a reasonable level with my Radio Shack attenuator. I was just wondering if switching to lower gain tubes would reduce the amount of power tube saturation.

 

[James Rock]

Re: Question for the tube amp gurus

Most likely it will make it quieter and make the onset of distortion a higher value on the volume control (but around the same volume) in my experience distortion wise its not that different from using lower gain pickups (tone wise and feel wise it differs greatly).

 

[tonedeaf1]

Re: Question for the tube amp gurus

Most likely it will make it quieter and make the onset of distortion a higher value on the volume control (but around the same volume) in my experience distortion wise its not that different from using lower gain pickups (tone wise and feel wise it differs greatly).

Thanks. That's what I was wondering, if I would be getting more clean headroom or if I would just have to turn the volume knob farther to attain the same clean volume as before, which led me to my next question, can you overdrive the power tube with a low gain preamp tube? Or even with a high gain preamp tube in an amp that has only one preamp tube?