Retubing help for my Engl Sovereign(long)

Loserchief

SwingingIdiot
So the Sovereign is here since saturday and it absolutely rocks. The only thing that bothers me is the fact,that it's about 3 years old,has been giged on regular basis, but there are still the original stock tubes in it. The amp doesn't sound bad by any means, but i'm thinking,that with new tubes it could sound even greater(should be the case considering how worn out the tubes must be). So i wanna do a complete retube to get this baby rocking even more.

I have to admit that i'm a bit of a noob when it comes to a full tube change(my Powerball was new when i bought it and isn't old enough to need a change and my Valbee doesn't really count since there are only two tubes in it), so i'm asking for a bit of help on how to pick the tubes for the different spots and upgrade my knowledge. I just gonna go in nummerical order. Just give me recommendations on what tube would fit where, in your oppinion(there are so many to choose from).

Manual with tube map, to give you some orientation
All 6 pre- tubes are 12AX7s.

I'm pretty set that i'm gonna get a matched quad of JJ 6L6GCs for the powersection(V7-V10), but any info on the svetlanca winged Cs would be great since i heard some good things about those.

V1: Since this is out to be "FQ, Slected"(what do they mean by FQ?) and it's the input tube, i guess i should something that sound clean and is very accurate to get as much of the orignal guitar tone into the amp. Am i close?

V2-4: selected. I have no idea what to assign to which tube any idea what each tube could be there for and ideas what to put there?

V5,V6: standard, also no idea about actualy function in the circuit but recommendations welcome.

So since i need 10 tubes and i want them to be quality tubes, i don't have money to just get out there and buy a bunch of tubes for every spot and test what i like best(would be very expensive), so i need some solid idea of what to get before i buy. Help would be greatly appreciated.

If i get tubes graded for High Gain, what would be the best place to put them(obviously not in every spot)?
 
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Re: Retubing help for my Engl Sovereign(long)

FQ means First Quality...which means put the best quietest 12ax7 in this slot because it has the biggest influence over your amps sound. This is also the spot to try out a high-gain graded tube if you get one...I wouldn't bother putting them throughout, only in V1. It wont make a stack of difference anyway but you might squeeze a bit more gain out of your amp, but with an ENGL that probably shouldn't matter anyway, they have plenty of gain as you no doubt already know ;)

Just get good quality tubes throughout and you wont have a problem, and if you get your JJ's from Bob at www.eurotubes.com they should all be nice and quiet anyway. V1 would be a good spot to try out different preamp tubes too if you happen to experiment with different brands, because once again, it will have the biggest influence over the sound.
 
Re: Retubing help for my Engl Sovereign(long)

In a simpler answer to your question, just get your matched quad of 6L6's, then six of the ECC83S's (assuming your going all JJ of course), plus an extra high gain graded ECC83S just so you can swap it out if you want to experiment with how much difference it actually makes. And if you're getting them from Bob at Eurotubes (highly recommended) the chances are they will all be top quality quiet tubes which would fit into the category "First Quality"...either that or just ask him to make sure. Also since preamp tubes aren't that expensive, I'd get another one or two spares just in case one blows on you so you've got a replacement to just slot in...happened to me not long ago with my ENGL.
 
Re: Retubing help for my Engl Sovereign(long)

thanks for the info. Any oppinions how a full retube with JJs should work out(shouldn't get to dark imo, since Engls are pretty bright amps and the sovereign is no exception)?
Eurotubes doesn't have High Gain graded ECC83s at the moment and it will take some time, and actually it's easier for me as a german to order somewhere locally or from the UK.
 
Re: Retubing help for my Engl Sovereign(long)

man, TAD is so damn expensive, that's why i'm looking for someplace else to buy tubes. I just don't know why i should pay the price for a pair of TAD Tubes if a matched Quad of JJs cost the same and work great(JJs are killer in my PB)
 
Re: Retubing help for my Engl Sovereign(long)

man, TAD is so damn expensive, that's why i'm looking for someplace else to buy tubes. I just don't know why i should pay the price for a pair of TAD Tubes if a matched Quad of JJs cost the same and work great(JJs are killer in my PB)
Yah, I know what you mean. What do the forum bros say..are JJs cool enough or do you have superb experience with TAD tubes which justify the extra cost.
 
Re: Retubing help for my Engl Sovereign(long)

Since JJ's sound great and are a real bargain, I'd get all JJ, except for the 1st preamp tube. For that position, spend a little more and get one that's graded for highgain, whether it's JJ or something else. My 2 highgain amps have JJ EL-34 quad for 100W and E-34L duet for 50W. I like GT12AX7C's the most for Bogner/Marshall/etc.
 
Re: Retubing help for my Engl Sovereign(long)

I've tried a number of tubes in my Screamer, with JJ's being the best in all positions except V1. I use NOS RFT's there and in combination with the JJ's, give a fat round tone that is full of detail. I would recomend RFT's to anyone for a great V1 tube.
 
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