Tube Help

[punchlinechar]

How's it going everyone? I recently got a DSL40C, and while I like the way big chords sound with it at high gain, I find myself wanting more crunch for palm mutes.

I want to retube it soon anyway because it's used, so should I look at getting a set of high gain 12ax7's? If so how many, and in which positions? Is there a specific type of EL34 I should look at?

Any help is appreciated!


Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk

 

[Jeff_H]

Re: Tube Help

I think the best bet for finding the right combo of pre-amp tubes is to buy a small variety of 12AX7's.....some high gain and some lower gain. Surprisingly, sometimes a smoother or slightly lower gain tube in V1 will really give you a great crunch tone. My advice is to try only one new tube at a time. Find something you like in V1 and then leave everything else the same while you try tubes in V2, and so on. Also, sometimes a low output tube in the PI slot does wonders, and it should be balanced as much as possible.

I have a DSL40c, and I'm running a mix of NOS pre amp tubes in it now, but only because that's all I had besides the Chinese Marshall's that came in it. I would recommend new production tubes for ease of replacement and the lower cost to experiment.

For power tubes, just pick something balanced sounding. I need to research some new EL 34's myself.