Tube recommendations for Mesa 50 caliber +

bearded madman

bearded madman

New member
So I haven't been happy with my gain channel lately, too many highs, brutal and piercing and lacking lows compared to the clean channel. Looking for something to sweeten up the highs and maybe add some bass to the gain, I also wouldn't mind dropping the gain on the cleans a little so maybe I could keep my gain a little higher for the distortion channel. Maybe a 5751?

Has Mesa str 440 6l6gc power tubes and mesa preamps in V1,3,and 5, Sovtek 12a7xwc??? in V2 and JJ 12at7 in V4 for reverb. Mostly playing an Epi SG 400 with duncan 59n in neck and Custom 8 in bridge. Playing more sludge/doom/stoner with a little Lamb of God, Slayer and ZZ Top thrown in

Been seeing a few threads about 50 cals lately, what tubes are giving you guys a good tone?
 
Re: Tube recommendations for Mesa 50 caliber +

misterwhizzy said:
Whatever Pepper Keenan used.
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Right!!! If I could get the tone from NOLA I would be happy and honestly I could dial in a pretty good Pepper tone when I first got the amp so i'm thinking it's just time for some new tubes but there are so many options. I know Pepper used winged Cs but they are pretty high since they quit making them. Like $75 a tube
 
Re: Tube recommendations for Mesa 50 caliber +

JJ's have been my power and preamp tubes of choice for quite a number of years now. I find them perfect for the way I play and the tones I generally go for.

JJ's keep my amps free of harsh overtones; they smooth the highs and fatten the lows in just the right way. Plus, they're plentiful and inexpensive, too.
 
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Re: Tube recommendations for Mesa 50 caliber +

cliffenstein said:
JJ's have been my power and preamp tube of choice for quite a number of years now. I find them perfect for the way I play and the tones I generally go for.

JJ's keep my amps free of harsh overtones and they smooth the highs and fatten the lows. Plus, they're plentiful and inexpensive, too.
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I liked the JJ el84s I put in another amp and have been looking at a set of JJs for the 50 cal+ from Eurotubes. I've read mixed reviews of their preamp tubes but your description is what my lead channel needs. I'm unsure if I want the 6l6gc or 5881 if I go with the JJs.

Now that I think about it I know I have a JJ 12ax7 in one of my amps. Guess I need to find it and try it in the V1 of my Mesa
 
Re: Tube recommendations for Mesa 50 caliber +

Mesa send out all their amps with no bias pot. Find out the bias rating of their power tubes, then go to tube depot (or any supplier that gives you the option) and order a set of JJs with the same bias rating. Much cheaper than paying for tubes with the MESA label on them and every bit as good (some would say better). Other option is just to order the 6l6s from tube depot with maximum headroom. They will drop in no problem despite all the marketing hype Mesa use to get you ti buy their branded tubes. You will get maximum low end from your power section that way.
Might as well replace all the preamp tubes with JJs too. They seem to have the most headroom and low end and that is what you are after. Don't bother with 5751s. You'll be amazed at how fresh a flexible a new set of tubes specced to you amp will sound.
If you really want to experiment, grab an EHX 12ax7 for your gain channel and a tung sol for your clean channel. Having said that, a combination of any of these three brands will sound great however you choose to use them. All EHX, all tung sol, all jj or whatever you feel like mixing or matching will be great and keep your entertained with great sounds. None of this stuff makes as big difference as a speaker swap, so dont lose too much sleep over it.
Keep all the old tubes in a lunch box as spares for when things go pear shaped at gigs.
I used to have a dual caliber. Big sounding amps for sure! Enjoy the fresh set of wheels!
 
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Re: Tube recommendations for Mesa 50 caliber +

gibson175 said:
Mesa send out all their amps with no bias pot. Find out the bias rating of their power tubes, then go to tube depot (or any supplier that gives you the option) and order a set of JJs with the same bias rating. Much cheaper than paying for tubes with the MESA label on them and every bit as good (some would say better). Other option is just to order the 6l6s from tube depot with maximum headroom. They will drop in no problem despite all the marketing hype Mesa use to get you ti buy their branded tubes. You will get maximum low end from your power section that way.
Might as well replace all the preamp tubes with JJs too. They seem to have the most headroom and low end and that is what you are after. Don't bother with 5751s. You'll be amazed at how fresh a flexible a new set of tubes specced to you amp will sound.
If you really want to experiment, grab an EHX 12ax7 for your gain channel and a tung sol for your clean channel. Having said that, a combination of any of these three brands will sound great however you choose to use them. All EHX, all tung sol, all jj or whatever you feel like mixing or matching will be great and keep your entertained with great sounds. None of this stuff makes as big difference as a speaker swap, so dont lose too much sleep over it.
Keep all the old tubes in a lunch box as spares for when things go pear shaped at gigs.
I used to have a dual caliber. Big sounding amps for sure! Enjoy the fresh set of wheels!
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Been checking out eurotubes and the tube store. One of my problems was the reviews for JJ,preferred, TAD and Svetlana make them all sound like they could be the power tube i'm going for. I really like the tung sol 12ax7s I have used but the one I tried in the 50 cal was causing a hum so I guessing it is bad/microphonic. I'm planning on getting a few brands of preamp tubes to play around with and see if I can't find that magic combo that may or may not exist. By the way the mesa tubes in it now are the green color code which I think is a GT#5, so right in the middle range.

I have also been playing around with different cabs, JCM 800 2x12 with celestion 65s, 1966a 2x12 with G12T75s, 1960A with 75s and recently picked up a Line 6 spider valve 4x12 with vintage 30s. The line 6 is really doing it for me right now and is all around built better than the marshall 1960a, seriously built like a tank. Also tried my 2x15 kustom bass cab. It really smoothed things out but kind of made me feel like I had a concussion, don't know if I was pushing too much air for the size of room I was in or what but it seriously scrambled my brain for a little while

I also swapped the ceramic in my custom (which I really liked) to an A8 mag to sweeten up the highs a little.

I'm already way down the rabbit hole chasing my tone and I'm going to catch that f****r :censored:
 
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Re: Tube recommendations for Mesa 50 caliber +

There will always be bad reviews of anything easy to get and popular. JJ's are great.

Svetlanas make my amps sound like poo.
 
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Re: Tube recommendations for Mesa 50 caliber +

I love America's Volume Dealer myself. And I hate JJ preamp tubes. I've recently fallen in love with the Mullard RI, which I feel does everything the JJ is supposed to do but so much better. Smoother mids that have a crunchy lower-mid sound without any harsh highs. All that being said, the long plate JJ ECC803S sounds great in the PI position.
 
Re: Tube recommendations for Mesa 50 caliber +

Just got an email form Doug's tubes and they recommend Ruby 6l6gcbstr's and their 5 preamp 12ax7 kit which has tung sol, JJ, 2 Ruby 7025SS HG, and Sovetk LPS.
Anybody know how the Ruby 6l6 compare to JJ's?
 
Re: Tube recommendations for Mesa 50 caliber +

Ruby does not make tubes...are you sure they are Not JJ.?

More Bass, sweet Mids, less piercing Highs, etc etc etc.
I would be looking at speakers not tubes.
If your tubes are functioning properly, i would not worry about what name is on them.
If you read enough stuff on these Forums you will find there are Plenty Of People that Hate Every brand of tube on the face of The Earth.
 
Re: Tube recommendations for Mesa 50 caliber +

zzmoore said:
Ruby does not make tubes...are you sure they are Not JJ.?

More Bass, sweet Mids, less piercing Highs, etc etc etc.
I would be looking at speakers not tubes.
If your tubes are functioning properly, i would not worry about what name is on them.
If you read enough stuff on these Forums you will find there are Plenty Of People that Hate Every brand of tube on the face of The Earth.
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Well dougstubes has JJ and like 4 different models of Ruby 6l6's. Not sure who makes what brands of tubes but I know not many places are making tubes so they could be made at the same place. I get that taste is subjective and some people with love what others hate but I'm still interested in what people that have actually tried them have to say. Especially if they have the same amp. I have been able to hear the difference in swapping one preamp tube in multiple amps so I know swapping tubes can help and that's where I'm at in trying to fine tune my sound.
I have multiple speaker cabs to play with so until I find a deal too good to pass up on something with WGS or Eminence I'm set on speakers.


Edit: The Ruby's are made in the Shuguang factory so they're not re-branded JJ's
 
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Re: Tube recommendations for Mesa 50 caliber +

I have a bunch of Mesa amps, though not a .50 Cal+. They are cool.

I think having all JJs in your preamp will make the amp sound too dark--it did with one of my Mark IIIs and my DC-3. I added some E-H and some Mesa tubes in certain spots and it balanced out the tone.

And sorry, I don't like JJs in Mesa combos. They take a pounding and often develop mechanical noise and become microphonic. The exception is the JJ EL84, which is one of the best available, and I use those in my Maverick and DC-3, and will probably use them in my Mark V:25 and V:35 when the time comes. But the JJ EL-34 in a Marshall head is terrific.

I would say that for a Mesa combo, the all-around best tube I've used is the Winged C/S.E.D., hands down. I use both their 6L6 and EL34s in Mark III and Mark IV Simul-Class combos. Second Place would be a tie between the Mesa 6L6, and the Groove Tubes 6L6-GE reissue. The GT GEs held up very well in my Mark IV, and I still have the factory Mesas In my Mark V, with no complaints.

I've dealt mostly with thetubestore.com, Mesa Boogie, Guitar Center and Bob at Eurotubes. Bob's a great guy. Mesa tubes do have a 6-month warranty, which is the best in the biz; as does the tubestore.com Preferred Series. If you order power tubes, be sure to specify that it is a Mesa, and which model. The good stores will know what to send.

I would try to get a few of each brand--some E-H, JJ, Tung-Sol, Mesa, Preferred, etc.--start swapping them in and out of the V1 preamp socket until you find the one you like, and them move on to V2, etc. That's whatcha gotta' do, 'til ya' figger it all out.

Good luck. I hope this helps.

Bill
 
Re: Tube recommendations for Mesa 50 caliber +

Boogie Bill said:
I have a bunch of Mesa amps, though not a .50 Cal+. They are cool.

I think having all JJs in your preamp will make the amp sound too dark--it did with one of my Mark IIIs and my DC-3. I added some E-H and some Mesa tubes in certain spots and it balanced out the tone.

And sorry, I don't like JJs in Mesa combos. They take a pounding and often develop mechanical noise and become microphonic. The exception is the JJ EL84, which is one of the best available, and I use those in my Maverick and DC-3, and will probably use them in my Mark V:25 and V:35 when the time comes. But the JJ EL-34 in a Marshall head is terrific.

I would say that for a Mesa combo, the all-around best tube I've used is the Winged C/S.E.D., hands down. I use both their 6L6 and EL34s in Mark III and Mark IV Simul-Class combos. Second Place would be a tie between the Mesa 6L6, and the Groove Tubes 6L6-GE reissue. The GT GEs held up very well in my Mark IV, and I still have the factory Mesas In my Mark V, with no complaints.

I've dealt mostly with thetubestore.com, Mesa Boogie, Guitar Center and Bob at Eurotubes. Bob's a great guy. Mesa tubes do have a 6-month warranty, which is the best in the biz; as does the tubestore.com Preferred Series. If you order power tubes, be sure to specify that it is a Mesa, and which model. The good stores will know what to send.

I would try to get a few of each brand--some E-H, JJ, Tung-Sol, Mesa, Preferred, etc.--start swapping them in and out of the V1 preamp socket until you find the one you like, and them move on to V2, etc. That's whatcha gotta' do, 'til ya' figger it all out.

Good luck. I hope this helps.

Bill
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Thanks for the input. I think I'm going to look at getting a mix of preamps and start playing around with a mix. I've been reading tube descriptions on thetubestore.com and amplifiedparts.com they have a nifty chart https://www.amplifiedparts.com/tech-corner/12ax7-comparison-current-made-tubes
My amp is the head version so maybe tubes will hold up better.
 
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