ACH91332
New member
Re: What preamp tubes for the Mesa?
The EH 12AX7 is an awesome tube. I totally overlooked them. I had them laying around for the longest time and gave them a shot in place of my JJs and wow they are a good tube. They are warm but not really dark to where its muddy like the JJ. They have a very good balance of warmth and definition. If I were you I would not get the gold plated ones though. If they even make a difference in tone its not really audible honestly. It's just more money spent on nothing really.
The Mullard reissue I heard of having a flat response and being boring. Honestly I would give the Tung-Sol reissue a shot first if you're looking for that sort of tone. People say they are similar to the Mullard but with more character. I found them to have a cool presence to them. Gave my Marshall JVM sort of a JCM 2555 Jubilee vibe. They are a little brighter than the EH in my opinion.
Most Mesas come stock with the Sovtek LPS. Sovteks usually have a bad rap but the LPS isnt a bad tube at all. It is a very warm tube also. If you found yourself not having an edge to your tone and maybe lacking definition stay away from the JJ and give an EH a shot. A Tung-Sol would be another step up in definition. I run all EH in my JVM now where as I used to run JJ's. I tried the Tung-Sol but my amp is a Marshall, it has enough high end and presence I can just turn a knob or two.
As for the power section JJ's seem to be unreliable to most people. I've only had one issue where one tube shorted out but they replaced my matched quad and they were fine until I ran them into the ground (I use my amp a lot). I don't know who Wino is but if you like his tone then check out the SEDs but if you don't have the same rig as him I'd focus on what you want from the power section. Like if you want more highs or more thump or something. Getting his tubes won't get you his tone if you have a different amp. Another tube might be the ticket. If you are only planning on shifting your tone and you dont need a power section retube right now I suggested giving the preamp tubes a shot first and then deciding whether or not you might want to change up your power section.
The EH 12AX7 is an awesome tube. I totally overlooked them. I had them laying around for the longest time and gave them a shot in place of my JJs and wow they are a good tube. They are warm but not really dark to where its muddy like the JJ. They have a very good balance of warmth and definition. If I were you I would not get the gold plated ones though. If they even make a difference in tone its not really audible honestly. It's just more money spent on nothing really.
The Mullard reissue I heard of having a flat response and being boring. Honestly I would give the Tung-Sol reissue a shot first if you're looking for that sort of tone. People say they are similar to the Mullard but with more character. I found them to have a cool presence to them. Gave my Marshall JVM sort of a JCM 2555 Jubilee vibe. They are a little brighter than the EH in my opinion.
Most Mesas come stock with the Sovtek LPS. Sovteks usually have a bad rap but the LPS isnt a bad tube at all. It is a very warm tube also. If you found yourself not having an edge to your tone and maybe lacking definition stay away from the JJ and give an EH a shot. A Tung-Sol would be another step up in definition. I run all EH in my JVM now where as I used to run JJ's. I tried the Tung-Sol but my amp is a Marshall, it has enough high end and presence I can just turn a knob or two.
As for the power section JJ's seem to be unreliable to most people. I've only had one issue where one tube shorted out but they replaced my matched quad and they were fine until I ran them into the ground (I use my amp a lot). I don't know who Wino is but if you like his tone then check out the SEDs but if you don't have the same rig as him I'd focus on what you want from the power section. Like if you want more highs or more thump or something. Getting his tubes won't get you his tone if you have a different amp. Another tube might be the ticket. If you are only planning on shifting your tone and you dont need a power section retube right now I suggested giving the preamp tubes a shot first and then deciding whether or not you might want to change up your power section.
