Tube Question
Lega
Got a Peavey Classic 50 head. Have to change the tubes, and was wondering
if any of youz had any recommendations for tubes. I hear groove tubes are
decent. Don't know if they go with my head though.
Any feedback is much appreciated.
Joel
BlueM0ZARK
if any of youz had any recommendations for tubes. I hear groove tubes are
decent. Don't know if they go with my head though.<
Honestly, I think groove tubes are a joke.
What power tubes are in the amp? And how many preamp tubes?
Sam Benson
Get a matched quad of JJ Tesla EL84's for the power tubes. Your 12A-7's
don't have to be matched, but try going with Mullard's if you can afford
them, Sylvania NOS are very Marshall like, good tone for the money with
EH's. I lucked up on a pair of (british made) RCA 12AX7's and have been in
tube heaven ! The Peavey will sound very nice with just a little tube trade
out, and if you don't like the sound with the few you put in, change their
order, your tone will change again.
Also give thought about using 12AT7's to back off the drive. To give you
some idea's checkout the tubestore's online tube tutorial ( no
affiliation ). Of course ymmv...
Sam
Jim Anable
To begin with, Groove Tubes do NOT make their tubes. (Well, there's a rumor
that they are going to produce some 6L6GC, but I don't know what happened with
that.) They buy in bulk offshore, supposedly test them, silk screen their
name on, and BOOST the price.
My personal choice in EL84 is the Raytheon made in Japan tube. They aren't
easy to find, though. (this site currently lists some:
http://www.tubeworld.com/6BQ5.html ) Telefunkens are supposed to be amazing,
but they have the price to match.
My personal choice in preamp tubes for the bulk of my gear is Mullard.
Mullards are beginning to get EXPENSIVE, but you can still find tested good
ones in the $15 range. I don't own a Classic 50, and tube respond differently
in different circuits.
I'd suggest that you ask this question in alt.guitar.amps. There are plenty
of Peavey owners there. There are also a few tube sellers. "Lord Valve" can
be a royal pita when it comes to his politics (ultra conservative right wing,
and constantly pollutes the news group), but he knows his stuff and can often
tell you what people like in certain gear. He sells mostly the new stuff
(eastern Europe, Chinese, Russian) which often doesn't test near as strong as
the old stuff (they aren't made the way they used to). But be aware that even
if you are his customer, he will fight you on political issues, call names...
It gets tiring.
I'd recommend Jim McShane as a straight up tube dealer:
http://pages.prodigy.net/jimmcshane/ He's more likely to have some GOOD old
stock U.S. tubes.
Ned Carlson also has a good reputation:
http://store.yahoo.com/triodeel/index.html
You can always do the ebay thing. I will tell you this. I have a tube
tester. Sometime people claim that tubes are "new old stock", but the are
NOT. You take your chances, especially if you have no way of testing them.
You should also know that your amp uses four EL84 outputs. 6BQ5 is the U.S.
designation and identical to EL84. Your amp uses 12AX7 preamp tubes, and
ECC83 and 12AX7 are identical -- 7025 and 12AX7A are low noise versions.
BlueM0ZARK
the price to match<
I have compared a lot of EL84's and the best I've ever heard were Silvertones,
made in Holland (strangely enough). I have no idea how old these tubes were
when I got them, they were in a bulk batch of NOS tubes. I have tried
Telefunkens and the diamond plates are real nice too. For new tubes,
though...it's hard to beat the Tesla/JJ's for tone.
>There are also a few tube sellers. "Lord Valve" can be a royal pita when it
comes to his politics<
yep, you're right... the Lord knows his tube stuff. I'd also try
www.angela.com.
a.g.a. has been making a huge sucking noise lately, but I won't go into that.
:-]
Jim Anable
> :-]
S/N ratio has improved over at AGA. Some of us are swearing off the politics. It
got OUT OF HAND.
D.R
"Lega" <jyle...@magma.ca> wrote in message news:HKWdnYTl_ci...@magma.ca...
> Hey all,
>
> Got a Peavey Classic 50 head. Have to change the tubes, and was wondering
> if any of youz had any recommendations for tubes. I hear groove tubes are
> decent. Don't know if they go with my head though.
Some companies sell you the tubes, and they
are a lottery. Groove Tubes buy the same tubes
but test them quite well. They chuck a heap of
the tubes they buy. There may be many duds. They
take the risk, and you don't....apparently.
Their premium tubes are *expensive*, but usually
a safe bet.
Groove Tubes silver series are not. Some think
these are the *rejects*. My amp tech has had so
many bad GT silver tubes it ain't funny! Some
didn't even read on the ol' out-of-ten-scale.
Lord Valve over at the AGA (alt.guitar.amps)
is reknowned for being the tube guru of all
time. He tests tubes better than anyone! He
burns em in properly, hits them, etc, and if
they survive, he will sell them. You will be
guaranteed a good set of tubes from him. I
*think* however, that sells mainly NOS and
other rare tubes - not the mainstream ones.
Well, last time I read his catalog. His prices
are real good too.
thetubestore.com have a decent range of all
the usual suspects. Cheap and matched. As for
the quality, I have no idea.
D.R.
BlueM0ZARK
way, way, way, out of hand... :-]
Rafeek
<j...@seattle-attorney.com> wrote:
>You can always do the ebay thing. I will tell you this. I have a tube
>tester.
Any tube-tester advice? I'd like to get one... what do they run, and
where would you recommend picking one up?
Keith Smith
it.
Before you buy a standalon tester,read,read,read,what they can and can't
do. Have you ever been to www.thetubestore.com ?
Lots of info,and I see little or no bias"no pun intended" there.
Jim Anable
> If you own a tube amp or pedal,you already own a tube tester.Think about
> it.
It might look like I'm trying to pick on Keith today, but I happen to
disagree. I have a tube tester, lots of tubes, and several amps.
Did you know that you can buy NEW tubes that will test weaker than U.S.
tubes that have been in service for years? They ain't made like they used
to be, that's why one guy over at AGA calls most current production tubes
"polished turds." They'll work in some circuits, but in other amps they DIE
quickly because they just aren't up to the standards of the out of
production U.S. tubes.
If you want to predict life of a tube, if you want to see if the tube is the
problem without having to replace it (including shorts and gas), if you want
to choose STRONG tubes for highest gain that will stay high gain for the
longest time, if you want to know the true condition of a tube... you need
a good tube tester!
On the other hand, I'll agree to this extent: Some WEAK tubes will still
sound great in some amps! I have some long plate Mullards that my tube
tester tells me to replace, but they sound great in my Marshall JMP 2204.
The weak Mullards get MUCH BETTER distortion than the new production tubes.
So, when it comes to TONE, your ears are the best test. When it comes to
actual condition, there's no substitute for a good tube tester.
>
> Before you buy a standalon tester,read,read,read,what they can and can't
> do.
Why don't you save us the trouble and tell us?
BlueM0ZARK
tubes that have been in service for years?<
100% true. I have a B&K tester that never ceases to amaze me when I test new
tubes vs. older tubes.
Jim Anable
I got a killer deal on mine. A good friend's dad has a stockpile of 250,000
various tubes, and lots of tube gear. I told him I'd sure like to have a
tube tester. He grabbed one out of the pile, reworked it, and sold it to me
cheap.
I can't tell you how to get that sort of deal. I lucked into it. Here's
the model I have:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2595213354 I doubt I
would have spent $300 of my money (this is the going rate, give or take a
bit) for this machine, but I got a deal I could not refuse.
I've heard that you can sometimes find them at "ham fests." Otherwise,
check eBay and local NG's and classifieds.
You're going to want one that will tell you the transconductance in micro
mho's. Not just a cheapie good/bad. If you want to spend mega bucks, you
can get testers that will match output tubes. That's getting ridiculous
when you can just buy the tubes from a trusted source that has the meter.
Jim Anable
I don't know about you, but it pisses me off to buy a new tube that tests
950/1050 when spec's are 1250/1250! My tester is very conservative, and most new
12AX7 test around 1150. I have two boxes of 12AX7. One is with both sides over
1000, the other is with either side below 1000. There are NEW Sovtek tubes in
the "weak" box, and OLD U.S. tubes in the strong box! I've gotten more than a
couple of Russian tubes that test low when new, preamp and power amp tubes.
BlueM0ZARK
couple of Russian tubes that test low when new, preamp and power amp tubes<
Russian & Chinese tubes are the worst. And, I haven't tried one, but have seen
good reports on the Sovtek 12AX7LPS.
All the Peavey Classic amps and Crate Vintage Club amps come with Chinese
tubes, last I heard.
Keith Smith
about tube testers.But I do know a good tube company tests their tubes
before they ship them,and some of them will still fail during burn
in..We are talking guitar amps not Hi fi audio here..In this case we
were talking a very simple peavey amp..
I don't see the need to put a high grade tube in an amp that will run
it's best with a good regular tube.Like ptting a 6 dollar battery in a
fuzzface..Waste of money.
And again if you know enough about amps to retube and bias,then
hopefully you already know the myths.If not let a tech deal with it..Not
to bring up any ames,but analogmike knows I have over 200 tubes here
that I have collected and salvaged out of everything from old radios to
hammond organs..As of this writing,the only "Sovtek type" tubes I have a
problem recomending are of the kt88 and 7027a variety that I use in my
ampegs,and marshalls..But I here that may all change soon..And Ruby
tubes don't last"for me"..
It is best when asked a simple question to give a simple answer and
leave it at that..I try to be that way with people I don't know.I was
not offended by Jim's post.But don't put me on the spot,I just might
take over LoL!.What I don't know I have experts to ask,my comments are
from me a layman a student of guitar world knowledge....Keith
Jim Anable
> > I've gotten more than a
> couple of Russian tubes that test low when new, preamp and power amp tubes<
>
> Russian & Chinese tubes are the worst. And, I haven't tried one, but have seen
> good reports on the Sovtek 12AX7LPS.
Well, that's one of them that was coming in from a reputable source testing at
950! Plus, they don't like much voltage on the cathode. They are better than any
other Sovtek preamp tube I've tried, but not good enough, IMHO.
On the other hand, the Chinese 12AX7 tends to test high. They just sound slightly
buzzy to my ears, but some "high gain types" love them.
Keith Smith
Saved e-mail message
From: custome...@peavey.com (Customer Service) Date: Mon, Mar 17,
2003, 11:15am (EST-1) To: smit...@webtv.net Subject: Re: 5150 Hello
Keith,
We've had the best success and the most reliability using Sovtek tubes,
and recommend them for all Peavey products. We use Sovtek 6L6 WXT and
Electro-Harmonix 12AX7-EH in the 5150s.
In the US, you can buy replacement tubes (Sovtek 6L6 WXT,EL-84's and
12AX7-EH) direct from our parts dept, by calling 601-483-5365, ask for
the parts dept.
Thank you,
Roger Crimm
Regional Service Mngr.
rcr...@peavey.com
Jim Anable
> Why won't I tell you about tube testers?Because I don't know everything
> about tube testers.But I do know a good tube company tests their tubes
> before they ship them,and some of them will still fail during burn
> in..
You might want to call one of the tube sellers to ask about the reject
rates. A good one to call is Willie, "Lord Valve." Ask him about the Ei
12AX7, for example. The Ei preamp tube is notorious for high reject rate,
but when you find a good one, it is REALLY good. The problem is that tube
manufacturers don't test, they ship in bulk. The better retailers DO test
their tubes. But the ones that do will still sell a tube that tests a bit
low, but in the "good" range for transconductance, because that's how it
came to them!
> We are talking guitar amps not Hi fi audio here..In this case we
> were talking a very simple peavey amp..
> I don't see the need to put a high grade tube in an amp that will run
> it's best with a good regular tube.Like ptting a 6 dollar battery in a
> fuzzface..Waste of money.
This is where personal tastes enter the picture. I have not experimented
with a Peavey Classic 50. But in my Marshall 2204, as an example, I have
found that different tubes do give a different tone. Yes, I picked an
expensive tube, that's the one that sounds best to me.
> And again if you know enough about amps to retube and bias,then
> hopefully you already know the myths.
True, but anybody can swap preamp tubes. They never need biasing. Some
power amp tubes don't need biasing, and I think that the Classic 50 falls
into this category. Some amps SHOULD have a bias control, but are wired
fixed bias.
> If not let a tech deal with it..Not
> to bring up any ames,but analogmike knows I have over 200 tubes here
> that I have collected and salvaged out of everything from old radios to
> hammond organs..
Cool! Same here.
> As of this writing,the only "Sovtek type" tubes I have a
> problem recomending are of the kt88 and 7027a variety that I use in my
> ampegs,and marshalls..But I here that may all change soon..And Ruby
> tubes don't last"for me"..
But Ruby is another company that just slaps their label on another tube, so
you have to look at the internals to determine who actually made them.
> It is best when asked a simple question to give a simple answer and
> leave it at that..I try to be that way with people I don't know.I was
> not offended by Jim's post.But don't put me on the spot,I just might
> take over LoL!.
I'm really just trying encourage people to experiment with different tubes.
There's lots of room for different opinions, and ours seem to be in conflict
lately. I'm glad we can both live with that without getting pissed off.
Keith Smith
I'm not that way at all..And I have no problem being wrong,but we should
all be allowed to be different..Right?
Hell 'm still trying to figure out how the original 5881's in my 61 pro
still sound like they do..Unreal.
Don Evans
"D.R" <D...@nospam.nospam> wrote in message
news:10777916...@kyle.snap.net.nz...
Lord Valve sells new tubes primarily, but he also has some NOS. My dealings
with him have been trouble free, and when I had a question about the way a
tube he sold me was operating, he offered to take it back immediately ... it
turned out to be something else, BTW.
Don
D.R
"Don Evans" <gtrdo...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:c1taa9$1msuq7$1...@ID-210402.news.uni-berlin.de...
Anyone tried the tubestore? What hit and miss
rate do you get when buying their tubes?
Help I need more tone!
the lead channel sounds like crap. I hear really good things about
JJ's though. Definitely a sweet tube.
bluem...@aol.com (BlueM0ZARK) wrote in message news:<20040225225057...@mb-m12.aol.com>...