Mesa Boogie DC-3 Tube Replacement ?
Ed
never replaced any tubes in this amp yet. I'm getting allot of hiss
from the gain chanel. The clean chanel sounds o.k. Does this sound
like a preamp tube problem or a power tube problem. I have 4 el-84's
for power, and 6 ea 12AX7 preamp tubes. I didn't want to replace the
preamp tubes if not necessary. These tubes are not cheap. The other
question is will I damage the amp if I use tubes other than Mesa Boogie
tubes. And are there better tubes to use? There are so many types of
grove tubes with different color codes for the same tube type. This
gets confusing to me. I want to make sure I match the right tubes with
this amp.
Thanks in advance for any help.
Ed.
RG
"Ed" <ed...@webtv.net> wrote in message
news:1551-413...@storefull-3273.bay.webtv.net...
Ed,
Try swapping the V1 tube with one of your other 12AX7 tubes. You must use a
quality 12AX7 due to the high-gain of your Boogie, but for the outputs
(EL-34s), you will have to use MESAs or give Willie a call
http://www.nebsnow.com/LordValve since the amp has a fixed bias. Willie
will know what the amp requires and his solution will be cheaper and more
reliable due to his testing parameters.
Best regards,
Sasquatch
Those are good sounding amps. If you are having a noise in one channel only,
then I would start with the pre-amp section because both channels share the
same power amp. If it were the power amp, you would have the same noise in
both channels. Check your first tube, the one closest to the guitar input.
Swap it with the one for your reverb, the one on the opposite end I think,
and turn your reverb down. If the noise is gone, then it was that tube.
Besides, it is about time for a retubing anyways. I use Boogies but I don't
always use Boogie tubes because I have got bad tubes from them. I like
Groove Tubes, but they are a bit pricey. I have been getting good results
from Electro-Harmonix. I'm sure that some of these guys will know more about
it than me, I just play but I'm no tube amp guru like Lord Valve. If he
answers your post, go with his advice.
Sasquatch
http://www.soundclick.com/mulunjun
@nz D.R.
"Sasquatch" <we...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:cgtdjh$5phn$1...@news3.infoave.net...
The Electro-Harmonix tubes I bought from LV were sweet. Service excellent.
Excellent price. I am sure someone will flame me for saying this though. ;-)
@nz D.R.
"D.R." <D.R. @ NZ> wrote in message
news:yatYc.19356$N77.7...@news.xtra.co.nz...
Forgot the link, incase ya didn't know who LV is:
http://www.nebsnow.com/LordValve
He should really have put the logo on his website, cos NBS means "No BS". ;-)
@nz D.R.
"Rick N. Backer" <ken.w...@NsOhSaPw.cAaM> wrote in message
news:hst4j0ltjpljg64ap...@4ax.com...
> On Mon, 30 Aug 2004 11:06:17 +1200, "D.R." <D.R. @ NZ> did
> courageously avow:
> by buying from someone local. Willie does not have exclusive
> distribution on any tubes. And, if you buy locally you get problems
> solved locally. Nobody local is going to help you if you start
> sending what should be their business out of town. Shop where you
> live.
Good point that. I live in New Zealand where local valves (Groove Tubes or
untested JJs) are a premium. I got valves from LV at a fraction of the
overly-inflated NZ price. Worked out at about 5x 12AX7-EH's valves (including
shipping to NZ) cost less than the price of 2x GrooveTubes Premiums locally. I
wish I had bought my Power Tubes from LV, rather than paying NZ$250 (about
US$160) for two GrooveTube Premium (JJ/Tesla 6L6s) last year!!!!!! What a rip.
PainKiller
"Ed" <ed...@webtv.net> wrote in message
news:1551-413...@storefull-3273.bay.webtv.net...
Jim Anable
> I have a Mesa Boogie DC-3. It's ten years old. Still works good. I
> never replaced any tubes in this amp yet. I'm getting allot of hiss
> from the gain chanel. The clean chanel sounds o.k. Does this sound
> like a preamp tube problem or a power tube problem.
Could be.
> I have 4 el-84's
> for power,
Ten year old EL84's??? Unless you play infrequently and/or only bedroom
volume, I'm betting you need power tubes! EL84 are not very robust tubes.
> and 6 ea 12AX7 preamp tubes. I didn't want to replace the
> preamp tubes if not necessary. These tubes are not cheap.
Depends on what you use. If you buy Groove Tubes, you get cheap tubes and
pay a lot of money for them (my personal opinion, FWIW).
> The other
> question is will I damage the amp if I use tubes other than Mesa Boogie
> tubes.
Mesa Boogie NEVER built a single tube in their entire history. All they do
is buy from suppliers, test, and silk screen their name on them.
> And are there better tubes to use?
Depends on who made the Mesas in there, right now. But you should try new
power tubes, and you may want to rotate your preamp tubes around.
> There are so many types of
> grove tubes with different color codes for the same tube type. This
> gets confusing to me. I want to make sure I match the right tubes with
> this amp.
> Thanks in advance for any help.
> Ed.
For the preamp: You can use ANY brand 12AX7, ECC83 (same tube, european
designator), or 12AX7A or 7025 (same tube, supposedly screened for low
noise). Which are best? Ask me, and I'll tell you NOS or tested
Mullards. Other people have other opinions. The Mesa tubes that I have
are just the run of the mill cheap Chinese. I don't care for them, because
they sound buzzy to me. But you might like them just fine.
For the power amp: I'm not a tech, and since I don't own your amp I don't
know a lot about it. Somebody posted that it is fixed bias, so I'll assume
that they are right. If so, Mesa and GT sells "distortion rated" tubes.
But any tube dealer can sell you a matched set with a bias level that will
help you get the tone that you are after. If you like power tube
distortion, you'll get one rating. If you like lots of volume and headroom
and depend on your preamp for distortion, you'll get another rating.
My advice: Contact Jim McShane for tubes:
http://pages.prodigy.net/jimmcshane/ He has matched quads of JJ Tesla EL84
for $34.50. He can also hook you up with NOS types, if you want them. If
he has any NOS or *strong* used "big plate" RCA 12AX7, they're a good
tube. He should be able to hook you up with strong used U.S. preamp tubes
that are much better than current production new tubes. Or, if you don't
mind paying, he has some great NOS preamp tubes. For my money, I'd go
strong, tested U.S., German or British over the new current production, any
day of the week. "They don't make 'em like they used to."