Re: The Tube Amp Book Aspen Pittman
Eduviges Gearlds
Yes, it's a lot of books in this industry. And to think there are that many people interested in what makes tube amps work, what makes tubes work and how to make them better. I never expected this level of interest in tube amps.
Well, my knowledge until then was just acoustic instruments, but now I had to learn about the electric guitar and amps. I noticed we would get an amp in and it wouldn't sound quite right, so we would send it to the repair shop. The amp came back as "okay". So nothing was "broke", but it still didn't sound right. I then learned about "tubes" and the improvements I could make by just simple substitution. I discovered that much like strings, tubes wore down (but didn't actually "break" like strings). So you didn't notice your loss of tone as the tubes wore out until it was too late (i.e. "My amp blew up!"). But guys were not replacing worn tubes until it was in the shop, and then only the one that went out. Basically this situation began my quest to figure out the contributing factors to what would be considered a "good" Marshall 100 or a "good" Fender Twin Reverb. I knew tube amps relied on tubes, an electrical component possessing great influence on the sound, so that was a good place to start researching. I found the tubes in new amps were very inconsistent, hence explaining the vast differences in amps as we unpacked them. So the amp's tone, good or bad, was due to the luck of the "tube draw" at the factory. So the question became, "How do we create a situation where there will always be a good tube draw every time?"
Well yes, and no. Most amp factories bought tubes from the distributors of RCA or GE parts and those tubes indeed "met spec", which is a series of "minimum electrical measurements". Indeed the tubes worked, so the amp was passed, but still they all sounded a bit different. Amp companies knew nothing about testing and/or "matching" their tubes, and since nothing was "broken" they didn't try to fix it. But I knew something here was "broken", and I saw the opportunity for a possible business if I could produce better sounding amps thru installing better sounding tubes. My initial inspiration was McIntosh Laboratory, who made high- end, tube-based home stereo gear. McIntosh used to put on tube amp clinics with their dealers, where owners would bring in their Mac amplifiers and then factory techs would measure them and (if needed) recommend new "matched tubes" from the factory. We measured the trans-conductance (or the power) of a tube and matched them accordingly into sets... just like McIntosh. But there was one small problem.
When you listened to the amp with our electrically matched tubes it didn't sound any better, at all! I was disappointed because unless I could prove this idea to the picky ears of a guitarist, I knew I had no product to market. My tubes needed to sound better, so I knew we still had more research to get where I wanted to... The rest of this article is only available with a Basic or Premium subscription, or by purchasing back issue #56. For an upcoming year's free subscription, and our current issue on PDF...Subscribe for free here Or Learn More Sponsored Sponsored Listen Now New! EP87: Morphine Sponsored Sponsored Sponsored Behind the Gear Behind the Gear Jim Williams: Behind the Gear with Audio Upgrades by Mike Jasper Jim Williams has spent much of his 56 years working with some of the biggest names in the music business, including Frank Zappa, John McLaughlin and Stevie Wonder. He's the owner of Audio Upgrades,...
Aspen Pittman, founder of Groove Tubes and author of The Tube Amp Book, died last weekend in a car crash in Southern California. Pittman spent the '60s working at the first Guitar Center. In 1979, he founded Groove Tubes and revolutionized tube amps. He made an even bigger mark on the guitar world with The Tube Amp Book. Amp builders have used the book for years.
The tone of a cranked tube circuit in a pedalThe Duo Tonic ovedrive pedal is designed to feed its solid state overdrive side into the tube section. This is both is the key to its sonic diversity and what gives it the ability to emulate the sound of a tube amp getting pushed hard. The solid state side can be used to nudge a tube amp toward saturation. Or you can use the tube section like a new channel on your amplifier, all the while having a separate JRC4558 based overdrive to push any of your tones into crunchier territory. Better yet, use both sides together and let the distortion run wild!
Designed by two giants of modern tube technologyThe Duo Tonic Guitar Tone Pedal comes from the minds of Aspen Pittman and Mark Samson. Aspen Pittman is the man responsible for starting Groove Tubes, and Mark Samson is known for his boutique quality designs as the head of Matchless Amplification. The Duo Tonic brings you the sound that comes from their years of experience getting the best performance and sound out of great tube circuits.
I had a tube go bad on my Friday afternoon, no problems I had a spare EH tube I took out of the amp a while back because it had some discoloration on side of the tube, like slight burn mark. So I put it back in. All was fine. I had a show Saturday and didn't want to be without a spare as I don't exactly trust that tube to begin with. So I stopped by the local GC and picked up a set of Groove Tube EL84 match set for spares. Now I'm wondering without taking it to someone to bias (no one around here I would trust with this type of amp), would putting those Groove Tubes in hurt the amp or just wear out quicker? Not sure if should really order a new set of EH EL84 tubes for the best possible sound or if the Groove Tubes would be fine. Right now I'm kind of leaning towards just leaving the one questionable tube in until it gives me a issue, since I got two Groove Tube EL84 that could get me thought a show if they had to.
Okay so I need to order me a set of EH tubes for it, and likely a spare set. GC list has as a Hard/Medium/Soft type for the EH EL84. I assume use the Medium ones? Oddly Tubestore doesn't have that option of Hard/Medium/Soft.
I'm just curious here, I retubed my DT25 head about a year ago and did quite a bit of extensive research at the time and do not recall there being any specific tube type recommendations. As this was the case, I went ahead and ordered from The Tube Store a matched set of Preferred Series 7189 ( -6BQ5-Tube-Types/Preferred-Series-7189-Premium-EL84) and a Sovtek 12AX7-LPS ( -ECC83-Tube-Types/Sovtek-12AX7-LPS) for the pre.
I installed and biased everything correctly and have been using the head with these tubes in on a fairly regular basis since then. I guess my question is, is there any warning signs that I should be looking for that they didn't take as well as I initially thought? Should I put the old tubes back in as they are still good?
This book is in excellent condition showing some minor shelf wear on the cover (see photos). A CD is included in the inside back cover and doesn't appear to have been removed/played.
From the publisher: Already known as the bible of tubes and tube amps, The Tube Amp Book is now even better! This deluxe revised edition contains 40% new material, with a comprehensive A-Z section covering all the great tube amp manufacturers, with histories, photos and information. Brands include Ampeg, Dr. Z, Fender, Gibson, Hiwatt, Marshall, Matchless, Mesa/Boogie, Orange, Vox, Watkins and many others. Features online access to 800 available schematic and layout diagrams, from Ampeg to Western Electric. The book's technical tips, in-depth electronic specs and explanations, over 350 schematic diagrams, and full-color plates make it a must-have for the legions of tube-tone fanatics. Hardcover with convenient enclosed spiral binding.
This solid-state reissue of Groove Tubes' Model 1 large-diaphragm valvetube condenser mic shares the same extended bandwidth and generally flattering sound character, but with the cost and reliability advantages afforded by solid-state Class-A FET electronics.
The Duo Tonic features a two-mode overdrive feature in the high gain preamp section using two five-pole tubes (6205) to create a traditional all-tube sound. The high gain channel has full range control of tones and tones, and two SS overdrive circuits produce vintage sound. Duo Tonic revives superior drive sound by the combination of 2 mode overdrive and the preamp part.
Designed by modern tube masters-Aspen Pittman and Mark Samson, Duo Tonic is a product that enables guitarists to produce enthusiastic tube sounds at any play style and at any volume.
Duo Tonic sends the signal of the solid state circuit overdrive section to the tube section. Both of these circuits create a variety of sounds and are the key to reproducing the sound of the tube amp that drives hard. Solid-state circuits are sometimes used to drive tube amps, and tube sections can be used as new channels for amps. You can also use the tube section for wilder distortion while applying solid drive overdrive with a crunch.
The Duo Tonic pedal has high quality parts. To get a true tube sound, you have to use a vacuum tube with certain characteristics. Duo Tonic uses a pair of genuine Military Spec 6205, 5-Pole tubes in the tube channel. The Overdrive / Boost channel uses the JRC 4558 chip, which can be used to create classic mid-hump tones, giving you an amazing sense of touch and real drive that has been accumulated for decades .
PREMIER Guitar magazine (September 9, 2016) Between guitarists and audiophiles, it is a common recognition that tubes create a sweet sound. Using tubes for pedals is an easy way to increase the product value, but it's not the case that you will actually create a pedal that sounds better and brings out the potential of tubes. Tube specialist Aspen Pittman has developed Duo Tonic boost / overdrive / distortion, a tube-pedaled pedal, and has successfully extracted the potential of tube power.
Duo Tonic is the first pedal developed by Aspen Pittman Desings (California). Aspen Pittman is also known as the author of The Tube Amp Book. This time, two small 6205, five-pole tubes are used for his two-channel boost / overdrive / distortion pedal. This tube is a commonly used size for compact pedal board amps and preamps, and is also used by BluGuitar / Amp1 and Effectrode / Fire Bottle.
The specifications on the tube / preamp side are similar to guitar amps and equipped with master volume, tone, gain, and 2-band EQ. The drive remains clean and at full gain you get a sound close to Deluxe Reverb. If you want to add a bit of sharpness to your guitar sound, it's best to use the Tone and Treble controls fully.
and Treble controls fully. The other channel uses the op amp JRC4558D, which is used in TS style circuits. While using a TS style drive, the tone works very well with the op amp and tube channel to get a very good effect.
Although there is no control on the tube preamp side of Duo Tonic, by installing a vacuum tube, it was possible to make a preamp style pedal that does not impair the goodness of the guitar combo amp. This creates a clean-toned sound that combines the clarity and sharpness of a tube. A "clean tone" is a hi-fi sound that has warmth in the middle and sharpness in the highs. When driving tubes using solid-state circuitry, the overdrive and distortion sounds are Dumble-like, with increased sound pressure in both the high and low range, and a deep, dense Klon-style low gain overdrive You can make a tone.