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Author Topic: MP 1 and tubes! Which ones, and why  (Read 32493 times)

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Harley Hexxe

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Re: MP 1 and tubes! Which ones, and why
« Reply #60 on: Time Format »

Hey Max,

    I did have a pair of GT Mullard RI's in the MP-1 for a while and the tones were very good. I haven't tried the newer Mullard RI's in it yet, but I could give it a go.
   I may not use the 12AX7ACZHG+ in there with the Mullard though, the 12AX7AC5HG+ might be better suited in that combination. I'll just have to try it out and see what sounds best to my ears.
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Iperfungus

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Re: MP 1 and tubes! Which ones, and why
« Reply #61 on: Time Format »

Hey Max,

    I did have a pair of GT Mullard RI's in the MP-1 for a while and the tones were very good.

Were they Long Plates or Short Plates 12AX7 tubes?

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Harley Hexxe

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Re: MP 1 and tubes! Which ones, and why
« Reply #62 on: Time Format »

I've only used long plate tubes. Short plates make them sound too brittle.
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Iperfungus

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Re: MP 1 and tubes! Which ones, and why
« Reply #63 on: Time Format »

I've only used long plate tubes. Short plates make them sound too brittle.

 :thumb-up:

Ok, some other tubes rolling.

I started from a very good point:

1) TAD 7025 --> V1
2) Ruby's 12AX7ACZHG --> V2

The first test was with the Ruby's 12AX7ACZHG+ in V2.
Result = WOW!!!

Punch, very very low noise, more gainy than with the 12AX7ACZHG in V2, better bass response and more overall clarity.
Very articulated and 3-D clean tones.
Absolutely the best.

Then I swapped the 12AX7ACZHG+ with the 12AX7AC5HG+ (TAD 7025 still in V1) : another nice combination...a little less gain and less "bassy", but very good.

Third test: Ruby's 12AX7AC5HG+ in V1 and 12AX7ACZHG+ in V2.
Very close to the starting point with the TAD 7025 in V1, maybe just a slightly different eq....little less basses, little more mids.
Another very good combination.....very hard to choose what's the best.

Next and last step was to swap V1 and V2: I don't liked it at all.
I think, to my taste, those Ruby's JJs are very good tubes for V2, but I don't like them in V1 in the MP-1: the sound looses gain and 3-D.

I've to say I love one thing of all these tubes (Ruby's and TADs): they are not noisy.
I assume this comes from Highgrade selection...they seem reliable and have good tones.

Having less noise, I can push my MP-1's output level some more and I increased OD1 and OD2 levels on my main distortion patch from 7.0 to 7.5 without adding any noise (I also tested with 8.0...same result....but I preferred a .5 less value).

Yes, MP-1 is the best preamp on this planet.
I cannot wait to send mine to MJMP for the mods and have it back...ready to rock for the next 30 years.  :headbanger:

More tubes rolling will follow.  :facepalm: :wave:
« Last Edit: Time Format by Iperfungus »
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rnolan

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Re: MP 1 and tubes! Which ones, and why
« Reply #64 on: Time Format »

Just to throw a spanner in the works, I went to a tube amp thingy the other week where the local tube amp tech guy (Andrew Z) got people to bring along their amps for a bit of tube rolling.
So they worked through an old fender bassman, vibrolux, soldano etc last amp was a Marshall (with all the knobs and allegedly all the different Marshall amp sounds).

So most of the rolling was V1.  I got them to roll a few phase splitters as well.
So there were a bunch of tubes, JJs, GTs, TungSol, Mullard LPs and some 12AT7s.  But the absolute standout tube in all these circuits (in V1) was a Svetlana. I'm pretty sure he was using the (newer) New Sensor Svetlana's.  As now the original Svetlana factory in St Petersburg is shut  :facepalm: (in the end their tubes had the "winged C" logo).

Now I haven't tried a Svetlana in MP1/2 yet, but based on what I heard the other day, they are definitely worth a listen.
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Iperfungus

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Re: MP 1 and tubes! Which ones, and why
« Reply #65 on: Time Format »

Just to throw a spanner in the works, I went to a tube amp thingy the other week where the local tube amp tech guy (Andrew Z) got people to bring along their amps for a bit of tube rolling.
So they worked through an old fender bassman, vibrolux, soldano etc last amp was a Marshall (with all the knobs and allegedly all the different Marshall amp sounds).

So most of the rolling was V1.  I got them to roll a few phase splitters as well.
So there were a bunch of tubes, JJs, GTs, TungSol, Mullard LPs and some 12AT7s.  But the absolute standout tube in all these circuits (in V1) was a Svetlana. I'm pretty sure he was using the (newer) New Sensor Svetlana's.  As now the original Svetlana factory in St Petersburg is shut  :facepalm: (in the end their tubes had the "winged C" logo).

Now I haven't tried a Svetlana in MP1/2 yet, but based on what I heard the other day, they are definitely worth a listen.

This one?

http://www.thetubestore.com/Tubes/12AX7-ECC83-Tube-Types/Svetlana-12AX7
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rnolan

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Re: MP 1 and tubes! Which ones, and why
« Reply #66 on: Time Format »

Hey Max, yep that looks like the baby  :thumb-up: As I said, it was by far the best sounding tube for V1 - rolling in a variety of amps from old Fenders to modern Marshall (with Soldano in between), moreover, he was including Mullard LPs in the mix (and you know how I feel about them). And I was sitting directly in front of the cab(s)  :whoohoo!: best spot (albeit a bit loud LoL). But hey, that's in those circuits, how they sound in MP1/2  :dunno: but I recon really worth trying  :thumb-up: .
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Iperfungus

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Re: MP 1 and tubes! Which ones, and why
« Reply #67 on: Time Format »

Hey Max, yep that looks like the baby  :thumb-up: As I said, it was by far the best sounding tube for V1 - rolling in a variety of amps from old Fenders to modern Marshall (with Soldano in between), moreover, he was including Mullard LPs in the mix (and you know how I feel about them). And I was sitting directly in front of the cab(s)  :whoohoo!: best spot (albeit a bit loud LoL). But hey, that's in those circuits, how they sound in MP1/2  :dunno: but I recon really worth trying  :thumb-up: .

Well...a S logo is not expensive...  :thumb-up:

It's maybe not so easy to find (I found it just from The Tube Store at the moment), but not expensive.

What puzzles me is that, from description, they say it has less gain than a 12AX7 Tung Sol and sounds smoother...and I didn't like the Tung Sol in my MP-1....while I absolutely love it in my small Rivera combo.
I assume tube amps and tube MIDI preamps are different beasts...and in a tube amp you also have a closer interaction between preamp and power amp, due to common transformers as well, that you loose in separate rack units.
Maybe this could explain why a tube that perfectly fits a tube amp is not that good in a rack tube preamp and viceversa?  :dunno:
« Last Edit: Time Format by Iperfungus »
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rnolan

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Re: MP 1 and tubes! Which ones, and why
« Reply #68 on: Time Format »

Hey Max, it depends so much on the circuit (of course), and as you say, the way preamp/amp heads combine their stages is intertwined to make the whole. And then it's all subjective as to what works and sounds good to you, for your gadget and your style of playing.

The tung sol wasn't a standout tube in those amps either, but I mention the Svetlana because it was a standout tube in all the different amps.  That said, none of the tubes he rolled that night were terrible.
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Harley Hexxe

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Re: MP 1 and tubes! Which ones, and why
« Reply #69 on: Time Format »

That Sveltana tube that Max dug up the image for, is a short plate. But as you just said Richard, it depends on the circuitry, so a combination of short plate in V1 and long plate in V2 might work.
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Iperfungus

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Re: MP 1 and tubes! Which ones, and why
« Reply #70 on: Time Format »

Well....if I could find one of those S logo 12AX7 tubes from any seller in Europe, I would give it a try for sure!  :thumb-up:

On MP-1 and on Rivera as well...
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Iperfungus

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Re: MP 1 and tubes! Which ones, and why
« Reply #71 on: Time Format »

Ups....found it...

http://www.tubeampdoctor.com/en/shop_Other_brands_OEM_Tubes_Preamp_doubletriodes/Svetlana_12AX7_ECC83_S_Logo_Russia_748


Even if I'm reading around that this tube is very close to the ElectroHarmonix 12AX7EH, same Reflektor plant and same New Sensor producer.
How did you find them when compared, Richard?
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rnolan

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Re: MP 1 and tubes! Which ones, and why
« Reply #72 on: Time Format »

He had an EH tube in the collection, it didn't sound too bad.  One of my MP2s came with EH tubes and I didn't like them at all (in the MP2), but that was a while ago.  I think the NS Svetlanas are worth a try in V1 (my understanding is the winged C branded originals are possibly better  :dunno: but are now NOS only) just based on how well they sounded in all the standard heads compared to the other tubes he had. The guy with the Marshall (off all Marshalls) said the NS Svetlana were his go to V1 tube, and I could hear why.....

But who knows, until you try  :dunno: .  The Mullard LPs work great in MP2, I wasn't impressed with them (as much) in the standard heads. And then, what I like isn't necessarily what everyone else likes. Also, as Harley said, they are short plates.
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