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Author Topic: New Tubes Advice  (Read 115115 times)

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El Chiguete

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Re: New Tubes Advice
« Reply #90 on: Time Format »

Since I blew one of my (well, rnolan's) Boogie STRs and have a brand new tube board on the way from Belgium, I thought I better get around to buying a new tube. So I have ordered a Mullard short plate to go with the on remaining good STR.  I will have hours of fun trying it in both slots and playing around with EC's crazy ideas.  Can't wait to get stuck in.   :whoohoo!:
This is to go in my stock mp-1

Will you buy just 1 short plate Mullard or 2? That way you could try them on both at the same time.
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MikeB

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Re: New Tubes Advice
« Reply #91 on: Time Format »

I have spent a lot of money on the this amp and the rest of my rig lately. I don't really have the income to be able to justify confinued spending so at this stage i am going to stick to just the one .  Certainly can't afford to get into tube rolling. 
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rnolan

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Re: New Tubes Advice
« Reply #92 on: Time Format »

Hey El, I'll probably grab a couple of short plates and chime in with Mikes tube rolling, I want to try a few variations in both MP1 and MP2 (fortuitously Mike and I don't live far apart  :whoohoo!: ).  I must say however, 2 long plates in MP2 really sing....  :thumb-up:
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trader144

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Re: New Tubes Advice
« Reply #93 on: Time Format »

Another Mullard down

Accidentally left my mp-1 turned on after practice overnight and during work for about 17 hours and no sound came out.

Are these inherently weak tubes or should I expect to blow one like this if I leave it on for an extended period of time? The Chinese tubes still work.

This mullard one is from a different vendor than the past one.
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rnolan

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Re: New Tubes Advice
« Reply #94 on: Time Format »

Hey David, you should be able to leave them on 24/7 without issue, the on/off hot/cold spikes is normally what kills circuits/components over time. I've been flogging the Mullards in both my MP2s' for quite a whi;e now and they are fine.  We've had a few tube losses in MikeBs MP1 of late (but they were expensive fully tested Boogie STRs not Mullards), he's installing a new tube board from MJMP, it may just be the tube sockets are due for replacement ?.
So no they are not inherently weak tubes (from my experience anyway).
Cheers R
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darthphineas

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Re: New Tubes Advice
« Reply #95 on: Time Format »

put this over in the "tubes" area, but since this is more active, I thought I'd drop it here as well.   :wave:




when it comes to the total best QUALITY preamp tube for the original MP-1, and when you take cost out of the equation, which tubes are the best for the ORIGINAL, out-of-the-box ADA MP-1 tone?...that are currently available?  lol!

--- note, this is about a QUALITY product and the ORIGINAL tone, and not about cost savings ---


brand?
JJ? Tung-Sol? Groove Tubes (or Groove Tubes Gold)? Ruby? Mullard? Sovtek?


model?
12AX7?  12AX7A?  ECC82S?


other specs?
short plate?  long plate?
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trader144

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Re: New Tubes Advice
« Reply #96 on: Time Format »

darthphineas,

It depends on the music you want to play and what type of sound you need to pull out of your instrument.
Tell us what type of music you are going for and what amps you prefer.

For people like myself and Rnolan, we like highly articulate, thick, round, 3D sound (bluesy, ACDC, Malmsteen, and/or classic Marshall) where you can extract extreme tonal variation; Mullard is where it is at for us.

For others who may like death metal or hard core....probably something else.

On my other post - the software bias by positive grid allows you to swap out different tubes, power supplies, etc to hear what they will do to your sound for a total cost of about $20. Its a great learning tool for all the factors that go into preamp and amp sound.
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Systematic Chaos

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Re: New Tubes Advice
« Reply #97 on: Time Format »

The Original MP-1s came with Chinese (no spec brand) 12AX7A tubes in them.
The best current production Chinese 12AX7A is (imho) the TAD 12AX7A-C (RT001).
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rnolan

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Re: New Tubes Advice
« Reply #98 on: Time Format »

I really liked the original Chinese bottles (short plates IIRC) in both MP1 and MP2, while I'm now a Mullard convert for all the reasons trader144 says.
My first tube change in the MP1 when I had one was to Boogie STRs (tested, picked JJs).  Whatever you pick you want high gain, low noise, low micrphonics.  They all sound different so as trader says depends on your music preferences and how you play.
Mullards and Tung-Sol are re-issues by New Sensor (who bought a bunch of brand names) and are Russian made.
JJs and I think Sovtek are Slovakian IIRC
GT, Ruby, Boogie etc buy various tubes from different manufacturers and select the best, e.g. MJMP likes Ruby JJs.
But to answer what sounds the closest to stock, I'd say probably JJs based on my experience with the Boogie STRs.
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darthphineas

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Re: New Tubes Advice
« Reply #99 on: Time Format »

Looking for the closest thing to the original tubes for the closest thing the original voicing.  I built my patches around the original tunes and would like to keep it that way.

More recently, I've tried the JJ ECC83S and found that after a couple of year of hobby-level playing that they are needing to be replaced. This is the only tube preamp I've had, so it seemed unusual to me when previous tubes lasted many, many years. If it is just how tubes are made these days, then that's fine and now I know.

But for now, I'm looking for the best and most durable and longest lasting tubes that are like the original voicing...and if it's $20 each instead of $10 each, that's fine.
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Systematic Chaos

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Re: New Tubes Advice
« Reply #100 on: Time Format »

....
But for now, I'm looking for the best and most durable and longest lasting tubes that are like the original voicing...and if it's $20 each instead of $10 each, that's fine.

>> TAD 12AX7A-C RT001 (US)

>> TAD 12AX7A-C RT001 (Europe)
« Last Edit: Time Format by Systematic Chaos »
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darthphineas

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Re: New Tubes Advice
« Reply #101 on: Time Format »

....
But for now, I'm looking for the best and most durable and longest lasting tubes that are like the original voicing...and if it's $20 each instead of $10 each, that's fine.

>> TAD 12AX7A-C RT001 (US)

Thanks. I've been peeking around their site.

Does the C at the end have any relevance to the tone. I picked up some 12AX7 tubes about 20 years ago with the C on the end. I think they were Ruby Tubes. I seem to remember they were higher gain in a way that made even the clean settings grainy and scratchy. I've always thought that had something to do with the C on the end. Or is that a flavor of the Ruby brand?

The V1 and V2 combinations are interesting. probably my biggest concern is risking that grainy/scratchy quality again. has anyone tried this TAD in the suggested V2 with the suggested RT010 (  http://www.mojotone.com/amp-parts/vacuum-tubes-tube-amp-doctor/TAD-7025-E83CC-Highgrade-E83CC-Highgrade-Cz-Vacuum-Tube#.VEEO8N08KK0 ) in V1?
« Last Edit: Time Format by darthphineas »
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trader144

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Re: New Tubes Advice
« Reply #102 on: Time Format »

Ok so I didn't read the question well sorry.

I agree the original tubes lasted very long probably because quality control in china was higher back then.

Systematic chaos, How would you characterize the tubes in your link?
I remember them to be pretty round and dynamic.

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darthphineas

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Re: New Tubes Advice
« Reply #103 on: Time Format »

Ok so I didn't read the question well sorry.

I agree the original tubes lasted very long probably because quality control in china was higher back then.

Systematic chaos, How would you characterize the tubes in your link?
I remember them to be pretty round and dynamic.

A-ha!  Then I feel better. Those original tubes last a VERY long time and I seem to remember finally changing the, out just because they had worked so long and I figured ID better change them before they suddenly crapped out. I have a few sets of older tubes setting around, and a few are totally unmarked and I sadly neglected to mark them in anyway to know if they might be the old original ones. lol!

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Systematic Chaos

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Re: New Tubes Advice
« Reply #104 on: Time Format »

....
But for now, I'm looking for the best and most durable and longest lasting tubes that are like the original voicing...and if it's $20 each instead of $10 each, that's fine.

>> TAD 12AX7A-C RT001 (US)

Thanks. I've been peeking around their site.

Does the C at the end have any relevance to the tone. I picked up some 12AX7 tubes about 20 years ago with the C on the end. I think they were Ruby Tubes. I seem to remember they were higher gain in a way that made even the clean settings grainy and scratchy. I've always thought that had something to do with the C on the end. Or is that a flavor of the Ruby brand?

The V1 and V2 combinations are interesting. probably my biggest concern is risking that grainy/scratchy quality again. has anyone tried this TAD in the suggested V2 with the suggested RT010 (  http://www.mojotone.com/amp-parts/vacuum-tubes-tube-amp-doctor/TAD-7025-E83CC-Highgrade-E83CC-Highgrade-Cz-Vacuum-Tube#.VEEO8N08KK0 ) in V1?

The letters attached to Chinese (Shuguang) 12AX7 refer to different stages in design.
The first ones were the A, then followed by B and C. In the 80s and 90s these were highly regarded go-to current production tubes.
The techs at Tube Amp Doctor simply took the (in their opinion) best bits and pieces of all 3 variants and combined them in their 12AX7A-C. This specific tube is manufactured to TAD specs for them by Shuguang in China. TAD then further selects them to their specs.
The TAD 12AX7A-C is indeed a very dynamic and articulate sounding tube, in direct comparison way less compressed sounding than e.g. the JJ ECC83....and less forgiving (in terms of playing)
I liked the TAD in the MP-1 in the V1 spot so as to set the overall tube sound/character and a different warm sounding tube (RT030, JJ ECC83) in V2 to further saturate the initial V1 character....
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