Preamp Tubes? - Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How?

Cheers RiverRatt.

 

They are indeed JJ EL34's, nothing special, but I'm happy with the tone.

 

Tone is such a woose.

 

I went through my caddy and tested all my 12AX7's. I found a few gems that I wasn't expecting. I put that old 1959 Matsushita long plate in V1, left the Raytheon in V2, used a nice Sylvania in V3, and put the hottest tube I found in V4. It was another Sylvania that tested ridiculously high. I like a hot PI tube.

 

Is a hot PI better than a lopsided PI? I think so but maybe not everyone.

 

I hear a bigger difference with a hot PI tube. I'd describe the sound as more warm and punchy. YMMV.

 

And it will provide more harmonic distortion when cranked.

 

I don't really have anything new, just trying to keep the thread alive. I'm still happy with the combination I'm running now. I was thinking today that I'd like to have a nice Tungsram to try in V1. Just how thick can you get the mids? That tube might be the answer.

 

Tung s ram. It sounds like something a women would like. Midrange moan. That could be a good instrumental title.

 

LOL yeah, women do. I read that Lita Ford uses them in her Marshalls. I think Terry Kilgore dropped that nugget on TGP years ago.

 

You may have just stumbled onto the secret of "woman tone".

 

Dude I have them and so much more in my stash but have never gotten around to trying/testing them.
I have so much to do before I set up my laboratory.

 

I had one in my stash and it cracked while it was in an amp. They're not doing you any good if you don't use 'em though. Pissed me off cuz I had ordered it from eBay at retail price, which I don't normally do. It's like trophy hunting in a wildlife preserve.

 

I moved recently and a lot of things are packed. Like I mentioned, I have to setup my laboratory. I will happen in due time.

 

I'm going to have to leave the back off my amp if I'm going to really experiment, and then there's the question of what that would do to the tone. I might remove the screen from the oval in the back and see if I can manage that way. The combo has the preamp tubes all the way towards the front. Tube rolling was so much easier with the head.

 

I installed dzus fasteners. Once there, search on dzus.

https://www.mcmaster.com/#

 

Cool! How did you install the nuts?

 

I use one screw to close the back. Works fine no fussing. Great for rolling.

 

I created a stress relief because of the crap particle board construction. Pretty much fender washers epoxied to the inside, then the back of the fastener epoxied to it.