ilovefuzz.com

i dont know too much about amps
but if u change the tubes doesnt it need to be re biased?
and u would have to keep using el84s and stuff?


does it sound all that bad though?

my deville has the same tubes since like 9 years ago
now that shat needs a service im just too broke yo and i want my ac30 back

maz91379 wrote:It's a cathode bias amp and it doesn't sound that bad i just feel it could sound better .

wow thats pretty cool had no clue the ad was cathode very interesting

if u want it to sound better do u have lots of money
and what speakers are using?

I like JJ el84s!

I have a stockpile of tubes from swapping stuff in and out. I like RCA 12A_7's the most in the preamp and EHX or Sovtek EL84 in the power stage.

I'm curious about this myself. My silvertone has its original tubes still and my univox has a couple originals and couple JJ's I believe. Both amps sound excellent, but I'm sure they could sound even better.

My amp has the same tubes from the day I bought it, more than twenty years ago, maybe one day I will save money to buy new ones, but where I live they're hard to get, and importing them would be very expensive. The sound is still good but less brighter than when new.

If you're not cranking the shit out of your amp and it's properly biased (where necessary), tubes usually last a while. I've owned tube amps for about 10 years and I've only really replaced power tubes 3 or 4 times. I like to swap preamp tubes when I find a good deal and want to try something new. Putting a different gain or different brand tube in V1 is usually enough to make me happy.

nbabmf wrote:Putting a different gain or different brand tube in V1 is usually enough to make me happy.

I second this. I put a 5751 in V1 of my Blackheart combo, what a world of difference. I love it.

ecc83 IS a 12ax7 its the same thing. a lot of vintage NOS 12ax7's sound awesome. especially RCA or Mullard. you can mix all sorts of 12ax7's and see what you like. a good place to shop is tubedepot.com if you have any tech questions you can call and ask for the tech. they have the best prices, selection, service. also they are not going to sell you a sovtek with a groovetubes sticker on it for double the $$. just remember that there are only a handful of factories in the world for vacum tubes. its very common for tubes to be sold under another name at a higher price. in the case of cathode biased amps (like the mesa I once owned), mesa boogie has hand picked sovtek el34's that pass a very specific bench test for cathode biased amps. if your bias is not adjustable its good to get a set of el34's that are guaranteed to operate well within the range of what keeps tubes and amps happy and consistent.