12ax7s ?

[peepee]

hi i bought a used 2 channel dual recto and there is a problem with the fx loop so
i was considering buying a new 12ax7 to see if that would help but what i really was wondering is are there noticeable differences in different tube brands and should i making sure i have the same brand as the other 12ax7s that i don't intend to replace?

 

[R_ADKINS80]

You can use whatever brand you want to. Different brands will yield different sounds so if you want to experiment then I would buy 3 or 4 different brands and swap em out until you find what you like. Just remember the the loop problem may or may not be tube related.

 

[peepee]

cool ! thanks for the reply
but i was still also wondering can i just replace one tube or do i have replace the whole set ?
i was only going to replace the tube that powers the fx loop and leavethe others as the fx loop is my main concern at the moment ... and i'm a real cheap-***

 

[R_ADKINS80]

People are different. Some people do complete retubes and some only replace individual pre amp tubes as needed. If only one out of 5 preamp tubes it bad then you only have to replace that one bad tube. Old saying goes "if it ain't broke don't fix it".

 

[212Mavguy]

To back up the previous post, may I suggest that you take a look at your amp's manual to see what each tube position does function wise, then if you want you can change out only those tubes for what you wish to improve.