Been swapping preamp tubes in Mark IV (difference in RHY2)

[KillDivision]

Hi folks. I'm new here. Owned several Mesa's including Mark III, Single Rectifier and Triple Rectifier. I now have a Mark IV Medium Head (2 JJ's 6L6/2 GrooveTube EL34).

We have 2 identical Mark IV's in our band, we play metal.

I sold my Mark IV 2 years ago and bought it back (the same amp) yesterday. 2 years ago i couldn't get a hetfield palmmute out of Rhy2, but now RHY2 is as tight as hell........... ?! Huh???

I noticed that the original Mesa preamp tubes were replaced with Sovteks 12AX7WB. So i replaced the V1 tube with a Mesa 12AX7-A. Very muddy en undefined, no tight palmmute here. Then I replaced it with a Sovtek 12AX7LPS. Beter, cleaner but not as good as the 12AX7WB.

I prefer the R2 over the Lead to play rythmguitar, R2 is much more open and dynamic. Lead is much more compressed and "nice". We play Slayer-kinda thrash. Next friday i'm gonna A/B our 2 Mark IV's in our rehearsalroom to hear the difference.

Just wanted to share my toughts............

 

[NUGENTRULES!]

Just a thought here:

You might want to track down some Groove Tubes GT-7025's. I find that they have a slightly nastier "snarl" to them on the lead channel, so they might up the ante on Rhythm 2 also. Groove Tubes say that they sound slightly brighter in some Marshall amps, but I have not found them to be overly brittle or strident at all. You might even be able to use just 1 in the V1 socket, though I haven't tried that. If you try them, let me know what you think.

 

[RussB]

Them GT-7025's are old EI tubes