Changed tubes in c+ today...holy ****!

[Paw]

So I bought a IIc upgraded to a +, about a year ago, and it sounded good, but not as good as I though it could sound. The guy I bought it from sent it with mesa tubes (probably with a lot of playtime on them) and some random assortment of 12ax7's. So, today I changed them out with SED =c= 6l6s and SED =c= EL34s and a little cocktail of EHs, JJs and Sovtek tubes that I made on the fly. Holy cow, what a difference! It just came to life with crushing distortion and liquid leads. I looove the low-low mids that amp puts out Just wanted to share my joy with you guys.

Something I noticed when i pulled out the chassis yesterday, was that it was marked "HRG" as in 100/60w, reverb and graphic. It's actually a simul-class amp, not a 100/60w. Guess it's been modified not only to a +, but also to a simul-class back in the day. Just a curiosity

 

[JOEY B.]

I have seen the simul upgrades, as well. What is the numeric code on the output transformer?

If you reall want to make it come alive, get yourself some Tungsram preamp tubes for V1 and V2. Then some RFT ECC83's for V3,4,and 5. I'll talk about the Sylvania power tubes and EV speakers when you are ready. :wink:

 

[Paw]

I have seen the simul upgrades, as well. What is the numeric code on the output transformer?

If you reall want to make it come alive, get yourself some Tungsram preamp tubes for V1 and V2. Then some RFT ECC83's for V3,4,and 5. I'll talk about the Sylvania power tubes and EV speakers when you are ready. :wink:

Are you talking about the number printed over MESA ENG.? From the pictures I've taken it looks like it says S0152019B... At this point of writing, I started to do a search for output trannies, and found this tread viewtopic.php?f=27&t=36910. Looks like it says SC (duh!) 152019 B :lol:

About the EV, I've been trying to get a thiele with one for a looong time. I may be buying a custom thiele with the EVM-12L from a website soon though I've just entered the world of tube experimenting, and I keep hearing great stuff about vintage preamp tubes. Are there any (reliable) sites that sell them NOS? Are the Sylvania power tubes you talk about the legendary STR 415? If I get my hands on some great old preamp tubes, I'll stuff them in my Mk IV first as it needs some taming of the top end. The c+ sounds great! 8)

 

[JOEY B.]

Are the Sylvania power tubes you talk about the legendary STR 415?

Yes, that is one of them.