Cleaning up the Roadster today.
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Sorry, did not get there yet. Been struggling with Covid this past week. I have some energy today so may try again this afternoon.
STR445 6L6GC yellow bias color, They sounded much the same as the STR445 green bias color I borrowed from the Mark VII. I guess that is good so I know they would be good replacements for that amp.
Not so with the Roadster. Same effect as before. Lost what I thought was epic. I went back to the STR440 reds which has a nice sound to it. The grind is just right, Roadster sounds like I remember it sounding.
I took things a bit too far, should have quit with that. Moved the Roadster head to the floor and got out the MWDR. Swapped out the tubes with the STR445 yellows. It was OK, I still had some top end but felt that a major aspect of the tone was missing. Reinstalled the STR440 (gray bias color) and the Mojo returned. It was that much of a night and day difference.
Who would have thought the STR440 tubes would be the better of the bunch.
STR448 just take things into the wrong direction although they did sound better in the MWDR than the Roadster, just not epic sounding. Lacking content or felt like the amp was overly scooped. Since I do not use any OD or boost, I do not believe that would make a difference. STR445 just have a different characteristic, more of a blanket effect, just too much roll off on the upper frequency. I felt like the Roadster was not driving the power tubes hard enough. Nothing wrong with the amp, the STR440 reds I put in were working great. Almost as good as the yellows I had in the amp.
Perhaps I am just being picky. The STR440 are the proper fit for the Rectifiers. Too bad they are out of production for now.
Sorry if this is not what you expected to be reading. I too would like to find an alternative to the STR440 tube. The STR445 and the STR448 are not a good fit with the Rectifier amps. Bummer.
Makes me wonder what Mesa's focus is on at the moment. Sure, the Mark VII is the new kid on the block as well as the Badlander. The BAD can make due with the EL34 power tubes and it sounds really good too. The STR447 and now STR446 EL34 sound great. Heck even the STR448 in the gray bias color sounded killer. The STR448 gray bias color was really good in the JP2C. I even tried the STR445 and felt they were good as well. I did not notice much of a loss in tone and this is compared to the STR415 I got for the JP2C this past July.
The set of tubes I thought were lame were the STR441 but they seemed to work well with the Mark V90. Perhaps I can pull those out and see how they perform in the Roadster. Also have the STR443 that I bought to replace the STR440 for the JP2C. Did not like those either. I have two sets of tubes I have not yet tried in the Roadster or MWDR. If I did try them, I do not remember what the outcome was. When I get the time to run the STR441 and then the STR443 I will let you know. Maybe this weekend. I sort of over did it, moving the amps around and such. I am paying the price for tying to get back into things after a week of illness.
Not so with the Roadster. Same effect as before. Lost what I thought was epic. I went back to the STR440 reds which has a nice sound to it. The grind is just right, Roadster sounds like I remember it sounding.
I took things a bit too far, should have quit with that. Moved the Roadster head to the floor and got out the MWDR. Swapped out the tubes with the STR445 yellows. It was OK, I still had some top end but felt that a major aspect of the tone was missing. Reinstalled the STR440 (gray bias color) and the Mojo returned. It was that much of a night and day difference.
Who would have thought the STR440 tubes would be the better of the bunch.
STR448 just take things into the wrong direction although they did sound better in the MWDR than the Roadster, just not epic sounding. Lacking content or felt like the amp was overly scooped. Since I do not use any OD or boost, I do not believe that would make a difference. STR445 just have a different characteristic, more of a blanket effect, just too much roll off on the upper frequency. I felt like the Roadster was not driving the power tubes hard enough. Nothing wrong with the amp, the STR440 reds I put in were working great. Almost as good as the yellows I had in the amp.
Perhaps I am just being picky. The STR440 are the proper fit for the Rectifiers. Too bad they are out of production for now.
Sorry if this is not what you expected to be reading. I too would like to find an alternative to the STR440 tube. The STR445 and the STR448 are not a good fit with the Rectifier amps. Bummer.
Makes me wonder what Mesa's focus is on at the moment. Sure, the Mark VII is the new kid on the block as well as the Badlander. The BAD can make due with the EL34 power tubes and it sounds really good too. The STR447 and now STR446 EL34 sound great. Heck even the STR448 in the gray bias color sounded killer. The STR448 gray bias color was really good in the JP2C. I even tried the STR445 and felt they were good as well. I did not notice much of a loss in tone and this is compared to the STR415 I got for the JP2C this past July.
The set of tubes I thought were lame were the STR441 but they seemed to work well with the Mark V90. Perhaps I can pull those out and see how they perform in the Roadster. Also have the STR443 that I bought to replace the STR440 for the JP2C. Did not like those either. I have two sets of tubes I have not yet tried in the Roadster or MWDR. If I did try them, I do not remember what the outcome was. When I get the time to run the STR441 and then the STR443 I will let you know. Maybe this weekend. I sort of over did it, moving the amps around and such. I am paying the price for tying to get back into things after a week of illness.
Dude52
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Sorry for m late answer, I had been absent for several days. Thank you very much for your help. Indeed, I am disapointed as I hoped that either 445 or 448 would be a good replacement for 440 as they are difficult to find...moreover, as 445 are the tubes that Mesa now use in brand new Rectifers, I had huge hope about them...
Thank you again for your time and help !
Thank you again for your time and help !
you are welcome, no need to apologize, the information will be here.
I am also disappointed with the STR445 tubes. They were ok in the MWDR which is what they are currently building as Rectifiers are concerned. Ok meaning they will work but there is so much content missing from the amp that I was getting with the STR440 tubes. The MWDR came with the STR440 gray bias color which was the same used in the JP2C. I bought the JP in 2016 and the MWDR in 2018.
I would not say it was like placing a blanket over the amp, it was more of a neuter job with ill effects because it lost its balls. If I never heard the MWDR with the STR440 tubes I would think the MWDR was just ok but not great. The STR440 just opens the amp up and rips like it should. Without any changes to the preamp section (all stock Mesa tubes) I thought the STR448 were ok as well, they had more of a blanket effect on the amp. However, I was able to run a 7 string through that amp without the mud, I got this really unique low end grind I never experienced before. 6 string with standard tuning just sounded weak in structure, more on the thin side. STR440 tube is way better. I never respected them before, but now I do.
Roadster, I admit I replaced the preamp tubes with old Mesa Chinese 12ax7 made in 1990. I wanted to see what effect they would have on the amp. I lost the low end drone and gained more aggressiveness. The STR448, I do not remember how they sounded. The STR445 was just swamped with low end and made it sound like no mids or treble, just bass. That was odd. I really like the STR440 reds in the amp, never tried those before. It was always the yellows. I tried green, and gray and though it was just too much more fizz, less detail. So with the yellows or the Reds along with the complement of old Mesa preamp tubes, I was able to play the amp with the 7-string without any mud or low end drone swamping the tone. Had I realized that would actually work I would have been using them long ago. I found the Mesa (JJ ECC83s) to be less than ideal in the Roadster. Very much like I found with the Mark V90, they suck. However, the MWDR, JP2C, Badlander, TC100, TC50, and the Mark VII they seem to be good for those amps as if the circuits were specifically tuned for the preamp tubes. I have tried other preamp tubes in the amps mentioned only to find the stock Mesa branded JJ ECC83s to sound the best.
I still have both Roadster and MWDR out in my way of my stereo rig I have set up with 2 BADS, and the Mark VII or may even bring out the RA100 again. Sort of miss using that amp. I may revisit the power tubes with the Roadster and MWDR as I was more or less under the weather with COVID when I did it. Perhaps my hearing is better now that I am free from the illness. I will give it another try this weekend.
I am also disappointed with the STR445 tubes. They were ok in the MWDR which is what they are currently building as Rectifiers are concerned. Ok meaning they will work but there is so much content missing from the amp that I was getting with the STR440 tubes. The MWDR came with the STR440 gray bias color which was the same used in the JP2C. I bought the JP in 2016 and the MWDR in 2018.
I would not say it was like placing a blanket over the amp, it was more of a neuter job with ill effects because it lost its balls. If I never heard the MWDR with the STR440 tubes I would think the MWDR was just ok but not great. The STR440 just opens the amp up and rips like it should. Without any changes to the preamp section (all stock Mesa tubes) I thought the STR448 were ok as well, they had more of a blanket effect on the amp. However, I was able to run a 7 string through that amp without the mud, I got this really unique low end grind I never experienced before. 6 string with standard tuning just sounded weak in structure, more on the thin side. STR440 tube is way better. I never respected them before, but now I do.
Roadster, I admit I replaced the preamp tubes with old Mesa Chinese 12ax7 made in 1990. I wanted to see what effect they would have on the amp. I lost the low end drone and gained more aggressiveness. The STR448, I do not remember how they sounded. The STR445 was just swamped with low end and made it sound like no mids or treble, just bass. That was odd. I really like the STR440 reds in the amp, never tried those before. It was always the yellows. I tried green, and gray and though it was just too much more fizz, less detail. So with the yellows or the Reds along with the complement of old Mesa preamp tubes, I was able to play the amp with the 7-string without any mud or low end drone swamping the tone. Had I realized that would actually work I would have been using them long ago. I found the Mesa (JJ ECC83s) to be less than ideal in the Roadster. Very much like I found with the Mark V90, they suck. However, the MWDR, JP2C, Badlander, TC100, TC50, and the Mark VII they seem to be good for those amps as if the circuits were specifically tuned for the preamp tubes. I have tried other preamp tubes in the amps mentioned only to find the stock Mesa branded JJ ECC83s to sound the best.
I still have both Roadster and MWDR out in my way of my stereo rig I have set up with 2 BADS, and the Mark VII or may even bring out the RA100 again. Sort of miss using that amp. I may revisit the power tubes with the Roadster and MWDR as I was more or less under the weather with COVID when I did it. Perhaps my hearing is better now that I am free from the illness. I will give it another try this weekend.
I got through it. Also had been vaccinated last year. I was supposed to be getting a booster that week but no need now. I did not get to the Roadster this past weekend, Sort of stumbled onto Pandora's box with the Mark VII. I was experimenting with all of the Mesa branded tubes just to see how different the amp would be. At least I know all of them would be good candidates. What worked the best were the STR445 in the yellow bias color. Then I wanted to try a blend of tubes. STR448 reds in the Class A/B with the STR445 yellow in the Class A. Well, that was a step to the sinister gates of hell. Just a play with words, epic? almost. Ordered some more STR448 in yellow and green as I have the reds and grays. Will see how that pans out.
I will see what mood I am in this evening after work, If I am up to it, I will try to run the STR445 yellows in the Roadster again. My hearing is at full capacity, it was not when I tried it the first time, let alone my enthusiasm to do much of anything. Since this Wednesday is a jam night, I will have to get all of the gear that is out in the studio back into storage tonight. So that will give me the opportunity to get the Roadster tubed up and run with the STR445 yellows. Not expecting any bit of glory to the sound. I did not get that with the other set but those are now in use with the Mark VII. Funny thing, I ordered only one full quad of the STR445, they got lost in shipping, got delivered in the wrong state. WTF. I mentioned this to the supplier I bought from, they saw that error, they sent me out another set. Sure enough, That Friday while I was sic, the tubes arrived, Those were yellows. On Saturday I was expecting something completely different from another vendor, what is that extra box? It turned out to be the replacement tubes for the one's that went missing. So I wound up with two full quads of the same tube, both sets in yellow. I called up the vendor and said I would like to keep them as it took more than 3 months to get them. They said not to worry about it. OK, they did get around to charging me for the second set, which is what I wanted as that was fair. That was one F'ed up week.
I will see what mood I am in this evening after work, If I am up to it, I will try to run the STR445 yellows in the Roadster again. My hearing is at full capacity, it was not when I tried it the first time, let alone my enthusiasm to do much of anything. Since this Wednesday is a jam night, I will have to get all of the gear that is out in the studio back into storage tonight. So that will give me the opportunity to get the Roadster tubed up and run with the STR445 yellows. Not expecting any bit of glory to the sound. I did not get that with the other set but those are now in use with the Mark VII. Funny thing, I ordered only one full quad of the STR445, they got lost in shipping, got delivered in the wrong state. WTF. I mentioned this to the supplier I bought from, they saw that error, they sent me out another set. Sure enough, That Friday while I was sic, the tubes arrived, Those were yellows. On Saturday I was expecting something completely different from another vendor, what is that extra box? It turned out to be the replacement tubes for the one's that went missing. So I wound up with two full quads of the same tube, both sets in yellow. I called up the vendor and said I would like to keep them as it took more than 3 months to get them. They said not to worry about it. OK, they did get around to charging me for the second set, which is what I wanted as that was fair. That was one F'ed up week.
Since I have to move the 412 and the MWDR and Roadster out of the room, what a mess the studio has become. All the guitar cases are out and this and that. Anyhow, I could not run the tubes I tried before since I have two of them loaded in the Mark VII. Perhaps I should swap them out with a pair of the other set. Interesting. the Roadster actually kicked ass with the STR445 yellows. That was a surprise. The other set was just mediocre blah but that could have been due to Covid. These definitely sound hot but not as drenched as the STR445 greens sounded (removed from the Mark VII). Tweed and brit modes were smoking but so were the fat and clean modes. The clean channels had too much gain or clipping. I had the gain rolled back to 10am. It has been a long time since I played the Roadster so my familiarity is not up to par. CH3 and CH4 in all modes sounded great. First time I was able to get some good rips from the traditional setting. I had the tube tracking enabled for CH3 and that sounded good too. Modern, yep. I had to roll back the gain more than I would normally set it. Lots of gain and temperament from the STR445 (yellow bias color) tubes. The amp did not sound like this when I tried the other quad of yellows. Will have to check to see if they are STR445 tubes. They are, that was confirmed before I removed them from the shipping coffins. These performed and did not 
the bed at gig level. Forgot how bloody loud this amp really is. STR445 Yellows would be as high as I would go with the Roadster. Greens may be over the top, grays and you will be in mudd territory or ice pick. I still have the old Mesa tubes from the 1990s in the preamp. Now I am curious to hear the stock preamp tubes. That will have to wait as I had many things to get out of the studio to make room for everyone for tomorrow right after work.
From that experience. I now understand the tube description as I finally head the voice of the JJ 6CA7 come alive. It is different than the STR440, more midrange content. Punchy low end, sound great with a six string and falls way short of excellence with the 7-string. Not good. The STR440 yellows and the STR440 reds I feel are much better tubes and with the change in preamp tubes, I was able to run the 7 string. Like I said, curious to find out what the standard Mesa 12AX7 (JJ Ecc83s) will sound like. That will have to wait until after Thursday. I will leave the tubes in the amp for now. No point it removing them as it has to get moved into the storage area before I got to work in the morning.
There you have it. I told you what you wanted to hear. OK, now for the real story.... I will be honest with you. They are good. Not sure how the STR445 reds would sound compared to the STR445 yellows. Dang it, now I want to see what happens with a pair of STR448. I do not have those in yellows just yet, waiting for my order to arrive. I only bought one pair so no going to a full quad unless I mix and match. That is what I am doing with the Mark VII, since it is Simul-class I can run two different tubes, they do have to be 6L6 though. No mention if they have to be the same tube. Class A/B, sure you can do that too but usually one will win over the other. If I had STR448 yellow, one would assume there would be a balance in tube current but the tone will be different between the two, hard to say. Perhaps some will say, they have to be all the same in a Class A/B amp. I sometimes break the rules. The cat is not dead yet but I am curious. On vacation starting Thursday so I will have plenty of time to do whatever.
the bed at gig level. Forgot how bloody loud this amp really is. STR445 Yellows would be as high as I would go with the Roadster. Greens may be over the top, grays and you will be in mudd territory or ice pick. I still have the old Mesa tubes from the 1990s in the preamp. Now I am curious to hear the stock preamp tubes. That will have to wait as I had many things to get out of the studio to make room for everyone for tomorrow right after work. From that experience. I now understand the tube description as I finally head the voice of the JJ 6CA7 come alive. It is different than the STR440, more midrange content. Punchy low end, sound great with a six string and falls way short of excellence with the 7-string. Not good. The STR440 yellows and the STR440 reds I feel are much better tubes and with the change in preamp tubes, I was able to run the 7 string. Like I said, curious to find out what the standard Mesa 12AX7 (JJ Ecc83s) will sound like. That will have to wait until after Thursday. I will leave the tubes in the amp for now. No point it removing them as it has to get moved into the storage area before I got to work in the morning.
There you have it. I told you what you wanted to hear. OK, now for the real story.... I will be honest with you. They are good. Not sure how the STR445 reds would sound compared to the STR445 yellows. Dang it, now I want to see what happens with a pair of STR448. I do not have those in yellows just yet, waiting for my order to arrive. I only bought one pair so no going to a full quad unless I mix and match. That is what I am doing with the Mark VII, since it is Simul-class I can run two different tubes, they do have to be 6L6 though. No mention if they have to be the same tube. Class A/B, sure you can do that too but usually one will win over the other. If I had STR448 yellow, one would assume there would be a balance in tube current but the tone will be different between the two, hard to say. Perhaps some will say, they have to be all the same in a Class A/B amp. I sometimes break the rules. The cat is not dead yet but I am curious. On vacation starting Thursday so I will have plenty of time to do whatever.
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