DC-5 cleaner lead channel w/ 12at7?

[exchelente]

Hi,
My first post to this board... I have a DC-5 and I'm looking to get a cleaner, less crunchy, more open sounding tone from the lead channel. For the style I'm playing now it just gets too raunchy too quick. I got a 12AT7 tube in hopes I could bring the overall preamp gain down a bit. I was thinking of putting it in V1 position, but would there be a better spot for it?
Thanks!

 

[MrMarkIII]

Try the V2 also. That seems to be where a lot of the Lead Channel is. Try also a 5751 tube. It has a 70% gain factor, while the 12AT7 is 60% (the 12AX7 is 100%).
V1 = A) First Rhythm Stage, B) First Lead Stage
V2 = A) Second Lead, B) Third Lead
V3 = A) Fourth Lead, B) FX Return
V4 = A) Third Rhythm, B) Second Rhythm
V5 = A) Reverb Send, B) Reverb Return
V6 = A & B) Phase Splitter
The best procedure is to change tubes one at a time (put the amp in standby), then do a sound test. Trust your ears.
On my Mark III, replacing the 12AX7 with a 5751 in the Lead position means I need to turn the gain up to 10 to get the same amount of dirt I got at 5 previously. Spreads it out. To my ear the 5751 (a NOS General Electric JAN) sounds "woody" compared to a 12AX7. You can find them on eBay for $15-$20.

 

[edward]

If it's any help to you, I've been though quite a bit of tube experimentation on my DC5, and for my ears, I ended up liking the following, yielding a smoother clean, as well as a slightly clipping quasi-clean. ...made the highs more pleasant while glassy, and overall less agressive:

V1: NOS Mullard 12ax7 ...yes, a/b swapped them back and forth and definitely noted a smoother, less brassy/more shimmery top end in the clean (not to mention killed the sharpest highs in the Lead channel).
V4: NOS RCA 5751
V6: NOS RCA 12AT7

Your ears/taste of course will dictate what ultimately works for you. But i found a much smoother/warmer clean channel (not to mention less grain/more creamy Lead tone). Also try an at7 in the V:5 ...slight improvement here as it seems to add a bit of "separation" between the dry and wet signals ...more noticible in the clean channel where the songs have more "empty spaces." Hope this helps.

Edward

EDIT: oops, I read "Clean" instead of "Lead" channel, sorry. For the Lead, the 12AT7 in the PI definitely helped immensely, results in a less grainy, more creamy Lead tone. But also try a 5751 or 12AT7 in the V2/V3 (I ended up preferring the former in both these two spots) and I think you'll like the results ...FWIW, it turned an amp I liked into an amp I love!!

Edward

 

[take5]

I recently retubed my DC3....NOS Mullard 12AT7 in V1, Tungsol 12AX7 in V2, and the rest are new Mesa SPAX7's. The 12AT7 tamed some of the gain but left lots on tap. On a scale of 1-10 the gain is now about 3-7 versus 6-10 with the 12 AX7.....does that make sense??? The Mullard also really smooths out the highs....not that they were harsh before....but now they just sound really nice.

Love my DC3 and I'm looking for a DC5 combo....if you guys are ever thinking of selling....please keep me in mind.

Thank you!

Greg