Eurotubes.... THUMBS UP

[MakoBlink]

I just retubed my mesa dual rectifier with integrated quads. Holy ****!! What an amazing difference. My amp rocks SO much more now. The low end is so tight but still amazingly, the amp is EXTREMELY punchy. Its punchy and definately doesnt not sound irritating to the ears like a buzzsaw. Everything is VERY clean. Bob was great about customizing my package. He lowered my gain about 40%. I personally think it sounds a hell of a lot cleaner this way. I will be doing all of my tube shopping at eurotubes from now on. I recommend this place if your looking for tubes.

-shawn

 

[Blackwater]

+1

Bob knows his ****! I think he has made quite a few of us very pleased with our tone after trying (6v6's/Kt88's etc mixed quads etc.....) I know I have never heard DR's sound so good until I tried 6v6's!!!! who would have thought? Especially if you listen to the MB techs.

Cheers to Eurotubes!!

 

[CaughtLikeFire]

I agree that Bob is very knowledgable and is a nice guy

However, JJ tubes aren't good for every amp and they are all he pushes. He told me the GT Mullard reissue 12ax7 was "Chinese junk" yet they are the best new production preamp tube I've ever used (GT had one iffy production run that affected some people this past year and started a trend of GT12ax7M bashing :roll: - as if every other tube has always had perfect production runs year after year).

There are a number of guitarists on this board and elsewhere that are unhappy with the JJ ECC83s - they attenuate the upper register too much compared to the original Tesla (NOS tube vendors agree with this statement almost across the board in my experience). The 803 is a good tube but is limited by noise in hi gain amps. General opinion is that the JJ 6L6s are more sterile and harsher in the mids than the SED's

Bottom line is, JJs can work great in some situations but it bothers me that Bob's retube kits are touted as a universal solution to a bad sounding amp. JJ's worked reasonbably well in my vintage Sundown for example but they have always made my Rectoverb sound worse.

 

[musicbox]

The same may be said about any other tube manufacturer. No, JJ/Testlas are not the solution for every amp, but neither are the new 'Tung-Sol's or 'Mullards'(I personally think this buisness of buying a brand name and putting it on tubes that have nothing to do with the original name is complete bullshit) Bob has proven to be a very honest and good buisnesmen, along with a great member of the tube amp comunity. To say that his tubes are to dark is fine, but there are other tubes that are too bright, while some others are even darker. Hype is Hype. Sound is so objective, and to say any one tube is the be all end all is nonsense. But on the other end, to say that a manufacture is sub par just becuase you do not like the way they make your fingers sound is just as crazy.

EDIT: (just re-read your post and realize that you basically said the exact same thing. my appologies for sounding confrontational.)

 

[Guitarzan]

GT Mullard reissue 12ax7 was "Chinese junk"

I think I may have had one of the "bad run" tubes. I tried the GT 12AX7M's in V1 and V2 of a DSL 2K. The tube popped and crackled for about 10 minutes every time I turned the amp on before quieting down. I did notice that the gain was dropped a hair and I didn't like the response.
I opted for NOS JAN 5751's. I even tried the 5751 in V1 of my DR and it had a great "Keith Richards" tone. I use GT 6L6-S's which are JJ but GT has made it easy with their 1 to 10 rating system. I don't know how JJ rates thier tubes. I keep hearing that a # 41 or #42 works good for DR's, but what does it mean? I use #4 GT's and they spank!

 

[Marshall_Fascist]

It's all about the TelaFunken dimond plate 12ax7 :!:

 

[CaughtLikeFire]

EDIT: (just re-read your post and realize that you basically said the exact same thing. my appologies for sounding confrontational.)

It's cool - I may have sounded like I was coming down on JJ a little bit.

I think they make some good tubes that work well in some situations but I'm not convinced that they work well in most Mesa preamps and I'm not big on their 6L6s right now either. Their sound(s) don't seem to compliment the nature of most Mesa preamp or power sections which is why I'm not sure why I see Eurotubes pop up in so many Mesa discussions.

I don't have a dual rec so I haven't tried their integrated quads - they may be a whole new ballgame.

 

[Mesa Paulcaster]

Hey Caughtlikefire,

What tubes would you prefer in a Recto? I'm looking to Retube my RK, and a second opinion (over Eurotubes) would be nice.

Thanks!

 

[CaughtLikeFire]

Hey Caughtlikefire,

What tubes would you prefer in a Recto? I'm looking to Retube my RK, and a second opinion (over Eurotubes) would be nice.

Thanks!

You may want to ask some other RK owners since I'm a Rectoverb guy 8) but I can give some general advice from my experience.

For current production tubes, I've been really impressed with SED (Winged C and old Svetlana are the same thing as SED). Their 6L6s sound great in a lot of amps. SED makes a great EL34 too and in this case, the JJ EL34 or 34L may be worth checking out.

For preamp, mix it up - I haven't found a single brand/type that works well in all positions.

I'd recommend giving KCA NOS Tubes a shot. (kcanostubes.com) they really try to carry only the best tubes so there is less junk to sort through. they specialize in NOS (new old stock) but carry the better current productions tubes too - give them a call or shoot them an email - very friendly and helpful. they could recommend a good combination of preamp tubes.

 

[Brewski]

Bottom line is, JJs can work great in some situations but it bothers me that Bob's retube kits are touted as a universal solution to a bad sounding amp. JJ's worked reasonbably well in my vintage Sundown for example but they have always made my Rectoverb sound worse.

What you say may be true for your applications and some the others. I have had good experiences with tone on my F-50, as well as, a Fender Blues Jr. So, I can only speak for what they did for my own amps. The JJ's actually gave both amps a lot more clarity and tones that were pleasing to me. So, I agree that they may not be for everyone's taste, but I think that the JJ's are a great value in both tone and price.

I also found Bob's help and honesty invaluable. If someone asked for a recommendation, especially for the same amp model, then Eurotubes would be mine, based on my experience. I think that other's who make the same recommendation base it on their own experiences, as well.

I always learn from the discussions on this forum and differing opinions are always valued.

 

[Marshall_Fascist]

I'm starting to get second opinions on buying mesa tubes now... I might just give Bob a call.

 

[musicbox]

It's a shame tubes are so expensive these days, with full retubes runing around $100. Wouldn't it be nice if one could just buy a full complement of a few different brands, and mix them around and find the absolute best tone without breaking the bank? Or switch them in and out for different venues or recording situations. I guess those with the resourses can!

 

[cheekymonkey]

Just wanted to chime in here. I found Bob to be helpful and attentive with a retube selection for my F-30.

But I agree, these tubes may not be for everyone. I approached the purchase thinking I was heading for tonal nirvana. Actually the jury is still out on these tubes, I can't verbally describe the change in tone but it's not all good.

It is too bad that retubing is too much $$, it would be cool to have several sets and change them out once in a while.

 

[CaughtLikeFire]

It's a shame tubes are so expensive these days, with full retubes runing around $100. Wouldn't it be nice if one could just buy a full complement of a few different brands, and mix them around and find the absolute best tone without breaking the bank? Or switch them in and out for different venues or recording situations. I guess those with the resourses can!

yeah, it can get pricey to experiment. I've found with preamp tubes that you should:

1) find a good vendor that tests them well
2) ask the vendor and ask your buddies to find some good types and combinations (tubes with shorter plates that resist microphonics are a MUST for hi-gain amps like Mesas)
3) Get a "variety pack" You don't necessarily need that $50 NOS wonder in V1, V2, and V3 - maybe just V1. Get some other good tubes for the other positions and mix and match to find what sounds best
4) Find a tube model with high output and high gain, get one with balanced triodes, and keep it in your V5 phase inverter slot. its not involved with your gain stages so who cares what the sonic characteristics are. you just need to make sure it works well so you get 100% of your power tubes' potential.

power tubes on the other hand, are more of a crapshoot. fortunately, Mesas get most of their sound from the preamp, not power tube distortion/breakup, so the power tube choice is more about getting a good balance across the frequency range and getting a reliable, long-lasting tube.

 

[nor]

It's a shame tubes are so expensive these days, with full retubes runing around $100. Wouldn't it be nice if one could just buy a full complement of a few different brands, and mix them around and find the absolute best tone without breaking the bank? Or switch them in and out for different venues or recording situations. I guess those with the resourses can!

http://www.tubestore.com/