Express 5:50 and a Zendrive in Action

[mcbain]

Here's a quick clip of me jamming over a backing track I made last weekend. If you've got the bandwidth, up the quality to 720p, I think it helps the sound. Thanks for looking!

Express in Action

 

[gadgetfreak]

sounds great man. What a beautiful crafted instrument you have there,wow. Well at least I know the 5/50 takes f/x well, I just bought one and hence me joining the forum. do you have any clips with just amp and guitar, I would love to hear some so I can for 1 hear the amp's tone and 2 hear that guitar's tone. The f/x to my ears covers some of it, sounds great don't get me wrong, just want to hear it bare bones. U using mesa tubes??

 

[mcbain]

Hey bud thanks for the kind words! That was my first foray into recording and posting videos. My girlfriend has the nice camera gear, and I have no idea how to work any of it, but she said she wants to do more videos. I will make a guitar straight into amp video for you too w/o effects.

Yes the tubes are stock in the Express, and are almost 2 years old. I've been wanting to change them to explore other tonal possibilities, but I'm clueless how to go about it. Its a 5:50 1x12 combo. Can I leave the chassis in place and just take preamp tubes out, or do I need to unscrew the whole thing from the frame?? Is it an easy process?

 

[gadgetfreak]

Look forward to some new clips and I will try and get some up myself.

As far as messing with your preamp tubes, all you have to do is make sure the amp is off and cooled down, gently reach in back and grab the metal cover on tube, gently twist it,not much and it will come off. Then you just grab the tube and gently pull it out in a circular motion.

Remember on this amp that when people say V1 is your first gain stage it's not on the 5:50, V2 is then V1 and so on.There are many posts on this on this forum.

I will try and make a video and upload a youtube link for it when my tubes come tommorrow or next day. I have an order in from Doug for some Sed winged C's and a boatload of different 12ax7's. I will show how to do it in my video, I'm just concerned it may be hard to film and change the tubes at the same time, i'm sure lightning will be an issue.

This amp is a breeze because you don't have to bias the power amp tubes, If your poweramp tubes are 2 years old and you play alot you should think about buying new one's, unless you find your tone to be all inspiring still. I'm pretty anal with my tone like most guitar players and I will what they call tube roll, you just start with 1 tube and try it in all positions and when you find the spot you like it in best leave it there and start with next one, obviously you have to have all your pre amp tubes installed to do this but say you buy some new ones you can start with v2 and see how you like tone then move on.

Remember the flow goes like this and it's in the manual and online manual

V1 is closest tube to the right if your looking at the back of your amp and then the rest follow in order, but remember v2 is your first gain stage so you want to have a nice solid tube in V2, then V1 and V4 is your phase inverter and I think imo that those three are the most tone changing tubes besides the power tubes, You don't have to put anything to exspensive in V3 and V5 unless you have the money. I usually throw all nice new production tubes in my 5:50 and just keep moving them around until I find the tone I want.

This probably could have been said quicker but this will get you started, let me know if you have any questions, I check in here daily. I just got this amp again after losing one years ago and I am so thrilled to have the opportunity to own one again.

 

[mcbain]

Thanks man that is a very informative post! I have read alot on this forum, and have just been lazy regarding a tube change. Without having to do any biasing, I'm sure swapping is easy once you know how to do it. I know it would be real tuff to change tubes AND record it, but I do appreciate your effort man! If you could shine a flashlight in there and maybe just record 1 preamp tube change and 1 poweramp, that would do it I'm sure.

I have though about the DougsTubes option, but his Express set mentions an increase in gain, and I'd like to tame the modern sound a bit and smooth things out as opposed to get more gain out of the amp. I suppose anything is possible though, and I look forward to hearing your results when your tubes come in. Thanks again for the info, you've got me thinking Im ready to do a tube swap!!!

 

[gadgetfreak]

I will definitely make a vid for you to put your mind at ease at how easy it is. I mean you can literally pull a tube, insert a new one in a second and turn amp on and listen to results. With my fender amps you have to bias power tubes so it's a little more involved but still not that difficult, especially when weber makes meters that can give you plate voltage and mA's and do all the math for you, all you have to do is use a screw driver and turn a trim pot and oh yeah not kill yourself in a potentially dangerous chassis, but that is another amp. The mesa express is plug n play and I will show you that, I should have my tubes tomorrow, Thursday the latest.

 

[gadgetfreak]

mcbain here you go mate, just refer to video when you buy your next tubes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0NXn-FYNsQ

 

[StevenL]

I have though about the DougsTubes option, but his Express set mentions an increase in gain, and I'd like to tame the modern sound a bit and smooth things out as opposed to get more gain out of the amp. I suppose anything is possible though, and I look forward to hearing your results when your tubes come in. Thanks again for the info, you've got me thinking Im ready to do a tube swap!!!

Find a nice Sylvania / Jan/Phillips / NOS 12ax7 tube for V2 and get yourself a NOS Mullard 12at7 for V4 (phase inverter). Thank me later. If you've been playing pretty regularly for 2 years, you're probably due for some power tubes.

 

[gadgetfreak]

i'm with you on the nos tubes but this amp doesn't call for a 12at7 and when I put my mullard in from my deluxe I found it to thin my reverb out. This amp calls for a 12ax7 for reverb driver don't know why but it does. I buy nos all the time but it's a gamble and should be stated that you could be shelling out good money for a tube that may well go microphonic or worse very quickly. You have to have a good source for nos, to many people use them and say they are new but there not and put them in new boxes. Find a good source if you go down that road, I personally didn't hear enough difference in this Mesa to justify the cost difference from new production tubes. Not like my fenders, they benefit amazingly. I think the 5:50 sounds great with new production tubes as well, Just my 2 cents

 

[StevenL]

V4 isn't reverb. It's phase inverter. I found the at7 to tame my gain a bit and give me a rounder smoother sound plus quieted the hiss on the clean channel. Gave me more useable range on the master volume too. I thought that's what you were talking about doing.

Good luck in your tone quest!

 

[gadgetfreak]

No i know that man, I thought you were talking at7 for reverb but I was mistaken. I hear at7 and automatically think reverb driver from my fenders. I misread your post StevenL

 

[gadgetfreak]

No i know that man, I thought you were talking at7 for reverb but I was mistaken. I hear at7 and automatically think reverb driver from my fenders. I misread your post StevenL

 

[mcbain]

Find a nice Sylvania / Jan/Phillips / NOS 12ax7 tube for V2 and get yourself a NOS Mullard 12at7 for V4 (phase inverter). Thank me later. If you've been playing pretty regularly for 2 years, you're probably due for some power tubes.

Hey Steven thanks for the advice. Is a JAN Philips 12AX7WA the same thing? I put the link below. Did you need to change other tubes or just these 2 positions for this improvement?

I buy nos all the time but it's a gamble and should be stated that you could be shelling out good money for a tube that may well go microphonic or worse very quickly. You have to have a good source for nos, to many people use them and say they are new but there not and put them in new boxes. Find a good source if you go down that road, I personally didn't hear enough difference in this Mesa to justify the cost difference from new production tubes.

Hey buddy, would Doug's be a reliable place to get these tubes? I can afford to get a real classy tube for V2 and V5 like Steven said, but want to go with the right supplier. Is there a cheaper tube than the JAN ($50 :shock: ) that will get me 80%+ the same smoothing effect? Will these tubes be safe for the mesa with its fixed bias thing? Can I get them Mesa spec? I will put the links below.


Thanks again guys for the feedback. Ive got a lot to ask and learn and I appreciate the effort.

http://www.dougstubes.com/preamp-tubes/12at7-ecc81/mullard-12at7-cv4024.html

http://www.dougstubes.com/preamp-tubes/12ax7-ecc83-7025/jan-12ax7wa.html

 

[gadgetfreak]

You don't have to worry about bias on pre amp tubes on any amp, mesa or not. The 12ax7 is the highest gain pre amp tube then there are variations that are 70percent gain and so forth.


Just my opinion but I have those classy tubes here and have tried them and I would rather buy 3 or 4 different nice new productions tubes then blow my wad on 1 nos 12ax7 and hope it lasts. There are no guarentees from any tube dealer.

The fact that you have never messed with tubes at all I wouldn't jump into nos tubes, You are not going to hear what the nos sounds like to appreciate until you have messed with some new production tubes which are not that bad. This is coming from a guy that has spent almost 200 dollars on a pair of pristine 6v6's from the early 50's for my Deluxe reverb, are they good, hell freakin yes they are, are they 200 dollars good and that much better than some tungsols for 40 bucks when playing in a mix, NO Sir. I wouldn't and haven't spent that much again, I was silly to buy them and just had to have em, point I'm making is try some new tubes and then maybe buy a nice rca,sylvania,janphillips if you can find a cheap enough one. Your not going to be smacked out of the park like you think with them. When they made those tubes 60 years ago they didn't intend on them being used in 2012 and sold for pennies, now this whole nos allure has made the price go insane, yes they are better tubes and I won't deny they sound better,made better and do last, but there is a gamble when buying any tube.

Get rid of the mesa chinese rebranded tubes you have and get some new powertubes for sure, 2 years is a longtime if you play alot to not change them powertubes, those are your 6l6's.