Got A Studio Pre: Tube Advice ?

[steelgtr]

Hi Guys

Got a real nice studio pre and need some tube advice for the clean channel. It came with Mesa tubes, V1 had a rubber band around it?

I play pedal steel and my Franklin guitar has old Bill Lawrence 705 pickups which are very hot and bright. I'd like to smooth the top/ upper mids out a bit if I could. Do I need to change V1 & V2 for just the clean channel tone? Looking at NOS 5751's, and reissue Tung-Sol or Mullard 12ax7's.

Appreciate any advice

 

[Whoopysnorp]

Not sure about how the tubes are used for the rhythm vs. lead modes in that preamp, but I can tell you that I have Tung-Sols in V1 and V2 of my Studio Pre and I get wonderful clean tones. I believe I have my volume set at around 4 or 5 with the treble up around 7, mids around 4, and bass around 1, and I am able to get pristine cleans (I don't like dirt in my cleans) and a big lead sound without even using the graphic EQ. The pickups I use are not particularly hot though. If you go with the Tung-Sols and you don't need such a huge tone from the lead channel, you should probably be fine with your pickups if you keep the volume and treble down.

I think either way you go you'll be fine; the Studio Pre is a wonderful piece of gear that I think would sound great with almost any decent tube.

 

[steelgtr]

Thanks

What did the Tung-Sols replace and was it a big difference in tone? I actually like a "fat" clean sound, not OD or distortion and am getting that with the Volume on 7.

thx

bob

Not sure about how the tubes are used for the rhythm vs. lead modes in that preamp, but I can tell you that I have Tung-Sols in V1 and V2 of my Studio Pre and I get wonderful clean tones. I believe I have my volume set at around 4 or 5 with the treble up around 7, mids around 4, and bass around 1, and I am able to get pristine cleans (I don't like dirt in my cleans) and a big lead sound without even using the graphic EQ. The pickups I use are not particularly hot though. If you go with the Tung-Sols and you don't need such a huge tone from the lead channel, you should probably be fine with your pickups if you keep the volume and treble down.

I think either way you go you'll be fine; the Studio Pre is a wonderful piece of gear that I think would sound great with almost any decent tube.

 

[Whoopysnorp]

Thanks

What did the Tung-Sols replace and was it a big difference in tone? I actually like a "fat" clean sound, not OD or distortion and am getting that with the Volume on 7.

thx

bob

The ones I had in there before were EH. The change was fairly subtle but I found I had better definition afterwards.

 

[Golden1984]

I can recommend you RFT new old stock tunes.
I am using them and they are much better sounding than JJ`s, Sovteks, etc. They sound really subtle on cleans, have lots of gain and, what is most important for me, they have sound great balanced in all freuences.