Help me re-tube my Triple Rectifier!

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sawtoothgrin

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It's time for a re-tube and I'm a complete novice when it comes to tubes. Right now it's got six EH 6L6's and three of the 5U4G's. I think the 12AX7's are stock. To me, it sounds too bass-y. :x The bass also sounds really loose. I mostly play high gain metal, and right now it's just not doing it's job. :(

If anyone could help me out, I'd really appreciate it. I'm just bassically looking to steer away from all the bass and throw in some tubes to help brighten the amp up a little... although I know that the Rectifier series are bass heavy to begin with.

Any suggestions at all would be appreciated :D
Thanks!
 
The only name you need to know in re-tubing: Bob at http://www.eurotubes.com/index.htm. He knows more about tubes than everybody combined on the earth :shock: , well that may be a bit of an exageration.. but he would be able to help you choose tubes and is great about getting back to you in a day or two.

If it were me, I'd check in to the EL34's if you're looking for a tighter, less bassy sound. I did a comparison a couple months ago in my Tremoverb and the EL34's sound more of what you're looking for:
* Less low end
* a tighter low end
* the high-mids are brought out a bit more
* and the cleans were a bit more "Spanking" (for lack of better words)

I'd also get rid of the 5ua rectifier tubes and get the smaller GZ34's tubes that sound tighter.

Give Bob a shout and then keep us informed on how it all turns out. You don't have to go through eurotubes, you can pick up EL34's at any store that sells tubes.. Mesa EL34's will work great too.... But if you're looking for a more "customized" tone, then go to eurotubes... Plus, he has packages where he's cheaper than most other places.

PS.. Welcome to the board!
 
If you're wanting to tighten up the bass response, look into some EL34's. They will definitely tame down the bass response compared to the EH 6L6GC's. Here are some comparisons to your current power tubes:

SED EL34's - The bass isn't nearly as deep, but it's definitely tighter. Compared to other EL34's, the bass is still a tad bit soft/loose, but you will not notice this coming from EH 6L6GC's. There will be more mids and the highs will become brighter and maybe a little more detailed. These have a real swirly harmonic content when pushed.

JJ EL34's - These have a deeper, tighter bass response than the SED's above, but they don't quite have the same amount of mids and the highs aren't quite as bright to me in a Recto. They're still very good tubes and are extemely robust. These will add a bit more aggression into the power section. The harmonic structure isn't nearly as swirly as the SED's. It's just a straight ahead vibe with aggression. Compared to the EH 6L6GC's, they won't quite have the same amount of low-end, there will be more mids and the highs will probably still be a bit more aggressive. You will also see a JJ E34L. That tube has a deeper low end than the regular JJ EL34, with more headroom. I don't like the JJ E34L because it's always come off as being a harsher sounding tube. The mids seemed harsh and the highs did as well. They might work out for you in your amp.

EH EL34's - These have a deep, tight low end that's kind of like the JJ, yet not quite as deep. This tube has more of a mid hump than the JJ. The highs have a good amount of spread and clarity. Overall, this tube tends to be a little more on the compressed side when compared to the JJ and is just a tad bit more compressed than the SED EL34's, but don't let that steer you away because it's as smooth as butter. You'll notice tighter low end, more mids and smoother highs.

Ruby EL34B-STR's - These tubes aren't quite as deep in the low end as the JJ and may not be quite as deep as the EH, but what they lack there they make up for in the warmth and roundness department. The mids are even with the bass and the highs are smooth. This is probably the warmest sounding EL34 in current production.

If you have to have 6L6GC's....

SED 6L6GC's - These have a tighter low end than the EH 6L6GC and there are more mids and sweeter highs. These tubes sound very similar to the old Sylvania/Philips 6L6GC/7581A power tubes, but they actually have more harmonic overtones and are a little dirtier sounding. These sound great in the Rectos if you really want to keep the 6L6GC vibe.

JJ 6L6GC's - These tubes sound pretty good in the Rectos. If you pick some of these up from www.eurotubes.com, request a #41 or #42 grade because they will get you closer to the Recto's original bias current readings. The low end is super deep and super tight, the mids are nice and the highs are nice. These have more of an aggressive vibe compared to the SED 6L6GC and their harmonic structure isn't as smooth (it's more gravely). These suckers are warmer sounding than the SED's and they're also very robust for a current production 6L6GC.

Dale
 
I had the same problem with my Dual Rec until I retubed with EL34L's, they have a nice bass response but an insanely nice crunch perfect for high gain metal.

I did 2 EL34L's and 2 YellowJackets with 84's but I bet the 34 is what you want. (make sure to run them in tube rectifier mode)
 
I haven't experimented with EL34s in a Rectifier so I can't help you with that...but...

I like Groove Tube 12AX7-Cs. Very warm, smooth, and bright.
 
I'd recommend staying with the 6L6 power tubes, and try your silicone diode rectifiers to tighten things up! If they're too harsh, try the above recommended GZ34's as your rectifiers in replacement to the 5U4G's. :idea:
 
Thanks everyone! I think I'm gonna go with the Groove Tube 12AX7-C's up front with the EH EL34's and GZ34's in back.

Would I have to go through with matching them or biasing anything and whatnot? I've never re-tubed an amp before so I have no clue what some of the termonology is or what it means :oops: :lol:
 
Just make sure you have that switch on the back flipped over to EL34's and you should be fine.... Of course it would be best to buy a "Matched set" of tubes or same rating on them (some companies like GT have a number system on thier tubes).
 

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