boostedlebaron said:
Hi all! new member here. i havnt had much luck with the search so hopfully this hasnt been covered too much. im going to assume it has tho so be gentle lol. anyways, ive owned my duel recto solo head for alittle over two years. i know one of the recto tubes is junk (doesnt light up) and i think one of the tubes is buzzing. could be the bad recto tube. my questions are
1. what kind of sound diff is there by not having both recto tubes working
2. should i be picky about brand when replacing. will i have to worrie about diff tone for diff tubes?
3. and would it be a good idea to change out all the tubes? is it something id have to send out or are these heads plug and play?
thanks for any help!
corey
Hello Corey, and Welcome!
1. As far as a sound difference between 1 or 2 rectifier tubes working, it is more of a dynamic thing with how the amp reacts to your playing. At STAGE volume, one rectifier tube is not going to be able to quickly put up the voltage 4 6L6's will be looking for, making the amp 'sag' or compress, with the feeling of increased sustain at the cost of punch and immediacy. I don't think it will hurt the amp, but it's going to put some hurt on the rectifier tube.
Of course none of that really matters if you are always playing on the Silicon Diode setting.
You need the amp to be at moderate to loud volumes to really notice this.
2. What do you have now for power-tubes? If they are Mesa's, and you liked how the amp used to sound, you can buy Mesa replacements and you are all set (plug and play). Yes there are other IMO 'better' options, I use the SED =C= SV6L6GC, and a reputable dealer can get you the correct range of tube to work perfectly (plug and play) in your Boogie, usually saving some ca$h as well. There is alot of good advise about this on The Board :wink:
3. Seeing the amp is 2 years old, I recommend you start with the Rectifier Tubes IF YOU USE THEM. If you are always using the Silicon Diode mode you can skip them
for now. I advise you just change them now if you can swing it. Any 5U4GB will work.
Next, change those Power Tubes. You can get some good recommendations here if you desribe your rig and the type of music you play. Start a new topic in the 'Tubes' section. Also, I recommend you change the Phase Inverter tube - V5 - with the Power Tubes. V5 is the last preamp (small 12AX7) tube, counting from the tube closest to the input jack (from the back of the amp count left to right).
If the amp is not making any funny noises (whooshing sounds like the ocean, random clicks/pops, metallic ringing etc.) then the rest of the preamp tubes are fine, and can be changed later if you like, once the output section is at 100%.
Do educate yourself on the operation of a tube amp. You don't need to be an engineer, but basic uderstanding of how the amp operates (bias, gain stages, plate voltages, etc.) can really help, especially if you need to troubleshoot a problem with your amp.
Read through some of the posts in the Tubes section of the forum. Google anything you don't understand, and don't be afraid to roll out your Q's. There is alot of good advise on this Board.
Good Luck!
Dom
