LSS Sounding "Muddy"

[Manasta]

Over the past couple of weeks, it seems like the sound from my LSS 112 has become less crisp, almost like the extreme treble and bass tone are becoming muted.

I find myself turning up the bass and treble to compensate, but the resulting tone sounds bad.

It almost sounds like someone stuffed a pillow in front of my speaker ... if that makes sense. I can't get the same crunch and single note definition like I used to.

Is this a sign that my tubes need to be replaced? If so, which ones ... and what brand should I install?

 

[JF Omalycat]

I'd try changing strings on your guitar, first. (unless you've already eliminated that possibility.)

 

[espresso]

Sounds just like my Express 5:25 did before I retubed. It sounded cold and dull but now it has the sparkle and crispness back. In case you're wondering, I retubed it with Mesa branded EL84s.

Dan

 

[dougn]

You probably need new power tubes. I'd recommend the Mesa tubes to protect your warranty. I just did my power tubes after 1 1/2 years and it brought all the sparkle and crispness back

 

[Manasta]

Thanks for the advice ... it looks like new tubes are the way to go.

 

[jab]

if not the tubes, I'd recommend going to GC and trying a Sonic Stomp and/or an EQ. You can return within 30 days so no risk in trying it out and it's an interesting experiment. The Stomp helps better define your highs/lows and overall crispness (more effect the cleaner your channel is), and eq's are, well, eq's. There is a good post in Effects on the Boogie Board from last week where someone really gets into eq settings by frequency and there is a part in there about dialing in/out muddiness.

 

[Manasta]

Well ... replaced all 4 EL84's with a matched set of Mesa branded power tubes ... and my LSS sounds the way I remembered it!

Hey Jab, thanks for the info on the EQ ... always looking for ways to "sweeten" the tone. 8)

 

[gtrdaddy]

When replacing power tubes on Boogies, you should always use the Mesa Boogie Brand, matched sets. You should also take care to match the color codes to the tubes that you are currently running if you are just replacing one. Boogie has an extremely in depth tube testing process and only sells tubes that perform within a predetermined performance parameter. Within this parameter, they break performance down again into six performance groups (inaudible to the human ear when the matched groups 'colors' are run together). This is done so that your amplifier runs at peak performance and efficiency. Boogie amps don't have a bias adjustment because their logic is that if you only use tubes that are made to proper spec, you won't need to adjust a trim pot for voltage. The problem, is that tube manufacturers don't really look to be so precise in the manufacturing process, hence you have tubes that have all kinds of different tonal characteristics due to their electrical variances from tube to tube. Boogie only sells tubes that operate within their specifications. If you use another brand of tube, you won't typically get the best performance from your amp.

 

[simonich]

You can most certainly get good tone using non-Mesa tubes. You just need to buy tubes from someone that tests them. e.g. you can buy from Eurotubes or Doug's tubes and get matched sets. You can get them hot or cold if you like. They know what current draw Mesa's tubes have and can match that if you like.