Mark V Tube Thread

[4406cuda]

I thought it would be helpful to have a thread on tubes for the Mark V. I am thinking of getting tubes for the Mark V and wanted to hear about others experience.

What brand of tubes did you get? What type of tube? Which tubes did you replace? What difference did it make? What style of music do you play?

 

[Masterof1angel]

i put all tung sols in for the preamp tubes and it is perfect! no more harshness, much more clarity and deeper thunder. i play metal mostly but it sounds great for all.

-Angel

 

[LPJunky]

i put all tung sols in for the preamp tubes and it is perfect! no more harshness, much more clarity and deeper thunder. i play metal mostly but it sounds great for all.
-Angel

You're the second one to have stated this.

http://forum.grailtone.com/viewtopic.php?f=33&t=37804

11th post down by niils

Now! I know that I have one lying around in a drawer somewhere... have to try it ..

 

[mejoshee]

good thing i found this. i have some comments and questions...

i've been a fan of the tung sols since i built a few amps back (marshall super lead and 50w clones). excellent el34's they make, as well as their 12ax7's. the el34's are not harsh or ice picky like chinese or svetlanas can be. they definitely have a smoother overdrive characteristic that i tend to agree with descriptions of (the tube store, tube depot etc.). that success lead me to install them in my mk iv mixed with jj 6l6gc's. excellent combination that i recommend! may not be pleasing to all, but i really like it.

i have a v on order :twisted: (projected next week from guitar showcase--shout out to the south bayers) so the question i have is if anyone tried tung sol el34's in the power tubes? and swapped to different 6l6's? jj, =C=, etc. i think were already mentioned, but if anyone can reiterate?

the other thread a little earlier about the tube mixing left me very confused :? so...for now i'm not buying new tubes, but i will once that gets clarified. for sure i'll try the tung sol 12ax7s (or maybe even the gold-pin ecc803's) and probably change the power tubes.

the great thing--or perhaps the dangerous thing--about mesa's amps is that they always have so many tube sockets to switch things in and out of...but us tinkerers are in heaven!

 

[lesterpaul]

check out this thread,esp. last page regarding BiasRite results,etc...get a cold one and enjoy

http://forum.grailtone.com/viewtopic.php?f=33&t=38013
..V1 for me is a GT 12ax7-M...yessir....darkens things a bit,warms her up nicely.

 

[4406cuda]

Based on what I have been reading from other Mark V users, I decided to order a matched Quad od SED Winged C 6L6s and 7 Tungsol 12AX7s.

I should get them by Friday.

 

[4406cuda]

The new 6L6s and Tungsols are a major improvement over the stock tubes.

Channel 1 clean sounds smoother and less brittle/ice picky.

Channel 2 crunch sounds smoother, a little less gain, but it sounds warmer

Channel 3 Mark IV sounds more round and less nasally.

Overall the new tubes makes the amp more round and warmer. Also I noticed that any occasional noise or crackling is gone. I think there is a little less gain with the tungsols. I had to turn up the gain a notch on Channels 2 and 3.

 

[niilz]

Tungsols are a major improvement over the stock tubes. ...
I think there is a little less gain with the tungsols. I had to turn up the gain a notch on Channels 2 and 3.

I made the same preamp-tube exchange and after I re-replaced the V3 with the former V1 (Mesa 12AX7 Highgrade with a red stripe on the bottom) the gain was quite equal to the stock set of tubes.

So try:

V1 Tung Sol

V2 Tung Sol

V3 Mesa

V4-7 Tung Sols or Mesas

good luck! :mrgreen:

 

[mejoshee]

The new 6L6s and Tungsols are a major improvement over the stock tubes.

Channel 1 clean sounds smoother and less brittle/ice picky.

Channel 2 crunch sounds smoother, a little less gain, but it sounds warmer

Channel 3 Mark IV sounds more round and less nasally.

Overall the new tubes makes the amp more round and warmer. Also I noticed that any occasional noise or crackling is gone. I think there is a little less gain with the tungsols. I had to turn up the gain a notch on Channels 2 and 3.

i didn't order new 12ax7's, but i will eventually get tung-sols if i do, no doubt about that!

for my recent purchase of the mark v combo and iv head, i did a 3-way tube swap between the iv combo i already had and the other two. the v got the =C= 6l6gc's from the iv head that the ebay seller re-tubed with. the iv combo got the v's new mesa 6l6's and the iv head got the iv combo's jj 6l6gc's and tung-sol el-34's. all of them sound great in their own right now. the iv head sounds fresher and crisper with the el-34's. the v is the bomb with the warmer =C='s. yum! :twisted:

that's not even mentioning the 12ax7's! word of advice on replacement of tubes: use a small mirror to get a feel for the orientation of then noval (9-pin) tube sockets. a dental mirror like the dentist uses to clean/inspect teeth or just a small handheld cosmetic mirror. then you don't have to lie on the floor like i did.

a thought occurred to me though to invent a little cheepy tube installation tool that would gently but firmly grasp tubes for installation, kinda like a pair of tongs. i'm sure there's something out there already, but it's be super handy for those of us who have huge hands and find it difficult to wriggle into a tight head space or something. the relative positions of the mark iv head fan and choke (or is it reverb transformer) make it a huge huge pita to swap 12ax7's.

 

[mejoshee]

wow. i'm a thread killer. it's been a while since anything happened here.

just wondering, has anyone tried other non-traditional tubes in the v yet? i'm thinking like kt77's, kt66's, 6v6's, 6ca7's, etc. i'm still sitting on the sed 6l6's, but i'm wondering if i should go the more brit sort of route with the el34's.

how about preamp mixing like 12at7's or 5751's?

have a great weekend all!

 

[mejoshee]

wow. i'm a thread killer. it's been a while since anything happened here.

just wondering, has anyone tried other non-traditional tubes in the v yet? i'm thinking like kt77's, kt66's, 6v6's, 6ca7's, etc. i'm still sitting on the sed 6l6's, but i'm wondering if i should go the more brit sort of route with the el34's.

how about preamp mixing like 12at7's or 5751's?

have a great weekend all!

maybe i'm a threadkiller cause i respond to my own posts

no but seriously. have we determined that mixing 6l6's and el34's is a bad thing in all settings (besides the 10w mode)? what about other tubes with similar plate voltages but different filament currents, like kt77's, etc.?

 

[niilz]

Newest observation:

Mesa's EL 34 STR 447 seem to be a major impovement for the overall performance of this amp. I compared them to the stock 6l6, winged c and even STR 450, 430, 425, 420, 6CA7, TAD EL 34 and 6L6 etc. and the 447 are going to stay in my poweramp.

positive:
- tighter bass
- less brightness... nicer, clean, treble
- way better midrange/ upper mids
- even the clean sounds/channel 1 sounds BETTER (more details, sweeter midrange) with these Tubes :shock:

negativ:
- less "loudness"
- a little more hiss @ the same volume as with the stock 6L6 STR 440


imho: this amp should be shipped with them!!! :wink:

 

[theroan]

Are you guys switching out all of the pre-amp tubes or just some? Also are most of you leaving in the stocl power amp tubes?

 

[mejoshee]

Are you guys switching out all of the pre-amp tubes or just some? Also are most of you leaving in the stocl power amp tubes?

well, i swapped out the mesa str 440s almost immediately and put some sed =c= 6l6's. the ch 1 has so much depth and more punch now. the warmth had at such high a headroom is very pleasing and handles the single coil and humbuckers settings equally well. (i have the solo to boost just enough volume to match the single coil to humbucker outputs, roughly.)

i'm very eager to try an el34 though. i've used tung sols for that and they've been more like a hybrid between a 6l6 and el34 and i feel like that would complement this amp very well across all channels. they have better clarity and "apparent" headroom due to this (i.e. certain frequencies don't seem to distort quite as quickly).

i was thinking blending some gold lion kt77s with the tung sol el34s to get a huge, deep sound, but i'm unsure whether the pt will support the kt77 filament current. sed el34's would also be on the list to try, perhaps a matched pair of each of those 3 and swap around until something magical happens.

the preamp tubes are all still stock, but i will eventually go over to some tung sols and maybe even a jan 5751 in the phase inverter. my fear is that if i also go to a 5751 or lower gain tube for the reverb send it'll give me a weak reverb sound. i actually do like the reverb. not nearly as much tone suckage as other amps, but i'd probably use it primarily on ch 1. maybe, just maybe on ch 2, if i wanna try to get an 80s sort of sound, but other than that, i don't know what else to change except getting a lower noise v1. the stock mesas aren't bad. just not very exciting. and if i can get a lower noise tube for the input with better tone, than i should buy it.

 

[4406cuda]

I am loving the SED 6L6s also. I can't wait for tonight. My band is playing at Paladino's in Tarzana, CA tonight. Gonna crank that puppy up!!!

 

[smd24fan]

Guess we are all turning into SED fans! I put the SED 6L6's in my Mark V as well about a week ago. One word.....SWEET!

 

[MusicManJP6]

I've always liked SED =C= 6L6s. I'm content with the stock tubes in my V for now I think.

I've got a pair of JJ E34Ls, but the manual doesn't say anything about it being safe to run EL34s in the outer sockets...

 

[eudaimonia02912]

I just ordered 7 tung sol pre-amp tubes. I had one I was using in my XXX. I liked what it did when I put it in V1 of the Mark, so I got 7 new ones.

I'll probably go for the Winged C 6L6s when I get new power tubes.

EDIT: Scratch that. Doug from Doug's Tubes called me and explained that this would not be a good idea. So, he's sending me a mix of things instead. I'll let you know.

 

[MusicManJP6]

I'm running 4xJJ E34Ls and a mix of TS and Mesa stock preamps in my V now...

 

[mejoshee]

so we'll see how good old uncle sam repays me this year. i hope to get in a new set of el34s at that point.

i'm thinking tung sol el34b's in the class a sockets and sed el34's in the a/b sockets. the tung sol's are actually pretty sweet and warm and i'd like to see if i can rely on this set up to mimic a 6l6 set up in ch 1, while still knockin in out of the park on the other two, gainier channel's settings. right now my main concern is headroom for ch 1. if i go this route, most el34 options will cause early clipping. and, since i read that the sed el34's are actually a little on the flat side (compared to jj's or svetlana's midrange humps), this will help get the huge sound without sounding overly bright or piercing. i'm looking forward to this combination.

however i hope to counteract the el34 potential lack of headroom with one of the less discussed secret suggestions of putting a 5751 in the v1 preamp. this should tame the whole preamp on every channel and keep the preamp from over-saturating so early on. i keep my ch 1 gain at or below 11 o' clock so it's more blackface fender-y. is this kind of thinking consistent with other's experience with ch 1? probably also put a 12at7 in v7 for smoother and wider dynamics. the other channel's preamp tubes will probably just get a tung sol upgrade. i've been thoroughly pleased with their performance in several other amps so i no reason to believe they'd make the v sound worse.

oh and musicman,

I've always liked SED =C= 6L6s. I'm content with the stock tubes in my V for now I think.

i've been using sed's since pretty much the day i got the v. no complaints at all! the cleans are so awesome! but...sometimes i think they're not raunchy enough to handle a marshally setting on ch 2. they also seem to make ch 3 too...happy. they are not bright, but the tweaking i've done can't seem to manage to get ch 3 to sound heavy as the mark iv head i have with the mixed 6l6 and el34 combo. of course i'll never get rid of the sed's. just don't think i should have to be confined to only one type of tube :wink: