Mesa single rec alternate tubes??

[irishcountry]

New to this forum I have a mesa single rec (series 1 not switchable to el34's) I have had the experience of one time I switch it on and love the next I hate it !! I am wondering if I can try different types of tubes like kt's ect. that have a 6l6 base and get a better tone I really only want to tighten it up a bit and hopefully reduce some of the hiss I have to run a pedal supressor full bore which is ok for rhythm but sucks badly for leads (no sustain!!) I did try some sovtek 5881's for awhile and I liked it because it seemed to break up at lower volumes and have just a tad more sustain but not totally what i'm looking for. That said I love this amp and am afraid if I sold it to try something else I would really regret it and I do not have the budget to just keep trying all kinds of things. BTW I play covers on the weekends and we go from a little 60's 70's 80's into Korn, Disturbed, Godsmack ect. so I really could use some versatility.. Kinda lost looking for some advice thanks to all the reply appreciate your input . Thanks !!

 

[Blaklynx]

JJ 6L6's are pretty good in the power section. I think the Winged C 6L6's are too (I have their EL34's). I've also ran the JJ 6L6's and think they're pretty good. For preamp tubes, I've read that the Tungsol re-issues in V1 are good but I suspect are may be too high gain..... I'm not 100% sure. I use a 5751 in V1 as I like less gain (the amp has heaps anyway....). For the other preamps tubes, I'm running JJ 12AX7's and a Sovtek 12AX7 LPS as the phase inverter (very good in the PI slot).

Some further info:
http://forum.grailtone.com/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=47752
click on the links in the thread, too.

If you search, you'll notice a lot of guys push the front end with a tubescreamer type pedal, too, just to tighten the amp up. Many like the Ibanez TS808, TS9 and Maxon 808. Generally (I say generally because I've got a heap of pedals and I haven't tried them all) I use the MI Audio Blues Pro and Tube Zone pedals (and sometimes the MI Audio Crunch Box), cascading them or on their own. It depends. The MI Audio gear is top notch. For leads/solos, I find you really need to push the front end with a pedal, or two, otherwise I think it sounds too 'choppy' or not 'fluid' enough.

A noise gate can help, too, if you're using multiple pedals. As you know, they need to be set correctly. I've got a Rocktron Hush pedal unit that has two switchable noise gates. It's an early pedal, not their current single switch unit. I've tried it in the loop and out front. Haven't made up my mind yet where to put it.

Search and read. There's plenty of info.

 

[fluff191]

I don't ever play without my ISP Decimator on. Ever.

Here is my personal opinion with tubes:

For versatility, stick with a high quality EL34 (i.e. Winged C or Tung-Sol),
that way you can do the heavy stuff along with AC/DC covers without a problem.

As far as preamp tubes go, the Tung-Sol 12ax7 is a great sounding tube BUT it has alot of highs and a regular Recto (i.e.
not a Roadster) is just too brightly voiced for that tube. I put a Sovtek 12ax7WPS in V1 with a gold pin EH 12ax7 in V2 and magic now comes out of my speakers. The WPS is round and warm and not harsh in any way. Again, just my opinion.

Hope that helps.

 

[ibanezfreak777]

ummm he is using a series 1 single rectifier, so offering him the advice to use El34's arnt gona be great.

Plus if im not mistaken KT77's is a replacement for El34's so they wouldn't work either..

unfortunatly, if you want that extra crunch that the 6L6's arnt gona give u. you should have bought a series 2 Single rectifier.. I did and it makes a huge difference... The El34's are better for metal in my opinion