Preamp tube considerations for 2 channel Dual Rec

[mches]

Hey all,

I've recently discovered the world of NOS tubes and have been thrilled with the results so far. I'm going for a sort of Adam Jones (Tool) meets Brent Hinds (Mastodon) sound. I love a lot of in-your-face mids. Here's what I'm using for my Rev G Dual Rectifier:

V1: Baldwin labeled Raytheon long black plate halo getter
V2: RFT
V3: Sovtek
V4: Sovtek
V5: Baldwin labeled Raytheon long black plate halo getter

My Settings - Master: 10 to 11 o clock, Presence: noon, Bass: 9, Mids: 3, Treble: noon, Gain: 11-1. Bold power with tube rectification. Loop bypassed. I've also got a 10 band MXR EQ in front of the amp with mids boosted.

I have another RFT that I've tried in V3, and it sounded fantastic but was a little too microphonic so I had to throw the Sovtek back in there. Are there any tricks to making a tube less microphonic? The tone of the RFT in V3 was near perfect when it wasn't squealing.

Also - I run the loop completely bypassed. Does this take the V4 tube out of the equation completely, or would throwing some NOS goodness in there be worth it?

Any other tips or tricks would be great.

Thanks.

 

[fluff191]

Yes the amp sounds best with the loop bypassed.

And unless you are using the loop, the type/vintage/make of the V4 tube doesnt matter or have an effect on the rest of your tone.

 

[mches]

Alright, that's good to know. There was a marked improvement in the tone with the RFT in V3, which makes sense since the signal was going through all NOS tubes in the preamp. The Sovtek just doesn't compare.

I'd highly recommend that preamp configuration to anyone else looking to experiment - the bright, articulate nature of the long black plate Raytheons really balances well against the compressed, aggressive RFTs.

 

[domct203]

For a microphonic preamp tube you could try a couple of layers of heat shrink over the tube, similar to the Mesa SPAX7.

Dom