Hey Rec Pre OGs,
So I finally tried a tube swap! I'm being fairly deliberate about it since I want to really hear what each change does. This time I tried V1, which is Ch 1 gain. I pulled out a stock Mesa 12AX7A "Chinese 2" and tried a JJ ECC83S.
I'm definitely sticking with the new ECC83 for a while, but it might not be for everyone. There is a MASSIVE increase in clean headroom; even on Brit the cleans are clean unless you really crank the gain. When you do start to clip it's very smooth and subtle. Overall the sound is "cooler" and a tiny bit thinner, and maybe a bit more articulate if you know what I mean. I can actually play the occasional triad in Fat mode now.
I think if you are playing modern metal or anything where you want real crisp cleans, you should give this swap a try-- it's only one tube,so pretty cheap, and it's a real obvious difference.
If you're playing blues tones or using Brit as a crunchy rhythm channel, I don't think it'll work out for you.
So I finally tried a tube swap! I'm being fairly deliberate about it since I want to really hear what each change does. This time I tried V1, which is Ch 1 gain. I pulled out a stock Mesa 12AX7A "Chinese 2" and tried a JJ ECC83S.
I'm definitely sticking with the new ECC83 for a while, but it might not be for everyone. There is a MASSIVE increase in clean headroom; even on Brit the cleans are clean unless you really crank the gain. When you do start to clip it's very smooth and subtle. Overall the sound is "cooler" and a tiny bit thinner, and maybe a bit more articulate if you know what I mean. I can actually play the occasional triad in Fat mode now.
I think if you are playing modern metal or anything where you want real crisp cleans, you should give this swap a try-- it's only one tube,so pretty cheap, and it's a real obvious difference.
If you're playing blues tones or using Brit as a crunchy rhythm channel, I don't think it'll work out for you.
