Nicebreakup
Member
Ok. So I had JJEC883's in my studio and wanted to try and open up the preamp's sound a bit more. So here what I did:
V1: Mesa ECC883. Tried a Tungsol in V1 but the bass was too farty though it did brighten it up. The mesa was more open sounding. JJ had a lot more volume than these two (I had to turn the output volume from 3 to 6 to get the same level).
V2: has remained a JJ. I didnt change it. not sure I would at this stage since I am relatively satisfied
V3 (the lead drive): tung sol went here and brightened up the drive as well as lowered the gain. I can more easily get a bluesier sound at lower lead drive levels. Tried an EH 12ax7 but was too bright.
V4: tung sol. It did brighten up the overall tone but not dramatically. I'm glad I changed it but could have lived without it.
So there is my two cents. Since I play jazz, I didnt need as much gain as harder edged players. The clean is a little more dynamic now. I still wish I could use the bass control more freely without it muddying up but I may get an eq pedal to solve this. All in all, a worthwhile experiment for very little money.
V1: Mesa ECC883. Tried a Tungsol in V1 but the bass was too farty though it did brighten it up. The mesa was more open sounding. JJ had a lot more volume than these two (I had to turn the output volume from 3 to 6 to get the same level).
V2: has remained a JJ. I didnt change it. not sure I would at this stage since I am relatively satisfied
V3 (the lead drive): tung sol went here and brightened up the drive as well as lowered the gain. I can more easily get a bluesier sound at lower lead drive levels. Tried an EH 12ax7 but was too bright.
V4: tung sol. It did brighten up the overall tone but not dramatically. I'm glad I changed it but could have lived without it.
So there is my two cents. Since I play jazz, I didnt need as much gain as harder edged players. The clean is a little more dynamic now. I still wish I could use the bass control more freely without it muddying up but I may get an eq pedal to solve this. All in all, a worthwhile experiment for very little money.
