Hi All,
I'm going to be putting new tubes in my DC-2. I was just wondering if anyone else has retubed theirs, what you used, where you bought 'em, and if you are satisfied. I have new (ish) "Mesa" power tubes, so I may hold off on those unless I get a ringing endorsement for a different brand.
As an experiment, I picked up a JJ ECC 83 S and I put it in the first position by the power switch. My clarity went up by leaps and bounds, but I'll have to say that my lead channel gain suffered a bit, and the bass is almost too boomy to control (frequency is off from bass control knob, so that doesn't really reduce it).
What I'm looking for is a set of tubes for a good bluesy/jazzy tone in the rhythm channel and a bluesy to searing lead/heavy distortion in the lead/contour channel. I was thinking of doing JJs for the rhythm channel and EH's higher gain 12ax7's for the lead channel. Is this a good choice? If so, do I need three of each, or are some of those 12ax7s in there for other parts of the amp (reverb, effects loop, etc)?
Also, is there a lot of variance from tube to tube? I was on the Eurotubes site earlier, and it sounds like there are "high gain" ECC83S models, standard, matched, etc. I'm not sure what I need, but I want to make sure I do it right the first time, even if it costs a few bucks more.
Also, starting from the left, I have no idea what each tube does and if I need to replace them all, or just certain ones. I have a manual and a wiring diagram, but the manual just says the amp uses 6 12ax7's in the pre-amp section (already knew that), and I can't figure out where each channel's tubes are located from the wiring diagram.
Sorry for the noob-ness of the question, but I just want to make sure I get the right sound the first time. Thanks!!
I'm going to be putting new tubes in my DC-2. I was just wondering if anyone else has retubed theirs, what you used, where you bought 'em, and if you are satisfied. I have new (ish) "Mesa" power tubes, so I may hold off on those unless I get a ringing endorsement for a different brand.
As an experiment, I picked up a JJ ECC 83 S and I put it in the first position by the power switch. My clarity went up by leaps and bounds, but I'll have to say that my lead channel gain suffered a bit, and the bass is almost too boomy to control (frequency is off from bass control knob, so that doesn't really reduce it).
What I'm looking for is a set of tubes for a good bluesy/jazzy tone in the rhythm channel and a bluesy to searing lead/heavy distortion in the lead/contour channel. I was thinking of doing JJs for the rhythm channel and EH's higher gain 12ax7's for the lead channel. Is this a good choice? If so, do I need three of each, or are some of those 12ax7s in there for other parts of the amp (reverb, effects loop, etc)?
Also, is there a lot of variance from tube to tube? I was on the Eurotubes site earlier, and it sounds like there are "high gain" ECC83S models, standard, matched, etc. I'm not sure what I need, but I want to make sure I do it right the first time, even if it costs a few bucks more.
Also, starting from the left, I have no idea what each tube does and if I need to replace them all, or just certain ones. I have a manual and a wiring diagram, but the manual just says the amp uses 6 12ax7's in the pre-amp section (already knew that), and I can't figure out where each channel's tubes are located from the wiring diagram.
Sorry for the noob-ness of the question, but I just want to make sure I get the right sound the first time. Thanks!!
