Screw the tube kits....

[R_ADKINS80]

Well.... I tried the doug's tubes preamp kit in my triple....it was nice...better than my stock tubes anyways. I can't believe he recomended me a mullard for v2 though.....way too chopped off in the high end. Tried a JJ in there and it was better. I also ditched the Tungsol V1 for an EH and WOW......that tube fucking slays. I now will have 3 of those in V1,2 and 3. Those tubes are the most kick *** tubes I have tried yet....forget Shuguangs, JJs, Tungsols and Mullards......these babies are the hot ticket for me and waaaaay cheaper than the others.

 

[fishyfishfish]

I agree with some of what you said.. My Dual had a "kit" and I didn't think it was so hot, so I put it in my Lone Star Classic and SHAZZAM! Much better. Just goes to show you what is good for some is bad for others.

 

[MusicManJP6]

I was thinking about ordering a retube kit for my Rect-o-Verb from Doug, but may stick with the stocks for now - not sure really. Here's two forumites saying the kit wasn't all that...

 

[JF Omalycat]

Well.... I tried the doug's tubes preamp kit in my triple....it was nice...better than my stock tubes anyways. I can't believe he recomended me a mullard for v2 though.....way too chopped off in the high end. Tried a JJ in there and it was better. I also ditched the Tungsol V1 for an EH and WOW......that tube f%&# slays. I now will have 3 of those in V1,2 and 3. Those tubes are the most kick *** tubes I have tried yet....forget Shuguangs, JJs, Tungsols and Mullards......these babies are the hot ticket for me and waaaaay cheaper than the others.

You know, I really liked the sound of the EH's in my RectoVerb, but I gotta tell you, I burned up three out of five within two months. :? I don't know if I just got a bad run from the factory, but I didn't have any problems before, or after I pulled them all out.

I tried the Tung-Sol in my V1, per recommendations from the board, and I kind of dig it. Kind of a glassier sound. (???? for lack of a better adjective) Seems kind of noisy, though. Occasional crackle and pops at higher volumes. Overall, cool, though.

 

[R_ADKINS80]

I had the tungsol in for about 2 minutes.....it was way too fuzzy sounding. I stuck my 1 Russian Mesa tube back in its place and it sounded much better.

 

[loudguitars]

I have tried EH tubes in my Triaxis, LSC and my 1994 rectifier. I HATE them. They sound fizzy and harsh. Different strokes, I guess. I do NOT play high gain music, maybe they are great for heavy music. They also seem to go bad quickly compared to others.
I prefer almost anything NOS NIB to new Sovteks or EHs.
You can find Sylvanias or RCAs if you shop for around $20 each, new or near new. Thay last for years and sound beautiful and quiet.
Mullard 12AT7s are great in the effect loops, reverb circuits and sometimes in V1 depending on application. They are $20 to $30 each
I have had the same 2 in my Triaxis for about 3 years. GREAT!!!

No offense to anyone, I have not been impressed with EH tubes.

 

[6L6C]

This is what I got in my Mark IV’
V1 Tung-Sol reissue 12AX7
V2 high gain JJ ECC83S
V3 Penta Labs/Shuguang 12AX7C
V4 Unlabled/Shuguang 12AX7C
V5 balanced Sovtek 12AX7LPS

Your basic Doug kit, but my amp has never sounded better! Before that using Mesa tubes since 1993. When he included a JJ in the bunch was not all that thrilled but still wanted to give it a chance, but wow R2 was the channel I was never that crazy about and now it became my favorite that JJ in V2 made all of the difference for R2. The amp just went to a different level. I’m not saying there is not room for improvement in accordance with my taste but this kit has given me a great starting point. Doug has encouraged me to try the tubes in different locations and I have, the result was usually something may have sounded good but another channel would suffer, so Doug’s order works great for me. The Tung-Sol in V1 seems to be key for me and my Mark IV otherwise the R1 suffers. But allot of you guys seem hot on the EH and in a few weeks I’ll get some from Doug and check them out.

Just did a quick proof read. If you got the feeling I don’t care for JJ’s your right! Or I should really say an amp with nothing but JJ’s. I never had a mix of tubes like this before trying Doug in my case it was always Mesa across the board and a few friends with JJ’s and so on but the different tubes in different positions do make a difference whether it be good or bad.
I think next for me is going to be the NOS world.

 

[fatoni]

man keep me posted 6l6c. im about to retube. ive been hearing not so great things but from people with other amps so im kinda lookin to you. also what are you sportin power tube wise? ive been eyen 440s or some winged c jazz but i think i might also look into a couple el34s...i dont know so tell me what you think

 

[6L6C]

man keep me posted 6l6c. im about to retube. ive been hearing not so great things but from people with other amps so im kinda lookin to you. also what are you sportin power tube wise? ive been eyen 440s or some winged c jazz but i think i might also look into a couple el34s...i dont know so tell me what you think

Yeah for the power section I have all Winged =C= and really-Really happy. For years when I was using all Mesa I drifted toward the 6L6/ EL34 combination and pretty happy with it. But for some reason when I got tubes from Doug I started using (4) 6L6 in =C=, just wanted change I guess. What a difference the =C= just sounded so much better than the Mesa I have been using for years. But later on I did pick up (2) EL34’s =C=, I also find them nicer than the Mesa. But the 6L6’s huge difference between the =C= and the Mesa.
I basically flip flop with the (4)6L6 and 6L6/ EL34 combination, can’t say one is better than the other just a different flavor, I really recommend having those EL34’s laying around.

 

[Silverwulf]

I'm a little late to the party here, but my $0.02...

I don't like a Tung Sol in V1 at all. It's too gritty and grainy. I like more clarity. As for the "tube kits" that Doug sells, it's just a marketing ploy IMHO. I talked to the guy on the phone for a while, and he tried recommending me 6L6's for my Stiletto ACE. I had to tell him it doesn't have the option of switching to 6L6's.

When I asked what he would recommend for my musical style, he gave me the same routine song and dance he gives everyone. When I asked WHY he chose those particular tubes, his only viable response was "What if I sold you 5 of the same tube and you didn't like it? Then you're stuck with 5 of a tube you don't like." Really? Well how am I supposed to even isolate what tube is giving me trouble or a tone I don't care for since they're ALL different? It basically boiled down to him saying he had no rhyme or reason why he chose those tubes, just he didn't want to give someone 5 of the same tube.

He said that he though the Tung Sol was the best overall tube though, and that's why he'd put it in V1. Well...if it's the best overall tube...why wouldn't I want it every slot if you're telling me it's going to be better than anything else I stuck in there? If you go to replace the tires on your car and the salesman says to you...

"This is the BEST tire we have. Overall, it works best on all road conditions, better than any other we have. It's the all-around best model in my opinion. So, for your car...I'd recommend we stick ONE of those in the front left...BUT, then we use Brand X over here on on front right. Oh, and maybe let's try a Brand Y in the back left and this winter tire, Brand Z on the back right in case you're ever driving in snow."

If he told you that, you're going to look at him like he's an idiot and say "Umm, no. I want 4 of the first brand you said was best overall." But for some reason, many people will let a guy reccommend a random set of tubes for no reason than to have something different in the other slots, despite him self proclaiming them all to be an overall "inferior" tube. I don't get it... :lol:

 

[R_ADKINS80]

My triple practically spits the tungsols out, they sound so bad. They kicked *** in my 5150II but sound like butt crack in my mesa.

 

[R_ADKINS80]

I am really liking EH tubes. After I get my EL34's my amp will have ALL EH tubes in it.

 

[srf399]

Because each preamp tube serves a different function... That's why you would go with different brands in each socket.

Also.. the Mesa preamp tubes that came stock with the Stiletto were a mixture of Chinese and Russian. Mesa themselves mix and match before they send their new amps out! So then what do they do when you want to re-tube your preamp? They throw their own reasoning out the window and send you 5 of the same tubes! Which is NOT what they do with a new amp they are sending out.

 

[Silverwulf]

Because each preamp tube serves a different function... That's why you would go with different brands in each socket.

Not when his reasoning is based on nothing more than "I don't want to sell you 5 of the same tube in case you don't like that particular brand/type." And like I mentioned, if you claim one tube to be the best overall tube (Tung-Sol), it doesn't matter what function each of the slots serve since it would still technically be "better" than any variation you put in there by his reasoning.

 

[srf399]

It's more of a difference in characteristics than one tube being the best tube. I've talked to Doug about the same topic and he did not say anything in our conversation like what you say he said in yours. By trying different characteristic tubes in each preamp socket you're going to fine tune your sound.

BTW... some hi performance racing vehicles DO have tires of different characteristics on each wheel position. However a family sedan goes generic. Hi gain tube amps are hardly generic in design... That is no doubt why Mesa mixes up the preamp tubes on the new amps they ship out.

 

[Nigel.Wambuto]

That is no doubt why Mesa mixes up the preamp tubes on the new amps they ship out.

Uhh, no.

When Boogie decides to change to a new 12AX7, they may be left with thousands of the previously used tube on the shelves. Mesa grades all preamp tubes as part of the screening process -- the few that are most resistant to microphony and have a low noise floor qualify as SPAX7's, the remaining "good" tubes are grouped into additional categories. As they are less common, the tubes that can be used in critical positions get used up first, leaving Mesa with lots of 12AX7s that may not be suited for gain stages but are otherwise perfectly fine for use as phase inverters, fx or reverb drivers, etc.

Believe me, no one at Boogie is sitting around trying to come up with any magical preamp tube recipes.

 

[Dead Moon Rising]

I really like the sound of EH EL34's in my 3ch. Dual Rectifier. I had some cheap Sovteks in my Triaxis and the EH 12AX7's sounded superb, but i retired the Triaxis for the Dual. i retubed it with a full retube kit from Eurotubes, but the cleans sucked with JJ6L6's. so i use either a Duet of EH EL34's of an integrated quad of JJ KT77's/6v6's (depending on my mood).

 

[nomad100hd]

i hate the sound of the EH tube thing it low end sounds like flappy cardboard! i've tried it in a pig nose, a laney, and a peavey valve king. I haven't really tried it my mesa nomad so maybe i'll stick one in maybe they sound better in the mesa amps.

 

[ANIMATED SUSPENSION]

EH tubes are made by Sovtek, the Boogie 'Russian 2' 12ax7 and STR447 EL34 are selected EH tubes. They sound really good to my ears

 

[nomad100hd]

When i got my amp all the tubes were shot, and i retubed with JJ's. Which i like alot so far.