TC50 first impressions and argument to buy

[bandit2013]

Blasphemy I say LOL

I went to 6CA7's in the Ace, would like a bit more bottom end, Rubys are hard to find.

Yes it is. the RAs still have a special place, where it sits in the main jam room.
Rubys are very hard to find. I wanted to get some more but to no avail, all gone.

The EH6CA7 sound great in the TC-100. On par with the Badlander100. Ruby EL34BHT for the TC-50 is like breathing fire. Similar to the 6CA7 but they help to bring up the tone of the smaller power supply of the TC-50. Different iron in the 50.

Ran them together with a signal splitter. Awesome. Took it one step further, rewired the two RA with another splitter, and tied them together with the switch track. A good way to damage your hearing. I will never learn.

I am really liking the change the power tubes made to the TCs. Considering power tube or any tubes, probably too late to stock up.

 

[JPBoogie]

After 5 years, good to hear. I guess you are hooked on it. Still running the stock tubes?

Also, have you ever tried the Mesa 6V6 in it yet. Power does drop to around 22W but that is one sweet sound.

I have not used mine for some time though. I did get the TC-100 out for a while. Found the issue I was having and why it was not as loud as it should be. Simple fix was the V5 tube was on the way out or just not up to par. I am sort of itching to get the TC-50 out and try swapping the V5 12AT7 with the same JAN Phillips 12AT7. I never had the volume issue with the TC-50 but could not hurt to try the alternate tube. I will more than likely set up the two TC in tandem since I can control both with just one footswitch controller by using a midi cable between the two amps. That is a nice trick.

Ya being hooked is the word. I also got a few new guitars, which helps changing the color and feel of the amp. Also a few pedals... I did try many other amps during gigs in 2019 and always ran back to my TC50 lol.
I have bought a stock of tubes a few years back and did try the 6V6 then and should try them again as I didn't notice much of a sound difference, only power. Maybe I didn't crank it enough?

Man wow, I love your jam room and gear holy molly!!! Beautiful.

Cheers,

 

[bandit2013]

I did eventually return the power tubes back to stock. I felt the amp was missing some characteristics with the other power tubes, mostly with the clean channel. The Triple Crown is a decent amp with most EL34 variants. I was going to set up another stereo rig but opted to move the heads into storage so I can make use of the vertical 212 cabs with something a bit different. The TCs are keepers. The JAN Phillips 12AT7 change on the FX tube does work for both TC-100 and TC-50. I feel it is an improvement over the Chinese 12AT7. Considering at the time I needed replacements, the JAN Phillips 12AT7 cost less than the Mesa 12AT7 (Chinese) by a few dollars. I believe Mesa is now using the Tung Sol 12AT7 as that was stock in the Mesa subway TT-800 bass amp. The JAN Phillips 12AT7 worked great in that amp too.

 

[sloanthebone]

I picked up a TC-50 again after selling my other first one 4 years. So missed this amp. Has everything I want in it. I do wonder how different the TC-100 is from it. Considering picking one up just to check out the power-soak.

 

[bandit2013]

I picked up a TC-50 again after selling my other first one 4 years. So missed this amp. Has everything I want in it. I do wonder how different the TC-100 is from it. Considering picking one up just to check out the power-soak.

The TC-100 power soak is more of an attenuator than a soak. I was hoping to get more power tube saturation like I can get with the RA-100. Nope. Not happening. It does the job but do not expect to hear power tubes saturation like you get with the RA at its first setting. Still the TC-100 is a great amp as the more iron and power does make a difference compared to the TC50.

 

[bandit2013]

When I bought the California-tweed, I was curious how it would sound with two blackbird speakers. I noticed that the 212 cabs were 4 ohms and not 8. I still had my Blackbird speaker I broke in using the Mark V combo. Also had an open back wide body for the cab. Loaded up the blackbird and ran it with the Cali-tweed and was amazed on the sound. However, why am I bringing this up in a TC-50 topic? The TC-50 sounds amazing with the Blackbird speaker. Thats why. If I had a TC-50 combo, that would be the first thing to change. I am not overly fond of V30s in open back cabinets. I have gotten used to those in the RA combo. The blackbird brought in more low-end that the TC-50 needed. Note that the Blackbird will take some time to break-in as it will do some odd things with distortion. That will change after some use. The treble response will begin to bloom more every time you use it. Eventually running in high gain modes will sound epic. It took me 3-5 months to break in the Blackbird with the Mark V combo.

 

[jnoel64]

When I bought the California-tweed, I was curious how it would sound with two blackbird speakers. I noticed that the 212 cabs were 4 ohms and not 8. I still had my Blackbird speaker I broke in using the Mark V combo. Also had an open back wide body for the cab. Loaded up the blackbird and ran it with the Cali-tweed and was amazed on the sound. However, why am I bringing this up in a TC-50 topic? The TC-50 sounds amazing with the Blackbird speaker. Thats why. If I had a TC-50 combo, that would be the first thing to change. I am not overly fond of V30s in open back cabinets. I have gotten used to those in the RA combo. The blackbird brought in more low-end that the TC-50 needed. Note that the Blackbird will take some time to break-in as it will do some odd things with distortion. That will change after some use. The treble response will begin to bloom more every time you use it. Eventually running in high gain modes will sound epic. It took me 3-5 months to break in the Blackbird with the Mark V combo.

Bandit! I thought you had disappeared off the face of the Earth! Glad to see you back. I, too, have taken a hiatus from this forum as the activity seemed to almost disappear.
Now that my warranty is up with my TC-50, I put in some JAN 6V6 tubes. I am so looking forward to gigging with mine now.

 

[bandit2013]

Bandit! I thought you had disappeared off the face of the Earth! Glad to see you back. I, too, have taken a hiatus from this forum as the activity seemed to almost disappear.
Now that my warranty is up with my TC-50, I put in some JAN 6V6 tubes. I am so looking forward to gigging with mine now.

Still kicking. Been busy with work and such. Mosly drumming now. Also upgraded my bass rig to all Mesa gear (TT800).

Recently got another Badlander so I can run them in stereo. Loving it. I still have all my other amps. Not sure if the MKV is still functional as the power tubes had some oily stuff on them, fear a cap may have leaked.

Check the spec sheets on the JAN 6V6. Not all of the NOS 6V6 can hold up to the plate voltages of some amps. TC-50 has a 450V plate voltage, reason why I did not have much success with the Mesa NOS Siemens EL34 STR450 tube. Sounded great for about 30 minutes, blew the fuse and then was dead after that. Coincidental failure of the strobe mute circuit. Had to ship to Mesa for repair. The NOS EL34 tubes also have limits relating to plate voltages. The 6V6GT will work as I have a Mesa branded set of those I have used in the TC-50. I assume they were the EH version. The JJ 6V6s (Mesa stock tubes for the CT 4:40) I thought sounded muddy in the TC-100 but work well int he California Tweed.

If you still have any Jan/Phillips 12AT7 tubes, they sound much better in V5 (FX S/R) than the Mesa Chinese 12AT7 (stock tube). That was the culprit for the TC-100 sounding weak. Swapped it with the JAN 12AT7 and it was like a NAD. Also replaced the 12AT7 in the TC-50 with the JAN 12AT7. Also have them in the Royal Atlantic(s) as it uses a 12AT7 tube for the FX S/R.

 

[jnoel64]

Still kicking. Been busy with work and such. Mosly drumming now. Also upgraded my bass rig to all Mesa gear (TT800).

Recently got another Badlander so I can run them in stereo. Loving it. I still have all my other amps. Not sure if the MKV is still functional as the power tubes had some oily stuff on them, fear a cap may have leaked.

Check the spec sheets on the JAN 6V6. Not all of the NOS 6V6 can hold up to the plate voltages of some amps. TC-50 has a 450V plate voltage, reason why I did not have much success with the Mesa NOS Siemens EL34 STR450 tube. Sounded great for about 30 minutes, blew the fuse and then was dead after that. Coincidental failure of the strobe mute circuit. Had to ship to Mesa for repair. The NOS EL34 tubes also have limits relating to plate voltages. The 6V6GT will work as I have a Mesa branded set of those I have used in the TC-50. I assume they were the EH version. The JJ 6V6s (Mesa stock tubes for the CT 4:40) I thought sounded muddy in the TC-100 but work well int he California Tweed.

If you still have any Jan/Phillips 12AT7 tubes, they sound much better in V5 (FX S/R) than the Mesa Chinese 12AT7 (stock tube). That was the culprit for the TC-100 sounding weak. Swapped it with the JAN 12AT7 and it was like a NAD. Also replaced the 12AT7 in the TC-50 with the JAN 12AT7. Also have them in the Royal Atlantic(s) as it uses a 12AT7 tube for the FX S/R.

When I discovered the bent pins on my AT7 in my TC50, I swapped it for the JAN/Phillips AT7. Could not be happier. Thanks for the input on the JAN 6V6. I've also heard good things about the TADs as far as handling plate voltages.

Since you used Mesa's NOS EL34s, did they treat the repair as a warranty job?

 

[bandit2013]

When I discovered the bent pins on my AT7 in my TC50, I swapped it for the JAN/Phillips AT7. Could not be happier. Thanks for the input on the JAN 6V6. I've also heard good things about the TADs as far as handling plate voltages.

Since you used Mesa's NOS EL34s, did they treat the repair as a warranty job?

Yes, I did tell them before shipping I had the STR450 in the amp. They claimed the fuse failure was not related to the TRIAC shorting out. Since this was a new thing and component they did not have much of a track record with, they repaired it under warranty. Have not had any issues with it since. Before the dead amp issue, I had also found some resistors in the FX Send circuit that were failing. I did replace one of them and it was working again. They told me that voided my warranty. Apparently, they do read posts on this forum and they knew who I was before I mentioned it. When I shipped it in for the repair, I asked them to replace the resistor I installed with one they use. If I still had a warranty on it after that, it is now expired anyway. Oh well. It is all good.

As for the 6V6, not sure what to recommend other than what Mesa has sold with their branding. I will have to take a closer look at the 6V6GT tubes. Opps, I saw that LarkGuitars has the Mesa tubes STR417 6V6GTA which is what I have. They are Chinese brand. I would assume it is the same as the TAD with the red base as the structure looks the same except for the color of the base. Getter cup is at the bottom of the tube hear the pins, has no getter flash either. The other 6V6s is the JJ tube.

I was looking into the 6V6 as I thought I needed replacements for the California Tweet 4:40. I must have replaced them and forgot. Amp sounded great without the tube rattle it had after trying the 6V6s tubes in the TC-100. In other words, there is a difference with the 6V6GT, 6V6GTA and 6V6S in terms of who made them.

 

[jnoel64]

I used to have a Granger V20 Nitro that was powered by 6V6 tubes. Curt only uses JJ tubes, and, according to him at the time, only JJ could handle the plate voltages used in the Nitro. Since then, TAD came out with theirs with the same claims. Interesting that the TADs are pretty much what Mesa is using now. I guess I won't go down that rabbit hole for something different.

IIRC, you didn't like 6V6s in your TC100, correct? I love how they sound in the TC50. Aside from dropping the volume, the feel is different. It's so odd to try to describe sounds, but, to me, the 6V6s made the feel more "chewy." I got my JAN tubes from Doug's Tubes, where I requested late distortion. Maybe I will do the same with some JJs. Overall, I am not a huge fan of JJ, even though those are what Mesa uses for preamp tubes. To me, in general, they are darker than a Tung Sol, which is my personal preference for modern tubes.

 

[bandit2013]

I used to have a Granger V20 Nitro that was powered by 6V6 tubes. Curt only uses JJ tubes, and, according to him at the time, only JJ could handle the plate voltages used in the Nitro. Since then, TAD came out with theirs with the same claims. Interesting that the TADs are pretty much what Mesa is using now. I guess I won't go down that rabbit hole for something different.

IIRC, you didn't like 6V6s in your TC100, correct? I love how they sound in the TC50. Aside from dropping the volume, the feel is different. It's so odd to try to describe sounds, but, to me, the 6V6s made the feel more "chewy." I got my JAN tubes from Doug's Tubes, where I requested late distortion. Maybe I will do the same with some JJs. Overall, I am not a huge fan of JJ, even though those are what Mesa uses for preamp tubes. To me, in general, they are darker than a Tung Sol, which is my personal preference for modern tubes.

TC-50 with the 6V6GTA was amazing. I only tried the 6V6S in the TC-100 and that may be why it was so muddy, perhaps it had too much mojo. Reading reviews and comments on the tubes, the JJ6V6s has the most compression. I thought the 6V6GTA was a Russian tube of sorts, nope, it is a TAD but with a black base vs red base.

 

[jnoel64]

Without being able to see a spec sheet, these look interesting.
https://tubedepot.com/products/6v6gt-6n6c-nos-soviet-era

 

[bandit2013]

Without being able to see a spec sheet, these look interesting.
https://tubedepot.com/products/6v6gt-6n6c-nos-soviet-era

The full description is on the dark side. Made at the Reflektor factory in 1976, these tubes had to perform well - or lives were lost. " How many lives were lost in making this tube? I know it is just a marketing play with words. "Die you commoner pig", said the supreme manager, "You have failed Mother Russia for the last time, one reject in 5 years of making these tubes is unpatriotic of you. Stalin is turning in his grave."

Thetubestore has those as well but they did not paint such a dark history with the tube. If you find any EI tubes, at least you may know it was the US that bombed the factory (as it was sort of implied).

 

[sloanthebone]

The full description is on the dark side. Made at the Reflektor factory in 1976, these tubes had to perform well - or lives were lost. " How many lives were lost in making this tube? I know it is just a marketing play with words. "Die you commoner pig", said the supreme manager, "You have failed Mother Russia for the last time, one reject in 5 years of making these tubes is unpatriotic of you. Stalin is turning in his grave."

Thetubestore has those as well but they did not paint such a dark history with the tube. If you find any EI tubes, at least you may know it was the US that bombed the factory (as it was sort of implied).

Bandit, you made a post about putting an EQ in the loop of the TC and how it changed it so much, it gives the JP-2C a run for its money. At least I think it was you. Do you know where you posted that? Can’t seem to find it. I want to pick up an EQ pedal (Mxr m108s probably) and wanted to read that post again.

 

[jnoel64]

Bandit, you made a post about putting an EQ in the loop of the TC and how it changed it so much, it gives the JP-2C a run for its money. At least I think it was you. Do you know where you posted that? Can’t seem to find it. I want to pick up an EQ pedal (Mxr m108s probably) and wanted to read that post again.

https://boogieforum.com/threads/eq-into-tc50.85722/Is this the post you are referring to?

 

[sloanthebone]

https://boogieforum.com/threads/eq-into-tc50.85722/Is this the post you are referring to?

No but thats a handy thread also! Thanks!

 

[bandit2013]

I probably did. However, I believe my reference was on the TC-100. The TC-100 has more low end content that you can manipulate where as the TC-50 has a dryer character and not as low end abundant. This may be the one you are looking for.
https://boogieforum.com/threads/tc-100-with-mesa-5bgeq-oh-yeah.79040/
If the video does not work, here is another link.

 

[sloanthebone]

I probably did. However, I believe my reference was on the TC-100. The TC-100 has more low end content that you can manipulate where as the TC-50 has a dryer character and not as low end abundant. This may be the one you are looking for.
https://boogieforum.com/threads/tc-100-with-mesa-5bgeq-oh-yeah.79040/
If the video does not work, here is another link.

Thank you!

 

[JPBoogie]

I did eventually return the power tubes back to stock. I felt the amp was missing some characteristics with the other power tubes, mostly with the clean channel. The Triple Crown is a decent amp with most EL34 variants. I was going to set up another stereo rig but opted to move the heads into storage so I can make use of the vertical 212 cabs with something a bit different. The TCs are keepers. The JAN Phillips 12AT7 change on the FX tube does work for both TC-100 and TC-50. I feel it is an improvement over the Chinese 12AT7. Considering at the time I needed replacements, the JAN Phillips 12AT7 cost less than the Mesa 12AT7 (Chinese) by a few dollars. I believe Mesa is now using the Tung Sol 12AT7 as that was stock in the Mesa subway TT-800 bass amp. The JAN Phillips 12AT7 worked great in that amp too.

Hello Bandit, are you referring to the JAN-PHILIPS 12AT7WC model? I need to replace that FX Tube and found an old tube of that model... not sure it's ok as I slapped it in there and didn't notice much of an improvement with the volume/tone suck in fx. Overall the sound seemed improved a bit but I only tried it for 10min, I will give it a go tomorrow. Thanks in advance, cheers