One of my best friends plays in a band with a 1/12 ROV, dunno what version it is. He got it used from a guy that put in a Celestion Alnico Gold 50 watt 12 inch speaker, and that amp sounds wonderful and versatile for the tones you describe, I think he pretty much runs stock mesa tubes in it, but he does want me to work with him tube wise to voice it further. Right now it sounds great, better than with the Mesa BS 12 in came with, and I don't mean bull sheet for the abbreviation.
If you have read a lot of tube posts here, you might have noticed that i frequently contribute on that topic. Despite the fact that I am a full on sick and twisted vintage tube weenie, :wink: I have to say that the output tranny has a bigger impact on the tone of the amp than the speaker/cab, which in turn has a greater impact on tone than preamp and/or power tubes.
With that admittedly noxious sounding spew done with, I'd stick in a balanced triodes Matsushita 12ax7 with the 45 degree getter in -place of that Sovtek LPS in the PI position for your desired tones, that tube works the hardest out of all in the preamp and the Matsu-not-so-sheety will probably well outlast the Sovtek LPS, your desired mullards can be strong used, vintage old stock (VOS) . Don't expect instant gratification to get your "Dulcinea" tones, and also don't expect that your fantasy sweetheart tones will be the same a few months or years from now. That means that you will want to buy more variety in tubes, particularly the vintage ones, than you originally expected.
Don't be in a hurry to get all the tubes you want, get them one or two at a time per week or month.
You might get a better clean tone using something other than RFT in V1, I like the siemens shortplate 12ax7, VOS, it has a good clean and lends itself to being pushed into the dirty zone as well. In comparison, the RFT is a smooth, violin sustain-ey sweet but quick to get dirty tube that follows the Siemens very well. That can go in V3. RCA shortplate 7025 has some serious sparkle on top, big bottom, and can follow the Siemens in V2 or switch RCA/Siemens in order if it sounds better to your ears. There are a lot of right answers for what you are seeking, and believe me, there are plenty of differing opinions from fellow members as to what will work for you and they can be quite right as well!
Which leads me to remind that yes, you will want to get a few more various 9 pin tubes for your pre than you originally counted on...and all might not be 12ax7's either...5751's and 6201/cv4024/12at7's might work in certain positions best, such as reverb and fx loop.
The tubes I recommended are not always inexpensive, but on Ebay they can be had for quite a bit less in strong used condition than in true NOS condition from established tube dealers. The spendiest will be the RCA 7025 (up to 50-75 bucks easy for strong used and worth every penny) The Siemens, up to 45-60, the Mullard up to 50 shortplate, and RFT's can run 40-45. Mullard longplates have more top end and a little less mids and bottom, they can go up to over a hundy. :shock:
Shredd6 basically has said over and over that when you pimp out your preamp, you will find it worth your time. I couldn't agree more. He has great tube experience for the tones you seek and great success helping others. There is a mechanism for PM's here... :wink:
Peace, god bless, and c'mon brothas, help this guy be the best he can be. 8)
