Tube wish list for Roadster

[Storm]

I have a list of tubes that I reckon would work well with my Roadster when I retube it. I thought I'd run it past you guys and see what your thoughts on my selection is. I'm looking at;

Preamp V1 to V5 - Tung Sol 12AX7A reissues
Preamp V6 - Mullard 12AT7WA with balanced triodes
Rectifier - JJ GZ34/5AR4
Poweramp - SED 6L6GC matched quad

Hmmm, I guess I love making shopping lists

Ciao ...

 

[Storm]

Just what I thought - a perfection selection done there! :lol:

Ciao ...

 

[Storm]

Well I did end up putting some new tubes in, just a bit different to the list - V2 to V5 has the Mesa Russian 2 tubes (EH) and I have the stock rectifier tubes. All I can say is wow! what am inprovement, the amp really 'sings' now and the distortion isn't as harsh but still heavy. Something else I've noticed is that the reverb really stands out now when in use!

Ciao ...

 

[domct203]

I think that the SED =C= 6L6GC and Tung-Sol RI in V1 made the biggest difference (for the good) in my Roadster. The rest of the preamp tubes are for tweaks here and there IMO. I'm happy with the Mesa 5U4GB's so far.

Dom

 

[123thefirst]

Dom - How do the SED's sound at high volume when they start to break up? They generally are the top pick of reviewers for all around use, especially clean sounds from what I hear.

 

[domct203]

I keep my cleans "clean", but the Brit mode is growing on me with these tubes. I don't really go for that "on the edge of breakup" sound with my Roadster.

IMO the amp really comes alive once I'm above 10:00-10:30 on the MV now. Above 11:30 on the MV and I'll actually back off the gain a hair and you can almost feel the way the SED's smooth out and become punchy. Rhythms in ch4 Modern are clear and articulate, and ch3 Vintage Tube Rectified really "breathes" well if you know what I mean, you can tell that the amp is responding when you really "dig into" the strings.

For me, I'll most likely stick with them as my power tube of choice for my Roadster. They biased up right about where GRN STR-440's were (25-28mA). The amp sounds great right there to me.

Dom

 

[dwjrdto2000]

After reading this thread, I purchased a 12AX7A Tung Sol reissue from Doug's tube and put it in V1 of my Roadster. When I turned it on I had to immediately turn down the volume. I don't have the words to describe it, but I can tell you I was smiling from ear to ear. My Roadster is a tone monster now, instead of being a weakling. Thanks for your experiences with the Tung Sol. I don't think I'm going to change any of the other tubes. It sounds like I want it to sound.

 

[Storm]

Yeah, The Tung-Sols are awesome tubes for the preamp.

Ciao ...