Hello again everyone,
I borrowed the TOV from my friend, and I am NOT disapointed! Very cool amplifier, and as everyone here told me, every feature is useable! I've been wondering about which tubes you guys use in your Mesa's?
I've been a major tubegeek for some years, since I started using the Super Reverbs and the Super Leads, but as I found out when I read the manual and checked the schematics, the amp's bias isn't adjustable. It has it's pro's and con's, but I think I'll live with it. I've looked around for different tubes, and my supplier sells either Mesa 425's or 440's. However, I belive that Watford Valves here in Europe can provide me with the unbranded versions of the Mesa-tubes I need, at the correct bias-level. Especially the STR-454 sounds very good, and I was very fond of the Winged C EL34's for my Marshall. http://www.watfordvalves.com/product_detail.asp?id=1814 - I'll send him a mail to see if that's possible.
In the preamp I've heard that some people are using JJ ECC83/12AX7's with great results. It's a cheap tube, that I've also had good experiences with, if it had to be in the cheaper side of things. I guess it's like most modern amps I've tried, that are designed around new tubes, which in return won't profit from good NOS-tubes, besides the added reliability.
I'm currently running the amp with a PRS Custom 22 or a Fender Telecaster Japan '85 with Suhrs into a Deluxe Memory Man and straight into the amp. I've never been an effects-loop kinda guy, and I really like the way the amp responds to having the delay kicked into the distorted channel. Cleans are awesome by the way!!!
Kind regards, Jake
I borrowed the TOV from my friend, and I am NOT disapointed! Very cool amplifier, and as everyone here told me, every feature is useable! I've been wondering about which tubes you guys use in your Mesa's?
I've been a major tubegeek for some years, since I started using the Super Reverbs and the Super Leads, but as I found out when I read the manual and checked the schematics, the amp's bias isn't adjustable. It has it's pro's and con's, but I think I'll live with it. I've looked around for different tubes, and my supplier sells either Mesa 425's or 440's. However, I belive that Watford Valves here in Europe can provide me with the unbranded versions of the Mesa-tubes I need, at the correct bias-level. Especially the STR-454 sounds very good, and I was very fond of the Winged C EL34's for my Marshall. http://www.watfordvalves.com/product_detail.asp?id=1814 - I'll send him a mail to see if that's possible.
In the preamp I've heard that some people are using JJ ECC83/12AX7's with great results. It's a cheap tube, that I've also had good experiences with, if it had to be in the cheaper side of things. I guess it's like most modern amps I've tried, that are designed around new tubes, which in return won't profit from good NOS-tubes, besides the added reliability.
I'm currently running the amp with a PRS Custom 22 or a Fender Telecaster Japan '85 with Suhrs into a Deluxe Memory Man and straight into the amp. I've never been an effects-loop kinda guy, and I really like the way the amp responds to having the delay kicked into the distorted channel. Cleans are awesome by the way!!!
Kind regards, Jake
