V1 and Mark V Tone

[Jim Ed Love]

Try a vintage Mullard.

Don't those cost like $27 skillion?

yeah, that's pretty much out of my reach.

there is the New Sensor Mullard reissue, those are available. but the Groove Tubes Mullard reissue that lots of people love is all sold out.

The Mullard reissues are getting good reviews, but I don't know if they sound any darker than the Tung Sols. I would like to try some Mullards.

Here is a quote from thetubestore.com

This is a nice tube but in my opinion better suited to home audio than guitar amps. The tubes have well balanced triode pairs and a very even flat response. Compared to a Tung Sol it sounds a bit flat, but so does a NOS Mullard. Microphonics are not an issue despite the larger that average plate structure. The transconductance on my sample was the same as two NOS samples I measured. Not really high gain at all, but a real good noise floor and a nice smooth tone that doesn’t encourage ear fatigue the way some preamps can be. The Tung-Sol 12AX7 is my favorite preamp for guitars because it accentuates highs and lows. The Mullard adds virtually no tone coloring and is smoother sounding to my ear that a JJ ECC83S. For hi-fi gear the Mullard will likely be a winner but there are better choices for guitar amps for less money.
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It says that the Mullard sounds a bit flat. That may be what some are looking for.

 

[dodger916]

The Mullard reissues are getting good reviews, but I don't know if they sound any darker than the Tung Sols. I would like to try some Mullards.

Here is a quote from thetubestore.com

This is a nice tube but in my opinion better suited to home audio than guitar amps. The tubes have well balanced triode pairs and a very even flat response. Compared to a Tung Sol it sounds a bit flat, but so does a NOS Mullard. Microphonics are not an issue despite the larger that average plate structure. The transconductance on my sample was the same as two NOS samples I measured. Not really high gain at all, but a real good noise floor and a nice smooth tone that doesn’t encourage ear fatigue the way some preamps can be. The Tung-Sol 12AX7 is my favorite preamp for guitars because it accentuates highs and lows. The Mullard adds virtually no tone coloring and is smoother sounding to my ear that a JJ ECC83S. For hi-fi gear the Mullard will likely be a winner but there are better choices for guitar amps for less money.
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It says that the Mullard sounds a bit flat. That may be what some are looking for.

I dont' know that I'd define NOS Mullards as "flat", but I find them more mid-rangey and less articulate in the highs and lows than American tubes (RCA, GE, Sylvania) or Herleen, Holland tubes (Amperex, Bugle Boy, etc)

I installed a new Mullard 12AT7WA (CV4024) in the phase inverter of my C+, and it really helped smooth out the rough edges. I would definitely recommend it, but bear in mind the 12AT7 is a lower gain version (60-70%) of a 12AX7. However, I don't find the C+ running out of gain even with the 12AT7!

 

[Anonymous]

I had tung sol reissue in V1 and V3 for about 3 months now..love how this two locations make this amp so more musical to my earsl!!!! this is with stock power tubes!!!!!! i had try KT77, Tad 6l6GC"s, tung sol 6L6GCSTR,TungsolE34LB, and svetlana6L6GC in the power section. they all have somethig good but i keep coming back to stock power tubes..

good luck!!!!!!!