Wanting to improve my F-50. Need advise.

[uptoolate]

First post here. This seems like a great forum!

I have had my F-50 1x12 combo for about 4 years. I bought it new and have never changed the tubes.

I have really liked the tones of my particular amp, but have often wished it were smoother and not so incredibly bright. Sometimes it seems downright harsh.

Would new tubes really improve my tone?

If so, could someone give me suggestions on what I should get? (I know nothing about tubes)

Thanks!

 

[fishyfishfish]

Welcome! as for your amp tones there are a couple ways to go: I changed out the speaker on my "F" to a Hella tone 50 from Avatar Speakers and really warmed up the amp, then I put in some JJ pre amp tubes (Not High Gain) and left the power tubes stock for warranty reasons. Combo amps played at high volumes can eat power tubes so I always keep spares, and my amp tech friend installed a small "Computer" fan for cooling. Can't beat the "F"!

 

[uptoolate]

Welcome! as for your amp tones there are a couple ways to go: I changed out the speaker on my "F" to a Hella tone 50 from Avatar Speakers and really warmed up the amp, then I put in some JJ pre amp tubes (Not High Gain) and left the power tubes stock for warranty reasons. Combo amps played at high volumes can eat power tubes so I always keep spares, and my amp tech friend installed a small "Computer" fan for cooling. Can't beat the "F"!

Cool. Thanks for the info. I had also wondered about trying a different speaker as well.

I do have a Marshall 1960b and I really don't like that tone too much with my F50. For recording, I like the single 12 sound better. I will check into a different speaker.

I'm guessing I should try changing the pre amp tubes first, and then think about the power tubes if that still isn't doing it for me.

 

[phyrexia]

Do you play your amp regularly? If so, you should retube the entire amp. Four years with modern tubes is too long to wait.

 

[MrMarkIII]

If you don't use the "Standby" switch religiously, you might need to replace the power tubes. Preamp tubes not so much. They last much longer. You could try changing your first and second preamp tubes (V1 and V2) to change your sound. Do this one at a time and check the sound after each change. V1 is the first tube in the chain, and thus has the most impact on tone. I'm pretty sure V2 is where the lead channel distortion is generated (F-50). You can pay $30 and up for a New Old Stock (NOS) Mullard 12AX7 from the 60's, but it's worth it IMHO.