What speakers, tubes, cab for the Mark IIC+

[Soundstorm]

Trying to maximize the tone of my C+ for when it gets back from the shop.

I was thinking TAD 6L6GC-STR, Tung-Sol 12ax7s.

I have a 2x12 Vertical Mesa Recto cab, with 1 Vin30 and 1 G12H30. (I was thinking about switching these to two MC90 Black Shadows.


Any past and present C+ owners please chime in about winning combinations.


I play modern/classic rock in the likes of Clutch and Zeppelin.

 

[Shep]

a pair of EV 200watts in your cab.. GT 6L6's and tung sol's pre amp..or mesa str 420's 6L6's..that works awsome with my mk IV/III so i don't think that would be to different from the c+

 

[creative]

TAD6l6str has balanced sound with sweet highs and low microphonics i have them in mark iv. try celestion G12century-very detailed and tight bass,very loud.

 

[Elpelotero]

get yourself GT 6l6 GE and GT 6ca7

I think those are the names of them...they are reissues of old tubes made back in the day and many agree are some of the best stuff you can put into a mark2c+, III, or IV. Unless if you're rich and can afford the str415's and Mullards.

 

[Platypus]

+1 on the GT 6L6GE's, fantastic tube in my Mark IV.. so much headroom and so sweet.

 

[Guitarzan]

Spend the bucks and get the GT-GE's!

 

[Russ]

If you still have the Mesa STR 415's that came in it that would be a great place to start. If not, then good quality NOS 6L6's in the likes of Phillips or GE would be great alternatives. Of course if you don't want NOS or even just good used vintage tubes then The GT 6L6GE would be a great current production tube.

Your preamp tubes are more personal choice I think. Tung-Sol would be great for V-1 but not necessary anywhere else. GT12AX7C is a great tube for general purpose. I would not suggest them for V1 though. GT12AX7M is another great current production tube that is an affordable current production Mullard clone. Sure it is a Mullard but it is not a vintage Mullard. The GT12AX7M is suitable for V1 though. Some choices of other preamp tube manufacturers you might want to try are Sylvania, GE, Mazda, RFT, Siemens, Tesla. Note: these are all NOS. A Tesla is not a JJ.

EVM-12L's are probably the best sounding speakers for any Mark amp. If you want some British speaker flavor add the C90.

 

[JOEY B.]

Soundstorm, I sent you a PM .

 

[Paul Secondino]

Trying to maximize the tone of my C+ for when it gets back from the shop.

I was thinking TAD 6L6GC-STR, Tung-Sol 12ax7s.

I have a 2x12 Vertical Mesa Recto cab, with 1 Vin30 and 1 G12H30. (I was thinking about switching these to two MC90 Black Shadows.


Any past and present C+ owners please chime in about winning combinations.


I play modern/classic rock in the likes of Clutch and Zeppelin.

You already have a lot of advice on tubes so I'll chime in about the speaakers. The Cab you have should already sound good. I might recommend removing the G12H and replacing it with another V30 or even better would be a eminence governor.

You mentioned you were thinking about the black shadow 90's . I've played through those and they have a massive amount of midrange which doesn't sound very flattering to me. So if you want that kind of power handling, I'd recommend the Celestion Classic Lead 80 or the black shadow because it has a more friendly midrange and still habdles a lot of power

THe Eminenece governor has a lot of the character of the Vintage 30 but handles more power (75 watts) and has no cone cry or the midrange peakiness of the V30. It sounds very much like a Vintage 30 that has been smoothed out. The V30 and Eminence together make a great pair.

 

[Soundstorm]

I took out one of the V30s and put a G12H30 to try and take that mid spike out of there. I think the V30s are really harsh for my taste and I'm looking to get rid of them.


I think using two EvM 12Ls is the best suggestion I've heard so far. Anyone know if there's a difference between the normal ones and the Series II? I really want a setup that's strong in the bass, doesn't breakup, and is nice and clear. Anyone selling any 12Ls?

I emailed four different tube distributors about suggestions for my rig, and the response was literally unanimous: Winged C SED 6L6s (which I already have) and Tung-Sol in the preamp. Doug from www.dougstubes.com was highly recommended and also suggested the TS and SEDs but with a few variables for the FX loop, reverb, and phase inverter. (shaguang, sovtek LPS, and another I can't remember). He seems to be the most highly regarded guy at the amp forum in Harmony Central, so I'll go with his suggestion. I appreciate all the tube advice from everyone.

 

[Soundstorm]

Actually, I just looked up those Groove Tube GEs. Look pretty interesting. I never hear talk about them, though. Kinda pricey. Looks like everyone here likes them.

Can anyone describe their tone?

What distortion rating should I go for if I'm aiming for that Clutch/Zeppelin sound?

 

[IK]

Russ--Just curious as to why you think that the Tung-Sol 12AX7 is only a good choice for V1? What are the qualities of this (or any other pre-amp tube) that make it a good choice for the V2-V4 positions.

 

[Russ]

The Tung-Sol in V1 presents a nice sound stage that make your amp sound great. Unlike some other tubes that give you a flat or relatively non-musical base. Your V1 preamp tube basically gives your amp its foundation. With a tube that doesn't sound good in there you can guarantee you will always be trying to improve your tone/gain. The individual tube of any manufacturer will have a certain inherent sound to it. Some are brighter (EH is a good example here) while others may be darker (JJ has been noted by many as a dark sounding tube). Some are somewhat dead sounding (Sovtek WA has always registered here for me) while others may sound more musically alive (Bugle Boy preamp tubes seem to waken things up some). In the case of the Tung-Sol Reissue, the tube is a like a mix of the classic Mullard round tone but slightly gainier in line with a 12AX7C. The Tung-Sol has been noted also to be relatively quiet in regards to noise and microphonics also.

Supporting tube positions after V1 are not as critical. They should have decent gain in cascading gain amp designs but don't need to be the most musical. There will be some tone derived here but not anything like that of what happens in your V1. A reverb tube should be of decent gain and be noise free. A loop tube should be of decent gain and be noise free as well. Microphonics will not affect tubes that are not in V1 as much but can still be a problem with a tube that is really bad.

For some reason it seems there is a balance of making a stable tube and making a tube that sounds good. Usually you can't have both. Sometimes there is an exception. The Tung-Sol is one of the exceptions.

 

[IK]

Russ--I agree with you. I guess i misinterpreted what you said about the tung-sols. I was under the impression that your opinion was that they are NOT good tubes for other positions other than V1 but now i'm thinking what you are saying is that the other positions are just not as critical to shaping your tone--to which i am hip. i currently run the tung-sols in all positions cuz i figured having good quality tubes in all positions can't be a bad thing, if not optimal. Do you have any suggestions for preamp tubes that work BETTER than a tungsol in the other positions that would make a noticable difference? I like headroom, but loud mid to high gain stuff but i'm only using the Rythm channel and using my own stomp box for fuzz. thanks russ.

 

[Russ]

I'd say you having Tung-Sol in all positions is fine. They really are a great tube. You might find a screened tube that has a higher gain but you have to be careful not to go too high though or you just end up with unuseable noise. JJ's have been a good high gain choice if you can deal with the darker sound. Chinese tubes are also higher gain but can seem grainy. Ei tubes are another great tube if you get screened versions. They tend to be somewhat hit and miss otherwise regarding microphonics.

The power tubes are what determine headroom.

 

[IK]

much obliged Russ. i agree that the tung-sols are fantastic. its funny how all i saw on this forum was JJs, JJs, JJs. When it came time to retube the guy from tubestore.com (i think) said no way, tung-sols are where its at for the Mark series. A couple months later, word was out and many of the peeps on this forum seemed convinced to let go of their JJ obsession.
Ultimately, it is a matter of personal pref. (to some degree).
BTW--i'm running the TAD6L6GCs in my power amp.

 

[Platypus]

I think the JJ's are more popular with the Recto crew because they take some of the stock fizz/harshness out.. on the Marks they just rob tone in my opinion.

 

[visualrocker69]

I think using two EvM 12Ls is the best suggestion I've heard so far. Anyone know if there's a difference between the normal ones and the Series II?

Bump on that question.