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Eyes of the Night
02-09-2005, 05:07 PM
What's up with the "R" at the end of the 34's? ... is it just stadard labeling for that type or am I going to blow shit up? ...

GAR
02-09-2005, 05:15 PM
You need to stop thinking I have photographic memory of shitty chassis that I fucking hate, and that have sucky worthless proprietary "R" switches I know nothing about.

I can guess.
You wanna play guessing games? Post a pic and I'll take a stab at it after I pull out of your girlfreind and have a look-see.

I AM assuming you're talking about EL34 tubes. You don't specify - you could be mentioning the "R" string tied to the Tonka truck I just shoved up your ass with no lube and in that case - "R" would mean "removal ring".

Eyes of the Night
02-09-2005, 05:20 PM
Dude, lmfao ... yes the EL34's ... there's an R at the end of the "EL34" ... lmfao ... is that the normal labeling or is it something different that I don't want to use with those 12ax's? ...

Wont have it ti'll 5 ... cause you can damage shit inside right if you mix the wrong tubes? ...

Eyes of the Night
02-09-2005, 05:57 PM
I guess it was a stoopid question ...

GAR
02-09-2005, 06:08 PM
The only stupid questions are the ones that begin as assumptions.

If you post a pics we can see this unknown "R" in, you'll get a qualified opinion. Otherwise, we're apt to telling you it's the Retard Switch or something..

BrownSound1
02-09-2005, 08:04 PM
Got this off of the Groove Tubes site.

Power Tube Comparison Chart (All Tubes #5)
Tube Type Bias Comments
GT-6V6C -46vdc Warm, strong, nice edge.
GT-6V6R -48vdc Smooth, warm, slightly dark.
GT-KT66HP -61.9vdc GT design. Exact NOS spec, warm bouncy tone, great highs.
GT-KT66C -61.2vdc High power, warm tone balance.
GT-6L6GE -61.0vdc Exact GE design using their original tools. Strong, articulate musical.
GT-6L6R(B) -56.0vdc Slightly aggressive, harder edge yet still warm.
GT-6L6R2 -56.0vdc New Russian design, strong, hard tone.
GT-6L6C -54.3vdc Crisp, solid, ideal for Country Rock.
GT-6L6S -49.7vdc GT design, highest power 6L6, strong bass and highs.
GT-E34LS -50.5vdc GT design, most powerful EL34, big bass, crunchy top.
GT-EL34C -47.3vdc Looser, crunchy and slightly less bass.
GT-EL34R-49.9vdc Linear response with harder edge.
GT-EL34R2 -49.9vdc Linear response with harder edge.
GT-6550C -68.2vdc Soft distortion, round and warm.
GT-6550R -66.0vdc New 6550A copy, less power shorter life.
GT-KT88SV -69.1vdc GT design, replicates Genelex

Denny
02-09-2005, 08:24 PM
Originally posted by Eyes
Dude, lmfao ... yes the EL34's ... there's an R at the end of the "EL34" ... lmfao ... is that the normal labeling or is it something different that I don't want to use with those 12ax's? ...

Wont have it ti'll 5 ... cause you can damage shit inside right if you mix the wrong tubes? ...

EL34 tubes are ok.........5881's are WAY better, IMO.

Eyes of the Night
02-10-2005, 04:03 AM
great find there Brown ... tried out those new tubes tonight along with the concept of turning up the posat and turning down the gain ... got the levels around 6 post and 4 gain I think ... pretty beefy and lost all the mids that I wanted to lose which where about all ... hate MIDS ... for some reason? ...

Dude instead of raising the chassy level had to input a higher value for something and added 10 volts ... great for now! Nothing but fun ...

Eyes of the Night
02-10-2005, 04:57 AM
(GT-EL34R-49.9vdc Linear response with harder edge.)

There's this badass swooshing sound the tubes make now whm in true bypass ... like a phaser effect ... badass ... is this due to the "linear response"? ... isn't linear like a wavelength type thing? ...

BrownSound1
02-10-2005, 05:10 PM
Linear response has nothing to do with whatever you're hearing.

Panamark
02-11-2005, 01:40 AM
Eyes, buy a Marshall, for fooks sake !

Eyes of the Night
02-12-2005, 12:44 AM
I play through a Marshall 160 lead cab does that count!?;) ...

Panamark
02-12-2005, 03:26 AM
You are are halfway there.

Get a JCM800 head.. Then enjoy the tone and stop fucking
with tubes :)

GAR
02-12-2005, 01:59 PM
Does he mean "1960" Lead Series cab?

Find a TV/Radio tech shop or tube jockey locally and PAY THE MAN WHAT HE WANTS to bias the amp!

- you won't fuck up your new tubes
- they'll sound better with the proper supply
- you won't fuck up your output transformer

GAR
02-12-2005, 02:04 PM
One option rarely discussed here, regards to playing "tube jockey" is the fact that if you are just sampling different types of tubes in a 100 watt chassis.. you can actually get by with only 2 power tubes.

Most guys aren't aware of this, but a quad of output tubes function as two pairs of a push-pull circuit..

One tube "pushes" the top form of the sinewave, while the other "pulls" the bottom form, to complete a full wave cycle top and bottom. Two pairs of tubes make a quad, so you can remove two - in Marshalls you can use either the outer 2 or inner 2 pairs.

I run my 1980 JMP with 2 6CA7's at home but if I was to practice I would throw in my quad of EL34's.

Personally I can't wait to try the NEW GROOVE TUBES' 6CA7 when I can afford to - Eyes you could plug in 6CA7's as they're pin-for-pin compatible with EL34's. My recommendation.

If you can't afford a quad, try a pair like the way I mentioned and you might really really like 'em.

Eyes of the Night
02-12-2005, 07:22 PM
I woulda had to order the 6ca7's so I went with the 34's ...

Yeah, I had that dude do it for me this past wendsday n' shit ... badass indeed my bre's ... badass ...

Gotta get some samples up but am having probs with my "Cubase" program ... either I need a new soundcard or just need to install some drivers ...


Gar, thanks for all your help!!! ...

GAR
02-12-2005, 08:15 PM
Try installing a new owner.. that helps for some.

BrownSound1
02-13-2005, 03:29 PM
Originally posted by Eyes
I Gotta get some samples up but am having probs with my "Cubase" program ... either I need a new soundcard or just need to install some drivers ...


Gar, thanks for all your help!!! ...

What kind of problems are you having with Cubase? Not using an ASIO compatible soundcard?

Eyes of the Night
02-13-2005, 05:03 PM
That's my prob BS1 ... yeah gotta go back today anyhow ... mise well pick one of those up while I'm at it ... if not an arm and a leg ...

Eyes of the Night
02-13-2005, 07:32 PM
All I wanted was a simple recording device for my cheap ass mic that I was running from a cheap ass stereo with that SWEET cassette feel ... before I knew it I walked out with 225 worth of product in the end ... I call it upgrading eh ... still though, live by the sword die by the sword ... and in the end BS1 will always have better shit than me and smoke me everytime!

BrownSound1
02-14-2005, 05:37 PM
Hey, you can get a Soundblaster Audigy2 for fairly cheap that is ASIO compatible, and can record 24-bit. That's what I use with Cubase SX and it kicks ass...especially when using VST plugins.

Nitro Express
02-14-2005, 08:08 PM
My old Marshall sounds like pure shit with some EL-34 tubes. They really vary and to be honest, EL-34 tubes are really overhyped.

Unless you know what you are doing have a technician do this for you but the way your bias voltage is set affects the way your output stage sounds. Some amps have a little pot you turn to adjust how much voltage the plates in the tubes are pulling. If it's too hot your tubes will overheat and sometimes glow orange. If it's too low, you amp sounds like shit.

Theres a margine where the bias should be set but withing this margine the tone of the amp changes with bias changes; especially, with EL-34 tubes.

What I do is plug my amp into the speaker cab and play and listen when I reset the bias. You have to reset the bias everytime you change tubes because tubes vary in there characteristics.

I love old tube amps but they are such a pain in the ass. This is one reason why. sometimes I think we're all nuts and should just plug into a POD. LOL!

Nitro Express
02-14-2005, 08:10 PM
Some people are just better served with a solid state amp. LOL!

Eyes of the Night
02-14-2005, 09:59 PM
Dude, you just explained how my tech told me how he fixed mine ... plus mine were el34R's which are different somehow ... it was all about setting this new "value" next to or for that lil switch next to the ... yada yada, I forgot already ...lmfao! He's done Pearl Jam's amps early in their career ... I did get 10 extra volts though ... not even close to Gar's chassy liking ...

Panamark
02-15-2005, 02:38 AM
Svetlanas ?

Eyes of the Night
02-15-2005, 04:01 AM
Uh? .... wtf is that? ... almost sounds like ... wella shit I can't even spell it but it's a name brand riiight?

Fookin' aussies;) ...

BrownSound1
02-15-2005, 05:29 PM
Svetlana/AudioGlassic...same company, I go to church with one of the top dogs. I haven't talked to him one on one recently, but I believe that they are no longer in business.

Eyes of the Night
02-15-2005, 05:33 PM
Yup, just came across that word Svetlana last night at peavey.cum ... just a distributor it looked like ... sorry Pana

ELVIS
02-16-2005, 01:13 AM
I bought my first vintage Marshall head in 1987...

By 1990, I edcuated myself on every major technical aspect of these, and other tube amp circuits...

It's not rocket science, by any means...


:elvis:

Panamark
02-16-2005, 02:54 AM
Svetlana Tubes are still around Brownsound1 !

Panamark
02-16-2005, 02:54 AM
Originally posted by Eyes
Yup, just came across that word Svetlana last night at peavey.cum ... just a distributor it looked like ... sorry Pana

No wucking forries !!

Eyes of the Night
02-16-2005, 03:29 AM
Originally posted by ELVIS
I bought my first vintage Marshall head in 1987...

By 1990, I edcuated myself on every major technical aspect of these, and other tube amp circuits...

It's not rocket science, by any means...


:elvis:


Ah, true that my bre but that for me right now would be like cramming for finals at college n' shit ... even though I went to tech school ... :D

In 90' I was in 10th grade just starting with 1 year of learning chords ... trip

You saw my Wolfie right? Ain't no way I'm touching my 50II!;)

Nitro Express
02-17-2005, 04:13 AM
If you don't know what you are doing, you have no business opening up a tube amplifier. The stored voltage in the capicitors can kill you even when the thing is unplugged. Rebiasing a Marshall required that you open up the amp. You can send yourself to the Pearly Gates or Hell real quick if you touch the wrong connection. You can change the preamp tubes yourself but everytime you change the power tubes you need to check the bias. Like I said above, too low of a bias setting will make your amp sound dull and lifeless. It's smart to have a technitian familiar with guitar amps change the tubes and check your bias for you. Like I said, some technitians just set the potentionmeter to where they are reading a certain voltage draw but this might not give you optimum sound. Everytime you change tubes, the voltage draw will change because tubes differ. That's why it's best to use a matched set of tubes.

What I'm getting at is the tubes in you amp might sound just fine but the bias is set wrong for them. Sometimes people think it's the new tubes that fixed the problem but in reality, the new tubes run better with the bias setting.

Some amps don't have an adjustable bias like a Marshall. They have a set value resistor instead of potentionmeter. This is called a fixed bias amp. The only way you can change the current draw is to try tubes until you find a set that work the best. These amps are best avoided.

You really can't go wrong with buying a Marshall for this reason. Also there are people who know how to work on them and mod them if you want.

ELVIS
02-17-2005, 07:10 AM
Originally posted by Nitro Express
Some amps don't have an adjustable bias like a Marshall. They have a set value resistor instead of potentionmeter. This is called a fixed bias amp. The only way you can change the current draw is to try tubes until you find a set that work the best.



That's not true.

Any amp can be biased. The resistor values can be easily changed by any qualified amp technician...

BrownSound1
02-18-2005, 05:29 PM
Fixed bias amps simply cannot have the right biases for all tubes, so the first mod I would have done to one is installing a pot so I could change the bias as needed.

Nitro Express
02-19-2005, 03:18 AM
I never could figure out why they put fixed resistors in some amps instead of a pot. It doesn't seem like it saves that much money.

BrownSound1
02-19-2005, 04:04 AM
It saves the manufacturer time and money, in that they don't have to pay someone to bias every amp that goes out the door.

The idea of having an amp that you don't have to bias manually is great....however I would rather see them design some type of self-biasing circuit, instead of just popping a fixed value resistor in there to try to cover a wide range.

Eyes of the Night
02-22-2005, 03:40 AM
Okay, I ain't digging the EL34R's ... time for another switch too ...??? Well let's look here ...


Power Tube Comparison Chart (All Tubes #5)
Tube Type Bias Comments
GT-6V6C -46vdc Warm, strong, nice edge.
GT-6V6R -48vdc Smooth, warm, slightly dark.
GT-KT66HP -61.9vdc GT design. Exact NOS spec, warm bouncy tone, great highs.
GT-KT66C -61.2vdc High power, warm tone balance.
GT-6L6GE -61.0vdc Exact GE design using their original tools. Strong, articulate musical.
GT-6L6R(B) -56.0vdc Slightly aggressive, harder edge yet still warm.
GT-6L6R2 -56.0vdc New Russian design, strong, hard tone.
GT-6L6C -54.3vdc Crisp, solid, ideal for Country Rock.
GT-6L6S -49.7vdc GT design, highest power 6L6, strong bass and highs.
GT-E34LS -50.5vdc GT design, most powerful EL34, big bass, crunchy top.
GT-EL34C -47.3vdc Looser, crunchy and slightly less bass.
GT-EL34R-49.9vdc Linear response with harder edge.
GT-EL34R2 -49.9vdc Linear response with harder edge.
GT-6550C -68.2vdc Soft distortion, round and warm.
GT-6550R -66.0vdc New 6550A copy, less power shorter life.
GT-KT88SV -69.1vdc GT design, replicates Genelex




Ookay ... leaning towards these ...

GT-6V6R
GT-6L6GE
GT-E34LS



Hmmm ...


Hey BS1, you get a 5 star for that list my bre;) ...

kentuckyklira
02-22-2005, 08:36 AM
Originally posted by Denny
EL34 tubes are ok.........5881's are WAY better, IMO. Real men play EL34s! :mad:

Denny
03-06-2005, 11:14 AM
Originally posted by kentuckyklira
Real men play EL34s! :mad:

My Amp (a Soldano) has 5881's and it makes a JCM 800, JCM 900 and a 5150 look like a piece of shit.

Have a Nice Day™